Jack Pardee is the most famous name to emerge from six-man football in Texas. He played at Christoval, 1949-52, and then continued his linebacker duties for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M; the National Football League would follow for a 14-year career. Tyler Ethridge is a long way from matching Pardee's accomplishments, but no one has matched what Ethridge did in his four remarkable years at Richland Springs, a community of 350, not-too-many, 80-yard football fields west of San Saba. Before listing numbers which would make the Dow Jones Industrial Average quite proud and a skyscraper above average, it's best to point out that Ethridge, a quarterback and spread back in six-man language, led the Coyotes to state AND national championships in 2004, 2006 and 2007. There was one loss--72-58 in the '05 state semifinals to Throckmorton--in Tyler's high school days. "I did drills for my dad when I was in the fifth grade and I began playing a year later," the recent graduate relates. In a modest, but convincing tone, he declares: "I would put in hours when most kids were asleep or on vacation. Some of us would be at the school football field at midnight working on pass patterns." (Don't forget your cell phone, and let your parents know those not-so-standard, late-night plans!) In Ethridge's freshman year, 2004, he threw for a state-best 53 touchdowns and he ran for 19. He amassed more than 3,300 yards of total offense. Some of the scores? Richland Springs mauled May, 52-6; Cherokee, 80-44; and Rochelle, 72-8. The unbeaten campaign concluded with a 58-38 triumph over Valley in the six-man title game."We knew in the eighth grade he was far above everyone," Coyotes head coach Jerry Burkhart says. "His work ethic was outstanding, throwing the ball in the summer, going to the weight room, studying films. And even though we were beating teams badly for four years, I never had to worry about Tyler becoming complacent." Lometa's Wendell Bradley has been coaching for more than two decades. "Ethridge beat us twice in the playoffs, so he's doggone good!" Bradley tells the interviewer, "Don't just look at the offensive side of the ball, he's a superb linebacker and safety. He knows where the play is; goodness, it seems he's been in your huddle. Why it's almost like Richland Springs is cheating with another coach on the field!" In 2005, the routs include 60-0 over both Mullin and Panther Creek. Sierra Blanca falls, 74-26. Ignoring coach Bradley's fine advice concerning our offensive nature, this journal reports that Ethridge collects more than 4,000 yards in total offense. He's responsible for 97 touchdowns. "The big wins didn't come from us NOT working real hard," Tyler observes. "We got good by putting in the time and effort. I was disappointed the competition didn't give us better games." Ethridge's stats could have been even better, if you can imagine such, but six-man employs the mercy rule: if the team in front leads by 45 points in the second half, the game is over. "I've never seen a kid with his balance and agility," Granbury Happy Hill's Jacob Mills enthuses. "The game is actually slow to Tyler. I do think his size will hurt him in college on offense, but he could play safety." Oh, yes, sizing up the situation: Ethridge is 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and he weighs 170 pounds. He doesn't mind the inquiries he's probably heard more times than he's called signals. "I know I could face 300-pound linemen, but maybe I'll have 300-pound blockers, and maybe I'll play wide receiver." Tyler's choice for college is Sul Ross. 2006 becomes Richland Springs' second Championship Season. It's another 4,000-yard year for the quarterback, and he runs and passes for 80 TDs. Gustine falls, 56-6; Brookesmith is battered, 65-20, and Rule is downed in the title tilt, 78-58. Tyler Ethridge, the one-time eighth-grade phenom, is about to become a senior. Geez, he's doing a lot better than a kid who played for six-man Paint Creek in the late 1960s: Rick Perry. Harley Ethridge is the Coyotes' offensive coordinator and Tyler's dad. "Sure, we have our differences," the teenage son explains, as if this is headline news between boy and father, "and we argue, but it's tough love, and I understand a lot of his play calling before he makes the calls. We have a connection most players and coaches don't have." "He's as good as there is at his position," Veribest head coach Curry McWilliams advises his listener. "He could do everything you wanted him to do. I was really impressed with his arm strength--rolling left and then throwing back to the right." McWilliams has coached six-man, eight-man and 11-man football for close to 30 years. On the can-he-or-can't-he play in college question, McWilliams doesn't much like the skepticism. "It's an injustice to the young man, and you know what else? He's a good kid." Tyler Ethridge's final game is a 98-54 (now THAT's six-man football!) state and national championship win over Rule, which was the only team in 2007 which was not mercy-Ruled. Richland Springs claims its 56th victory in 57 games, 2004-07. Nobody's perfect, but if it hadn't been for Throckmorton, "perfect" would have suffered a rare loss. "It's my mom (Pam Svoboda) who keeps me level-headed," Tyler says. "She's been to all my games for about five years, and she's told me to cherish every second, every play, because it could all be taken away." The Scoreboard's Final Report Card: 328 touchdowns, passing and running; 10,681 yards passing; 4,536 yards running; four-year team record: 56-1. The lights dim--the memories remain. The gaudy statistics and the incredible total of wins may not make the journey from Richland Springs to Sul Ross with Tyler, but what he's done cannot be erased, and it may not be rivaled for decades of autumn Friday nights to come. No one can burn the pages which the youngster has already published on the six-man gridiron.