The 2025 Ball High Tors made their debut on the home field Friday night against Manvel, and while the game might not have gone as planned, a 52-21 Mustang stampede, there turned out to be a lot of interesting things to look at from the coaches and fans’ perspective.
Several young athletes stepped up and established a chemistry of teamwork and showed some fight, while the veterans picked up where they left off last year, playing hard and doing their best, even if their efforts came up a bit short in the opener.
A couple of key names grabbed our attention, like sophomore CB Isaiah Washington and Noah Crockett, the starting cornerbacks. “I think Isaiah Washington and Noah Crockett, our two cornerbacks, are going to open a lot of eyes; two aggressive really good athletes and the secondary has a good chance to give some teams some fits,” said Ball High Head Coach Omasha Brantley. Washington scored the first touchdown for the Tors with a 74-yard pick-six to start his year.
Numerous penalties plagued the Tors during the rough season opening loss on the road against Manvel. “We’re got to fix the penalties and things that hurt us,” said Coach Brantley. The Tors had a mind bending 12 penalties for 119 penalties yard; but Manvel played ragged ball, too, with 10 penalties for 111 penalties yard. “We’ll get it fixed, get back to the drawing board, and we have nine more opportunities.”
The Tors then traveled across the Causeway for the annual showdown with their rivals, the Texas City Stingrays, a highly anticipated game that had players hyping the event weeks before the night of the game. Explosive plays were performed by both sides including a game winning touchdown, insane comeback energy and stratagems comparable to college athletes made for a festive night of football!
During the half-way point of the game, things really started to pick up. The Tors only completed just one of nine passes during the first quarter, but a few encouraging words from Coach Omasha Brantley turned the game around in the second quarter. Corieon Sanders connected with a 42-yard pass to Jayvian Joseph, scoring the mighty Tors a touchdown. The Stingrays struggled to recover, and Ball won with a score of 26-7. Texas City’s Stingrays could be seen walking off the field with their Stingaree tails between their legs.
“Our kids, you could see it in their eyes. They knew it was possible. One play at a time, it’s within reach; you’ve got it!” was the inspiring last word by Tors Head Coach Brantley.
The football game between Friendswood and Ball High turned into a real nail-biter, even though the 49-7 final score might say otherwise. The way Friendswood built a 31-0 lead in the first half demonstrated the confidence and momentum they had. There was no way Ball did anything right. It makes you wonder about the strategy and execution that went into those initial drives, especially how they capitalized on Ball High’s early mistakes.
Then, to have Ball High come back with some exciting plays in the second half, showcasing their own fight, making a comeback look possible. Those long touchdown passes, and the outstanding plays made on kickoff return really highlight the potential for big plays in football, proving that the game isn’t over until the final whistle. This really just shows a slow start can really be a team downfall, but to overcome adversity is something too.
Ultimately, this game tells the same ole story of their two sides. Friendswood dominated the first, establishing control, while Ball High showed flashes of brilliance in the second, demonstrating their ability to score and make exciting plays. It’s a reminder that even in a decisive defeat, there are always moments of individual effort and team spirit that play sports so compelling to watch and follow.
The Tors took their 1-2 record to Beaumont where the Islanders clobbered Westside 49-7.
The Tors then lost a nailbiter to Houston Sterling 21-20.
Ball High next faced their oldest rival, Port Arthur Memorial, a rivalry that goes back to the days when Ball High first fielded a football team in 1936 when the school was still located on Ball and 21st Street. The Tors played their second game of that first six-game season against Port Arthur. The rivalry spilled over into the Ball High School fight song.
Fight Song
We are tornadoes, vict’ry bound tornadoes.
We are the greatest power known.
“B” clap clap clap “A” clap clap clap “L” clap “L” clap “H” “I” “G” “H”
“T” clap clap clap “O” clap clap clap “R” clap “S” clap TORS!
We never fear Port Arthur, Abilene or Ray.
We are tornadoes, vict’ry bound tornadoes.
We are the greatest power known!
Port Arthur crushed the Tors 48-0 which brought the team to the midpoint of the season with a 2-4 record.
Beaumont United then pushed the Tor losing streak to three games with a 23-16 win on Homecoming Night. After the Kilmeade is a leading host on Fox and has been with the network since the late 1990s.ors fought back for a 16-15 lead with 2:12 to go, Beaumont United turned two critical Ball High penalties into a 22-yard game winning touchdown pass with 33 seconds left for a wild 23-16 win a Kermit Courville Stadium.
