[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE HIGHLAND PARK SCOTS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR WINNING THE 
           TEXAS CLASS 4A DIVISION I HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Scots of 
Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas for winning their first 
State Championship in almost half a century, defeating the Marshall 
High School Mavericks by the largest margin of victory in Texas High 
School eleven-man Football Championship history. I am proud to 
represent Highland Park as part of the 32nd District of Texas.
  Head Coach Randy Allen and his team put on an impressive display at 
Tyler's Rose Stadium in front of over 14,000 fans plus several thousand 
more who couldn't get in due to a lack of seating. It was a fitting end 
to their first-ever undefeated, untied season of 15-0. Highland Park 
dominated the competition throughout the season on their way to their 
first State Championship appearance since 1957, with only one game in 
the entire season decided by 7 points or less.
  This team and its fans have certainly waited a long time to reach 
this point. They have come extremely close to reaching the final game 
several times in recent years, but have always come up just a little 
shy. Twice in the past 10 years the Scots have seemingly been within 
arm's reach of the championship game, losing in the semifinals in both 
1996 and 2003. After having come so close with such talented teams, 
they and their fans were very ready to return to glory.
  Their avid fans came out in droves to support them in the 
championship game, even prompting the operators of the Rose Stadium to 
erect more seats at the last minute to accommodate up to 2,000 more 
fans. They also lobbied successfully to have the game broadcast live so 
that all of the Highland Park faithful who were unable to get tickets 
to the game could at least watch from afar as their beloved Scots 
brought home their first championship in 48 years.
  The 2005 Scots, dubbed the ``Band of Brothers,'' fielded quite a 
large and talented team. It consisted of 116 total players, including 
at least one national standout. Matthew Stafford, the Scots 
quarterback, broke the school's passing record on the team's road to 
victory by throwing for over 8,000 yards in his three seasons at the 
helm. Stafford, considered by some to be the top recruit in the country 
at his position, will attend the University of Georgia next year. 
Another notable performance was that of senior Jake Feldt, who scored 
an incredible five touchdowns in a valiant effort for his team during 
the championship game.
  In closing, I would like to honor the Highland Park Scots Football 
Team, HP coach Randy Allen, and the Community of Highland Park for 
their spirit, dedication, and winning attitude in their best season in 
a historically competitive program.

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