TYLER, Texas — TJC is known to be a sports powerhouse. Several teams make it to nationals every year, but sometimes that success may overshadow other programs.
Over the weekend, the TJC Apache football team won their first bowl game in eight years, limiting their opponents to just 34 yards rushing. On the offensive end, Apache quarterback General Booty had himself a day with nearly 300 yards passing, winning most valuable player and also earning the title of our East Texas Professional Credit Union Player of the Week.
Ashley – “General first of all, let me say congratulations on your Bowl win. First Bowl win in eight years for TJC. At the Heart of Texas bowl, let's talk about you. Okay, Madden like numbers 33 for 55 for 295 yards and two touchdowns.”
General – “We were really close in the first half, we came in the locker room and we said, hey, let's put it all out on the line. Let's go have fun. It's one last game together, this TJC team will never be together again. So let's go get after it and give it everything we got, and we went out there and started clicking and started having some fun.”
A – “Alright, so I talked about your Madden like numbers in this bowl game, but I remember going to your Navarro game, y'all played against Navarro, and you went off. Let me find the numbers for the people at home listening. 528 passing yards, eight touchdowns. 38 for 56. Like, you can just unlock this at any time. Tell me about just these games in which you just go off.”
G – “Yeah, no, we throw the ball around a lot. I mean, we also run the ball but we're going to push the ball down the field and in our offense is designed to get the playmakers we have on offense the ball on their hands. So really, if I can get in their hands, I know they're going to make a play with it. So I sit back there and it makes my job easy. I just tried to facilitate them the ball and once it once it gets in their hands, I let them then do the hard part. You know, get the yards, two touchdowns.”
A – “So it's easy for you. Okay, you know, not for most people. I've been telling people around here that you were a player of the week, and everyone was like his name is general. Where did that come from?”
G – “So I don't want to let you down because everyone asked about my name, but there's no significant story behind it. My dad wasn’t in the military or anything like that. Just growing up as a kid when my dad was a teenager. He said he had a dream, obviously that he's going to have a son, which I thought was pretty cool. But he started thinking after he had a dream that what names he could name his child and he liked the military growing up, he never got into it, but he just got creative and came up with the name General. And when he married my mom, they talked about it and they liked it. So they went with it.”
A – “So we talked about the General first name but let's talk about the Booty last name. You are a third-generation quarterback and sports is in your blood. Your granddad played your uncle played at USC one two rose bowls. Your dad was a wide receiver. Talk about that history with your family and how it flows through you are all your family at your games rooting you on and stuff like that.”
G – “It's been cool growing up in a family like that. I mean, ever since I was younger to remember like you mentioned my uncle that played at USC. I was like four or five going to games I barely remember, but I just remember having a fun time and even growing up through little league and middle school in high school always having them there as kind of like mentors and helping me out through my football path I've taken. It's helped me a lot and I've been very thankful.”
A – “Absolutely what thank you so much for joining us and congratulations once again on the big bowl win and the MVP trophy.”
G – “Thank you.”
