Down Trails of Victory

"The Best High School Football Rivalry in the NATION!"--Sports Illustrated, October 2024

"Mid County Madness," the term coined by sportswriter Tom Halliburton to describe the football rivalry between Port Neches-Groves and Nederland, can trace its origin back to 1925, when each of these schools started their respective football programs.

In commemoration of 100 years of PN-G and Nederland football, Dr. Jon Buck Fo...

"Sooner or Later, Your Cousin's DNA is Going to Solve a Murder"

--New York Times headline, April 25, 2019

In 2025, that time is NOW rather than sooner or later.

Detective Tina Lewallan of the Beaumont Police Department, and Shera Lapoint, a forensic genealogist known as "The Gene Hunter," discuss their role in solving the 25-year old cold case murder of Beaumont teacher Mary Catherine Edwards.

In March 2024, Cl...

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do/

Do not wait to shed your light afar/

To the many duties ever near you now be true/

Brighten the corner where you are."

--Lyrics to "Brighten the Corner Where you Are"" by Charles Gabriel, Paul Mickelson, and Ina Duley Ogden

Memorial Day.

In this special episode, Down Trails of Victory podcast pays tribute to the 1.3 million military men and women who gave their...

"Running on empty (running on)/

Running blind (running on)/

Running into the sun/

But I'm running behind."

--Lyrics to "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne

Dr. William Fermo and his brother Dr. Jeremy Fermo are "all in" on delivering incredible running experiences to runners and communities in  Southeast Texas.

Since launching their "3 Bros Running Company" in 2022, the brothers have quickly b...

So here's to you/May your dreams come true/
May old father time/Never be unkind/
And through the years/Save your smiles and your tears/
They're just souvenirs/They'll make music in your heart.../
--Lyrics to "My Best to You," by Isham Jones and Gene Willaden

The Indianettes have been an iconic figure in the tradition of Port Neches-Groves High School since their first appearance in 1951.

In th...

Time to bust out the fiddle and rosin up the bow!

Today's guests--Sheryl, Reggie, and Jenifer Wrinkle--are fiddle virtuosos of the highest order. Hear them share how their early experiences playing the fiddle in Southeast Texas led them each on a musical journey of a lifetime.

Their conversation with Buck and Wanda Carole covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Their early years playing the fiddle in performances and contes...

The Port Neches-Groves Indians--Texas 5A D2 State Football Champions of 2023.

Six seniors from that 2023 Indian squad--Shea Adams, Mario Miguel, Isaiah Nguyen, Giovanni Oceguera, Reid Richard, and Maxwell Scroggs--tell the story of that historic championship run. It's a unique and insightful perspective from the players themselves.

Their remembrances cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Head Coach Jeff Joseph and PN-G&apo...

In February of 2022, Jeff Joseph was named the 20th head football coach at Port Neches-Groves High School. It was his first head coaching job.

Two years later, Coach Joseph is the undisputed Coach of the Year recipient from practically every Texas organization that honors high school football coaching excellence!

How did Coach Joseph achieve this seemingly meteoric recognition, and lead storied football power Port=Neches Groves to it...

St. Francis of Assissi said, "He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

Phil Brannan is a wood carving artist who has spent a lifetime pursuing a passion. It is a passion that has burned within him always, through his life's highs and lows. His passionate pursuit has taken him on a spiritual journe...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words....

If this is true, then the photo production of Bart Bragg and Wayne Rogers would be prolific enough to fill a library!

Bart and Wayne talk with Buck about their 60-plus years of photographing the people and events of Southeast Texas, including:

• Their early interest in photography;
• Working alongside Museum of the Gulf Coach Hall of Fame photographer Frank Cricchio;
• Stories surrounding s...

On the Wings of Eagles....

1979 was a Cinderella football season for the Stephen F Austin Eagles of Port Acres, Texas. Projected to finish 7th in tough District 18-2A, the Eagles overcame an 0-3 pre-district record to capture SFA's first District title since 1965.

Seniors Chuck Anderson, Ty Coburn, David Lutcher, Richard Smith, and Ricky Sonnier were senior players on that historic campaign--a campaign that influenced the future...

"Ooh...let's go...
boom...boom...boom...
Another one bites the dust!"--by Queen bassist John Deacon

Coach Ronnie Thompson and quarterback Todd Dodge were football legends at Port Arthur Thomas Jefferson High School. Under Thompson's coaching genius, and Dodge's quarterbacking excellence, the #1-ranked Yellow Jackets rode the "Another One Bites the Dust" steamroller to a showdown with Odessa...

"Runnin' down a dream...that never would come to me...
Workin' on a mystery...goin' where ever it leads...
Runnin' down a dream..."--Tom Petty

Allen Wrinkle, one of Texas' premiere ultra trail runners,  is here to talk with us about a few of his many experiences seeking out challenges that push the envelope of human endeavor. Hear Allen talk with Buck and Wanda Carole about: 

• his running...

"Always be Faithful...

To Purple and White..."

No one exemplified these words than Beaumont High graduate and longtime PN-G educator Butch Troy.

Hear Coach Troy, in his last public communication, talk with Buck and Brad about:

• pitching the Beaumont High Royal Purples to the 1959 state baseball championship;
• pursuing his dreams of playing professional baseball;
• hiring on at Port Neches Junior High in 1965;
• his years as head b...

"I want to fly like an Eagle, let my spirit carry me..."

The Stephen F. Austin High School Eagles of Port Acres, Texas, did just that in 1986, as they soared through a season of triumph, culminating in a historic State Semifinal matchup with Cuero and its sophomore phenom Robert Strait.

Hear SFA seniors Kenny Ford, Allen Griggie, Kevin Henry, Damon Martin, and Derek Moore talk with Buck (who was an assistant coach for the E...

Championship Fridays and Championship Saturdays...

Greg Davis, legendary Port Neches-Groves High School graduate, talks about his storied football career, including: 

• his years as a student at Woodlawn Junior High and PN-G;
• quarterbacking the Indians on their 1968 District Championship run;
• his return to PN-G as offensive coordinator, where the Indians won a State title in 1975, made a Semifinal appearance in 1976, and another Fina...

Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is set aside for honoring and mourning the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

We at Down Trails of Victory podcast are privileged to present our tribute to the heroes of Memorial Day by telling the story of one of Southeast Texas’ heroes, Army First Lieutenant Bruce Churan. Bruce, a 1966 graduate of Port Neches-Groves High School, is one of the 5...

Glory Days of 1955 come alive!!

Players on the Port Neches-Groves Indians 1955 state football champions--Riley Burnett, Jeff Council, and Don Harper--recall their miraculous state championship run!

Hear their recollections about:

• Head Coach Lewis Ford and his all coaching staff;
• The 1954 State Finalist football team, and how the 1955 team compared to it;
• Their undefeated district campaign;
• Their playoff run, which included two of the...

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler!!!

Senior players on the Port Neches-Groves Indians state football champions--Jack Collazo, Gary Geoffroy, Andy Gilbert, Kirk Romero, Karl Segura, and Wilson Weber--recall those magical days of 1975.

Hear their recollections about:

• Head Coach Doug Ethridge and his all star coaching staff;
• The 1974 Semifinalist season, and how that season impacted 1975;
• Their undefeated district campaign;
• Their playoff ru...