TEAMWORK:
“IT IS A FACT IN THE RIGHT FORMAITON, THE LIFTING POWER OF MANY WINGS CAN ACHIEVE TWICE THE DISTANCE OF ANY BIRD FLYING ALONE”
I have a large picture that hangs over my desk with these words on it. You might say that I have always been greatly attracted to poems, quotes, stories and just about any inspirational theme my entire life – I believe that’s why coaching football has always been such a great pleasure. Young men seek after what all young men seek after on the grid iron, the court or the ball field. Young men are in their perfect place testing themselves and giving their best to achieve some great accomplishment. We have been tested this season with a number of serious injuries – last week alone we had seven starters out. These are the kind of trials that test everyone on a team. A great coach once said: “Injuries create depth” how true that is. They also create opportunities; and, if there is one lesson that sport can teach a young person – Taking advantage of your opportunities in life might just be very near the top of the list. Lucas Sieve-LB, Ben Zimmer-DL, Ivan Hofer-DL, Lynn Guecke-OL all stepped in the lineup this last week and seized the moment. Like the common coaching phrase goes when youth meets the head-on challenges of experienced players “Welcome to college football”. These guys stuck their noses in there and rose to the occasion – I couldn’t be prouder of them. In fact, we lined up with 16 freshmen and sophomores against the #1 team in the nation and we earned a little respect in the contest – Why? Because we have a great team family and we lift each other up.
The first half of the season has been pretty rough on the record book; we sit at 1-5 which is well below our expectations. In reality, we have probably only lost one game that we really should have won and we have missed taking advantage of some other opportunities. That can be expected in a young team and it’s nothing to lose sleep over. With seven starters out and the majority of them in the OL and DL we have some challenges ahead of us in our final four games. If you have ever seen the movie “Braveheart” and you can recall the final scene? Like the Scots charging the field at Bannockburn we are charging into the final four of our season. Maybe you will say of us, “they fought like Warrior Poets, they fought like Scotchmen and won their freedom”
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