The final Season - My silver anniversary as a Football coach

[BYU 14]

I have done a little mini -diary of a full season as freshmen coach at Westview HS before, so I thought it might be fun to make a diary of not only my 25th and final season as a Football coach, but also share some stories and experiences from over the years here and there. For those interested the last season I did a diary on is here, along with last seasons never really got off the gournd diary A Knights tale - A RL HS Football diary Freshmen style - Front Office Football Central

I actually "retired" after last season and it would have been a great way to go out. Over the years I have coached several 1 loss teams, but never been fortunate enough to coach an unbeaten team. Last season our Freshmen finished 9-0 and 7 of those 9 games were decided by halftime. I was blessed with a talented hard working team and as I sat in the locker room last year after a season ending win over our region rival Centennial (who also came into the game 8-0) I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

After the players left I sat there and reflected in silence, getting teary several times as memories flooded back. I was actually determined to stay retired, and it was a perfect way to say goodbye to the sport that means so much to me. But, we had some other staff turnover due to advancement opportunites and I was asked to coach one more year. It took about 3 seconds to say yes because Football is a passion that is hard to shake......and besides, 25 years on the sidelines sounds better than 24

All of my sons (3 from my first marriage and my stepson from my second) would play the game at some point in their lives either up to or through high school, but there was never any pressure from me to play. I coached only because I loved football and have always encouraged my children to do what made them happy. If football was it great, if not then that was great too, just as long as they followed their own paths to happiness and didn't feel obligated to follow mine. I am glad they all played, but also glad they did a variety of other things including martial arts, baseball, basketball, track, musical instruments and drama. Life is all about experience and you should give anything that interests you a shot. It just happens that the biggest passion outside my family in my life is football, and this will be about my experience in the greatest sport in the world.

I still remember clearly that day in 1986 when I answered an ad in Downey, California to coach a youth team. I was 23 years old, had been out of the game as a player for few seasons and missed it badly. I had two children at the time (3 years old and newborn) and I remember my wife asking me at the time why I would want to coach when my kids were not old enough play. I don't know if she fully understood my explanation or bought the fact that I could actually miss it that much and only want to do it for that reason. I didn't know a heck of a lot about coaching then, but I did know that it was something you did for the love of the game (not as father/son bonding time and certainly not for the money). I also wanted to do it for the opportunity to give something back to the sport that had made such a huge difference in my life growing up.

Walking on to the field that first practice I was borderline cocky and ready to take on the football "world" with my dazzling knowledge of the game. Fact was I really didn't know shit then and in reality have never stopped learning the entire time I have coached. When I talk about not knowing much at all, I don't just mean football. Over the years I have been humbled, enlightened, lifted and brought to tears by this game and pretty much all of the truly impactful experiences have had nothing to do with a single thing that happened on the field.

In fact the more I look back it really isn't about my years coaching football, it is more about what I have learned from being a football coach. It has shaped me and enriched my life and enabled to form lasting friendships and bonds that I will always have and cherish. That first day I thought I would be the one doing the teaching, when in fact it was beginning of what will end up as 25 years of being taught.

This journey has seen me coach in three states at the youth level, HS freshmen and varsity levels and has even brought an offer for a position at a junior college here in AZ, and I wouldn't trade a single second of this journey for any amount of money!

[BYU 14]

I will start with a little preview of the 2010 freshmen Knights.

Just finished our first week of practice and we won't hit until monday so I can't provide a starting depth chart yet, but I do like the athleticism and work ethic of this group.

We had two homerun threats last year and we don't have that with this group, but overall as a team I think we are going to be just as fast and probably a little more athletic. Going through position groupings I think we compare favorably to last years group though we will probably end up being more of a grind it out team as we will have a big O-Line (two probable starters over 250 lbs and another in the 225-230 range)

We have over 60 kids completely cleared to play right now, which is excellent considering school doesn't even start until monday, so I am extremely happy with those numbers. Because we have so many already we will only take new players until the end of next week. I think we did a good job getting the word out so I don't expect more than 10-15 new kids but you never know. We could only get a few or we could get 20-30.

This week I worked three groups on offense and have installed trap, sweep and bootleg pass to both sides and but in the inside belly to both sides today. The kids have picked things up well for the most part and beginning Monday I will set an early two deep and only run two huddles during team offense, with some kids in the #3 spots rotating in. From this point kids will move up or down the depth chart based on effort, execution and how they react to hitting and this will have to happen during individual or group practice or from working offensive scout team.

I will also make changes based off of film from our program scrimmage next Saturday, when everyone with enough time in to be in full pads will get to play as run three different groups on offense and defense. This is actually when the most changes occur preseason, because after that we are 8 practices away from our opener and it will be time to maximize resp so our ones and twos start to develop some chemistry.

Defensively we have worked a lot of fundamentals and worked on alignment, pursuit angles, run fits and skellies. Can't do much more on this side of the ball until the pads come on and we find out who our hammers are.

Some kids that stand out so far as possible leaders and contributors are...
Richie M (WLB/FB)
Orlando A (MLB/FB)
Ivan T (WLB/FB)
(Yes I we will be deep at FB, which is huge for a Wing T team, but those three kids all look to be excellent defensive players as well, so we will get them all on the field)
Marty M (C/NG)
Michael C (SLB/G)
Pete R (FS/SE)
Ryan G (CB/SE)
Diante F (DE/FB)
Desmond W (TB/FS)
Kordell P (QB/CB)
Imear R (SE/SS)
Dietrick J (WB/CB)

Plus quite a few more who are close in athleticism / talent to those above. The only spot of concern right now is depth on the line as we will not start anybody two ways. (some will play on both sides, but will only start on one)

The rule in parenthesis really doesn't apply to lineman though as I never want the starting O-Line playing any defense, since I like to talk to them between drives so we can make adjustments as needed. In addition the bigger kids wear down quicker and I want the big guys fresh for 4 quarters.

[BYU 14]

My final season coaching in California was one I will never forget, only not for a good reason. It was 1988 and at 25 I was a grizzled vet who had learned that parents will sometimes turn on you if you don't use their son the way they think he should be used. That was easily offset however, by the knowledge that other parents appreciate the fact that you have made the sport a positive experience for their child and it was for those kids and parents that I coach to this day.

The Cubs were the team I coached in 1988 and were part of the DJAA, a unique organization based in Downey CA in which Kids played on the same team for Football, Basketball League and Baseball transitioning from one sport to the next. We played 8 man ball and it was an adjustment from the 11 man game, that I never fully mastered, but was a blast nonetheless. I had a couple of characters on that '88 squad including Matt S, who was a fireball and shaved lines in the side of his head. then painted blue and red stripes where he shaved on game day ala Brian Bozworth. I called him lil' Boz and he was a gamer. I also had Chris P who was a chubby, jolly kid that turned nasty when he lined up at nose guard. Kevin F was a quiet undersized kid that became my project. He looked fragile and was shy and probably picked on at school, but coaching him made me realize how much I loved the underdog. That is an affinity I carry to this day and my happiest moment as a coach that season was when he got an interception that sealed a win in the last game as we finished the year at 4-3.

This was also the season I experienced the first big off the field impact. That impact came in the form of Patrick "Pat" Rooney. Pat was a coach and president of the DJAA and as a year round organization it was a demanding labor of love that absorbed a large amount of his time. As in pretty much all youth sports organizations it was a volunteer position and with the seasons running consecutively the only break he got was late in the summer. Pat was a man who cared deeply about making sports fun for kids and he was also a man of integrity, who put up with no nonsense from coaches, but was also deeply loyal to those that did things the right way. Being a young coach I learned from Pat that winning and losing are the least important things in sports at that level, and that the best reward a coach can have is a hug and a thank you from a smiling player at the end of the season.

Pat worked for an armored car company at a time when a rash of armored car holdups, often involving violence, were going on in Southern California. I had my own lawn care service at the time which I started by working as a subcontracter for another company and slowly replacing their accounts with my own. My work came up in a conversation with Pat late in the season. A friend of his had recently been killed in a robbery and he was looking to do something else and this work intriqued him, as he had often thought about doing it. I promised to hook him up with the owner of the company I subcontracted from after the coming winter, which was a slow time when most folks cut back therir service to every other week. The last time we talked at the end of season coaches meeting he reminded me again and I promised I would not forget.

Unfortunately that promise never came to fruition. Three days before Christmas Pat was shot in the back of the head as he exited a grocery store and died at the scene. It was the first tragedy I would be touched by as a coach and I was wrecked for several weeks. How could somebody do that right before Christmas? Why only two to three months shy of him getting out of that line of work altogether? I have never forgotten Pat or what he did for the untold number of kids he coached or impacted as president of the DJAA. He is a long forgotten name now to all but those who knew him, but I am sure that those that still remember Pat will always do so fondly and with gratitude for what he did in his short time on earth.

I moved back to Utah in 1989 and as far as I know they never caught those responsible for his murder. I googled him after typing this and to my surprise found the archived article detailing his slaying. When I got to the bottom of page three I felt chills as his plan to start a lawn service was mentioned in the final paragraph.......Just three months and this man would have had the chance to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of youth for who knows how many years.......Three months!!

'Beloved Coach' : Friends, Family Mourn Slain Security Guard - Los Angeles Times

RIP Pat

[Poli]

Wow.


As far as retiring, I don't know how I could ever retire from coaching. It might be something you could take a year off from to recharge...but I don't believe I could ever leave it cold turkey.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Poli

Wow.


As far as retiring, I don't know how I could ever retire from coaching. It might be something you could take a year off from to recharge...but I don't believe I could ever leave it cold turkey.

I won't lie, it will be tough to walk away, but 25 years is a long time and my days between work and practice are 14 hours long Monday through Friday. Add another 6 hours on Saturday (Practice and assisting breakdown varsity film) and another 3-5 hours on Sunday watching film on our next freshman opponent and working on practice plans and that weeks game plan and I am pretty busy.

It leaves very little time for the family during the season and they have been very understanding and supportive over the years. If nothing else I owe them more of me for all they have sacrificed........Plus it does wear you down and I have pretty much accomplished everything I have wanted to do in Football, so I think I am ready to hang up the whistle

We were in shells last night and will be again tonight, before full pads on Wednesday and Thursday. I will post a summary of yesterday and today when I get home from practice.

[BYU 14]

Second day in shells and we go full pads tomorrow finally. I am hoping the lack of focus tonight at practice was a combination of wanting to fully unload on each other and the swimming head freshman syndrome that sets in after the kids realize they are in big boy school now.

We usually have a practice like this right after school starts and up until this point the kids have been steadily improving, but tonight, oy vey!

Guards pulling the wrong way and missed down blocks on sweep, 2 backs in motion at the same time, 3 fumbled snaps during team offense, linemen not working levels on trap, tailbacks slow to lead through the hole on weakside belly......Kids walking off the field on water breaks, it was just not pretty.

I ended practice a few plays early just because I was ready to explode and don't like to do that.....especially early when the kids are adjusting to high school and we have thrown a lot at them. Plus they have been a hard working group so far, so they get a mulligan. I was calm and explained I understood why tonight was so sloppy, yet reiterated we needed more focus and if mistakes did happen I needed them to happen at full speed. Be coachable, ask questions, watch those in front of you and get maximum reps in team and group period when we work technique so it will be instinctive during team....The usual stuff.

We have to learn the school fight song for the program scrimmage saturday (Freshmen sing to the varsity after the scrimmage) and in keeping with the theme they butchered that badly before we broke, so they got a Simon Cowell impression from me to end practice

So far we have in trap, sweep and boot (weak and strong) from the 50 series. Inside and outside belly and playside belly pass as well as naked waggle from our 30 series. Defensively we have our based front in, as well as I formation adjustments (We open against an I team) and our base cover 2. Until full pads we work mostly keys, pursuit angles and coverage and keep it basic, mostly focusing on getting lined up correctly. No new stuff until next week as I want to focus on physicality the next 2 practices and on getting what we have in polished.

I have a pretty solid idea of where our two starting inside linebackers will come from. The three kids in contention are also all fullbacks and the 2 that don't get that job will start on defense. The fullback race is too close to call though. QB race down to two, though neither has distinguished himself yet. I will probably play both in the first game. Moved a split end (Imear R) to tailback today and he jumped right into the mix, has good quicks and looks to be fearless. It should come down to him and Desmond W. Wingback is still being hotly contested between three kids as well and the scrimmage will tell a lot here. Whoever can get the downblock best on strong side sweep will start as they all are close as runners.

O-line is set at 4 of the 5 spots already, so that is a plus, we have our edge players pretty well st on the D-line, but still have a lot of question marks on the interior. Secondary we are solid 2-3 deep at corner and both safety spots, so these kids will rotate a lot.

[BYU 14]

Program scrimmage tonight and the freshmen have had two days in full pads, so I will be expecting some nerves as there will be 1500 - 2000 people there in all likelyhood and it will be there first time on the big field.

We didn't practice last night as we did our fundraiser blitz, but Thursdays practice was very productive! Offensive line was much crisper and defense was much quicker in reading their keys and pursuit angles were improved. We finished practice with power drills (a version of Oklahoma's) and the kids brought it......We look to be a very physical bunch this year this year and I like that a lot!!

My initial impression of this squad heading into the scrimmage is that we will be more of a grind it out team than we have been the last two years with no real gamebreakers, but still very good team speed. Despite the absence of a home run threat, we are a tad more athletic as a team than last years squad. The defense will be fast and we will rely on them to be disruptive and give the O some short fields.

Heading into the scrimmage we have some interesting battles still going at several positions, most notably FB and the inside linebacker spots where 4 kids are neck and neck at both spots (The same four kids on each side coincidentally enough) My plan here is to start the 2 best LB'ers and then pick the best FB from the other 2. The good news is I could draw the names out of a hat right now and would not lose anything with any combination of the 4. One kid in the mix is Victor B, he started late, but has risen quickly. He is tough, physical, plays borderline possessed but is still never out of position. Also in this group are Ivan T, Richie M and Orlando A....all ballers.

QB is still a tight two man race between Kordell P and Jeremy S and there is not much to choose right now. Kordell is more athletic and Sullivan throws a slightly better ball, but both need to work on their progessions and release. The toughest thing I find with freshman QB's in terms of transition from youth ball is that most will read the routes or lock onto one receiver and the concept of reading a defender or area is foreign to them. Most of the reads in the freshman passing game are 1 defender reads, with a couple of half field read plays. I try and make it simple but it is tough to get the kids eyes on their key as opposed to the receiver or the pass rush.

I will post a recap tomorrow as well as a VERY early depth chart based on film of the scrimmage. Will also post thoughts about the toughest thing to do as a coach IMO and that is coach one of our own kids.

[BYU 14]

Program scrimmage went well, I have 87 kids cleared for practice and 4 more I expect today. 21 of the cleared kids did not have enough practice time to scrimmage and we have 2 injuries and 2 kids were out of town, so only had to get 62 kids into rotation (we go 3's/4's against each other on offense and defense, 2's against each other on offense and defense, our 1's on offense against JV 2's on defense and our 1's on defense against JV 1's on offense, 10 plays each series)

Each group had it's moments as each offensive rotation scored once (we start from the 40, so we have a 60 yard field)

With the exception of our strong side sweep we moved the ball well against the JV defense, our TE missed the down block on the 5 technique (DE) twice and he blew the play up in the backfield both times. We scored on them on weakside belly, with Ivan T taking advantage of over pursuit to take it in from 7 yards out on a nice cutback. Defensively we kept the JV run game under wraps for the most part, giving up a big gain on the strong side boot pass to the TE on their 7th play down to the 9. They punched it in two plays later for the 7-7 tie, a solid showing overall, especially by our defense.

Victor B had an outstanding scrimmage at Mike, the kid is a beast and flies to the ball. His emergence will allow me to move Orlando A to Sam and move Michael C from Sam to DE, which makes our strongside a lot tougher. I really had to find a way to get all 4 of our stud inside backers onto the field and this accomplished it with Richie M and Victor manning the inside spots at Will and Mike, Orlando moving to Sam and Ivan starting at FB.

I was especially impressed with our physicality and as I had envisioned this will be a team that will be built around a physical, athleitc defense and a grind it out offense as our QB's are both more game managers, than game changers, though both run well.

Still have battles at Tailback (Desmond W and Imear R) and Wingback Michael S, Deitrick J and Bailey H) and that may continue through the first game. The O-line is pretty well set with the exception of left guard and I am hoping some of the kids that did not scrimmage will give us some quality depth up front. One shame about not having a true gunslinger at QB is that I have two receivers and one TE at 6'2 or taller and all three can move, so we will tailor some plays for them (fade and slant) and look for them to get YAC yards and hopefully turn a short pass into a big play. Isiah B is especially intriguing out of this bunch.

Definitely excited about this years crew and we have a tough schedule so it will be an exciting challenge.

[BYU 14]

Added strong and weakside power today as well as our first 3 step pass (slant / arrow combo) and also put in scout plays for our opener.

Didn't run the new pass in team period, but power looked acceptable, need to get the FB more aggressive on the kick out block and as always work on the TB / WB getting downhill quicker, but not bad for the first day.

Our projected starting defense looked monsterous tonight against the scout plays. (We lined up in I Pro and I twins, their two favorite sets) and ran toss, power, trap and weakside iso. The defense looked especially fast against the toss sweep and the inside backers read their keys well. Even better Orlando A looks much more natural at Sam linebacker and even mentioned how much more he likes it, so that worked out well.

During our special teams period our kick return looked especially good tonight as well and, unlke last year we have a kicker who can consistently boot it down to the 10 and kicked inside the 10 a couple of times.....Which REALLY makes me happy!

[BYU 14]

Heading onto game week we are holding steady at 92 kids on the roster!!! It is great from a program standpoint, but a minor nightmare from a coaching standpoint. Right now Kids that have not cracked the top 2 or 3 at their positions get meaningful reps during individual periods and that is it. During group and team sessions we go with the best 2-4 at each position depending on the skill level and the next best kids play on the scout D or O depending, but even then if I have a second string or starting player on defense who is not in the 2 deep on offense, he will get reps on scout D to give us a better look.

We tell the kids every day that at this point you earn your way onto scout team by showing well in indivudual periods and from there you can work towards becoming a rotation player. Part of me honestly feels bad about this, as I want all the kids to have a chance to play and have a great experience. I always root for the kids that are a little less skilled to work their way into contributing role and they all get the same amount of coaching. Realistically though as a coach, I know that when it comes to team sessions, I can only give the kids that are field ready reps as we only have so much practice time to get our technique and schemes tuned up in a live situation. It sucks, but at this level and with this many kids, it is just the way it is.

Got bad news Friday as there was an incident that affected two kids competing for starting jobs, that may cause them to be suspended or removed from the team. I get the final word Monday from the school admin and will then take the necessary action. I hate to sound cliched, but both have been model players and students, who got their testosterone chellanged and allowed themselves to get involved on a bad situation. Kids never learn!!

We finished the week with two solid practices and I can say we are set in a few positions. A big bright spot is the emergence of Isiah B. He is a talented hoops kid who stands 6'2 185 and is fast and athletic. I tagged him for SE and FS and he was only in full pads beginning Wednesday. Well Thursday during group period after taking a route to the house, he "flicked" the ball back to the QB from 40 yards away, tight spiral, right on target and with little effort. Guess who is now working at QB? He is raw, but so athletic and strong that if I can get him coached up by game 2 or 3 he will be a GOOD one. In addition he has earned a starting spot on both kick and punt return already and regardless of how well he progresses at QB I will use him as a "slash" type player to get the ball into his hands as much as possible. If we were an I team he would be the prototypical big I tailback, ala Dickerson, but his skills don't fit the Wing T backfield as well....Still I will find ways to get him involved in the offense.

As mentioned we will go into game 1 with tight battles at several spots, but the position below are set.

FB - Ivan T, fast strong kid who can break a long run here and there. Needs to work on his pad level still, but he has the most upside. Richie M and Orlando A will also get carries here though.

SE - Isiah B, Halie M, Andre A and Trevon B are the main rotation guys here. Ryan G, Pete R, Jorge L and C Hernandez are also all capable. Andre is also nursing a bad knee.

TE - Cody C, earned the spot this week with a strong effort over Anthony G, who will also see time. Cody knows his plays better though and is a stronger blocker.

RT - Sergio M, 6'1 250 with a mean streak on the field, he has had this spot wrapped up for some time and will give us a great edge on sweep, quick for a big kid, but still needs to get into better shape.

RG - Danny C, squatty tough kid with good speed, he really had a good week of practice to pull away this week, doing a great job on sweeps both ways, but needs to work on his trap blocking as he tends to step too deep.

C - Manny M, Sergio's cousin and even bigger at 5'10 264, but don't let the size fool you, he has a good first step and is getting better at playing "angry" which will make him a force!

LG - Jaime M, our smallest lineman at only 5'5 160, but our guards have to mobile and they are typically undersized. Still hasn't put siginificant distance between himself and Darien D (who is bigger and just as quick), but enough to earn the spot based on knowledge of the rules.

LT - Christian B, goes 6' 220 and our most athletic lineman. When we run weakside belly his way he is explosive off the ball and gets the inside technique washed down very well. Still developing the necessary toughness, but skill to spare.

As you can see we have a few monsters up front and I am looking to play more of a between tackle, grind it out and bloody you up game with this crew. This is the only unit where 4 of the 5 starters have been entrenched for some time, with Jaime forging ahead this week. This is important as you obviously need chemistry here.

Spots on offense still up for grabs.

QB - Kordell P will get the start and most of the reps, but Jeremy S will play and how they both perform in a game situation will determine a lot. Plus, we still have the wildcard in Isiah B and I will probably have one special play in for him. This spot may not be fully decided until after game 2, at which point if Isiah has not shown the aptitude I will select one of the other two based on their performances through 2 games. I hate not being settled here, but it has been like this 2 of the last 3 years.

TB - Have not even picked a starter yet, but I will after Monday. It is between Imear R, Desmond W and Deitrick J. They all have different qualities with Imear being a speedy slasher (who needs to work on ball security) Desmond is small and shifty, but won't move the pile. Deitrick has a lot of upside and is a combination of both, but is one of our best corner as well and is competing for a spot there too. No two way starters, so that battle will affect what happens here.

WB - Same as TB with Michael S, Bailey H and now Jovan M, another late player all in the mix. Not mush at all to choose between these guys, though Jovan is not game ready yet. Bailey is 6' 175 and does a great job getting the edge blocked and has deceptive speed. Michael is built well and not very shifty, but also a capable blocker and will finish a run. Jovan was the upside to match or surpass both, but has a ways to go still.

Out of all the spots above, even the ones I have decided on starters for, only RT, RG, C and LT are set 100% in stone. Two (or more) kids will see time at all the other position for sure. Will do the defense later.

[Poli]

90 kids = A team and B team.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Poli

90 kids = A team and B team.

Normally yes, but the state budget shortfalls means no money for travel, officials or coaches for a B team

I am going to talk to our AD and see if maybe we can do a couple of back to back games with other teams from our region that have a lot of kids if they we can get money for officials. I would say let the coaches officiate, but that never turns out well.

[BYU 14]

Just got the report on that "incident" and 3 players will be suspended for the first game.

All three would be contributors which sucks, but the worst part is they put themselves in this situation after being told to stay away from the area they were at when it happened, which is the reason they will not play Wednesday......Do as your told and it would be a non-issue!!

[BYU 14]

Final walk through tonight, all special teams, offensive script, situational plays and defensive quiz on keys and adjustments. The season is here! I think our defense will carry us early, I was extremely impressed with the starters during our alignment and quiz phase of the walk through. They all made the right adjustments, knew there keys and responsibilities and I already know they will fly around and tackle. If don't make life hard on our opponents tomorrow, it will be because Willow is much better than us.

Offensively, missing 2 kids that would have started I will be conservative and look to control the clock and grind it out. If the big play comes it comes, if not it will be 3-4 yards and a cloud of dust and 6-7 minute drives.

[BYU 14]

I always take the first day of the season off from work, mainly because I am no good at work as a rule on game day, but the opener is times 10 due to all the unknowns.

Anyway, to get my mind off the game I thought I would talk about maybe the toughest thing (IMO) for a coach to do. Coach your own child. I know for many it is a great bonding experience and I feel this way about the more recreational sports like T-Ball or flag football, but as they get older and the competitive part starts to creep into play I honestly don't like it.

First off, let me say to anyone who does coach their own children and manages that delicate balance between Dad and coach, hats off to you. All four of my sons have played Football (among many other things) and I have coached two of them. The oldest because I was asked to by his first coach, so I took a break from a very young high school career to do so. The second son because though I wanted to go back to High School ball, I allowed my first wife to "guilt" me into it because I had coached the oldest. For the two youngest it was a definite no. We live in a different attendance area than where I coach and though they could have become Knights, there was never a thought of even bringing it up, so they attended the school where we live. (ironically that school is who we open up with this week)

Now, why don't I like it? First and foremost I want to enjoy what my children do as a parent, not critique technique, not to have them subjected to the unavoidable scrutiny that comes from being coached by Dad, but simply to show up and watch them play and cheer for them. In this roll we never talk about fundamentals or assignments, (unless they ask) but instead focus on the enjoyment of the game, which is how I want to remember the sports experiences with my children.

For the two I did coach they were always just part of the team and called me coach or sir like everyone else. I never shoved the game down their throats, expected them to play or subjected them to endless review of their performances at home. When we left the field, we left the game there.

Still, there are certain things you can not avoid. I have often called other coaches after practice on the ride home if we needed to discuss things and I am one that has to address things as they pop into my head. I was always careful not to discuss specific players, but I feel that because my football day didn't end with practice all the time, theirs didn't end either just by being around me. There is also the feeling (sometimes true) that a coach is in it to make sure his son gets the spotlight. As a man I could handle that, because I knew it was not true, but if one parent thinks it is the case and tells his/her son, it will often get back to the coaches child and that is not a healthy or fair thing for that child to deal with.

Don't get me wrong, I have many good memories of being directly involved with two of my kids in the game of football that I will discuss later, but one very bad one. It is a mistake that still haunts me nearly 20 years after it happened and involves my oldest. To this day it is the worst I have felt in my life as a coach because I did something completely out of character in the heat of battle that there is no excuse for for. It was not the act itself, but the way my son responded to the act (due to a poor choice of words on my part) that makes this incident so bad.

After a couple years at Cyprus high in Utah, my oldest son was playing. I was not at all involved his first season, but became friends with his coaches. We would talk alot of football and after the season one of the coaches stayed down at the youngest level of Ute conference FB (mighty mite I believe) to ironically coach his son. The other coach asked me to come out and help him revamp the offense and coordinate the defense. I was reluctant, but agreed. I was still a young coach, 29 years old, and still had a lot to learn. I think I have always related very well to the kids I have coached, but there is always room to improve and room to slip........That slip came in my second year with Matt's team.

We had enjoyed a successful first season winning one of the two post season tournaments Ute conference ran at the time taking the final in a 20-13 thriller over one of our rivals Kearns. That was definitely a high point, despite the fact that I had a severe cold for two weeks afterward because the kids dumped ice water on me in sub freezing weather after the game. The parents were happy and loved the aggressive defense we ran and things looked good heading into the next season.

Let me just back up to talk about Matt's role on the team. In Ute conference, depending on the number of players they have "cuts" forming a an A team and a B team if there are enough kids, or in the case of districts like Alta and Bingham a C, D, E team etc. Matt made the A team on his own merits, but was a backup outside linebacker who got plenty of field time, since the starter was also one of our backs and he was a solid player overall.

This sets up the incident. It was our second game and we were playing West Jordan, a team we had handled fairly easily (26-0) the year before. This season the kids were a little cocky (we as coaches probably were too) and it was the perfect trap game. They had installed split back veer for that season and we hadn't even bothered to scout them, so we had some difficulties on defense early, particularly against the cross buck (counter), which they kept running because we weren't stopping it. I pulled the starting OLB, since he would be in on Offense to talk to him about how to play the counter. Read near back, rocker step if he went away to get your eyes on the far back, blah, blah, blah. Matt went in and I had the starter get a wash and told him to stay out the rest of the series.

I was already frustrated that they had been killing us with this play and had talked to Matt about how to play it before I sent him in. Well we had them in a 3rd and long around our 40 and I reminded the secondary of down and distance and also told the kids to watch the counter. Sure enough, they run the cross buck, our end doesn't squeeze and runs up field, Matt doesn't take a rocker step on action away and gets caught inside and they take it house to take the lead.

Emotion got the best of me and as Matt came on the field I grabbed him and said (and I remember exactly) "We just talked about that, what are you looking at?" He said he was sorry and I said..."Do what your coached to do, your done, go!" First off that was a truly terrible choice of words, second it was almost halftime and I meant for the rest of the half and left that part out. A more composed coach would have said. "Look we just talked about that, it's OK, we'll talk at halftime so everyone is clear on what to do." Well, he took my words to mean he was DONE, for the game. As we went out to receive the kickoff I looked down the sideline and saw my son walking towards the end zone. I was truly baffled, I thought he was quitting.

I ran down and caught up to him and as he turned to face me there were tears streaming down his face.....Keep in mind he was 10 years old! I was shocked. "Matt, what's wrong?" He should have said, gee dipshit, you just made me feel like I was completely worthless. He looked at me through the tears and said, "Coach, you said I was done so I am going to the car, I'm sorry."

He was apologizing and I was the piece of shit. Forget he was my son, to make any player feel that way is inexcusable...But to do that to you son, the child who looks up to you beyond your role as a coach.....Devastating. I teared up myself, apologized, explained what I meant, gave him a hug and walked him back to the team. I had never acted like that as a coach and never have since, and I spent a lot of time that weekend questioning whether I would ever coach again after that season.

The best thing about kids is they are pure when they are young and though vulnerable are also very forgiving. He got over it much quicker than I did, in fact it still bothers me and Matt is 27 now, LOL. I am glad it still bothers me too, because it reminds me that as coaches we are not there to tear kids down. There are multiple ways to address any situation involving a player and part of the challenge is knowing which approach to take. Are we always right? No, I have made other bad judgement calls over the years, but thankfully none of this magnitude.

The point of this is I don't know if I would have reacted that way to a player that wasn't my son. I have been in kids faces plenty over the years, usually for things that aren't football related (team rules, poor grades, causing trouble in class) but this incident with my son has taught me one important thing. When you do have to get on a player, make sure you take him aside and let him know you still care......before he walks away thinking you don't!

[Poli]

I try to always remember that. I've had one kid quit on me since I started coaching 9 and 10s. I repeatedly told the boy I needed more from him and he finally gave up. It was in the beginning of camp in 2008, and I like to think I learned my lesson. Gosh, I wasn't really that stern looking back at it. It taught me to be a little more lenient with the boys, though.

I will jump the kids for not paying attention. I'll jump them harder for cheap shots (had one last week, actually). I'll be stern with them if we've talked about how to react to something and they get lost doing their own thing, but I always go back and let them know it's nothing against them.

I was thinking about that at lunch, actually. I want to give the boys the best chance to succeed. I believe by responding to my coaching they have that chance. I believe if they start doing their own thing they take that chance away. I'll get on to them and with the pep talk afterward I try to remind them that I know they can do better and I know that I've seen them do better and that we need them.

Bad, BYU, bad for saying "you're done!" I bet you wish a thousand times you could have that back. I've said that to a hundred sailors in my time and I know it was the right thing to say...to an adult in trouble...but man, to the kids...that's tough.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Poli

I bet you wish a thousand times you could have that back. I've said that to a hundred sailors in my time and I know it was the right thing to say...to an adult in trouble...but man, to the kids...that's tough.

At least that many, it was a tough lesson to learn for sure!!

[BYU 14]

Started the year with a 25-6 win over Willow Canyon, they scored on their first drive and then the defense shut them down. Plenty to fix, will post a more detailed update after I look at film, but off to a good start.

This also makes 16 straight unbeaten for our Freshman dating back to 2008.

[BYU 14]

Overcame 14 penalties to win 26-12 over a huge Mountain Ridge team tonight, 7 false starts!!! Not at all happy with that, mental penalties drive me absolutely nuts!!

I will get stats done this weekend for both of the first two games.

[BYU 14]

Place Holder - Game 1 stats (will be working backwards)
Westview 26 Willow Canyon 7

[BYU 14]

Placeholder

Westview 26 Mountain Ridge 12

[BYU 14]

Westview 26 Millennium 20

This is a big rivalry game as the schools are only a few miles apart and a lot of the kids play youth sports together. Both teams are undefeated coming in on the young season and I expected a tough game from the scouting report I had on them and got it.

We win the toss and defer.

Millennium runs the opening kick back to our 12 after we lose contain and only a great effort by Haile M saves the TD, which would be huge
Drive Summary - 3 plays 5 yards (missed FG)

We get the ball at the 20 and picking up where we left off last week penalties kill a 20 yard run and get us where we don't want to be.
Drive Summary - 3 plays 8 yards (-10 holding) Punt

Tigers take the ball on our 40 and shred us as the opponents score first for the 2nd time in 3 games.
Drive Summary - 4 plays 40 yards - TD (7 yd run #7 XP good) 0-7

We get the ball on our own 32 and finally go to work with a textbook Knight drive eating a huge hunk of clock in the process. Another holding call wipes out a 38 yard pass, but we overcome it this time picking up a 1st down on a 33 yd reverse.
Drive Summary - 10 plays 68 yards - TD (Kordell P 28 yd pass to Pete R, XP NG) 6-7 bad guys still up.

They get the ball on their own 28 and the Defense forces a 3 and out.
Drive Summary - 3 plays 5 yards (Punt)

We take over at our own 38 and after 3 plays it is 4th and 13. We have two fake punts in and as they line up to block I see they are giving us one of them, so I call it from the sidelines and Kordell P (our up back) takes the direct snap and hits Cody C for 22 yards! We take advantage of the 2nd chance with another grind it out drive.
Drive Summary - 11 plays 62 yards (Ivan T 3 yd run, XP NG) 12-7 Knights!

Defense steps up again on the Tigers next possession
Drive Summary - 3 plays 15 yards (Interception - Desmond W)

We get it back with little time left and take our shots, but throw our own pick.
Drive Summary - 3 plays 20 yards (Interception)

Halftime Westview 12 Millennium 7

We get the 2nd half kick and string another nice drive together, highlighted by a 20 yd run by Deitrick J.
Drive Summary - 8 plays 69 yards (Michael S 18 yd run - 2 pt conversion) 20-7 Knights.

Millennium takes the kickoff house, but it is called back on a clip and we take advantage of the reprieve getting another take away.
Drive Summary - 6 plays 16 yards (Fumble - recovered by Michael C)

Knights ball and the penalty bug rears its ugly head again on 4th and short and our second attempt to convert falls short.
Drive Summary - 6 plays 28 yards (Turnover on downs)

The Tigers show they are here to play popping 2 big runs on their march to paydirt.
Drive Summary - 7 plays 64 yards (#22 16 yd TD run XP good) 20-14 good guys.

We need to answer and one thing this group is getting good at is answering. Another clock chewing drive with the big play being a 22 yd scamper by Ivan T on weakside belly.
Drive Summary - 9 plays 65 yards (Kordell P 7 yd run, XP NG) 26-14

Millennium comes out throwing and we assist them with a blown coverage and a PI on 4th and 10 to keep them alive (Ugh!!!) Of course they capitalize when their receiver somehow pulls in a TD pass between 3 of our defenders.
Drive Summary - 8 plays 75 yards (#4 to #16 14 yd TD pass, XP NG) 26-20

As expected they go with an onside kick (which we do practice against every week) and we recover, then take a knee three times to run out the clock. Westview is now 3-0 with a hard fought 26-20 win.

Stats
Rushing
Ivan T 20-106 1 TD
Michael S 8-84 1 TD
Deitrick J 7-43
Orlando A 5-23
Kordell P 1-7 1 TD
Desmond W 1 - -4
Total: 42-259 3 TD

Passing
Kordell P 4-7 65 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int

Receiving
Pete R 1-28 1 TD
Cody C 1-22
Orlando A 1-10
Deitrick J 1-5

Total Offense - 324 yards
Yards allowed - 205 yards

Summary
A win is a win, but I like our wins to go hand in hand with execution and we were not consistent in that at all and in all honesty at times we looked undisciplined and poorly coached. That said we looked very solid at other times and had 4 sustained drives over 60 yards and with the exception of the hail mary interception we threw at the end of the half did not turn the ball over. We take pride on having a solid + ratio in turnovers every year and this group is right on track there.

From the bad above we need to improve our down blocking on strongside plays, runners finishing runs with authority (pad level will be a big point of emphasis) and eliminating penalties, which continue to hobble our offense. Defensively we need more consistent play from the Mike position and need to work with our edge players on extending their arms and maintaining leverage. (we got hooked a few times) Another area will be staying on top in coverage and making plays on the ball when it is in the air.

The good, first off we are 3-0 while not playing up to expectations and we have protected the ball. I also like the fact that we can overcome penalities (though I would prefer we just play smarter) and our ability to put together sustained drives. We pounded the Fullbacks (Ivan and Orlando) in this game as that is what they gave us and we consistently got 4-6 yards a pop inside. This week with a bye coming up next week we will watch film and focus strictly on technique and basic fundamentals on the field. In fact I won't even run Team offense or Defense until next Tuesday. I don't expect perfection, but I expect better than we have shown and the kids understand that, so we are going to work the little things to the extreme.

[BYU 14]

The title of this post is one you hear from teachers, police and counselors among others. It is also applicable to coaches as every now and then we have the opportunity to touch the life of just one kid and maybe, just maybe make the difference. After my first two reflections were on tragedy and a pratfall of coaching I wanted to share a sad, yet positive story.

John P (now 27 or 28) was a beastly Samoan kid who played Noseguard on Matts (my oldests) team and was also there during the years mentioned in the story about coaching your kids.

He came from a big family, that lived in a very run down area of Magna, Utah. (old Magna it was called as it dares back to the days the copper mine first opened) Now Magna had a stigma of being the dregs of the outlying Salt Lake City suburbs, but mainly to this section, but by the time we moved there it had grown and there was a lot of new housing and nice neighborhoods as well.

Obviously John did not live in that area and his family was quite poor. His older brothers were well entrenched in the citys main gang, a Tongan Crips affliate. At 10 years old he had alreeady been in trouble, but wanted to play Football and after hearing about him from one of the league officers (who didn't really want him playing) myself and another coach paid his fee.

I was expecting an agressive, hard to handle kid and while he was aggressive on the football field, he was mild mannered, respectful and fairly quiet off it. Pretty early on it was apparent that he really had nobody to look out for him. He came to practice in a dirty uniform, sometimes missing pads and would often wear down at the end of practice because he had not ate that day.

I had finally seen enough and began picking him up from practice every day and bring him a PB&J sandwich, that he oftern devoured like he hadn't eaten for 3 days. By game three has was also spending every Friday at my house so I knew he would get breakfast and be at the game. We cleaned his unform and made sure he got a good nights sleep, something that was often hard with the all night parties at his home.

In getting to know John I discovered a gentle kid, who played well with my sons and seemed to legitemately enjoy every minute with us. He smiled more, opened up more and was always sure to thank us for everything. I grew to love him like one of my own and even toyed with trying to adopt him, until I found that would be taken as an affront by his family.

The funny thing about this story is how many people (adults) never gave him a chance, going only by the reputation his family and relatives had. Stereotyping a kid because of his surroundings and never even making an attempt to talk to him, spend time with him or look beyond their own fears. In fact on more than one ocassion I was asked how I could let him in my home? People thought he would turn my kids into gangsters, his brother would rob us or he would steal from us. It was hard to believe a 10 year old kid could generate such malice due only to an environment he was born into. I would politelu explain my reasons and feeling to these people at first, but eventually grew weary of it and just ignored them. To be honest it was embarrassing that some people who were supposed to be involved on sports to help kids learn and grow, had no clue whatsoever about what that mission statement meant.

I would often encounter his brothers and their associates when I was dropping him off and they usually just stared at me, though I would always wave to them. Finally one night one of them came over and asked me to get out of the car. I did and followed him to where the oldest brother was. They asked me to sit down and then asked why I did so much for John. I explained that I knew times were hard for their family and I wanted to help John stay on track and make sure he had structure. The oldest then asked me and I quote. "You think we don't care bout our little homie here?"

I actually got a little nervous, but responded that I didn't feel that way at all, but in all honesty I thought he could choose a better path and wanted to show him the options. The older one stood up, walked up to me and said he wished I was around when he was Johns age. Then he thanked me and said he would try and keep John on the right path too. He felt it was too late for him, but that John could still have a life without messing with Gangs and that he had to do what he had to do and didn't care about himself, but felt like he owed it to his brother after what we as coaches had done for him.

Sadly I have not heard from John for a number of years, but I do know he finished high school and continued to play. I have tried a couple of times to find him after that with no luck, but at least he has his education, which at least opened up doors he would not have otherwise had.

I am not saying I saved this young man and in fact don't even know if he stayed on a productive path, but at least he gave himself a chance. I like to think I had a small part in that in exposing him to choices outside of gangs and trouble and that it was OK to open up and let people see you were a good kid in a tough spot. One other thing that makes my hopeful is that even in bad situations, Pacific Islanders are usually deeply committed to family as Macroguru can tell you and I actually believed his brother when he promised to keep him on track.

I had experienced moments where changes (confidence, work ethic, teamwork) were instilled in kids because of sports, but this ws the first potentially life changing moment and I hope John is happy, successful and thriving today and if he his I wish I could find him just to thank him for being strong and staying the course.

As coaches we can not always alter paths or help turn things around, but when it does happen it is greater than any joy you will ever experience on a field of play and what keeps many of us in the profession for so long.

[BYU 14]

Had a bye this past week, which allowed us to work a lot of technique and it paid off. Watched film of our upcoming opponent yesterday and then talked through defensive assignments as they have a very athletic QB that will hurt you if you lose contain.

Had our first "game week" practice this morning and I have to say it was probably our best of the year despite the heat. Good tempo, fundementally sound and very few mistakes. It was defensive focused with punt and punt return in the middle and we finished with an individual offensive period and a short team offensive period. The kids were amazed how fast 2 1/2 hours went and I was reiterated that is what a high tempo, high energy practice will do for you. Monday will be offense oriented with shorter defensive periods and if if we maintain this level then we should put 4 solid quarters together wednesday, which has yet to happen.

Practice like this really energize me as well....now hopefully BYU will not destroy my high against FSU.

Will get the stats from the first two games done by the close of the weekend.

[BYU 14]

The Knights move to 6-0 with a 62-16 thrashing of North. (33-0 after 1 quarter)

I literally tried to hold it down, but they threw 4 picks (1 returned for 6) and a fumble we returned for a TD as well. The kids are clicking, but our two toughest games are the last two of the season, as both Chavez and Centennial are very good this year.

I will get my lazy ass in gear and update the Stats this weekend.

[BYU 14]

The season ended tonight as after falling behind 20-0 in the 1st quarter we rallied to beat Centennial 41-20 to finish 9-0 for the 2nd straight year. Unbelievable heart and determination shown by these kids tonight, they just wouldn't give up!!

Now that the frosh season is over I will work on getting all the stats updated and reflections. I still have my duties with the varsity for the rest of the year and we will be in the playoffs, so there is still Football left.

But my "career" as a head coach is now officially over. Damn it went quick....Not just this season, but the entire 25 years!!

[johnnyshaka]

Congrats!