Although Judson owns six football state-championship trophies and has advanced to the playoffs 24 times in the past 27 seasons, a case could be made that the Rockets are one of the San Antonio area's most unheralded district leaders this season.

That's difficult to fathom for a program that has produced one state champion and two state finalists since 2002.

Like star player Quaylon Jones, Judson has been running away with District 27-5A again this year. (Photo courtesy of Antonio Morano / SAsports.com)

It's not like fans outside Judson's district have forgotten the Rockets, mind you. After all, how do you dismiss a school steeped in so much tradition? No school in the area has enjoyed the kind of success Judson has had since 1982, when it beat Churchill in the state quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals for the first time.

Still, it's not a stretch to say the Rockets have become something of an afterthought since they moved from District 26-5A, arguably one of the best in the state, to significantly weaker District 27-5A at the start of the 2008-09 school year.

The change was mandated by the University Interscholastic League, which governs extracurricular activities in Texas public schools and realigns its districts every two years.

"Playing in a district that's not as tough as the one we were in for so long hurts us, but it doesn't kill us unless we let it," Judson coach Jim Rackley said Thursday. "Every district has its challenges. For us, it's not to become complacent.

"There's a loss of respect for us and we've got to get that back. That's motivation for us. Our goal every day is to keep up Judson's standards and defend that tradition."

After playing 28 seasons in a district composed primarily of North East ISD schools, Judson now competes against East Central, Highlands, South San, Corpus Christi Carroll, Corpus Christi King, Victoria Memorial and Wagner, the other high school in the Judson ISD.

To say Judson's plays in a weak district now would be an understatement. To wit: All four 27-5A playoff teams lost in the first round of the playoffs last season.

To further drive home the point, every 27-5A team but Judson and Wagner would be hard pressed to earn a playoff spot in 26-5A.

District 26-5A also has included Smithson Valley, which almost beat Southlake Carroll in the 2004 5A Division II title game

"What is good for you is when you get challenged to the hilt every week," Rackley said. "It presses you to push forward and stay focused because you know you won't make the playoffs if you don't."

Judson is 6-2 overall and leads the 27-5A race with a 5-0 record. The Rockets are coming off a 46-30 victory over East Central highlighted by the performance of sophomore running back Quaylon Jones, who rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns.

There's no reason to believe Judson, which plays Victoria Memorial on the road Friday night, won't run the table in district for the second consecutive year. But how will that success translate in the playoffs against significantly tougher competition?

"Success is a double-edged sword," Rackley said. "It's natural to feel good when you win, but you can't pat yourself on the back too much. I think we've improved tremendously since the beginning of the season, but it's hard to really gauge where we are as a team because everything is relative to the level of the competition you play."

The Rockets finished the 2008 regular season 8-2 and went 7-0 in district, but lost to Stevens 14-12 in the first round of the playoffs. Stevens was 6-4 in the regular season and barely made the postseason, finishing tied for fourth in 28-5A with a 5-3 record.

The early playoff exit was a reality check for Judson, which had bowed out in the first round only two other times since becoming a state power.

"I think our players understand what happened and why it happened," said Rackley, who is 83-28 since succeeding D.W. Rutledge in 2001. "Not to take anything away from Stevens because they played a good game against us, but I think we were looking beyond Stevens when we started the playoffs.

"We thought we were better than we really were. You have to go out and prove it every week, and keep your mindset right. There were times last season when we didn't get better, and that hurt us in the playoffs. The challenge for us is to stay hungry."

If the rest of the team has the same attitude as senior linebacker Jordan Spice and senior quarterback Cody Boswell, the Rockets should be better prepared for the playoffs this season.

"What it comes down to is believing in each other and working hard to play at a high level every week," Spice said. "We respect all our opponents, no matter what district we're in. We know we've got to prepare and stay focused."

Said Boswell: "We look forward to getting better every day. That's been our attitude all season because of what happened last year."

Boswell has made the most of his passing opportunities in Judson's run-oriented offense, completing 42 of 57 attempts (73 percent) for 604 yards and four touchdowns.

"He's doing a good job of managing the offense," Rackley said.

Jones, only 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds, has played big in his first varsity season, rushing for 1,067 yards on 116 carries, a 9.0 average, and 14 TDs.

"He's got a gift, that natural vision to see the field," Rackley said. "The tougher the going gets, the tougher he gets. He really came on at the end of the game against East Central. He made some runs that were as good as any I've ever seen. They were Jerod Douglas-type of runs. I don't know if he'll be like Jerod, but he's a special kid."

Douglas, a three-year starter, helped lead Judson to state titles in 1992 and 1993 before going on to a solid career at Baylor.

Other offensive players who have played well this season, Rackley said, are junior tight end Colton Weimers, senior wide receiver Jordan Montgomery and senior tackles Kevin Slaughter and C.J. Boyd.

Rackley praised Spice, senior tackle Charles Parks, junior nose guard Bryan Villarreal, senior end Kouri Jones, junior safety/cornerback Richard Griffin, junior cornerback Trevon Gamboa and senior safety Darnell Bohannon-Bey for their defensive play.

The Rockets started the season 1-2, beating Warren 33-29 in their opener before losing to Smithson Valley (28-13) and Pflugerville (42-21). While they have won their district games by 37, 25, 55, 33 and 16 points, how good are the Rockets?

It's difficult to say, and therein lies the challenge for Rackley and his team.

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