Tucked in the community of Highland Park, Texas is Highland Park High School where football is king and for good reason. The Highland Park program is the winningest program in Texas football history. Dating back to 1923, Highland Park has had, for the majority of the program’s existence, great teams and success every year. That tradition of winning stays true with current Highland Park coach Randy Allen, who has led Highland Park to 25 straight district victories and has built a 72-game winning streak at Highlander Stadium.
A special stadium
After Friday’s district victory over West Mesquite 41-21, which saw the HP Scots score 34 straight points, people question whether Highland Park will ever lose at Highlander Stadium. The Scots were down 21-7 and roared back to win a key district game, but one could not help but notice how crucial the home crowd was to urging the Scots to rally and claim victory.
Highlander Stadium is a monument to football that few have found outside of Texas and its football obsessed culture. The stadium’s capacity of 8,000 is reason enough for opponents to fear coming into Highlander Stadium and the 72-game home winning streak can strike even more fear into opponents. The towering grandstands for the home fans with a large press box glaring down at you is enough to be intimidating to any team. When visiting teams pull up, they are reminded of the state championships that this storied program has won by the backside of Highlander Stadium where those teams are commemorated.
Fierce competition
Friday, October 19, 2012 was no exception. When the West Mesquite Wranglers came out for the second half there was a buzz in the stadium after a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown right before the end of the first half by Robert Mencke. That sparked what became a second half dominated by the Scots. “They were telling us not to get beat,” Mencke said. “I read it right and just went and got it. Then I just ran as fast I could and got the touchdown.”
West Mesquite had made big play after big play in the first half with touchdown passes of 78 and 95 yards and had a 75-yard fumble return for a touchdown as well to build a 21-7 lead. What the Wranglers were unprepared for was playing in front of a crowd that was not going to allow the Scots to feel out of the game or lose their home winning streak. Like so many times before, the “Old Scots” as coach Allen refers to the past generations of Scots, were there to support their team and not allow the fabled history of that winning streak to come to an end.
“Keep playing hard and we’ll find a way to win,” Allen told his team at the half. “I knew the dads were lined up outside the dressing room to motivate the players.”
Scots quarterback Jet Tuma turned out a gutsy performance and also one of his best of the season while being harassed all night by a Wranglers defense that featured a few players, who are already committed to playing college football at major universities. Tuma’s leadership along with his 202 yards passing, two touchdown passes and another 58 yards on the ground with two scores led the way for the Scots. Being a Highland Park quarterback and captain is something that isn’t taken lightly when you play in the shadow of players like current Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford, who led Highland Park to a state championship in 2005.
Generations of winners
Generations of many players have fathers and grandfathers who played for Highland Park and understand what it means to play for this historic program. Throughout the crowd, laced with past graduates of Highland Park, you could hear whispers of “those boys get it” and “this team knows what is at stake every time the team steps on the field at Highlander.” That type of confidence is what coach Allen knows is expected of his teams and why he believes the Highland Park program is so revered in Texas history.
“We have lots of players who have dads who played for the Scots. It means a lot to the old Scots. Some Scot fans come to all the play off games over a long period of time. They are proud that the Scots have 751 wins, the most wins of any team in the history of Texas high school football,” Allen said.
When you visit Highlander Stadium it is always a special experience. The traditions, the bagpipes playing, the Highland Park Belles and the Highlander March are some of the many traditions noted by Allen, who was all too familiar with the Highland Park program when he lettered at SMU from 1969-1972. One unique aspect of Texas high school football is the extended 20-minute halftimes, which allow each high school band plenty of time to perform.
A winning coach
Allen, who sports a tie and a fedora on the sideline, has become something of a folk hero for the Highland Park faithful. Allen keeps a tight grip on his team’s direction and preparation and for good reason. Allen became Highland Park’s winningest football coach in 2010 and did it his own way. When Allen came to Highland Park in 1999, he installed the spread offense, which was not as well-known at the time and moved the Scots away from the veer offense that previous HP coaches Frank Beavers, Don Richardson and Scott Smith had run and run well for the Scots.
In front of families, alumni and students, the Highland Park football team comes out every night and tries to follow coach Allen’s most important message.
“Leave it better than you found it.”
Friday night was no exception and that has stayed true for over 12 years.
