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 R.K. "Bob" Speights, Literary Agent
Play Like He Would
The Inspirational Story of the Bremond
Tigers
By H. Neal Hamrick
On any Friday night during the fall, a visitor to the
locker room in the small town of Bremond will find a
small group of determined young men rise from a pre-game
prayer and stride out to meet the lights and cheers, the
pain and glory, of being a high school football player in
the state of Texas. As they pass through the door, each
places a reverent hand on an old crimson helmet. Painted
in stark red letters on the white wall under the helmet
is a number- 77- and a simple legend: Play Like He
Would.
"Play Like He
Would: The Inspirational Story of the Bremond
Tigers" is the true story of an extraordinary
group of young men and coaches who fought through the
tragic loss of a beloved team mate and went on to win
three back-to-back district championships.
"Play Like He
Would" is the story of Hunter Hamrick, Matt and
Robbie Yanowski, Sam Crawford, Gary Nolan, Julius Scott,
and their teammates: Names which could be found on any
roster in Texas, but hearts and drive unique to Bremond.
I
"Play Like He
Would" is the story of head football coach,
Jerry "Slugger" Hamrick and his coaching staff,
who led those young men through criticism and tragedy and
brought them back to the pinnacle of high school
football: the state playoffs. It's the story of a town
with a long winning tradition suffering through a playoff
drought, starving to see the Friday night lights burning
into December.
"Play Like He
Would" is also the story of a young man named
Jason Yancy - the heart and soul of a young,
inexperienced team - who brightened the lives of all
around him. During a game on October 1, 1999, Jason
picked up the man who he had just blocked, walked back to
the offensive huddle, and collapsed. He died on the way
to the hospital, the victim of an enlarged heart. His
teammates were told the news during half-time by a
stunned and grieved coach; from the moment the locker
room fell silent, the fate of the Bremond Tigers began to
change.
"Play Like He
Would" tells the grief and tragedy of that one
moment, a town and a team would come together. For years
afterward, and to this very day, young men clad in the
red and white of a Bremond Tiger would line up on the
field with one common goal and inspiration: Play Like
He Would.
In a time when the trend
in sport's literature has turned away from scathing
exposes and into inspirational stories of true character,
and films like "Miracle" and "Remember
the Titans" are box-office successes and family
favorites, "Play Like He Would" would
immediately find an interested readership. The author, H.
Neal Hamrick, is closely connected to the events
surrounding the 1999-2002 Bremond Tigers: His father,
Jerry "Slugger" Hamrick, and his brother,
Hunter Hamrick, were integral to the team's success in
those magical years. Hamrick was also present in Milano,
Texas, on that night in October when an entire town
mourned for a young man whose life had been cut
tragically short. He was also there as those same young
men who had sat with tear and blood streaked faces in the
Milano locker rooms bounced back in the memory of Number
77, and brought a town and a team back to life.
Book Outline
Play Like He Would: The Inspirational
Story of the Bremond Tigers
Foreword: By Jerry
"Slugger" Hamrick
Introduction: Introducing H. Neal
Hamrick and the inspiration for telling
the story of Jason Yancy and his teammates.
Prologue: Set during the pre-game
moments prior to the 2003 playoff game verses
the Tenaha Texas Tigers, we are quickly introduced to the
main players in this tale, including Slugger and Hunter
Hamrick, Matt and Robbie Yanowski, Gary Nolan, Sam
Crawford, and Julius Scott.
Chapter One: The Coach
A look at the life and career of Jerry
"Slugger" Hamrick told in brief anecdotes as he
tours the town of Bremond for the first time in 1997, and
his decision to move his family - including his sons,
Heath and Hunter, to a tiny Polish-Catholic town in the
Brazos Valley.
Chapter Two: The Town
A brief look at the history of Bremond and
it's Tigers, from the town's origins as Six Shooter
Junction during the days of the Old West, to the glory
days of Tiger football and the drought of playoff
appearances before the 1999 season.
Chapter Three: The Team
Taking a look at the pre-season of the 1999 season, we
are introduced once again to the kids of Bremond,
including Jason "Meat" Yancy, and get a feel
for their dad-to-day lives and their close personal
interaction. We also get a chance to meet and explore the
characters of the coaching staff and the expectations and
criticisms going into 1999.
Chapter Three: The Road to Milano
A look at the disappointing season of the Tigers as they
arrive in Milano. Texas, for their third district ball
game. As things begin to click for the Tigers for the
first time, the unthinkable occurs.
Chapter Four: In Memory
The Events of October 1, 1999 play out for us from the
viewpoints of coaches, teammates, and fans as Bremond is
told that Jason Yancy has died. A look at the condition
which caused his death, and the direct aftermath of the
tragedy.
Chapter Five: Playing the Champions
Like Champions
As we read the words of condolences from coaches and
players around the state, the Tigers go into district
play with new inspiration. They've achieved more than
anyone ever dreamed they would, a winning season, but
between them and the playoffs stand the future state
champions of that year: the Bartlett Bulldogs.
Chapter Six: Play Like He Would
Experienced and toughened by tragedy, the Bremond Tigers
and their coaches launch into the 2000 season with one
word in their minds: playoffs. With that special group of
young men who watched their teammate fall the year
before, the Tigers rapidly march to a district
championship- and the playoffs.
Chapter Seven: The Missing Man
As the seniors of 2002 graduate, they glance at an empty
chair and remember the teammate who should have been
there. They remember the magic of the 2001 season, as the
team forged in tragedy plows its way deep into the
playoffs, leading to a game in the small East Texas town
of Palestine.
Chapter Eight: Dead Soldiers
The final game of the 2001 season, against the tough
Tigers of Teneha, unfolds as we watch the starting
quarterback, Hunter Hamrick, fight with his team against
the coming end. We explore the immediate post- high
school fates of Hunter Hamrick, Matt Yanowski, Sam
Crawford, and Gary Nolan, and we watch as the coaches
gather in late July to discuss the 2002 team: the team of
Julius Scott, Robbie Yanowksi, and the last of those
directly affected by the death of Jason Yancy.
Chapter Nine: Redemption
We pick up where we began in the prologue as the 2002
Tigers once again face a tough Teneha, Texas, team.and
beat them soundly. They will go on to face the Celeste,
Texas, Blue Devils in the State quarterfinals.
Epilogue
Where are they now? We pick things up with
the team of Jason Yancy, and the coaches who led them,
and get a look at where they are now. We end with a look
at the current Bremond Tigers, whoever they may be, as
they pass the helmet of Number 77 and the motto which has
become an inspiration: Play Like He Would.
Photos:
A Gallery of photos from the years in
question from parents, coaches, two
local newspapers, the school yearbook, and still from
videos of the events
of 1999-2002.
Brief Author Bios
H. Neal Hamrick was born in
Pasadena, Texas, into a third generation coaching family.
He grew up on the sidelines as his father, Slugger
Hamrick, coached at places ranging from Central Texas to
the Rio Grande Valley and back again. He has never seen a
high school game from the grandstands, preferring to
stand on the sidelines, as he did as a player and as he
does now as a coach. He has been the recipient of an
award in playwrighting in the state of Texas for two
consecutive years, as well as being the founder
and creative drive behind the only film program at his
alma mater, Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He
is happily married and now coaches football for the Saint
Jo Panthers, Saint Jo, Texas..
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