Keenum fondly remembers Wylie's 2004 state championship

Even though Case Keenum has done plenty in his career since graduating from Wylie, there is still something special about that 2004 season.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback led the Bulldogs to their first and only state championship in a 17-14 victory against Cuero in Baylor’s old Floyd Casey Stadium. Keenum went on to a record-setting career at the University of Houston, finishing as the NCAA all-time leader in total passing yards with 19,217 and touchdowns with 155. From there he spent the 2012 season on the Houston Texans’ practice squad.

In 2013, Keenum made his NFL debut and first career start on Oct. 20 against Kansas City and has been in 25 NFL games, 24 of them starts. But that 2004 state championship still comes up.

“It comes up quite a bit, actually,” Keenum said. “I brag about that quite a bit. Especially to all these California boys over here that think they know what high school football is about, speaking of (fellow quarterbacks) Jared Goff and Sean Mannion and a couple Bay Area guys. I guess they’ve got high school film on YouTube. I don’t think YouTube was around when I was in high school, but I tell them how it is. It means a lot. You never forget where you came from, and I still don’t. That’s why I keep up with those guys and still talk to a lot of the coaches and still hope they do really well this weekend.”

Keenum has been otherwise occupied and unable to watch Wylie play this season, but he has been paying attention and keeping up with his Bulldogs.

“I think there’s some similarities, just from what I’ve heard of this team,” Keenum said. “I haven’t seen them play or anything, but just keeping up with them. We lost a few games early and struggled in a few areas, but won the ones that counted and got hot when it counted. We were playing well there towards the end.”

Playing well towards the end seems to be a trend when it comes to teams coached by Wylie’s Hugh Sandifer. It was a mark of that 2004 team, which lost by 37 to Decatur during the regular season only to come back and win a one-point state quarterfinal against them.

“It’s definitely well-coached,” Keenum said. “Everybody’s on the same page. One thing about a Coach Sandifer team is they’re always getting better. You’re never perfect, but whatever you’re doing you’re doing it together. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

“I still reach back and think about some of the things he taught us throughout the years. I know those guys now are now going to remember this stuff for the rest of their life … We had a lot of good players and I think we all played well together, which is pretty typical of a coach Sandifer coached football team.”

Part of Keenum’s resume he would like to change is being part of the only Wylie state championship team. Winning a state championship is special, but he wants others to enjoy that same kind of feeling.

“It means a lot,” Keenum said. “But I’ve done some cool things in my career, set records, won championships and you don’t ever want to be the only one. Records are meant to be broken. We don’t want to be the only one to have won one. We want them to win consistently. So we’re rooting hard for these guys. I think they’ve got a good chance. Looking forward to, hopefully, watching the game.”

The state championship game was similar to last week’s win for Wylie as it was a four-quarter affair. Of course the Bulldogs used a field goal at the end of the game to win in 2004, while this group scored early in the third quarter and held on in the fourth last week.

“Winning a close one like that,” Keenum said. “When you scratch and claw and fight your way to victory, as I’ve learned any victory means a lot, but when you win a close one like that after going back and forth and the ups and downs of that game is pretty special. It means a lot.”

Keenum’s advice to this year’s team? Leave it all on the field. It’s the last game of the season and the final game for 33 seniors playing for Wylie and it’s for a state championship.

“Let it loose,” Keenum said. “There’s no reason not to go out and do your best. No time to be nervous or anxious. I still get a little nerves before every game, but that means you’re living. That means your heart’s beating and you’re human. But if you’re prepared, like I know they are, like I know coach Sandifer’s got them prepared, have put in the work and put in the practice it’s more of an excited nervous instead of scared nervous. They should be excited and let it all hang out, just tune out the noise and go play.”