Hastings High School Football

If you checked out my post from yesterday, you would have seen my foray into Katy Football. Well, this is part two of that same story but a different school. Hastings High in Alief. Hastings is a tiny bit special to me for a few reasons. It's a stones throw from Alief Amity Park where I spent countless hours during my teenage years perfecting my game on a concrete court. It's the school where my nieces and nephew have and will graduate from. And it's one of the two public high schools I would have gone to had I not attended Chinquapin.

Hastings has a little bit of a different story than Katy. This past season was the first season with new head coach David Martel and a new coach means a new beginning. The Bears finished the season 4-7 while going a very respectable 4-2 in district play. I also spent time at a handful of practices and shot the 49-6 loss to Morton Ranch. Check it out!

Katy High School Football

Earlier this year and late in the summer, I was working on a Houston high school football story that ultimately was killed. It was pretty cool for me because I was creating pretty much the same work that I'd started with Coolidge and continued with Monterey Trail. This time, for an actual story and this time in my good ole hometown of Houston.

If you don't know anything about the small town of Katy 30 miles west of downtown Houston, let me school you. They do high school football very well. There are seven high schools in the suburb but only one stands as the crown jewel of the gridiron: The Katy Tigers. They had only been to the state finals twice between the years of 1959 and 1994 but soon went on a roll. 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013. They took home the championship 7 times of those 13 years. Talk about Friday night lights. The program, the fan base and the support are unlike anything I've seen and trust me, I've been around a lot of high school football.

I spent a handful of days photographing the team at practice and during a 37-14 win against The Woodlands. Here are some highlights. 

CHECK OUT MORE IMAGES HERE!

Pop Trunk and Portraits

"I'm posted up in the parkin' lot, my trunk wavin'

The candy gloss is immaculate, simply amazing

Them elbows pokin' wide on that candy 'Lac

Trunk open, screens on, neon's lit with fifth relaxed"

- Paul Wall on Kanye West's 'Drive Slow'

A couple of weeks ago, I heard about a Houston Slab Fest that was going to take place at MacGregor Park on the south side of the city. Yesterday, I showed up and there they all were. Houston is known for (along with hundreds of other things) these beautiful machines called 'Slabs'. These slabs are covered in shiny candy paint, equipped with rims that stick out 2 feet from their tires, trunks that open and close like they're nodding in agreement and adorned with neon lights displaying a short message. I found all of these features in all different candy colors as I weaved through crowds of people instagraming their favorite vehicles and local rappers shooting music videos. I also took the opportunity to photograph some of the owners of the cars who put a lot of work and money into their classics. 

The slab is part of a Houston culture that I'm sure will always remain in the city but hopefully the Houston Slab Fest will continue year after year so you can go somewhere on a Sunday afternoon and see them all at once! I'll leave you with this freestyle from ESG, the legendary Houston rapper, who pretty much summed up the day. 

Obligatory homage to DJ Screw