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Post by coachdoug on Jun 7, 2011 17:18:47 GMT -6
Being the offseason and all, I thought this might be a good time to compare stories from some of our most memorable games. Here are a handful that stand out for me:
A couple years ago, we were playing one of our primary rivals. We fell behind 16-12 in the 4th quarter. We got the ball back with a couple minutes left and completed a pass down inside our opponent's 10, but it was called back for holding, bringing up a 3rd & 32 from about midfield. We threw deep down the far sideline - a perfect pass that went 46 yards in the air (if I did my math correctly) and our receiver made a great over-the-shoulder catch in the face of pretty good coverage. I think we gained about 35 yards on the play and got the first down. We drove the last 15 yards or so and won the game on QB sneak with seconds left in the game.
Here's another game that's memorable for different reasons. This is from my first year coaching (1994). We were playing one of our main rivals (the same program as above, actually), and we had a 13-6 lead with less than a minute to play. Our opponent had the ball on our 20. After 3 incompletes, it was 4th and 10. We called timeout to set up our defense (I have no idea what our DC told them, but it wasn't the right thing, lol). They promptly threw right over our safety's head for a TD. We were still up 13-12, there were only a few seconds left and they got an excessive celebration penalty after the TD, pushing the try back to the 18. They had missed their first PAT badly, and I don't think they made a single kick during warmups, so I figured they would try to go for one a send it to OT with another desperation pass. Instead, they lined up to kick. The ball would placed on the 25 - a 35 yard kick!! We called another TO to prep our rush and make sure they were alert for a fake. Unbelievably the kick just barely made it over the crossbar and we lost 14-13. Man, I still can't believe it even now.
Here's one more - I didn't coach in this game, but I was the President of the program and was very tight with this team. In 2000 our Jr. Midget team was pretty talented, and we were playing a team that was pretty good, but which we should have beaten without too much trouble. Our guys came out flat and fell behind 15-6 at halftime. I guess the head coach gave a great inspirational halftime speech, because we kicked off, and they marched right down the field for another score to make it 23-6. This was a night game, so they were playing under the lights and both teams had pretty good crowds and we were making a lot of noise in the stands. At that point, our guys came back to life and started moving the ball at will - not really breaking any big plays, but consisently getting 5-8 yards per play and marching down the field. I think it was 23-14 at the start of the 4th quarter. We held them, got the ball back and scored again to make it 23-20, but now there was only about 5 minutes left in the game, so the defense couldn't give up first downs and let them milk the clock. They did their job, we got the ball back and scored the winning TD with about 2 minutes left. After the defense held again, we won 28-23 in what was the biggest comeback I had ever witnessed at the youth level at that time (and is still the second biggest comeback I've ever seen in a youth game). I never cheered so loud - it was a really exciting and fun game.
I'll be looking forward to reading about everyone else's most memorable games.
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Post by mhcoach on Jun 7, 2011 18:29:47 GMT -6
Doug
Great topic & a nice change. I have been very fortunate over my coaching career, & have won numerous championships at both the State & National level. 14 times I have been head coach of a team that went undefeated. Yet my best game memories involve teams that really weren't supposed to win.
In the late 80's my teams set the standard & usually won the State Championship. One year we had a team that wasn't particularly good, just they didn't know it. They finished the regular season 9-2, & honestly didn't have the ability to win it all. First round of the playoffs they played well & shut out their opponent. Up next was a team that had beaten us in the regular season & was very well coached by one of my mentors. Again the boys rose to occasion & won.
Next came the game I wanted, I also believed we could win. The other Semi Final was at a field that wasn't far & I asked several venerable NYC coaches if they would join me & scout. The price of the scouting trip was several rounds of suds at the neighborhood saloon. Over beers & wings each coach took me aside & told me I did a great job coaching this year, & to be just happy I made the Championship Game. Our opponent had a monster squad with 4 players who went on to D1 scholarships. In NYC D1 scholarships are usually a rarity, so 4 players on 1 team was a once in a lifetime thing to see.
I spent the next 2 days holed up in my house with my coaches looking at film. I broke everything down to smallest detail, & knew their offense & defense inside out. I had picked up a hole in their coverage & thought we could exploit it. Practice was very organized & uplifting. I told the team we would score on our second offensive of the game, they believed, I believed, my coaches believed. No one else did.
Our best player was our MLB, he wasn't fast or big, but smart, tough, & a sure tackler. We designed a defense that utilized this, it involved all the calls being made at the line. On offense we had an average QB, decent line, & tough backs(no real speed). We game planned to squeeze the air out of the ball, it depended on us scoring on that second play.
Game day was a perfect day in December, cool not cold & sunny. My team arrived dressed in jackets & ties. We got off the bus ready to play. In warm ups the team was subdued but focused. Again my coaching friends told me I did a great job getting there & to just enjoy it.
We won the toss, took our option in the second half. I had a great kicker so we kicked deep, touchback. On their first play from scrimmage our MLB made the wrong call & their star back broke off a 35 yd run. That was the last first down they would get untill the 4th qtr. They punted & we started at our own 19. First play was a tough 6 yd run, now came the moment of truth. Second play, the pass traveled maybe 9 yds in the air, our slow receiver ran the rest of the way. He ran the last 20 yds with both hands on the ball(later he told me his only fear was fumbling). It was 22-0 at half time, 29-0 final. Those boys played head & tails above their ability, they played as a complete team.
The coaches & players on the other side of the field had no idea how to play from behind. It became ugly, by the 3rd qtr the parents were fighting in the stands(not with my parents but each other). Their coaches were telling their DLine to break my QB's legs. In one game you saw everything that is great about Youth Football, & everything that is wrong.
After the game, I felt like a circus lion that was drained. One of my mentors who was now a very successful HS coach(one of those who helped me scout). Came into the locker room & handed me the plaque he had won for Coach of the Year. He told me I deserved it. (I couldn't take it, but the thought still brings tears to my eyes).
Joe
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spurred
Sophomore Member
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Post by spurred on Jun 7, 2011 18:51:38 GMT -6
This first story involves a little back story, so here it is; we run our HS schemes (somewhat). Well the year before this, the HC decided to not fight his OC and let him run some crazy daddy ball offense (the OC's kid was fullback on traps, tailback on runs and quarterback on passes), it was a season of misery for the kids; so I was kind of forced into taking them over. So basically last year was their first year of truly running the offense. We ended up going 3-6, and while the record didn't reflect it, I was proud of the strides those kids made as both becoming good young men, and fundamentally better football players.
Well, the first story is our third game, I had missed basically every practice that week because I was helping my Dad do the preparations for my step mother's funeral. I got phone calls all week long from the kids, the parents, everyone. That really made me feel special, well anyway gameday comes around and we are playing a team that beat them the year before by four td's, our kids come out and play tough the first half and we had about 4 lead changes in that half alone, well the second half comes around and they start to pull away at the end of the 3rd. start of the fourth we were down two td's. We scored then they scored, about halfway through the fourth I called a timeout on offense and gave a rabble rousing speech, we scored a 70 td the next play. Defense gets a stop we score again, and again another defensive stop. We had about a minute left, we got to about their 25, called another timeout, another speech, and we score on the next play to win the game. The best part is the college where we were playing, was going to play a game about an hour after ours. The players were out their waiting to do warmups and were going crazy, high fiving our kids after we left the field....and we were the away team. After the game the kids told me that they won that game for me.......I'll be darned if I didn't turn into the biggest baby ever. Turned the worst week of my life, into the best.
This story isn't quite as good, we played our town's arch nemesis....got hammered; nothing worked. The kids told me after the game that the game was over after the second play......was at a loss for words
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Post by coachmsl on Jun 7, 2011 19:56:18 GMT -6
One that comes to mind was at the end of my second year of coaching. Championship game against the league bully. I had never experienced such a level of anxiety prior to a game, even as a player. I was TORN UP!!! Emotions continued into and throughout the game. Before halftime, we got a BS flag that took a TD away. I went nuts. I couldn't think straight. Called time out to ride the refs. Somehow i was not removed from the field. Halftime up 7-0. We went up 21 - 6 early on in the 2nd half, but they really started moving the ball on us and scored easily twice. 21-12, 21-18. At the end of the game we were on defense up 21 - 18. 4th and 2 from our 6. Our DT makes a tackle on the sideline 1 foot from the first down marker. Our ball :06 left. Kneel, We win. I really let my emotions rob me of a great game. I had no fun. So worked up. I vowed not to let an official or emotions steal my joy for coaching this game. It has taken a few years, but my demeanor has improved by leaps and bounds. Sometimes writing the boys age on your fist will help keep you down to earth.
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Post by coachbrek on Jun 8, 2011 7:42:11 GMT -6
I have had several, The very first game I coached back in 1989 we won the game on the last play of the game on a half back pass to the qb.
In 2003 I had a decent team but we only had 15 players, we did not kill anyone that season we won by scores of 16-14, 22-18 etc.
We were undefeated going into our last game, playing a well coached single wing team who was also undefeated, We won on the last play of the game on a down the line option pass to the back side TE.
In 2005 I had zero talent, I had been an option coach for many years but switched to the Double wing offense, I had a bunch of goofy 100 lb linemen, and one decent back.
We were bad talent wise, but we beat a team heads and tails better than us on the last play of the game on a xx counter. We somehow managed to finish that season 7-1-1 we had several chances to win our loss and tie and really could have been undefeated.
That group of kids will be seniors this fall and there are only 7 kids who still play football in that class.
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Post by cyflcoach on Jun 8, 2011 9:31:41 GMT -6
Easy for me to remember this one from a couple of years ago...
Having suffered our first loss of the season the previous week, we go into the half down 24-6 to a team with one exceptional back that was absolutely taking it to us during the first half. Even though we were 6-1 at the time, a loss would essentially mean that we had no shot at the playoffs. During halftime, I must admit that I was already thinking about what I was going to do with all the extra time I was about to have on my hands!
To my surprise, my 16 year old son, who was filming our game for me, came onto the field and asked our coaches if he could address the team. I was standing a good ways away and missed a great deal of what he had to say to the kids. He simply told them how much time we as coaches had invested in getting the team prepared and ready to play and that they as players just needed to uphold their end of the bargain and play as hard and as well as they were capable of playing. When I saw the looks on those kids faces, you would have thought that Knute Rockne himself had spoken to them! I hugged him and thanked him for caring enough to do something that I knew was out of his comfort zone and got ready to take the field for the second half, expecting for us to play better, but unsure that it would matter if we couldn't find a way to keep #23 out of the end zone.
The end result is that we came back to win 41-24, scoring 35 points in the second half and basically shutting them down (except for one score called back for holding). Momentum can be such an amazing force when you're really rolling, can't it? Well, I was stunned to say the least and was actually speechless (which doesn't happen often) at times during our post-game talk. I've always thought that I could coach this game a long time and never experience anything like that game again!
Thanks for allowing me to share this special memory with all of you. I can only hope each of you can have a similar experience during your coaching career. The experience truly taught me that "never give up" is a mantra none of us should ever abandon.
Dave Hartman CYFL Coach
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Post by bobgoodman on Jun 8, 2011 9:59:24 GMT -6
It was 2007, and our weight-limited Co-Op City Cowboys teams (Mighty Mite, JPW, PeeWee) had a match in Queens. We got creamed in all of them, but the team I was attached to as an ass't, the JPWs, were particularly embarrassed. The HC of the JPWs that day (wasn't always the same) had trouble even keeping the att'n of our players as we went thru pre-game under some trees.
Their 1st play from scrimmage, the home team opened with a long completion from a pitch-and-pass off a fake speed option. Frustrating as it looked like we had the play stopped before it turned out to be a pass!
The officials weren't kind to us either. First a referee had us clear out everyone except substitutes & staff to behind the fence behind the running track and a wide expanse of grass on our side, which was a lot farther away from the field than the stands on the other side, where the home team was allowed to be. Then, this was one of 2 games that season where the other team was allowed to recover & advance their own kickoff, for a TD in this case. Of course that shows how literally not-on-the-ball our team was, just allowing the other team to pick up the ball in space, but I'll never know if that really was a BAYFL rule (allowing advance by team K) or just a hosing by the officials. Another kickoff by the home team, the ball just dribbled a short distance off the tee, and the ref just let them pick it up and tee it off again, against my protest.
The final humiliation came when our ILBs came thru clean on a double blitz and tried to patty-cake their QB down. He pushed them off and ran for a TD from midfield. He was no bigger than our players, he just wanted it and they didn't.
Seems a lot of our players -- though not all of them -- weren't really playing for fun. They were just out on the field to please someone else. And from time to time we discovered we were short a player on the field, as they tended to take themselves out without telling us!
We disbanded the team shortly after that. One or two of them were eligible for the Mighty Mites, one played up with either the PeeWees or the unlimited weight 12Us, the rest got a free membership for 2008; I don't know how many used it, I hope the serious ones did.
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Post by mhcoach on Jun 8, 2011 13:50:52 GMT -6
A huge Ego & a bigger Mouth
My second year coaching HS football I was named JV HC after a very successful season as Frosh HC. Of course my ego was completely out of control, & I really didn't understand being part of a program. I took every chance I could to show just how bad a coach the varsity DC was. I wasn't part of a solution instead I was part of the problem.
We were invited in Football camp to compete 7on7 vs the Varsity. Instead of doing what was best for my team & the program, I took this as a chance to showcase my coaching. We went side by side with the Varsity #1 Offense vs the Varsity #1 Defense. Their coverage schemes were weak at best & I shredded them. We completed 9-10 passes, & threw 7 td's. The Varsity Offense completed 2-10 for 6 yds. I felt pretty smug, it wouldn't last long.
After the 7on7 the Varsity HC called me into his cabin. He calmly explained the program was about the Varsity, & he was taking my 5 best players up, including my QB. Welcome to HS, no good deed goes unpunished.
Of course this really stripped the team bare, 3 other players left the school when we returned from camp. So now our team was down 8 players, all starters. The situation looked rather bleak, we were to open the season against the schools arch rivals. The JV had a 9 year losing streak against them.
We had a very good crowd for a JV game & I knew we had prepared our team as best we could. They won the toss & took their option in the second half. First play from scrimmage we threw a quick screen pass(the 1990's version of Smoke). The ball bounced off the receivers hands directly into the CB's hands who then scored. The game was 20 seconds old,0-7, not looking good for big ego guy. Second offensive play fumble, took them 3 plays to score, 0-14.
I called the team around & told them to settle down. It was to be our turn now. We put on a slow methodical drive using up most of the clock in the first half. 7-14 at half, but a change in the feel of the game. That didn't last long, start of the second half they drove the ball right down our throat 7-21.
We responded by another long drive eating up the 3rd qtr. Went for 2( why ?) but it was good 15-21. The Defense stiffened & we now were in the grove, we drove & scored. 22-21 about 5 minutes to go. They took 3 minutes off the clock to score on a pitch pass 22-28. We got the ball back with 1:47 to go(yes I remember the time left). We grounded out 2 first downs & with 54 seconds left completed a slant wheel for a td to tie the game. we kicked the PAT 29-28. I remember not letting the players celebrate because we 54 seconds to go. We picked them off on the second play, took a knee & bedlam ensued. The players celebrated like it was the championship.
I learned a lot that year every game we won another player got taken up to varsity. Finally we had no more starters left & lost our last 2 games to finish 7-2. I also learned what it meant to be part of a program.
Joe
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Post by mahonz on Jun 8, 2011 15:25:43 GMT -6
Doug
Mine was actually at the Semi Pro level and involved a run.
I have 6 championship rings all from the same org but I only ever wear one in public…2006.
In 2005 this team won their 3rd Championship in a row. The owner sold the team and most of the Veterans retired. I had been the WR/ QB Coach for this team for the last three seasons. That off season everyone just kinda went their separate ways. The HC was retained and hired me to be the OC. The talent that showed up for preseason was about 10% Veterans from a few other teams and 90% rookies.
We got hammered by 30 points the first two games. The entire league was dancing in the streets. By our mid season bye week we were 1-4. My HC came to me and asked what I knew about the DW. I told him enough to fake it. He said do it. I did.
We were built to be a read read spread team so I had one FB and one TE on the roster. After the switch half the guys on offense quit. The core that was left went all in. We hit the road for the next 4 weeks and since no one was paying any attention to us…we honed our DW offense without the teams that mattered knowing what we were up to. Rumors swirled but the league had written us off.
We barley made the playoffs as the last seed and had to win 3 games to defend our Championship status. I had back up QB's playing FB...X receivers taking pride as a shoe shinning TE...Z receivers running toss...A QB that could care less about a QB rating....linemen being the first to practice instead of last or not at all...
Semi finals a 17-6 win. Conference Championship was against one of the teams that hammered us into oblivion. We defeated them 14-7 with over 40 minutes of ball control offense and 260 rushing off trap and wedge alone. Championship game was against a team that didn’t even bother to send a scout crew to our Conference Championship game. We were up 25-0 at half time and they hand no clue what just hit them.
We ran two offenses during this run with maybe 5 plays per. Spread I and DW. All I did was watch the opponents substitutions…when they went heavy I went spread…when they went light I went DW. Since half the team had quit, I didn’t need to make a substitutions to run any of our packages becasue I didnt have any players left to sub with… ;D....I was down to all iron men and they won all the marbles with one gigantic heart.
Even a few of the guys on D offered to play a few positions on O...and did. Unheard of before. Always a full two platoon situation.
What I learned….the Pretty Boys hate the DW….the Big Uglies love the DW. The Big Uglies win Championships.
We went on to win 6 Championships in a row.
Coach Mike
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Post by bobgoodman on Jun 8, 2011 20:07:51 GMT -6
We were invited in Football camp to compete 7on7 vs the Varsity. Instead of doing what was best for my team & the program, I took this as a chance to showcase my coaching. We went side by side with the Varsity #1 Offense vs the Varsity #1 Defense. Their coverage schemes were weak at best & I shredded them. We completed 9-10 passes, & threw 7 td's. The Varsity Offense completed 2-10 for 6 yds. I felt pretty smug, it wouldn't last long. After the 7on7 the Varsity HC called me into his cabin. He calmly explained the program was about the Varsity, & he was taking my 5 best players up, including my QB. Welcome to HS, no good deed goes unpunished. I don't understand your take on this. By shredding them, weren't you in fact doing the best thing for the program? You showed what your players could do, they made the varsity. How is that punishment? What should you have done, taken a dive?
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Post by mhcoach on Jun 9, 2011 12:27:31 GMT -6
Bob
When you are part of a program everything needs to work together, also everyone needs to work together. My 4 years at that HS taught me a lot, mostly how to work within a program not against it. I was so eager to show case my abilities it over shadowed the team & program goals.
7on7 is a unique drill, great & use full way to teach the passing game & pass defense. It can also be manipulated & unrealistic. Basically what I did was rather obnoxious, I continued to exploit the poor coaching by the Varsity DC. Worst of all I did it out of vanity.
The players that were taken up to varsity really weren't ready for Varsity ball. The exception being perhaps the QB who started for 3 years. He excelled his Senior year when I was the OC. The rest of those players wound up on the bench & discouraged, 3 left school after the season & went to public school. They did fairly well, 1 going on to play college football. I believe had they been allowed to mature football wise they would have stayed with the program & been great players.
I made a boat load of mistakes in my 4 years there. I learned my lessons the hard way. Often you have heard me say here "It's not what I know as a coach, but what my players know on the field", this is one of the biggest lessons I learned. When I went to Florida & began coaching HS football, it was a much better scenario because I had suffered through my time in NYC. I got along great with the 2 HC's I worked for, & kept my ego in check. It made things easier to get along with the staff. Many didn't know my resume, once when a former NFL head coach who was at that time a Major College Coach came recruiting a star player, greeted me with enthusiasm. When he left the other coaches asked "how does he know you?", I simply replied "oh it's a coach thing". The HC laughed & called me out, "I read your resume & know you worked for him". Instantly it became a respect thing, to wit I down played it. Coaching isn't just about football, it's about more.
Same thing goes here on this board. I try to give respect to everyone's opinion, whether it's Doug or Dave Cisar(whom I have met & have the utmost respect for), some brand new poster, or even you Bob. I know you are not intentionally trying to be trying(not in this post but other posts). So please, understand when someone who runs a system or play gets frustrated at your clinical analysis. It comes off as if you think you know better(even though you are just questioning).
Thanks, I hope you understand what & where I am coming from.
Joe
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Post by jrk5150 on Jun 9, 2011 13:35:52 GMT -6
I got one from my first year coaching, ALL the way back to 2008, LOL. Was a typical Daddy coach, didn't know a darn thing (of course, that's assuming I do now), coaching the offense for 7-8's. I was out on the field and in the huddle with them.
We were probably 0-4 at the time, maybe even 0-5. Our defense made it a habit to play great for 3 downs, and then give up a 50 yard TD on 4th and 20. And I was great at out-coaching myself and calling stupid plays to ruin drives. Ran a vanilla Wing I formation - lead blasts, sweep, and reverse to the WB. Of course, I had no blocking schemes, it was "just block somebody". In other words, the very stereotype of Daddy ball coaching. In fact, I remember another parent who was an asst that year, and he even said "shouldn't we teach them who to block?" I dismissed him with a "they'll never remember who anyway" - when the truth was that I didn't know who they should block. On a side note, I actually apologized to that guy this year, he still has kids playing in our org so I see him all the time.
Anyway, second half of a running clock game. We were down two scores, maybe even three. We had given up our traditional long TD runs on 4th and forever. Very frustrating. The other team had a kid that was coming through the OL and just killing us. I was in the huddle, and told our FB - who was good but was 7 and still trying to figure things out - to get #20 the heck out of my backfield. I had tried that repeatedly with him in other games and he just didn't get that he had to hit a kid when he blocked him.
My VIVID memory is of a piece of the next play - just a TB lead blast left. #20 came in through the playside G/T gap sideways, and as he squared up, the FB LIT HIM UP at full speed. I saw the bottom of the defender's shoes as he went flying. TB took it to the house, probably 50 or 60 yards. As we started to jog down the field for the PAT, the FB came over to me, and his face was just glowing and he had a big smile. You could just tell, he FINALLY GOT IT, what football was about.
We came back in the game and won by I think like two or three points (the extra points), parents were going nuts, players were fired up, it was a great experience.
By some fluke of the schedule, we played the same team the next week and blew them out. Then we won our next 2 games to finish on a 4 game winning streak.
That FB was a BEAST for the rest of the season on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, he stopped playing due to a combination of his weight (he'd have had to play up and didn't want to or his parents didn't want him to) and his older brother having a kidney problem and not being able to play. He's going into 8th grade next year and has finally come back to the program, signed up because our top age group team is now unlimited weight. I'm really looking forward to watching him relearn the game.
One other memory from the third game we won that year, kind of an ego memory. I was running a lot of plays on SET (Down, Set, Go) in our cadence. We went on one and the other team jumped offsides. So the next play, I went on 2 and by some miracle we didn't jump, but they did so we got another 5 and their coach was going nuts on them. So the next play I went on first sound (DOWN), caught them on their heels, 40 yard TD off tackle, LOL. That was probably the first time I felt like I really did something as a coach to directly impact a play/game.
Bad memory - the next year, we started the year (all new kids, we moved over to another team in the same age bracket) 2-1, then lost 5 in a row, and got worse every week. We completely lost the team. Had a poisonous AC who would whisper the opposite of what we were saying in his kid's ear. Had kids that would ignore us and not care if we disciplined them. Had parents that didn't care if their kids listened to us. Just awful. Of course, we were awful coaches too. I wish I had that year back, I'm convinced that we would have at worst flipped that record around with what we know now.
Anyway, our last game, 4-5 of our starters blew us off to go to that AC's house for a pre-Halloween parade party. That's right - our AC missed our game to throw a party, and kept his kid home and had 3-4 other starters at his house instead of going to the game (we were home before the parade started). Two plays of that game jump out at me:
First was a sweep. We had the fastest kid on the team, just 7 years old, playing at CB. The runner came at him, and he literally stepped to the side to get out of his way, and made no attempt to tackle him whatsoever. I was actually looking forward to that kid playing the next year, until that play. I just knew after that, the kid had zero interest in football. He never played again.
Second play - we had a 7 year old on the team who had no business playing football. Not an athlete at all, and totally and completely contact averse. Wanted no part of playing the game at all, if he got hit he'd immediately take himself out of the game/drill crying. During that game, I got so mad at the starters that I put this kid out there on our kickoff return team. Sure enough, the ball finds him. He picks it up, takes one look at all the kids from the other team running at HIM, and he shrieks, throws the ball up in the air and behind him, and drops to the ground in a fetal position. I'm not exaggerating. I just stood there dumbfounded.
That game was a farce - the other team literally scored every play they ran, the refs just kept throwing flags to keep the score down. My most embarrassing moment - or it should have been if I'd have had a clue. Of course, I just blamed the kids, never looked in the mirror to realize that I was at least 50% of the problem if not more.
Ironically - the kid that chucked the ball in the air is still playing. Because we moved up an age group after 3 years at 7-8's, we ended up having him for 5 friggin years. Next season will be his first playing without us coaching him. He's still an MPP, and still has very little interest in hitting. At least now he'll make a half-hearted attempt at it vs. completely run away/avoid it. I guess that's progress. He still has no business out there.
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Post by bobgoodman on Jun 10, 2011 3:38:59 GMT -6
Ironically - the kid that chucked the ball in the air is still playing. Because we moved up an age group after 3 years at 7-8's, we ended up having him for 5 friggin years. Next season will be his first playing without us coaching him. He's still an MPP, and still has very little interest in hitting. At least now he'll make a half-hearted attempt at it vs. completely run away/avoid it. I guess that's progress. He still has no business out there. I've seen some of that, probably we all have. Why do you think they show up? Is there no organized touch football alternative? Or do you think there's a voice in their heads that says, "I'm ready for contact this time. Bring it on. Yeah, I'm ready. Oops, I'm not. But I will be, next time."?
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Post by jrk5150 on Jun 10, 2011 7:17:15 GMT -6
I've seen some of that, probably we all have. Why do you think they show up? Is there no organized touch football alternative? Or do you think there's a voice in their heads that says, "I'm ready for contact this time. Bring it on. Yeah, I'm ready. Oops, I'm not. But I will be, next time."? That's a really good question. I don't know. There isn't a touch alternative here, but there's fall baseball, soccer, etc. My cynical side says that this specific kid just wants to belong, to be able to wear the jackets and shirts that Dad buys him, and say he plays football. I mean, in 2009, once the kid got done with his MPR, he'd go hide so we wouldn't put him in the game. He NEVER volunteered to go in (sometimes in blow-outs, we'll ask who wants to play defense), much less asked to go in. Our HC one time went looking for him in a blow out to put him back in, he actually had to chase him back out on the field, LOL. The kid's Dad was our play counter, and he'd go ask Dad how many plays he had left, and as soon as he hit the #, he'd go hide. So, I really don't know.
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Post by coachdoug on Jun 12, 2011 13:14:40 GMT -6
Thanks for all the great stories, guys. I hope you don't mind if use some of your stories as inspiration for my troops in the future. I gotta admit, after reading some of your stories, I'm a little bit embarrased that my stories were so superficial in comparison. Please keep 'em coming.
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Post by davecisar on Jun 22, 2011 6:07:51 GMT -6
Very memorable game- we won in a very odd way late in the game- but what made it so special was what led up to it. I ran a large program 400 kids and was coaching an 8-10 “A” team. Went to take a look at our 13-14 “B” team- they had a bunch of studs on the team- which is a no-no. All the best kids go to “A” no stacking allowed. Huge 235 lb tackle- good athlete, 2 stud RBs etc. Seems the B coach gets to practice real early the “A” guy gets there a little late- the B guy takes all the walk ups after the initial evals and keeps them all- In addition to that he was not sticking to our agreed upon practice methodology, he was wasting most of practice on cals, agilites and conditioning. I fired him and his entire coaching staff 1 week before the first game- and with another coach who was already coaching another team- we took them over. We bumped the 4 best kids up to “A”. Week 1 real turmoil, parents and kids a bit upset- losing the best kids- but it was the right thing to do – the 1 RB scored something like 15 TDs in “A” that year etc First game we go into it with 2 offensive plays- the coach had not taught them the offense properly and wasted a bunch of time- we lost by just 3 TDs, which was encouraging.
We lost our kicker- the previous coach said he could just kick- didn’t have to practice- or learn a position other than kicking. Week 2 we lost our starting QB/OLB he broke his collarbone on skate board accident. We lost game 2, but by just 2 TDs, since we were down to 17 kids by then- we went to max slowdown. Week 3 I suspend our starting WB/CB for the week due to unexcused absence. We also lose our only big lineman- his dad was moved to a prison in MO and only day he can visit- same day we play. We reshuffle our tiny deck of 17 kids and move our starting FB to the line and now are starting the tiniest FB in 7-8th grade history- he weighs 90 lbs. We lose again, but by just a single TD. Kids coming together. The following week-we win our first game on fluky play- we quick kick on 3rd and 20 from our own 15, the safety has no clue what to do, flubs the kick, we recover and take it in for a score. Slowly but surely we get better each week, winning each game, but by tiny margins. In the meantime we have to deal with playing a set of twins, first year kids in the 8th grade, never played organized sports- 78 lbs each- malnouorished kids living with grandma. Very weak, slow, totally afraid of contact- but great kids. The following year when they tried out of the HS team- they were pulled to the side day 1 and made student managers.
Last game- played in biting cold- snow flurries. My 16 kids vs their 26. We are up late against a team much larger than us and with a 160 lb FB that is tearing us apart, this program had just 1 team- so the league put them at B to even the number of teams out- so they were much bigger and better than us. With about 3:20 left in the game and us up by 6 the clock stops working. The ref doesn’t have a stop watch- and none to be found- so he has the stat guy on the other team keep a “clock” on his watch. They keep the ball on the ground- I ask how much time left- after they run 6 plays in a row- going in and out of the huddle- 2:20 is the answer- yeah right. I complain to ref, he sympathizes, but shrugs his shoulders. They score on the next play, 30 yd rumble by the big kid. They hit the PAT to go up by 1, they are celebrating. They kick off and the kid I had been so tough on and suspended and restricted his play for missing practice- runs it back for a TD- his first of the season- we take the lead. They have the ball and 1:50 left, they run the ball 4 times- still 1:02 left- yeah right. The big kid breaks into the open, looks like he is going to score- one of the twins tackles him in first solo tackle he has made all year, kinda just gets tangled in the guys feet- he fumbles- we recover. I complain about the clock- ref says "This will be the final play" LOL- we win the game. All of us including the twins brother and the entire team were SHOCKED the kid made the tackle. We end up tied for 2nd place- we had won out. While not one of my best teams or even games- very memorable and proud moment- we were so happy for that kid and the team. Not to mention the cheaters never prosper lesson. Unlikely win- more unlikely heroes. I Wont ever forget that game or team. We could have just given up on these kids and folded them into the “A” team or cut corners and kept those studs on the team etc
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Post by tbran1996 on Jun 22, 2011 8:00:27 GMT -6
Mine was this year, 57-49 triple overtime game, they were probably the best slot-t offense I have seen. Great Schemes and even better athletes. They ran for over 500yds, we had over 600 yds. The only stops were a couple of turnovers. Fairy Tale finish, we put our all everything QB in on one play of defense and he injures his knee (early in 3rd Quarter), he Byron Leftowitzes the rest of the Game, throws for over 400 yds. We have 3 or 4 real moments... in the 4th quarter making our comeback. Shoe play (50 yd touchdown-swing gate type play) Double Screen pops for about 40. Swirl route on 2 pt play to tie in 2nd overtime (we had just installed it) You would have to have been there, the offense, injured QB toughing it out. Blocking 2 field goals in the last minute (blocked the 1st on 2nd down, they recovered behind the line and get another chance and the same kid on the same block does it again) I usually don't tell the story too much because it sounds too made up. Fairy tale ends the next week (week 10- QB can't move and tries to play and we lose to not make the playoff at 7and 3.
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Post by mhcoach on Jun 27, 2011 9:54:01 GMT -6
In the early 1990's, my teams had quite a reputation in NYC, but never played outside the greater NY area. We were invited to play in a tournament for a National Championship in Daytona Beach. It involved quite a bit of fund raising since most of our players came from low income homes. We received alot of help & raised $20k, this would be a grand trip for the players. When we arrived in Daytona, we were informed just who our opponents would be. There was 1 team from the US, same age & weight as us, & 2 teams from Canada who were 2 years older then us & had a 30lb higher weight limit. Well, I now knew we were suckered in & had no choice.
We played a Canadian team first(the weaker of the 2) & struggled with the age & size but won 16-0. Next came the American team, the game was competitive. We won 24-0. The other Canadian team was a beast, they ran wishbone & just destroyed the other teams. The were huge & fast, their Defense was super quick.
It was the first time as a coach I truly thought we were over matched. I didn't see a way for us to overcome the age & size factor. My coaches & I watched film(we had filmed their 2 prior games) over & over trying to find an edge. I picked up that their QB never kept the ball on the option, so we decided to sell out & stop the FB & the PB. Offensively we would just play our game & hope for the best.
Game day was hot & stifling, not what I was hoping for. I was truly worried we couldn't match up. Their first drive they beat us up. Every option pitch was an adventure. Our small corners hanging on till help came. Down on our 3yd line they tried a PAP & we got pick in the end zone. Now came our turn. Somehow we were able to put on a drive. we were stopped on their 40 & punted. We downed the ball on their 8. Once again they ran the ball right at us & were beating us up physically. Our kids played as tough as they could & hit back with everything they had. This time we forced a fumble at our 15. We then started driving keeping to our off tackle game & short PAP's. We used the clock, & scored just before the half.
The second half it was plain to see their coaches had never been behind all season. I still don't know why, but they got away from their running game & tried to pass on us. We were able to string together a few drives but never really threaten to score. Final 8-0, we had defeated the giants from Canada. The team we had beaten was 15-0 & was averaging 40 points a game. After the game their coaches were amazed how a younger smaller team had beaten them.
Joe
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Post by coachbrek on Jun 27, 2011 10:28:05 GMT -6
Joe, have you read the book The twelve mighty orphans?
the game you just described sounded like pretty much every big game they ever played.
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Post by mhcoach on Jun 27, 2011 10:50:05 GMT -6
Brek
No, I haven't. Is that the book about the kids from texas in 30's?
Joe
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Post by coachbrek on Jun 27, 2011 11:16:20 GMT -6
Yes, great book I couldn't put it down, and I am not much of a reader.
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Post by rgreco77 on Aug 16, 2011 13:23:57 GMT -6
The most memorable game I've ever coached in happend a few years back - It was my first season coaching, and I got the lucky straw to be a head coach.
Before I begin - I have to explain a few things, I played pee wee's for this organization from 7 to 7th grade, we never won a game never came close to winning a game. I went on to play Jr High/JV/Varsity and win games.
After my sailing career, I decided that I need to do something productive with my time after work - so I decided to volunteer my time coaching football, I contacted the people in charge, showed interested, and got sucker in to head coaching a 10 year old team. I had two asst. coachers who were dads, and I didnt know Squat. I played OLine/DLine my whole life, to try and put together an entire off. and def. was challenging to say the least, but we did.
After the firt two games of the season we were 0 and 2 - the first lost came 6 to nothing and the second was 12 nothing - to better teams but I was still dissapointed.
I changed a few things around on O - and figured for the 3rd game we will see what happens....and we came out on fire. we played a great game, I was able to get everyone in the game and we were able to pull out a win.
A first win for the seaon but better yet it was a first win as a Raider as a player or coach.
To make it even better, (this will sound corny) but my mother just happened to stop down at the field to watch the game and it was the first win she got to see with me being in the black and silver. I honestly have to say I think that will be my most memorable game.
I remember her telling me after the game, that it was about time you won as a Raider.
Truely a memorable experience.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2011 14:27:16 GMT -6
I coached for an absolutely awful football program the last three years. GREAT kids, just not athletic and an AD that was $ hungry so our schedule did not fit our talent to say the least. We had been playing a juggernaut in the spring game very year and had been beaten 42-24 our 1st season, and got beat 40-7 the next year. Anyhow, we had a good group of kids coming up last spring, and we thought we really had a chance, however we went in at halftime down 27-0!!!! They had thrown 3 TD's on a then freshman corner who was a having a VERY rough night to say the least. They had also racked up over 250 yards of total offense in one half...on yes...MY DEFENSE! I was livid, but you could see our kids were playing very tense, and our HC gave a very memorable speech about why we were there and what we were trying to do, and he tied it in with the fact that everyone's relatives were out there in those stands wanting to see one thing. That one thing he said was not to win, but to play hard nosed physical "get after it" football. I don't know what sparked in those kids, but the second half was one of the most amazing sights I've ever witnessed in all of football.
We came out and put on a great drive eating them up with midline, they could not stop it. We got down to their 22 yard line and went for it on a fourth and three, but were stopped short as our FB muffed the handoff on the zone dive. Four plays later though, we force a fumble and take over on our own 42 yard line. We drive down and are facing a 3rd and 8 from our own 31 yard line. We called veer pass but then the HC decied that wasn't what he wanted so we call our first timeout. As the kids huddle on the s/l our star running back says "give me the rocket coach, I'll not only get that first down, I"ll score. Run it outta trips left too coach.". So the header calls the same play and low and behold not only did he get the first down, he scored! Down 27-7! Now in our spring games we did not have live special teams so no onside kicks. Lucky for us on our opponents first offensive possesion, they fumbled again. The HC went for the juggler as he called double verticals off veer pass and hit our QB somehow hit our slot in double coverage at the 10, who then proceeded to wiggle free for another TD! Now we're down 27-14!!! Now we played three quarters was varsity and the final quarter was to be JV only, so with only six minutes or so left in the third quarter, I knew we were in for trouble. However, I'll be dammed if on the very next offensive possession they fumble AGAIN!!!!! We have now had the football inside their 25 yard line twice in less than a minute. Well, it took us a little longer this time, but our QB plowed in on veer follow from 1 yard out 6 plays later to cut the deficit to 27-21!!!! The bad thing is on the next offensive possesion they begin to move the ball on us again, and they kept moving until they were looking at a third and five at our 29 yard line, when our young sophomore DE whipped the back in slide protection for our 1st sack of the night and he forced another fumble at the same time. We recover the ball at our 36 yard line with a little under two minutes left in the game. We called counter iso and our slot takes it all the way to the opponent's 33 yard line. A false start on the next play put us back to the 38 and then 2 more incomplete passes had us looking at 3rd and 15, so we burn our final timeout with just under a minute to go in the quarter. Coach calls all verticals and tags our stud WR (who's had dropsie issues all night). So the QB drops back and hit him in stride 38 yards for the TD and the XP put us up 28-27!!!!!
The JV came on and was able to drive down on their first possession and score on a 33 yard FG to make it 31-27. On the games final play, the opponent had the ball 2nd and 10 at our 17 yard line and a freshman corner intercepted the ball in the endzone for a TB, and that ended the ball game with 17 seconds to go!!!!
It was the greatest comeback of all time in school history as up to that point that school had never overcome a deficit larger than 11 points. It was a great feeling, and what a great way to start the summer!!!!
Good post, to whoever started this, football stories like this are always good to read!
Duece
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2011 14:47:36 GMT -6
I have another one I was a part of as a HC a few years back. It was my staff and I's second year at this school that was a mediocre team, usually in the .500's in win percentage and hadn't been to the playoffs in 10 or 15 years or so. We get to the playoffs with a very fun and exciting 7-3 season that saw us start off 0-3! Anyhow, we are in the playoffs against a 2nd year school that quite frankly could have been playing a few divisions higher b/c of enrollment. Anyhow, they had two studs at TB and they ran the power G on us like it was their dam job! It was an offensive game, back and forth as we could not stop the power G and they could not stop our QB on midline or our screen game.
They had done a great job of shutting down our FB, who had rushed for 1180 yards that season, but in doing that they had let our QB (who rushed for 1009 yards that season) run rampant. Our QB going into the fourth quarter had rushed for 155 yards and 2 TD's and had thrown 2 more TD's and we were down 38-36 going in to the fourth quarter. Their TB's had combined for over 400 yards rushing and were still dominating, but our DC had pulled the "under" card on them and had slowed the power G down some, so most of the fourth quarter was trading punts. Well, we get down to 2:41 left to go in the game and we force them to punt and the ball gets blown dead at our 24 yard line. We drive down to our own 45 yard line and we stall, facing a third and six. A timeout is called and a discussion ensues. Most of the coaches want me to call a rollout play we'd been getting first downs on most of the 2nd 1/2 by both our QB running and/or hitting the comeback route on the s/l. They had almost picked the last one by sitting a defender under the comeback and it forced us to punt, so I knew that was out. Our FB had only had about 6 carries in the 2nd 1/2 (I know, we were flexbone too) and then it hit me! TRAP!!! We had run midline all night and their stud DT was frustrated as he was doing his job and yet our QB was holding a clinic on the play all night. I knew they would not expect trap, and def. not on 3rd and 6, so we called midline trap and I think our FB is still running...he ran 55 yards weaving and dodging through the secondary propelling us to the 2nd round of the playoffs for only the third time in the schools 49 year exsistense! We won by the final of 42-38 despite giving up over 500 yards of total offense. We rushed for 374 yards and passed for 111 ourselves and set all kinds of school records for total offense that night. We also learned about the under defense and what it can do to the power G! A lot of good came out of that night and I still remember it well to this day!
Duece
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2011 6:10:05 GMT -6
Gosh, am I the only one eating this thread up or what?! Anyway, my last year as a head coach, we had a very good team, that was 6-4 the year before and lost in the first round of the playoffs. We had only graduated 6 seniors from a 34 man roster, and our JV was undefeated the season prior. We had some good kids, no studs, but very good kids (very coachable). Anyhow, or normal preseason classic team backed out on us in the off-season (we had beaten them by an avg. of 30 points every year I was there). However they backed out in June!!!! Anyhow, I scrambled trying to find a replacement, and I finally did, however it was with an absolute powerhouse. The coach there had been there for 7 seasons and compiled an average of 12 wins a season, been to the playoffs all 7 years he was there and had won 1 state championship 2 years prior to us playing. The year before we played they went 10-2 losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and they were young. We go up against them, and our school had not beaten them in something like 14 years and hadn't played them in about 6 years b/c it was usually such a mismatch. Well this was no different, we were horribly outmatched, but our kids came out fighting. We scored early, on the game's 3rd possession when our QB pulled the ball down and scrambled 27 yards for a TD. We led 7-0. The very next possession though, they rip off a 62 yard TD run on a counter but miss the XP and we lead 7-6. It was 7-6 all game, with us having 6 yes 6 goal line stands in that game, and them coming away with nothing, 2 missed FG's, 1 fumble, 1 int, and 2 turnovers on downs. Now as you can imagine our 2nd half field position was awful, only crossing midfield once the ENTIRE 2nd half!!!! Anyhow, there's a little over 4 minutes left to go in the game and we drive to our 44 when on the next play our FB bursts up the middle on ISV and fumbles the dam ball as he's getting tackled. They had an US penalty that moved them back to inside their own 30 with a little over 2 min. left to go in the game. Well, 4 plays and 1 pass interfernce later they are sitting on our 14 yard line. Anyhow, they get fourth and goal from the 8 (after having 1st and goal on the 3!) after a great play by our senior DE. The had been hurting us with throwback screens off boot action all night, well, on the 3rd down play, our senior DE, wised up, and settled instead of chasing, and batted the ball away to what was then, a WIDE open RB. So it's 4th and goal from the 8 and they bring on their kicker to attempt what was only a 25 yard FG. There was 3 seconds left and when they snapped the ball, our senior DE (who broke up the 3rd down play), burst through the line and blocked the dam kick the ball bounced down the field and he scooped it up and took it all the way back for a TD!!!!! Ball game, we won 13-6 over a team that was twice as good as us, and that we had only beaten twice in the school's history!!!! That other team went on to go 9-4 losing in the regional championship game, after starting off 0-3 though! Their HC told me that preseson loss devastated them. It was quite a sight to see our fans pour on to the field when that young man blocked that FG, as everyone was on pins and needles up to that point!!! Duece
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Post by 19delta on Aug 17, 2011 6:48:59 GMT -6
About 8 years ago, I coached on a team that scored 74 points in one game...AND LOST! We were a spread team and had a stud all-State QB. Offensively, we were unstoppable...a total juggernaut. Averaged 40+ a game and QB was usually right around 300 yards with a ton of TDs. Anyway, we were playing a conference game against a tough Wishbone team. There was no defense at all...we would score and then they would score right back. Special teams was awful...so many big kickoff returns by both teams that, midway through the second quarter, every kick was onside. So, you had these two explosive offenses that were now getting to work on a short field. Final score was 78-74. We lost when the other team scored a TD on play action on a 4th and Goal from our 35 yard line! Yeah...we sucked pretty bad on defense that year!
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Post by 19delta on Aug 17, 2011 6:56:02 GMT -6
Back in 2009, I was a first-year head coach. Two years previously, I was coaching at a rival conference school as the O/C. Got pushed out because the head coach brought in some "guru"...one of those guys who thinks that he invented the passing game.
So, I left that program pretty discouraged. Spent the next year as a volunteer and then got an opportunity to be a head coach the following year.
Second game of the year, we were playing the school where I had been pushed out. They were a spread team. We were double wing. We pretty much shut down the "guru"...they only scored 14 points and we crushed them offensively. Scored 4 TDs and dropped 450+ yards rushing on them.
Going across the field after the game and getting to shake the "guru's" hand was one of the most satisfying moments of my coaching career.
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Post by bobgoodman on Aug 17, 2011 8:50:04 GMT -6
Gosh, am I the only one eating this thread up or what?! You never know how many people are reading & enjoying these stories.
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Post by coachdoug on Aug 17, 2011 14:42:56 GMT -6
Fantastic stories, guys - I've been reading every one and I'll be re-telling some of these stories to my players. Please keep 'em coming!
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Post by coachbrek on Aug 17, 2011 15:50:18 GMT -6
I could share one from my playing days.
I was a sophomore in college we were playing a non conference game the last game of the year.
Our left tackle got kicked out of the game for fighting in the very first offensive possession our head coach freaked at the refs for kicking him out since he was provoked, the head coach got flagged and got kicked off the sideline but was allowed in the coaches booth at the top of the stadium.
I was playing right tackle and got moved to left tackle, our center got moved to right tackle, and we had to use our third string center who had not played a down all year. The third string center had to play because the backup and a blown ankle.
Our third string center was a freshman and was not very good either.
The first half was a debacle we were down 28-0 at half time, the opposing team was talking smack. Our head coach did not address us at half time I don't know if he was allowed to or if he was too mad or embarrassed.
Our assistant coaches ripped us a new one at half time worse than I have ever been ripped in my life.
We came out in the second half a new team, the defense got some turnovers and our revamped o-line got more comfortable playing our new positions, we ended up tying the game at 28 late in the fourth quarter.
Our defense held them and forced a punt, we had the ball in the red zone and it was fourth down, our field goal kicker was shakey at best and I am sure it was around a 35 yard FG attempt, The other team jumped on the FG attempt and gave us a first down by penalty. We scored on the final drive of the game with time running out to win that game 35-28.
It was the most satisfying win I have ever been involved with as a player or a coach.
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