Tonight, the Friendswood Mustangs hosted the Santa Fe Indians and performed the annual Patriotic Halftime Show. And tonight I did something I haven't done in the 21st Century, I went to a football game alone. The kiddos were sick, so my wonderful husband offered to stay home with them so I could go to the game. Thanks!!
The Indians came into this game with a district record of 0-3. Friendswood's district record was 1-3. If either team wanted to play in playoffs, this was a must win.
So, for the score board:
1st quarter only Santa Fe 0 - Friendswood 7
2nd quarter only Santa Fe 0 - Friendswood 15
3rd quarter only Santa Fe 0 - Friendswood 7
4th quarter only Santa Fe 0 - Friendswood 6
Final score Santa Fe 0 - Friendswood 35
I'm sure the Mustangs have been looking forward to this week. Not only because the last three weeks the Mustangs have had to play state ranked teams; but also because Santa Fe was the only team to beat Friendswood before the team traveled to College Station to play Lake Travis in the State semi-finals.
Tonight's list of players who weren't dressed out didn't have any surprises. I didn't see Taube or Camarillo on the sidelines. I knew that Camarillo is out for the season, but I didn't know if he'd be at the game. I still don't know what happened to Taube. He came out during the Dawson game. He was on the sidelines during the LaMarque game, but I haven't seen him since. I hope that he's okay and can be on the sidelines, if not playing, again soon.
Tonight was a good night for the Mustangs. With all the injuries that occurred early in the season, several kids got a crash course in varsity football. There was some shuffling of positions and players, and some kids who thought they were backups were suddenly starters. They are all continuing to improve and I think this week they did an awesome job of demonstrating all the lessons they have learned. But of course, there's always something to work on. And you know I'm not a stats person, but I'm fairly sure that JJ went over the 1000 yard mark tonight. Congratulations JJ.
Friendswood's defense continues to struggle, but they are getting better. Santa Fe is a running team, and when they did take to the air, we saw why they like the ground game. As I watched the game, I mentioned more than once that Santa Fe's offense is like the turtle, slow and steady. They consistently gained 3 yards per play. There were some plays where Friendswood had no problem shutting down the Santa Fe offense. But other plays it was much more difficult to bring down their ball carriers. I wish I knew what the difference was between those two events, but I don't. There were several Mustang players who had great defensive plays - Chidester, Longbotham, Brunson, S. Holle, Wood, Stuart, Correa, Montalvo, Martinez, Stevens, & Lewis (listed in the order I mentioned them on twitter). Wood had 2 interceptions tonight. No, he didn't throw any interceptions, he caught two interceptions. Last year he was the team leader in interceptions. I don't know what this year's stats are, but I'm sure the Mustangs haven't had more than 2 in one game, so he currently holds that record. The pass protection was great. When Santa Fe did pass, which wasn't very often, it was intercepted, or was incomplete. They did complete a few, and gain a few yards, but there was almost always a Mustang there to make sure the Indian didn't get very far.
On special teams, there were a few oops tonight, but they didn't change the outcome of the game. First, something happened during one of the PATs. I didn't see the snap, but saw G. Holle pick the ball up and run with it. I don't think it was intended to be a fake, but I could be wrong. G. Holle ran to the outside. He looked like he might have been looking for someone to pass it to. He saw he wasn't getting in on that side, so he ran around to the other side and was able to get into the end zone for 2 points. Later in the game, Montalvo missed a PAT. He missed one last week, too. Hmmmmmm Friendswood only received 1 kick off tonight. Holle, Battle and Holle were deep to receive the kick off. The ball ended up not going deep enough to get to them. It was caught by JJ. He ran all over the field looking for a way to get through. He managed to get out to the 32 yard line.
On offense tonight, Friendswood looked good. JJ was a work horse, as usual. He ran, and ran, and ran. But, I'm sure he was thankful that he was playing one way tonight. Wood's long throws didn't work out as well this week as they did last week. There were a few over throws, not sure if the receiver (usually Battle) was tripped up and not able to run his usual speed, or if Wood overthrew the ball. I found it curious that Scott wasn't in as much as usual tonight, but he did play. One thing that didn't work for our offense tonight - hand offs to Battle. They didn't work very well last week. I'd have to study film from the games to see why those hand offs haven't been working out too well, but it seems that the defense is always ready for that play. I didn't make note of as many names on offense tonight as I did on defense, so I'm going from memory here. But players who had a good night on offense include Wood, JJ, G. Holle, Battle and everyone who blocked for them. Wood had great protection tonight, and I'm sure he was grateful.
Now of course I can't write a blog without giving my observations of things the Mustangs can work on before the next game to help them improve - that is, unless they ever play a perfect game. And if they do, it better not be one of the few games I have to miss. So, what can the Mustangs work on? I've said it over and over again - tackling. Yes, the tackling looked much better tonight. But there were still instances where the defender missed the tackle or the ball carrier slipped though the tackle. It didn't happen as often as it has in the past, but it's still something the team can work on. Something else would be for the quarterbacks, both Wood and Morris, to spend time with the receivers. I noticed during warm up that the receivers were dropping/missing more passes than usual. I know it may sound boring, but the more they practice together, the better they will work as a unit. The better they will be able to anticipate the other's moves and be in the right spot or throw to the right spot. Wood really seemed to do a better job of reading the field this week, and looking to see where everyone was before making a decision. Keep working on that and he'll keep getting better. Give JJ a break more often and let his back ups show you what they can do. We've already seen both Rosales and Longbotham perform well in the running back position. Give them some more playing time and I'm sure they will continue to impress you. I never saw JJ line up as a wide receiver tonight (perhaps he did and I missed it). But I would like to see some more of it. It seemed to be effective when it was tried against Manvel.
Everyone knows that this year's Santa Fe Indians are LaMarque, or Dawson or Manvel. So you would expect to see the Mustangs play better against Santa Fe that the last 3 teams the Mustangs have faced. That being said, the team did look better. I wonder, if we had Dawson or LaMarque or Manvel still left to play, if those games would be different, now that the kids who were sinking instead of swimming have learned to swim well. Of course, those games are in the past, and we can't go back and change them. I just wonder.
The Mustang team that took the field tonight is a very different team that the one that took the field against Angleton, West Orange Stark or even Stratford. Courtesy of all the injuries, the team has had, they've been forced to evolve. So, can the 2011 Mustangs 2.0 (probably more like 2.3 or 2.4 by now) beat the Texas City Stingarees in Texas City? If the Mustangs want to get into the play offs, they have to.
Be sure to be in Texas City at Stingaree Stadium on Friday, November 4, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm. You know I'll be there.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Friendswood Mustangs vs. Manvel Mavericks Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday, October 13, the Friendswood Mustangs traveled to Alvin Memorial Stadium to take on the Manvel Mavericks. This game was also televised on The Kube. I'm glad this game was televised. We had to miss most of the first half, but I set my DVR so I could watch it later.
Now, I guess I've put this off long enough. It's time to write my blog entry for that game.
But first (yes, I'm stalling) the box scores.
Total
Friendswood 7 0 15 6 28
Manvel. 21 17 15 7 60
This week showed some definite improvements for the Mustangs and a few old bad habits. I watched most of the game on the TV (my DVR cut off after 3 hours instead of recording the entire game). For the most part, I found the announcers to be annoying, and tuned them out. But I found their commentary during the 3rd quarter to be very interesting. The 3rd quarter commentary highlighted things that I and other Mustang fans have been saying for a long time. "The difference between Manvel and Friendswood - Manvel tackles very well. Friendswood does alot of arm tackling." Another comment was that once you've run the same play several times, the defense knows how to stop it. All of this was plainly evident Thursday night.
So, for the bad - first, where was Caleb Taube? He came out of the Dawson game and didn't play against LaMarque. I didn't even see him on the sidelines Thursday. The reason I ask about Taube now is that, during the Stratford game, he did very well on the skill I'm about to complain about. Why, oh why does our defense leave enough room between themselves and the receivers to park a few 1963 Chryslers? They didn't do this all the time, just 95+% of the time. When they were close enough to reach out and touch Manvel's receivers, the pass was incomplete.
Next, it was great to see Battle on the field with a week of practice. And when they faked handoffs between Johnson & Battle, they worked for a while. But, when you run a starburst, or fake handoffs, and the same person ends up with the ball (almost) every time, the fake becomes ineffective and results in a loss of yardage. It also helps when everyone is a good faker. Johnson needs to practice faking. It's always obvious if he has the ball or not. And while he has gotten better at gaining yards while he worked his way outside, he fell into some old habits Thursday night.
Did Montalvo forget his lucky socks or shoes? He missed more kicks than usual (1 PAT, at least 1 field goal - 37 yard). Madera came in to kick after the missed PAT and on the next touchdown the Mustangs went for 2. Normally, I would be inclined to wonder if Montalvo was injured, but he continued to play well on defense. He played well on defense all night.
Okay, more bad, informational stuff before we get to the good stuff. I want to end on a positive note. While I was not counting snaps, I can tell you that Wood & Johnson were on the field for every offensive snap (minus 1 for Wood and maybe a few in the 4th quarter) and most defensive snaps. And they both proved that they know how to tackle & Johnson knows how to intercept. I noticed toward the end of the game that Wood was more herding the ball carrier out of bounds that tackling - work smarter, not harder - good job.
Battle & Scott also played their fair share of defense and they played well.
Injury report - Camarillo came out of the game in the 2nd quarter holding his knee. He did not re-enter the game, but he was seen on the sidelines during the second half, sporting a pair of crutches. Longbotham left the game in the 4th quarter and spent the rest of the game on the sideline with an ice bag tapped to his ankle. I haven't heard anything about either of them. I hope they are both feeling better and ready to play Friday night.
Now, for the good news. Holle didn't drop the ball or miss a catch all night! Good job Holle! Wood is continuing to improve at quarterback. His throws are gaining distance and accuracy. He still needs to practice reading the field, but the only thing for that is practice. Battle & Scott both looked great & displayed some skills that Friendswood fans have come to expect (impossible catches under excellent coverage). Chidester iss looking great & learning to be everywhere all at once. Longbotham is also getting better, though he looked better against LaMarque than against Manvel. There was a JV jersey that should have been wearing a varsity jersey. Someone please get that boy, #82, a varsity jersey with his name on the back. He made some great tackles, read the Manvel offense well & made some smart decisions. I hope to see him on the field this week against Santa Fe. Something else I hope to see, Longbotham get in some time at running back. He's already demonstrated that he can do well in that spot, but we haven't seen him run the ball since the game against Galveston Ball. And while I'm asking, let's have more points on the Friendswood side of the score board than the Santa Fe side.
The Mustangs will take on Santa Fe Friday, October 21, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm and this will be the FISD's annual Patriotic Half-time. If you haven't seen this show before, you need to. It's a great salute to our servicemen & women, veterans & our nation.
My advice for the Mustangs, do not think you have the week off. Who was the only team to beat Friendswood before we went to College Station last year? Santa Fe.
To the coaches, when you watch the films of earlier games, look to see what you did differently that worked. What experimnets worked, and which ones didn't. Don't be afraid to try something. AND, look at things the other teams did that you didn't that were effective. You might get some good ideas.
In order for the Mustangs to make they play offs, they have to beat Santa Fe & Texas City. Is it possible? Absolutely. Will they? That remains to be seen.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Now, I guess I've put this off long enough. It's time to write my blog entry for that game.
But first (yes, I'm stalling) the box scores.
Total
Friendswood 7 0 15 6 28
Manvel. 21 17 15 7 60
This week showed some definite improvements for the Mustangs and a few old bad habits. I watched most of the game on the TV (my DVR cut off after 3 hours instead of recording the entire game). For the most part, I found the announcers to be annoying, and tuned them out. But I found their commentary during the 3rd quarter to be very interesting. The 3rd quarter commentary highlighted things that I and other Mustang fans have been saying for a long time. "The difference between Manvel and Friendswood - Manvel tackles very well. Friendswood does alot of arm tackling." Another comment was that once you've run the same play several times, the defense knows how to stop it. All of this was plainly evident Thursday night.
So, for the bad - first, where was Caleb Taube? He came out of the Dawson game and didn't play against LaMarque. I didn't even see him on the sidelines Thursday. The reason I ask about Taube now is that, during the Stratford game, he did very well on the skill I'm about to complain about. Why, oh why does our defense leave enough room between themselves and the receivers to park a few 1963 Chryslers? They didn't do this all the time, just 95+% of the time. When they were close enough to reach out and touch Manvel's receivers, the pass was incomplete.
Next, it was great to see Battle on the field with a week of practice. And when they faked handoffs between Johnson & Battle, they worked for a while. But, when you run a starburst, or fake handoffs, and the same person ends up with the ball (almost) every time, the fake becomes ineffective and results in a loss of yardage. It also helps when everyone is a good faker. Johnson needs to practice faking. It's always obvious if he has the ball or not. And while he has gotten better at gaining yards while he worked his way outside, he fell into some old habits Thursday night.
Did Montalvo forget his lucky socks or shoes? He missed more kicks than usual (1 PAT, at least 1 field goal - 37 yard). Madera came in to kick after the missed PAT and on the next touchdown the Mustangs went for 2. Normally, I would be inclined to wonder if Montalvo was injured, but he continued to play well on defense. He played well on defense all night.
Okay, more bad, informational stuff before we get to the good stuff. I want to end on a positive note. While I was not counting snaps, I can tell you that Wood & Johnson were on the field for every offensive snap (minus 1 for Wood and maybe a few in the 4th quarter) and most defensive snaps. And they both proved that they know how to tackle & Johnson knows how to intercept. I noticed toward the end of the game that Wood was more herding the ball carrier out of bounds that tackling - work smarter, not harder - good job.
Battle & Scott also played their fair share of defense and they played well.
Injury report - Camarillo came out of the game in the 2nd quarter holding his knee. He did not re-enter the game, but he was seen on the sidelines during the second half, sporting a pair of crutches. Longbotham left the game in the 4th quarter and spent the rest of the game on the sideline with an ice bag tapped to his ankle. I haven't heard anything about either of them. I hope they are both feeling better and ready to play Friday night.
Now, for the good news. Holle didn't drop the ball or miss a catch all night! Good job Holle! Wood is continuing to improve at quarterback. His throws are gaining distance and accuracy. He still needs to practice reading the field, but the only thing for that is practice. Battle & Scott both looked great & displayed some skills that Friendswood fans have come to expect (impossible catches under excellent coverage). Chidester iss looking great & learning to be everywhere all at once. Longbotham is also getting better, though he looked better against LaMarque than against Manvel. There was a JV jersey that should have been wearing a varsity jersey. Someone please get that boy, #82, a varsity jersey with his name on the back. He made some great tackles, read the Manvel offense well & made some smart decisions. I hope to see him on the field this week against Santa Fe. Something else I hope to see, Longbotham get in some time at running back. He's already demonstrated that he can do well in that spot, but we haven't seen him run the ball since the game against Galveston Ball. And while I'm asking, let's have more points on the Friendswood side of the score board than the Santa Fe side.
The Mustangs will take on Santa Fe Friday, October 21, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm and this will be the FISD's annual Patriotic Half-time. If you haven't seen this show before, you need to. It's a great salute to our servicemen & women, veterans & our nation.
My advice for the Mustangs, do not think you have the week off. Who was the only team to beat Friendswood before we went to College Station last year? Santa Fe.
To the coaches, when you watch the films of earlier games, look to see what you did differently that worked. What experimnets worked, and which ones didn't. Don't be afraid to try something. AND, look at things the other teams did that you didn't that were effective. You might get some good ideas.
In order for the Mustangs to make they play offs, they have to beat Santa Fe & Texas City. Is it possible? Absolutely. Will they? That remains to be seen.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Friday, October 7, 2011
LaMarque Cougars vs. Friendswood Mustangs October 7, 2011 - Homecoming 2011
Okay, I'm going to try very, very hard to show a light at the end of this tunnel, but I'm afraid that light may be the headlight of an oncoming train. Okay, the stats first.
1st quarter only LaMarque 21 - Friendswood 7
2nd quarter only LaMarque 28 - Friendswood 0
3rd quarter only LaMarque 14 - Friendswood 7
4th quarter only LaMarque 0 - Friendswood 7
FINAL SCORE LaMarque 63 - Friendswood 21
And yes, I believe the school record for most points given up during a game has been broken for the second time this season. Please guys, lets not go for three.
This week's sick, lame and lazy club (my husbands phrase, not mine) included Hoke, Dement, Gardner, Camarillo, Taube and Nunez. There may have been others, but I beleive that's all of them. Two names of note that are not on that list are Battle and Scott. I had been told that both of them were out for the season. I learned this morning that Scott was listed as probable for tonight's game. He played the whole game. Battle came in during the second half and played the rest of the game.
Now, what did I actually see tonight? At first, I saw the Mustang defense effectively stop the Cougar offense. The Cougars weren't able to do anything on their first possession and had to punt the ball away. But before that, Sam Longbotham intercepted the Cougars first pass, but as he was tackled from behind the ball was stripped and recovered by the Cougars. Our offense looked good during our first possession, but we weren't able to get into the end zone. The field goal was blocked and the Cougars picked up the ball and ran all the way to the end zone. And that's pretty much sums up the first quarter. All 3 of the Cougar touch downs in the 1st quarter were lucky strikes. The second quarter was another story.
Something happened after LaMarque scored that first touchdown, not sure what exactly, but the Mustangs began a down hill slide that didn't slow down until the last few minutes of the first half.
Sam Longbotham is continuing to make a name for himself. I never saw him play offense tonight (doesn't mean he didn't, I just never saw it). His name was definitely mentioned more than any other defensive player. He was everywhere. I am really looking forward to watching this freshman play the rest of this season and the next 3 seasons.
After halftime, the Mustangs were able to sustain the momentum they had going at the end of the first half. It took 2 minutes and 25 seconds of play time for Wood to find the end zone. Unfortunately, LaMarque answered about 2 minutes later. The rest of the game was much better than the first half. Whatever adjustments the Mustangs made were not obvious, but effective. During the last quarter, both LaMarque and Friendswood brought in their back up quarterbacks and back up running backs (Morris and Rosales for Friendswood). LaMarque used the running game much more than their passing game (surprise, surprise) but when they did pass, we defended better than we did against Dawson. That being said, Tim Wright is fast and can run hard. Taube and Camarillo both being on the sidelines hurt our defense. Hopefully they are back next week. I'd love to see what our defense can do with Taube, Camarillo and Longbotham all on the field.
Two interesting things that happened that should be mentioned before I get into my "analysis". The Cougars faked a handoff that even fooled the refs during the first half. The line of scrimmage was in the red zone. The refs blew the whistles ending the play, not realizing that the ball was not in the dog pile. The ball runner ran right into the end zone a couple of seconds after the whistles. They talked for quite a while about how to handle this situation and the LaMarque coach is lucky he wasn't thrown out of the game for the way he handled the refs decision. The refs came to the conclusion that by blowing the whistles, they told the Mustang defense that the play was over, causing the Mustangs to slack off and head back to the backfield to plan their next move. It wasn't fair to allow the touch down after the whistle, even though the whistles should never have been blown in the first. They decided to give the Cougars a "do-over". Under the circumstances, I think that was the best option. The LaMarque coach and fans were not happy about the refs decision. And I can understand why they would feel that way. But the Mustangs should not be punished (points on the board against them) for the refs mistake. It turns out that it didn't make much of a difference. Two plays later, the Cougars were back in the end zone. But I feel that the LaMarque fans were very disrespectful to the refs in this situation. Speaking of the refs, one of the them was in the way of the ball/players more than once. And I really wish we had instant replay on some of those plays. I'm not sure the refs were entirely accurate. Don't think it would have changed the score too much, but still. Another comment - I wish I knew which player it was, but I want to give props to the Mustang who backed away with his hands up from a Cougar who tried to start a fight. Several other players, from both teams, saw the almost fight and ran over to stop it. That was also good to see. Again, I didn't catch the players number, but since no one was thrown out of the game, I assume it was a different Cougar who got in a late hit a few plays later and landed LaMarque with their second personal foul.
Now, what did I really see? I saw the Jordan and JJ show on offense, and the Sam Longbotham show on defense. All three are outstanding players, but they can't carry the team all by themselves. It was great to see Scott back on the field. He played very well and I'm sure he will improve as the season continues. And seeing Battle back on the field was also great. He wasn't as big of a presence as he was before his injury, but hopefully that will change. Holle played well, but continues to be inconsistent. I don't have any stats in front of me, but it seems that he misses the ball (in and out of his hands, dropped pass, passes he should have caught, etc) as often as he makes the catch. When he makes the catch, it's on great plays. But even when he's wide open, you never know if he's going to catch the ball or not, no matter how well Wood throws the ball. I wish I could offer some advice to help him be more consistent, but all I can say is practice, practice, practice. And maybe come up with some drill where he never knows where the ball is coming from, but has to catch it. I would like to see him improve, and I think he could be an outstanding receiver.
JJ, as always looked great. But I will never understand why he is constantly asked to run up the middle when he rarely goes anywhere that way. He's getting much better about not running parallel to the yard lines. He likes to run on the outside and is getting better at making forward progress while he's getting outside. Another why - why do the coaches work him like a mule? He has some great back ups. Both Rosales and Longbotham have proved that they are capable of taking the hand off and gaining yards. Why not let JJ catch his breath from time to time?
Wood is also continuing to improve. His throws are getting better and better. Both in length, power and accuracy. It helps that the offensive line is getting better at protecting him and giving him time to make a decision and opening holes for him to run through. He's not a Karam or a Maetzold, yet. But he could be. All the tools are there. He still needs to practice making decisions faster and taking in the whole field, but he has the potential. If what I heard is correct, our quarterback is ranked in rushing yards. I think that's a new one for Friendswood. Another new one is to not have our quarterback ranked in the traditional quarterback stats. Who cares if he rushes as often as he throws, as long as the chains move and the points go up on our side of the score board. He also played well on defense tonight. I saw him make a couple of great tackles. One of them being one of the plays I would like to see on instant replay.
Scott looked good, especially seeing as how it was his first game back. He did make a catch out of bounds that probably would have been in bounds if he hadn't been out with an injury. But he didn't miss many, if any, passes & he did a great job of getting open.
Now a question for the coaches. Why, oh why, do you continue to demonstrate the definition of insanity? How many times will you watch a play fail before you stop calling it. How many times does an opponent have to demonstrate that they studied film on a specific player before you change things up and move that player to a different position, or take him out for a while. Even if you only take him out for a few plays. It would be enough to mess with your opponents heads. If they obviously studied film on one player. they probably didn't spend much time worrying about his back up(s). Especially since every coach in the district knows that you will call the same plays with the same players all night long, whether they work or not. They also know that Friendswood will run trick plays more often than any other team. But I'm sure the scouts get very bored watching our games. I'm not sure I would want to scout us. If I was able to stay objective & uninvolved in the game, I'd have a hard time not falling asleep. Or is that the plan? Are you trying to bore the scouts into not paying attention?
Everyone knows that Friendswood is suffering from having a large number of starters watching from the sidelines in their jerseys and shorts. And everyone is taking advantage of it. But we can't let that be our excuse for not winning. It just means that the team will have to continue to work harder than any other team in our district and get creative during practice to find solutions to the obvious problems. Sometimes obvious problems don't have obvious solutions.
The Mustangs' next game will be on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at Alvin Memorial Stadium Kick off is at 7pm and the game is scheduled to be televised. This game has been described as the third in a trifecta of tough opponents for the Mustangs. Let's go boys. Don't give up, don't get discouraged and keep working hard. We're behind you, all the way.
1st quarter only LaMarque 21 - Friendswood 7
2nd quarter only LaMarque 28 - Friendswood 0
3rd quarter only LaMarque 14 - Friendswood 7
4th quarter only LaMarque 0 - Friendswood 7
FINAL SCORE LaMarque 63 - Friendswood 21
And yes, I believe the school record for most points given up during a game has been broken for the second time this season. Please guys, lets not go for three.
This week's sick, lame and lazy club (my husbands phrase, not mine) included Hoke, Dement, Gardner, Camarillo, Taube and Nunez. There may have been others, but I beleive that's all of them. Two names of note that are not on that list are Battle and Scott. I had been told that both of them were out for the season. I learned this morning that Scott was listed as probable for tonight's game. He played the whole game. Battle came in during the second half and played the rest of the game.
Now, what did I actually see tonight? At first, I saw the Mustang defense effectively stop the Cougar offense. The Cougars weren't able to do anything on their first possession and had to punt the ball away. But before that, Sam Longbotham intercepted the Cougars first pass, but as he was tackled from behind the ball was stripped and recovered by the Cougars. Our offense looked good during our first possession, but we weren't able to get into the end zone. The field goal was blocked and the Cougars picked up the ball and ran all the way to the end zone. And that's pretty much sums up the first quarter. All 3 of the Cougar touch downs in the 1st quarter were lucky strikes. The second quarter was another story.
Something happened after LaMarque scored that first touchdown, not sure what exactly, but the Mustangs began a down hill slide that didn't slow down until the last few minutes of the first half.
Sam Longbotham is continuing to make a name for himself. I never saw him play offense tonight (doesn't mean he didn't, I just never saw it). His name was definitely mentioned more than any other defensive player. He was everywhere. I am really looking forward to watching this freshman play the rest of this season and the next 3 seasons.
After halftime, the Mustangs were able to sustain the momentum they had going at the end of the first half. It took 2 minutes and 25 seconds of play time for Wood to find the end zone. Unfortunately, LaMarque answered about 2 minutes later. The rest of the game was much better than the first half. Whatever adjustments the Mustangs made were not obvious, but effective. During the last quarter, both LaMarque and Friendswood brought in their back up quarterbacks and back up running backs (Morris and Rosales for Friendswood). LaMarque used the running game much more than their passing game (surprise, surprise) but when they did pass, we defended better than we did against Dawson. That being said, Tim Wright is fast and can run hard. Taube and Camarillo both being on the sidelines hurt our defense. Hopefully they are back next week. I'd love to see what our defense can do with Taube, Camarillo and Longbotham all on the field.
Two interesting things that happened that should be mentioned before I get into my "analysis". The Cougars faked a handoff that even fooled the refs during the first half. The line of scrimmage was in the red zone. The refs blew the whistles ending the play, not realizing that the ball was not in the dog pile. The ball runner ran right into the end zone a couple of seconds after the whistles. They talked for quite a while about how to handle this situation and the LaMarque coach is lucky he wasn't thrown out of the game for the way he handled the refs decision. The refs came to the conclusion that by blowing the whistles, they told the Mustang defense that the play was over, causing the Mustangs to slack off and head back to the backfield to plan their next move. It wasn't fair to allow the touch down after the whistle, even though the whistles should never have been blown in the first. They decided to give the Cougars a "do-over". Under the circumstances, I think that was the best option. The LaMarque coach and fans were not happy about the refs decision. And I can understand why they would feel that way. But the Mustangs should not be punished (points on the board against them) for the refs mistake. It turns out that it didn't make much of a difference. Two plays later, the Cougars were back in the end zone. But I feel that the LaMarque fans were very disrespectful to the refs in this situation. Speaking of the refs, one of the them was in the way of the ball/players more than once. And I really wish we had instant replay on some of those plays. I'm not sure the refs were entirely accurate. Don't think it would have changed the score too much, but still. Another comment - I wish I knew which player it was, but I want to give props to the Mustang who backed away with his hands up from a Cougar who tried to start a fight. Several other players, from both teams, saw the almost fight and ran over to stop it. That was also good to see. Again, I didn't catch the players number, but since no one was thrown out of the game, I assume it was a different Cougar who got in a late hit a few plays later and landed LaMarque with their second personal foul.
Now, what did I really see? I saw the Jordan and JJ show on offense, and the Sam Longbotham show on defense. All three are outstanding players, but they can't carry the team all by themselves. It was great to see Scott back on the field. He played very well and I'm sure he will improve as the season continues. And seeing Battle back on the field was also great. He wasn't as big of a presence as he was before his injury, but hopefully that will change. Holle played well, but continues to be inconsistent. I don't have any stats in front of me, but it seems that he misses the ball (in and out of his hands, dropped pass, passes he should have caught, etc) as often as he makes the catch. When he makes the catch, it's on great plays. But even when he's wide open, you never know if he's going to catch the ball or not, no matter how well Wood throws the ball. I wish I could offer some advice to help him be more consistent, but all I can say is practice, practice, practice. And maybe come up with some drill where he never knows where the ball is coming from, but has to catch it. I would like to see him improve, and I think he could be an outstanding receiver.
JJ, as always looked great. But I will never understand why he is constantly asked to run up the middle when he rarely goes anywhere that way. He's getting much better about not running parallel to the yard lines. He likes to run on the outside and is getting better at making forward progress while he's getting outside. Another why - why do the coaches work him like a mule? He has some great back ups. Both Rosales and Longbotham have proved that they are capable of taking the hand off and gaining yards. Why not let JJ catch his breath from time to time?
Wood is also continuing to improve. His throws are getting better and better. Both in length, power and accuracy. It helps that the offensive line is getting better at protecting him and giving him time to make a decision and opening holes for him to run through. He's not a Karam or a Maetzold, yet. But he could be. All the tools are there. He still needs to practice making decisions faster and taking in the whole field, but he has the potential. If what I heard is correct, our quarterback is ranked in rushing yards. I think that's a new one for Friendswood. Another new one is to not have our quarterback ranked in the traditional quarterback stats. Who cares if he rushes as often as he throws, as long as the chains move and the points go up on our side of the score board. He also played well on defense tonight. I saw him make a couple of great tackles. One of them being one of the plays I would like to see on instant replay.
Scott looked good, especially seeing as how it was his first game back. He did make a catch out of bounds that probably would have been in bounds if he hadn't been out with an injury. But he didn't miss many, if any, passes & he did a great job of getting open.
Now a question for the coaches. Why, oh why, do you continue to demonstrate the definition of insanity? How many times will you watch a play fail before you stop calling it. How many times does an opponent have to demonstrate that they studied film on a specific player before you change things up and move that player to a different position, or take him out for a while. Even if you only take him out for a few plays. It would be enough to mess with your opponents heads. If they obviously studied film on one player. they probably didn't spend much time worrying about his back up(s). Especially since every coach in the district knows that you will call the same plays with the same players all night long, whether they work or not. They also know that Friendswood will run trick plays more often than any other team. But I'm sure the scouts get very bored watching our games. I'm not sure I would want to scout us. If I was able to stay objective & uninvolved in the game, I'd have a hard time not falling asleep. Or is that the plan? Are you trying to bore the scouts into not paying attention?
Everyone knows that Friendswood is suffering from having a large number of starters watching from the sidelines in their jerseys and shorts. And everyone is taking advantage of it. But we can't let that be our excuse for not winning. It just means that the team will have to continue to work harder than any other team in our district and get creative during practice to find solutions to the obvious problems. Sometimes obvious problems don't have obvious solutions.
The Mustangs' next game will be on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at Alvin Memorial Stadium Kick off is at 7pm and the game is scheduled to be televised. This game has been described as the third in a trifecta of tough opponents for the Mustangs. Let's go boys. Don't give up, don't get discouraged and keep working hard. We're behind you, all the way.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Frinedswood Mustangs vs. Pearland Dawson Eagles. September 30, 2011
On Friday, October 1, 2011 the Dawson Eagles hosted the Friendswood Mustangs at The Rig. Kick off was at 7pm. To start the game, Dawson won the toss elected to receive. Friendswood didn't have any surprises when it came to the players who weren't dressed out, which is a very good thing. Our defense looked good to start. After 3 Snaps, Dawson was in a 4th & 13 position on their 39 yard line. They were forced to punt, and that's where the problems began. The ball bounced out of Holle's hands. He fell on the ball, preventing the approaching Eagles for gaining possession, but we had to start from our 28 yard line. On the second snap of the drive, Johnson fumbled the ball. It was recovered by Dawson on our 30 yard line. That was not the last fumble of the night. Dawson scored on this drive, and never lost the lead.
When it came to defending against the passing game, it looked like our JV squad was playing against Lake Travis for most of the first half. The Eagle receivers were wide open for most of the half. Our defenders were at least 2 steps away, at least. They made some great tackles, after the Eagles caught the ball & got the 1st down. Why allow them to get the 1st before you tackle them? Why allow them to make the catch?
Our offense did get better after that fumble, but was still riddled with problems. I hate that it happens this way, but Wood's stats were not a good representation of how he played. The incompletion goes to him, even though he hit the receiver in the numbers. Or the ball was in & out of the receiver's hands.
By the time we got to half time, the score was Friendswood 0 - Dawson 26.
Unfortunately,. We had to leave shortly after halftime. We really should have left during halftime, but I wanted to see if the coaches & players would make the necessary adjustments, or if whatever chewing the players got was effective.
A different Mustang team came out of the field house. The offense was much more effective after half time. Wood was still under a lot of pressure when he dropped back to pass, but his offensive line opened holes for him to keep the ball and run. One of those holes was good enough for him to run 49 yards for a touchdown! Our defense came out playing much better, too. Once again Dawson ended up with 4th & 13 deep in their own territory on their first possession. As good as that sounds, we did not dominate the second half the way Dawson dominated the first half. There were still a lot of mistakes. One being a fumble by Friendswood that was touched by several players on both teams before being recovered by the Mustangs. There were an uncharacteristic number of fumbles by the Mustangs last night. And too many were recovered by Dawson.
After the Mustangs scored a field goal, bringing the score to 10 - 26, I had to leave and listen to the rest of the game on Sports Talk 790. As good as they are, it's just not the same as being there.
The final score for this game was Friendswood 16 - Dawson 39.
Friendswood is continuing to improve in some areas, and continuing to make the same mistakes in others. They still need to work on catching the ball. It doesn't matter how good the quarterback throws the ball, if the receivers don't catch it. And we shouldn't be "allowing" the other team to catch their passes. It's great that we can tackle them after they make the catch, but they are making those catches all the way into the end zone. And, whoever is calling plays, please don't call plays that continue to fail. What's the definition of insanity? How many times does a play have to fail (every time its run) before you stop running it, or you change it?
Something else Friendswood has been guilty of for years, why always play the same people? We have some awesome 2nd string/back ups players. Not all of them are awesome, but some are. If a starter is having a bad night, or if the other team has obviously prepared for a particular starter; throw a wrench into the opponents' game plan and put in someone else. If a defense seems to have JJ's number, put in Rosales or Longbotham. If an offense isn't letting Lewis or Chidester get within 5 yards of the ball/ball carrier, put Griffith or someone else in that spot. I know we don't have alot of depth, but the coaches/players should use ALL the tools at their disposal to get the job done.
The next game for the Mustangs will be Friendswood's Homecoming . Friendswood will host the LaMarque Cougars. Tim Wright and company will attempt to accomplish something as seniors that they haven't accomplished in their high school careers - beat Friendswood. And our seniors intend to finish their LaMarque/Friendswood rivalry with a perfect record. The game will be played at Henry Winston Stadium on Friday, October 7, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm. The pregame dinner will be sponsored/hosted by the junior class.
When it came to defending against the passing game, it looked like our JV squad was playing against Lake Travis for most of the first half. The Eagle receivers were wide open for most of the half. Our defenders were at least 2 steps away, at least. They made some great tackles, after the Eagles caught the ball & got the 1st down. Why allow them to get the 1st before you tackle them? Why allow them to make the catch?
Our offense did get better after that fumble, but was still riddled with problems. I hate that it happens this way, but Wood's stats were not a good representation of how he played. The incompletion goes to him, even though he hit the receiver in the numbers. Or the ball was in & out of the receiver's hands.
By the time we got to half time, the score was Friendswood 0 - Dawson 26.
Unfortunately,. We had to leave shortly after halftime. We really should have left during halftime, but I wanted to see if the coaches & players would make the necessary adjustments, or if whatever chewing the players got was effective.
A different Mustang team came out of the field house. The offense was much more effective after half time. Wood was still under a lot of pressure when he dropped back to pass, but his offensive line opened holes for him to keep the ball and run. One of those holes was good enough for him to run 49 yards for a touchdown! Our defense came out playing much better, too. Once again Dawson ended up with 4th & 13 deep in their own territory on their first possession. As good as that sounds, we did not dominate the second half the way Dawson dominated the first half. There were still a lot of mistakes. One being a fumble by Friendswood that was touched by several players on both teams before being recovered by the Mustangs. There were an uncharacteristic number of fumbles by the Mustangs last night. And too many were recovered by Dawson.
After the Mustangs scored a field goal, bringing the score to 10 - 26, I had to leave and listen to the rest of the game on Sports Talk 790. As good as they are, it's just not the same as being there.
The final score for this game was Friendswood 16 - Dawson 39.
Friendswood is continuing to improve in some areas, and continuing to make the same mistakes in others. They still need to work on catching the ball. It doesn't matter how good the quarterback throws the ball, if the receivers don't catch it. And we shouldn't be "allowing" the other team to catch their passes. It's great that we can tackle them after they make the catch, but they are making those catches all the way into the end zone. And, whoever is calling plays, please don't call plays that continue to fail. What's the definition of insanity? How many times does a play have to fail (every time its run) before you stop running it, or you change it?
Something else Friendswood has been guilty of for years, why always play the same people? We have some awesome 2nd string/back ups players. Not all of them are awesome, but some are. If a starter is having a bad night, or if the other team has obviously prepared for a particular starter; throw a wrench into the opponents' game plan and put in someone else. If a defense seems to have JJ's number, put in Rosales or Longbotham. If an offense isn't letting Lewis or Chidester get within 5 yards of the ball/ball carrier, put Griffith or someone else in that spot. I know we don't have alot of depth, but the coaches/players should use ALL the tools at their disposal to get the job done.
The next game for the Mustangs will be Friendswood's Homecoming . Friendswood will host the LaMarque Cougars. Tim Wright and company will attempt to accomplish something as seniors that they haven't accomplished in their high school careers - beat Friendswood. And our seniors intend to finish their LaMarque/Friendswood rivalry with a perfect record. The game will be played at Henry Winston Stadium on Friday, October 7, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm. The pregame dinner will be sponsored/hosted by the junior class.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Galveston Ball Tornadoes vs. Friendswood Mustangs - September 23, 2011
Tonight the Galveston Ball Tornadoes traveled to Henry Winston Stadium in Friendswood to open district play. In preseason play, the Tors went 0-4 while Friendswood went 1-3. Galveston is still working to rebuild their program. I think their program's nose dive began with Hurricane Ike. I've read that Coach Valestro is working to instill discipline in that program. During the pregame warm up, I saw discipline. And on the field, I saw some players with good discipline. Some of the Tors worked hard, and showed good sportsmanship. Other players looked like they have some anger management issues.
Friendswood came into this game with high hopes. While Garnder, Battle, Scott, Dement are out for the season; Stock, Nunez and Crowder were wearing jerseys and shorts as well. It was good to see Hayden Gardner sitting in his lawn chair on the sidelines (and sitting in a wheelchair on the sidelines last week.) I think it is a great display of dedication to the team. Dement had surgery on his knee today. I know he was hoping to be at the game tonight, but if he was I never saw him. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery and will be on the sidelines again soon. With all the bad news on injuries, this week there was some good news. Lewis, Griffith and Chidester all returned from their injuries tonight.
I'm not sure if it was the physical or mental boost (or both) of having those starters back, but our defense played much better tonight than they did last week. Our defense showed too many times that they are still susceptible to the break away (note to coaches - never have both Taube and Camarillo on the sidelines at the same time. They can chase down alot of those break aways.). They also showed that when they get too excited, nervous, stressed, etc that they revert back to arm tackling. And they still like to dance with the ball carrier. Why try feinting, just take him down. The tackling has gotten much better this year. It's probably the best technique/fundamentals I've seen in a long time. And there are some new names that are making some great plays on defense. There were the names that we've already heard several times this season; Taube, Camarillo, Chidester, Lewis, Griffith, and Stevens. New names tonight were Maransky, Longbotham, Varner, Stuart, Smith and Wallace. I know, they're not all brand new, but new enough. I'm not sure what year Maransky is in school this year, but he started the season on the JV Blue team. And Sam Longbotham - he started the season on the Freshman A team. That's right, he's a freshman! With the exception of the break aways, the longer the defense played, the better they got. There were many, many tackles resulting in a loss of yardage. Galveston Ball didn't earn a first down until the 3rd quarter. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I bet I could count on my fingers the number of first downs they earned tonight.
Our offense is also looking better and better. Jordan Wood caught the kick off that started the game. After catching the ball, he ran 83 yards for a touchdown! Only 2 seconds had clicked off the play clock when we got on the score board. As usual for this season, Wood played more than just quarterback tonight. But I don't recall ever seeing him go in on defense. I'm sure he was glad to have more time to catch his breath. However, not like the previous weeks, the offense was not the Jordan and JJ show. During the first half, our offensive line gave Wood the time he needed to make the pass or opened the holes necessary for him to run or hand off. And our receivers were usually able to get open. Our offense was playing very quickly tonight. So quick, in fact, that I sometimes had a hard time keeping up with the plays and tweeting. As I've said before, I think our offense does better when they don't stop between plays.
I have not heard any official or unofficial word, yet; but JJ left the game during the second quarter and did not return. He spent the rest of the first half sitting on the sidelines with a wet towel on his head. When he came back to the field after halftime, he left his pads in the field house. Judging by his body language, I don't think it's anything serious. He spent the second half standing on the sidelines watching the game and talking to people. For most of the game, freshman Sam Longbotham took over at running back. He looked great! Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to acquire an updated roster. But tonight, my junior high daughter was able to identify Longbotham (my daughter is friends with his cousin.). Whether he was on offense or defense, he was everywhere. Of course, he made some mistakes; but judging from his reaction to his mistakes, I suspect he will be harder on himself than the coaches will be. As for the passing game, Gunner Holle was the go to guy tonight and he made few mistakes. Each week he improves. He wasn't the only receiver to make a great play, but he made most of the catches. Morris also played receiver tonight. He's great at getting open, but . . . Morris came in at quarterback during the last half of the last quarter. About the time Morris took over at QB, Rosales came in at running back.
There were still way too many penalties against Friendswood (and yes, we really did deserve them.). Most of the penalties were for holding, illegal blocking, etc. Things that the boys should know better than to do, but they get too involved in the game and forget. Galveston had 1 penalty for "encroachment" and a few personal fouls. There was a personal foul for throwing a punch. And one player appeared to be ejected from the game. I expected to see him sent to the locker room, but he spent the rest of the game on the sidelines. There were two late hits on that play. The play ended on the Friendswood sideline. I'm not sure if both hits were from the same Tor, but they were far enough apart that they could have been. Like I said, most of Galveston's players showed good discipline and sportsmanship. However there were a few hotheads who wanted to fight. I was proud of the players on both sides who stepped up to prevent the fights.
The final score for tonight's game was Galveston 21 - Friendswood 47. In my (and many other's) opinion, the score should have been 21-49. A play that many feel should have been ruled a safety was ruled a touch back. I hope that those 2 points don't come back to haunt us when it's decided who will be in the playoffs.
Next week will be a big challenge for Friendswood. The Mustangs travel to The Rig to take on the Pearland Dawson Eagles. The Eagles will go into this game 5-0 and have been decimating their opponents by 50+ points. This is always an intense game. Both teams want to win. The question is: With all the injuries, does Friendswood have what's necessary to upset Dawson on their home turf?
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Friendswood came into this game with high hopes. While Garnder, Battle, Scott, Dement are out for the season; Stock, Nunez and Crowder were wearing jerseys and shorts as well. It was good to see Hayden Gardner sitting in his lawn chair on the sidelines (and sitting in a wheelchair on the sidelines last week.) I think it is a great display of dedication to the team. Dement had surgery on his knee today. I know he was hoping to be at the game tonight, but if he was I never saw him. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery and will be on the sidelines again soon. With all the bad news on injuries, this week there was some good news. Lewis, Griffith and Chidester all returned from their injuries tonight.
I'm not sure if it was the physical or mental boost (or both) of having those starters back, but our defense played much better tonight than they did last week. Our defense showed too many times that they are still susceptible to the break away (note to coaches - never have both Taube and Camarillo on the sidelines at the same time. They can chase down alot of those break aways.). They also showed that when they get too excited, nervous, stressed, etc that they revert back to arm tackling. And they still like to dance with the ball carrier. Why try feinting, just take him down. The tackling has gotten much better this year. It's probably the best technique/fundamentals I've seen in a long time. And there are some new names that are making some great plays on defense. There were the names that we've already heard several times this season; Taube, Camarillo, Chidester, Lewis, Griffith, and Stevens. New names tonight were Maransky, Longbotham, Varner, Stuart, Smith and Wallace. I know, they're not all brand new, but new enough. I'm not sure what year Maransky is in school this year, but he started the season on the JV Blue team. And Sam Longbotham - he started the season on the Freshman A team. That's right, he's a freshman! With the exception of the break aways, the longer the defense played, the better they got. There were many, many tackles resulting in a loss of yardage. Galveston Ball didn't earn a first down until the 3rd quarter. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I bet I could count on my fingers the number of first downs they earned tonight.
Our offense is also looking better and better. Jordan Wood caught the kick off that started the game. After catching the ball, he ran 83 yards for a touchdown! Only 2 seconds had clicked off the play clock when we got on the score board. As usual for this season, Wood played more than just quarterback tonight. But I don't recall ever seeing him go in on defense. I'm sure he was glad to have more time to catch his breath. However, not like the previous weeks, the offense was not the Jordan and JJ show. During the first half, our offensive line gave Wood the time he needed to make the pass or opened the holes necessary for him to run or hand off. And our receivers were usually able to get open. Our offense was playing very quickly tonight. So quick, in fact, that I sometimes had a hard time keeping up with the plays and tweeting. As I've said before, I think our offense does better when they don't stop between plays.
I have not heard any official or unofficial word, yet; but JJ left the game during the second quarter and did not return. He spent the rest of the first half sitting on the sidelines with a wet towel on his head. When he came back to the field after halftime, he left his pads in the field house. Judging by his body language, I don't think it's anything serious. He spent the second half standing on the sidelines watching the game and talking to people. For most of the game, freshman Sam Longbotham took over at running back. He looked great! Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to acquire an updated roster. But tonight, my junior high daughter was able to identify Longbotham (my daughter is friends with his cousin.). Whether he was on offense or defense, he was everywhere. Of course, he made some mistakes; but judging from his reaction to his mistakes, I suspect he will be harder on himself than the coaches will be. As for the passing game, Gunner Holle was the go to guy tonight and he made few mistakes. Each week he improves. He wasn't the only receiver to make a great play, but he made most of the catches. Morris also played receiver tonight. He's great at getting open, but . . . Morris came in at quarterback during the last half of the last quarter. About the time Morris took over at QB, Rosales came in at running back.
There were still way too many penalties against Friendswood (and yes, we really did deserve them.). Most of the penalties were for holding, illegal blocking, etc. Things that the boys should know better than to do, but they get too involved in the game and forget. Galveston had 1 penalty for "encroachment" and a few personal fouls. There was a personal foul for throwing a punch. And one player appeared to be ejected from the game. I expected to see him sent to the locker room, but he spent the rest of the game on the sidelines. There were two late hits on that play. The play ended on the Friendswood sideline. I'm not sure if both hits were from the same Tor, but they were far enough apart that they could have been. Like I said, most of Galveston's players showed good discipline and sportsmanship. However there were a few hotheads who wanted to fight. I was proud of the players on both sides who stepped up to prevent the fights.
The final score for tonight's game was Galveston 21 - Friendswood 47. In my (and many other's) opinion, the score should have been 21-49. A play that many feel should have been ruled a safety was ruled a touch back. I hope that those 2 points don't come back to haunt us when it's decided who will be in the playoffs.
Next week will be a big challenge for Friendswood. The Mustangs travel to The Rig to take on the Pearland Dawson Eagles. The Eagles will go into this game 5-0 and have been decimating their opponents by 50+ points. This is always an intense game. Both teams want to win. The question is: With all the injuries, does Friendswood have what's necessary to upset Dawson on their home turf?
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Friendswood Mustangs vs. Channelview Falcons. Saturday, September 17, 2011
What can I say about a game where we score 42 points and still lost? I guess the best way to describe it would be to say that neither defense was up for the challenge. I still don't know who to bribe to get an updated roster. There are some boys who are playing varsity who are not on the original roster. For those boys, I have to use their jersey numbers when I tweet to give them the props they deserve.
Let's start with the good news. Jordan Wood is still improving as quarterback, without losing his skills as a safety or receiver. Gunner Holle is continuing to improve as a receiver. JJ is still a super hero and Zakk Rosales proved that he is capable of running the ball when JJ needs to catch his breath. Trevor Stevens is playing well and so are Logan Varner, Caleb Taube, Joshua Camarillo, and Matt Wallace. Taube & Camarillo both are making a name for themselves on defense. They are able to run down most of the long passes and stop receivers (although they did this better against Stratford than they did against Channelview.)
Now for the bad news. We continue to rack up too many penalties, some for things they should no better than to do. Our offensive line didn't give Jordan Wood much time, and when he did have time, his best option was to run the ball (which he does rather well). For the most part, our defense in ineffective (they gave up 62 points! In one game!). The Channelview receivers were usually wide open. The closest defender was often 5 or more steps away. The defense is still susceptible to the hail Mary pass (something we've always struggled with).
Our team has been plagued with injuries this season. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first game in which no one sustained an injury preventing him from playing in future games. And, 3 of our injured players return to the field this week.
This next game will be at home against the Galveston Ball Tornadoes (0-4) on Friday, September 23, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm. The pre-game dinner will be hosted by the FHS choir.
Let's start with the good news. Jordan Wood is still improving as quarterback, without losing his skills as a safety or receiver. Gunner Holle is continuing to improve as a receiver. JJ is still a super hero and Zakk Rosales proved that he is capable of running the ball when JJ needs to catch his breath. Trevor Stevens is playing well and so are Logan Varner, Caleb Taube, Joshua Camarillo, and Matt Wallace. Taube & Camarillo both are making a name for themselves on defense. They are able to run down most of the long passes and stop receivers (although they did this better against Stratford than they did against Channelview.)
Now for the bad news. We continue to rack up too many penalties, some for things they should no better than to do. Our offensive line didn't give Jordan Wood much time, and when he did have time, his best option was to run the ball (which he does rather well). For the most part, our defense in ineffective (they gave up 62 points! In one game!). The Channelview receivers were usually wide open. The closest defender was often 5 or more steps away. The defense is still susceptible to the hail Mary pass (something we've always struggled with).
Our team has been plagued with injuries this season. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first game in which no one sustained an injury preventing him from playing in future games. And, 3 of our injured players return to the field this week.
This next game will be at home against the Galveston Ball Tornadoes (0-4) on Friday, September 23, 2011. Kick off will be at 7pm. The pre-game dinner will be hosted by the FHS choir.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Houston Stratford Spartans vs. Friendswood Mustangs September 9, 2011
We knew going in to tonight that it would be an interesting game. Before we arrived at the stadium tonight, we knew that several of Friendswood's starters would not be playing. Hayden Gardner was injured before the season began. To the best of my knowledge he will be out for the entire season, regular and play offs. Last week, during the game against West Orange Stark, we lost Tyler Dement to a torn ACL, Dillon Hoke to a torn MCL, Matt Lewis to turf toe and Troy Griffith to a separated shoulder. While watching the players warm up, we saw other starters who were wearing their jerseys and shorts - Justin Battle, and Hunter Stock. Justin Madera were out as well. Matt Lewis was dressed and looked ready to play, but I never saw him step onto the field.
Interesting fact, last year, during the WOS game, 3 players suffered injuries. This year, 4 players suffered injuries. The circumstances were different the injuries.
So, how well did the Mustangs play with 6 players who were starters last week watching from the sidelines? In a word - poorly.
During the opening drive, our offense looked good, and I thought we were going to be able to easily work around the injuries. It took 2 minutes 30 seconds for Jordon Wood to find the end zone after a nice catch by Stevens and some fancy foot work by Holle (been taking lessons from JJ?). 9:30 left in the 3rd quarter and the score was Spartans 0 - Mustangs 7.
But then our defense took the field . . . .
I realize that most, if not all, the starters we lost to injuries play defense (okay, in reality, almost everyone who plays plays both offense and defense). But I had hoped that with a week of practice that some untapped talent had been discovered, or some players who haven't seen as much playing time would be ready to play to the level that all Friendswood players and fans have come to expect. I did see some improvement in a few players. But as a whole, our defense was terrible tonight.
One problem, something I have commented on many, many times, was that we were covering the receivers a few (too many) steps off. During the first half, the receivers were easily able to complete (too) many passes. Our defense was hitting hard. And the receivers generally didn't get far after making the catch. However, if our defense had been playing those receivers a little tighter, some of those passes would not have been caught.
Something I haven't seen before, Matt Morris, who had played quarterback during the Angleton game, and some of the WOS game, was playing as a receiver tonight. When he caught the ball, he looked great. But he didn't always catch the ball. That was true of more than just Morris. At one point in the 4th quarter, I wondered if our players had put Vaseline on their hands/gloves. I don't know what Jordan Wood's stats for tonight will be, but he played better that it will look.
During the last drive of the 1st half, I saw the coach(es) and the players talking. It looked like some decisions were made on how to improve the defense. When they came back after halftime, the defense did play better. They only allowed one touchdown in the second half. And if our defense had be set, that one wouldn't have happened. But there were still too many plays where it took at least 10 Mustangs to stop the running back.
Speaking of half time, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the field house. After the way they played in the first half, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the field house heard what was being said in the locker room.
During the second half, Caleb Taube played great defense. He was never more than an arm's length from the receiver he was covering. He prevented many receptions and he seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. I didn't really notice him much in the first half, but he was everywhere during the second half.
Of course, JJ was a "running fool" tonight. He finally changed his tactic of running parallel to the goal line in order to get to the outside. He made alot more forward progress tonight. He even got to pass the ball once. Unfortunately, that's probably the first time he's ever thrown an interception. His throw was right on target for Wood. But Wood was under double coverage. I think the Spartans were expecting that play. Johnson wasn't the only one to throw an interception tonight. Wood threw 2 interceptions.
Unlike many quarterbacks, Wood can do alot more than hand off or throw the ball. Wood can run, catch and tackle. I think (If I'm wrong, someone please correct me) he led the team in interceptions last year. He also had many catches for us. Tonight, he showed that he can run, and slip through tackles. (If they gave awards for best player in each position, they might have to institute a rule that the same person can't win for every position. Because Wood could win most of those awards. When asked, what position does he claim? Quarterback, receiver, safety, I wouldn't be surprised if he can kick, too.) During the last quarter, especially, the offense looked like the Wood and Johnson show. They both played well, but it takes more than two players to win a game.
Penalties really hurt us again this week. We were called for illegal shift at least 3 times. We were also penalized for illegal procedure and holding. The Spartans had a few penalties, but not as many as we did. Was that a result of Friendswood playing more back-up players? If it was, it shouldn't be. In order to be on varsity, I would imagine that they have been playing long enough to know the rules.
The game ended 2 hours and 35 minutes after it started with the Spartans taking a knee. The final score was Stratford 28 - Friendswood 13 (Montalvo's point after kick on our second touchdown was no good).
Overall, Friendswood knew that even though Stratford came in to tonight's game 0-2, it would be a hard game. The team was already struggling to find it's identity when about 1/2 the defensive starters were injured in one week.
Our offense is continuing to improve. Or rather, Wood is continuing to improve as a quarterback, Johnson is continuing to improve as a running back. Our receivers are getting faster, but not coming up with all the catches they should. The ball went through their fingers or bounced off their hands too many times. The best fix for that is practice. And maybe, if someone appears to be having an off night, let someone who doesn't get much time have a shot. Maybe he will be on fire that night and really make a name for himself. While Wood and Johnson are great players, you can't run the Jordan and JJ show and expect to win.
Our defense has alot of work to do. After half time, the did look better. Whatever adjustments were made were effective. But they weren't good enough. I suggest spending this week looking at more players to fill the spots of the players that were injured. Do some experimenting. Someone may surprise you, in a good way. Whatever you do, don't take Taube away from covering those receivers. If he's not good at catching, let him practice (Jordan Wood is great at intercepting the ball, perhaps he can help Taube to learn a few tricks). He was in the right place, at the right time. And, with some practice, could probably turn some of those incomplete passes into interceptions.
Next week, the Friendswood Mustangs travel to Galena Park stadium to take on the Channelview Falcons on Saturday, September 17. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00pm I hope that some of our injured players are ready to return to the field next week and that everyone improves over the next week. I also hope that our defense figures out how to compensate for those missing players.
Also, I hope Coach Van Meter continues to improve and is back to 100% soon. I can tell by watching him that he's not back to his usual self - his hat has yet to hit the field. I actually did see him take it off once tonight - when he sent Wood in on defense. But other than that, the hat stayed on his head for the whole game.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Interesting fact, last year, during the WOS game, 3 players suffered injuries. This year, 4 players suffered injuries. The circumstances were different the injuries.
So, how well did the Mustangs play with 6 players who were starters last week watching from the sidelines? In a word - poorly.
During the opening drive, our offense looked good, and I thought we were going to be able to easily work around the injuries. It took 2 minutes 30 seconds for Jordon Wood to find the end zone after a nice catch by Stevens and some fancy foot work by Holle (been taking lessons from JJ?). 9:30 left in the 3rd quarter and the score was Spartans 0 - Mustangs 7.
But then our defense took the field . . . .
I realize that most, if not all, the starters we lost to injuries play defense (okay, in reality, almost everyone who plays plays both offense and defense). But I had hoped that with a week of practice that some untapped talent had been discovered, or some players who haven't seen as much playing time would be ready to play to the level that all Friendswood players and fans have come to expect. I did see some improvement in a few players. But as a whole, our defense was terrible tonight.
One problem, something I have commented on many, many times, was that we were covering the receivers a few (too many) steps off. During the first half, the receivers were easily able to complete (too) many passes. Our defense was hitting hard. And the receivers generally didn't get far after making the catch. However, if our defense had been playing those receivers a little tighter, some of those passes would not have been caught.
Something I haven't seen before, Matt Morris, who had played quarterback during the Angleton game, and some of the WOS game, was playing as a receiver tonight. When he caught the ball, he looked great. But he didn't always catch the ball. That was true of more than just Morris. At one point in the 4th quarter, I wondered if our players had put Vaseline on their hands/gloves. I don't know what Jordan Wood's stats for tonight will be, but he played better that it will look.
During the last drive of the 1st half, I saw the coach(es) and the players talking. It looked like some decisions were made on how to improve the defense. When they came back after halftime, the defense did play better. They only allowed one touchdown in the second half. And if our defense had be set, that one wouldn't have happened. But there were still too many plays where it took at least 10 Mustangs to stop the running back.
Speaking of half time, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the field house. After the way they played in the first half, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the field house heard what was being said in the locker room.
During the second half, Caleb Taube played great defense. He was never more than an arm's length from the receiver he was covering. He prevented many receptions and he seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. I didn't really notice him much in the first half, but he was everywhere during the second half.
Of course, JJ was a "running fool" tonight. He finally changed his tactic of running parallel to the goal line in order to get to the outside. He made alot more forward progress tonight. He even got to pass the ball once. Unfortunately, that's probably the first time he's ever thrown an interception. His throw was right on target for Wood. But Wood was under double coverage. I think the Spartans were expecting that play. Johnson wasn't the only one to throw an interception tonight. Wood threw 2 interceptions.
Unlike many quarterbacks, Wood can do alot more than hand off or throw the ball. Wood can run, catch and tackle. I think (If I'm wrong, someone please correct me) he led the team in interceptions last year. He also had many catches for us. Tonight, he showed that he can run, and slip through tackles. (If they gave awards for best player in each position, they might have to institute a rule that the same person can't win for every position. Because Wood could win most of those awards. When asked, what position does he claim? Quarterback, receiver, safety, I wouldn't be surprised if he can kick, too.) During the last quarter, especially, the offense looked like the Wood and Johnson show. They both played well, but it takes more than two players to win a game.
Penalties really hurt us again this week. We were called for illegal shift at least 3 times. We were also penalized for illegal procedure and holding. The Spartans had a few penalties, but not as many as we did. Was that a result of Friendswood playing more back-up players? If it was, it shouldn't be. In order to be on varsity, I would imagine that they have been playing long enough to know the rules.
The game ended 2 hours and 35 minutes after it started with the Spartans taking a knee. The final score was Stratford 28 - Friendswood 13 (Montalvo's point after kick on our second touchdown was no good).
Overall, Friendswood knew that even though Stratford came in to tonight's game 0-2, it would be a hard game. The team was already struggling to find it's identity when about 1/2 the defensive starters were injured in one week.
Our offense is continuing to improve. Or rather, Wood is continuing to improve as a quarterback, Johnson is continuing to improve as a running back. Our receivers are getting faster, but not coming up with all the catches they should. The ball went through their fingers or bounced off their hands too many times. The best fix for that is practice. And maybe, if someone appears to be having an off night, let someone who doesn't get much time have a shot. Maybe he will be on fire that night and really make a name for himself. While Wood and Johnson are great players, you can't run the Jordan and JJ show and expect to win.
Our defense has alot of work to do. After half time, the did look better. Whatever adjustments were made were effective. But they weren't good enough. I suggest spending this week looking at more players to fill the spots of the players that were injured. Do some experimenting. Someone may surprise you, in a good way. Whatever you do, don't take Taube away from covering those receivers. If he's not good at catching, let him practice (Jordan Wood is great at intercepting the ball, perhaps he can help Taube to learn a few tricks). He was in the right place, at the right time. And, with some practice, could probably turn some of those incomplete passes into interceptions.
Next week, the Friendswood Mustangs travel to Galena Park stadium to take on the Channelview Falcons on Saturday, September 17. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00pm I hope that some of our injured players are ready to return to the field next week and that everyone improves over the next week. I also hope that our defense figures out how to compensate for those missing players.
Also, I hope Coach Van Meter continues to improve and is back to 100% soon. I can tell by watching him that he's not back to his usual self - his hat has yet to hit the field. I actually did see him take it off once tonight - when he sent Wood in on defense. But other than that, the hat stayed on his head for the whole game.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friendswood Mustangs vs. West Orange Stark Mustangs September 2, 2011
On September 2, 2011, The Friendswood Mustangs traveled 114 miles (one way) to take on the West Orange Stark (WOS) Mustangs. Kick off was moved from 7pm to 7:30pm to help the Friendswood fans have a little more travel time. Of course, this meant we got home later. But that's okay for probably everyone except those attending the Wranglerette dance clinic today. Last night's game took 2 overtimes to decide. It was 11:30pm when the game finally concluded. As you read through the running commentary, you may think that this was a boring game, and not worth the 4 hours we spent in the car to get there and back. I was thinking that myself a few times during the game. But, the last hour or so of the game proved worth the drive.
I am calling this "The Game of Almosts." During my running commentary, I used the word "almost" 8 times, though I could have used it many more.
Last year, we met this team in Deer Park. 3 Friendswood Mustangs left that game with injuries. 1 of those players, who was out for the rest of the season, was on the field last night. I wondered if he would be looking for revenge. He played well last night, which is probably the best revenge.
Many of the high school football prognosticators said this would be a close game and that WOS would be the fastest team we would probably face this season. They were right on one account, though not in a good way; and wrong on the other. WOS wasn't faster than Angleton. They had a few breakaways, but not the "leave them in the dust" speed that Angleton displayed. It was a close game, but other than the last hour, that's not a compliment to either team.
To start the game, Friendswood won the toss and elected to receive. WOS chose to start the game with the wind at their back. The wind was strong enough that this made a difference. The National Weather Service reports that at kick off the sustained wind speed was 18mph. The highest gust recorded was 24 mph. I would like to have seen a wind speed gauge reading from inside the stadium.
Our first two plays looked great. Matt Morris was in as quarterback. He handed off to Jonathan Johnson, who earned 2 first downs. But then we hit a wall. After 3 downs, Scott punted the ball away. WOS took over on their 25.
WOS's first possession began the long list of penalties, and it didn't help that those like me who were "taking notes" while sitting on the visitors side couldn't see the refs signals most of the time and the announcer didn't always announce what the call was. There were two flags on one play during this set of downs. One of those flags was blocking below the waist against WOS. Everyone walked off the yardage, but before play resumed, the ball was walked back to the original line of scrimmage. Offsetting penalties?
Most of the game was a series of 3 downs (often more than 3 plays thanks to penalties) and a punt. Morris played quarterback for Friendswood for about the first half of the first quarter. During his last set of downs, there was some sort of mistake during a hand off to Battle and the two collided during the hand off. Battle was down a few yards later, losing yardage on the play.
During WOS's next possession, the first of a hand full of chop blocking calls was called against WOS. I don't recall the last time I heard a chop blocking call in a high school football game.
Tonight, more new players for Friendswood made names for themselves. Which is a very good thing, considering how many "names" we lost to graduation last year. Two of those were Joshua Camarillo and Trey Simmons. They were able to chase down the WOS player who broke away, making a 47 yard run. A few plays later, thanks are due to our defense for the first interception of the night. I never did see who came up with the ball, but we gained possession at our 1 yard line. Thanks to a "half the distance to the goal" penalty, the ball was snapped from 1.5 feet outside the end zone. Here Wood made what would probably have been a great pass. It probably could have had the distance to remind Friendswood fans of some recent great quarterbacks. But the wind caught it and blew it our of bounds. WOS used their next possession to get on the board first. With 48 seconds left in the 1st quarter, the score was Friendswood 0 - WOS 7. Unlike last year, WOS has a place kicker who can kick. Although his style looks like he's holding back. Not sure why.
We got the ball back, and had to punt again. The wind was a factor in this punt as well. The punt was high and short. But this was our last offensive play having to play against the wind as well as against WOS. By the time we were back on that side of the field in the second half, the wind had died down to a point where it wasn't a factor, or the players made the necessary adjustments; because I never noticed the wind being a factor after that point.
WOS earned another penalty on their next possession - Substitution infraction. They punted again and earned another penalty. We started this drive from our 25. Battle made a great catch, earning 19 yards before being taken down - took 3 WOS defenders to take him down. And once again, Johnson ran hard, it was very exciting, but he didn't gain any yards. He just ran parallel to the goal line. Morris came back at QB during this drive. He threw a beautiful pass that was intended for Holle, but Holle looked like he was running with a bungee cord attached to his back. He just couldn't catch up to the ball. Scott punts again. With the wind at his back, the ball goes through the end zone, if I remember correctly, this punt was near 50 yards. I guess I need to start counting all these punts.
Another name that was new to me was Brunson. At this point, he earned one of those almosts - almost sacked the WOS quarterback. That was on 4th and 7 when WOS decided to go for it. The QB threw the ball away to avoid the sack and we took at their 48 yard line.
Next drive, Wood throws his first interception. But the ball was fumbled and recovered by Trevor Stevens. Scott gains 7 yards on the next pass. On the next play Johnson breaks away for the touchdown. But, it was called back for an illegal man down field. Scott ends up having to punt again (his 5th so far). Cameron Smith and Logan Varner both demonstrated that they've been paying attention during practice with great tackles.
During this drive, we got to play "What's that flag" and never did learn the answer. But the ball was moved 5 yards against WOS, so I guess the penalty was on them. WOS decided to punt on 4th and inches. Their 5th punt of the game (yes, 5 punts for each team and we're still in the first half).
Wood makes a great pass to Holle to start this drive. Next up, JJ makes a great run, but a penalty forces them back for 1st and 20. Never did learn what that penalty was. Things started looking up after Wood had to run with the ball and got tripped up. He managed to gain 6 yards on the play. Nice, direct pass to Holle's chest brought up 4th and inches. Hand off to Battle and away we go. 1st and 10 from the 10 yard line. Less than a minute left in the first half. Wood's passes to Holle who manages to get the toe of one shoe to touch the grass before he falls out of the end zone. With 42 seconds left on the clock - Touchdown Friendswood! Dement's kick is good. Friendswood 7 - WOS 7
Dement's kick is low, but tumbles WOS takes over on their 17. WOS fumbled on their first attempt at a first down. Friendswood picked up the fumble (didnt' see who) and ran into the end zone. For the 2nd time in 5 seconds, Friendswood put numbers on the board. 37 seconds left in the half and the score was Friendswood 14 - WOS 7.
WOS earned their 6th penalty of the game, this one for chop blocking, bringing up 2nd and 20. When they were 4th and 13, they faked a punt. It didn't work our for them and the half ended with a score of 14-7.
WOS had first possession during the second half. With 2nd and 10, Camarillo comes up with an interception. We were able to start a drive on their 39 yard line. But if you think we managed to do anything with it, you're wrong. TJ Scott made is 6th punt of the game.
WOS attempted a pass up the middle after earning a couple of first downs. Not one, but two Friendswood Mustangs got their hands on the ball, but it fell incomplete.
During our next possession, WOS earned their 8th penalty. Pass interference isn't a strong enough description. Try mobbing the intended receiver. Holle might have caught up with that pass, had he not been mobbed. After several back and forths and even more penalties, Tyler Dement kicked a 42 yard field goal. 1:59 left in the third quarter the score is Friendswood 17 - WOS 7. That kick was strong enough that he could have gone much farther. Attention college scouts - if you're not looking at Tyler Dement for a kicking position on your team, you should be. Guess what, he can tackle and play defense, too.
At this point, I'm sure most of the Friendswood fans are thinking the game is in the bag. Not at all.
WOS had to punt on their possession. Friendswood started on their 48 yard line. A pass to Stevens bounces out of his hands. On the next play, Wood demonstrated his baseball skills by sliding before he is tackled. He managed to gain a few yards.
Once the clock started over for the 4th quarter, Friendswood was forced to punt again. But, Scott dropped the ball and wasn't able to kick it. WOS picked up the ball, but tripped.
On 3rd and 10, WOS's receiver was wide open, something that started happening often. He gained 10 yards before he was brought down. Brunson got in a great sack, but WOS made it to the end zone on the next play,. 10:01 left in the game Friendswood 17 - WOS 14.
During the next set of downs, our offensive line was able to give Wood plenty of time to make a play. He probably had time to grab a snack before the defense would have touched him. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone open for him to pass to. He tried to get the ball to TJ Scott, but was nearly intercepted.
It took WOS a handful of plays to travel 80 yards and into the end zone. 7:02 left in the game, Fwd 17 - WOS 21. Again, the defense looked like they might need to work on their conditioning and endurance.
Up until this point, the game was fairly boring. Lots of back and forth with a few highlights. From this point on, I spend very little time sitting.
Thankfully, our offense was not suffering from the same problems. It took 2 plays for us to get from our 5 yard line, where Holle caught the kick off and passed it off to Scott, to the WOS 1 yard line. JJ ran approx. 50 yards before he was caught. Friendswood got back into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. 6:35 left in the game, Fwd 24 - WOS 21. Montalvo came in for the point after attempt and the kick off.
The announcer had to double check what he was seeing a few minutes later. The ball went back and forth, WOS made a pass to the end zone that was almost intercepted by Jordan Wood. Yes, the same Jordan Wood who'd played quarterback for most of the game. Last year, he was one of Maetzol'd favorite receivers and made a host of interceptions. WOS settled for a 33 yard field goal. The score was tied at 24 with 2:47 left in the game.
After WOS kicked the ball to us, Scott caught the ball nearly the goal line and made it to the WOS 30 yard line before he was tackled and the ball stripped. WOS recovered the fumble.
More good hits by Camarillo, but the fumble gave WOS the momentum. That is, until their QB throws under pressure and is intercepted by us (sorry, don't know who).
We start at our 40, complete a 35 yard pass and then throw an interception. 21 seconds left in the game and the score is tied. A great tackle by Brunson ends the game.
Time for our first overtime. This is the first time I've seen overtime in a high school football game since we played Manvel a few years ago. That game took 4 overtimes to decide.
After alot of discussion between the officials and the head coaches, then more discussion between the coaches, the officials and the players, the team captains met in the middle of the field for a coin toss. Friendswood won the toss and elected to have the wind at their backs. Friendswood will go first and start from the 25 yard line.
A great pass was made to Scott, who almost came up with the ball under double coverage. Wood was brought down in the backfield bringing up 4th and 11. Montalvo came in for a field goal, and the ball bounced off the bottom of the goal posts. WOS's turn to start on the 25 yard line.
After they gained a 1st down, they found themselves with 3rd & 5 from the 10 yard line. They took a time out to discuss things. They went for a field goal, but missed wide.
Time for overtime #2. Everyone moved to the other end of the field and WOS took first shot. More almost interceptions. Then Brown went down with what appeared to be an injury. Everyone was watching, remembering that Brown was one of the players who suffered a season ending injury last year against WOS. I kept an eye on him for the rest of the game and it looks like it was a muscle cramp. I will try to find out more before next week's game.
WOS managed to find the end zone and the pat was good. Now it was Friendswood's turn. Score Friendswood 24 - West Orange Stark 31.
Wood's pass was tipped, but his next pass bounces out of Scott's hands and is caught, in the end zone, by Holle. After much discussion, Friendswood elects to go for 2. I guess WOS wasn't expecting that, because they called a time out to talk things over. Once the ball is snapped, WOS was ready for whatever we were going to try. Our offensive line did a good job holding them back and giving Wood plenty of time to look and the receivers plenty of time to get open. Once he finally let it go, the pass was caught in the back corner of the end zone by Trevor Stevens. Game over, we win!! Final score Friendswood 32 - West Orange Stark 31.
So, now that I've finished telling what happened in the game, I can tell you what I saw. According to my unofficial count, both teams punted the ball away 9 times each. Friendswood racked up 7 penalties and WOS earned 10. Most of the time, after seeing the flag fly that many times, I would think that the officials were biased against one team or the other. However, I think most if not all of those penalties were deserved. Lots of chop blocking by WOS and lots of holding by Friendswood.
Friendswood seems to still be searching for their identities and some players are struggling to regain what they showed last season. The tackling is continuing to improve. But the receivers need alot of practice. Every receiver had a ball bounce off his hands, or missed a pass he should have caught. They also need to continue to work on their stamina. They started to show fatigue during the 4th quarter, but found the energy, or adrenaline to get through 2 overtimes.
The offensive line continued to improve throughout the game and played better at the end of the game than the beginning.
There were more players who are playing on varsity for the first time who showed that they belong on the varsity squad. Our team needs to continue to improve all the way to Cowboys Stadium in December. However, what they have displayed on the field over the last 3 weeks is not good enough to get into the post season in this district. There's a reason that 24-4A is labeled the toughest district in the state.
I'm sure that TJ Scott never anticipated that he would be kicking as much as he did. And he really shouldn't have had to. Both Morris and Wood need to spend more time working with the receivers. And if I were their coach, those receivers would spend the week carrying a football with them everywhere they go. In fact, I know a few coaches who would not only have them become best friends with the ball, but would ducktape the ball to their hands. I've seen some of those receivers play before. I know they can play better then what I have seen over the last 3 weeks. So, . . . .
In each of our games, there have been way too many almosts for Friendswood Mustangs fans. We are used to seeing our receivers make impossible catches by leaping yards into the air and snagging balls under quadruple coverage and land in the end zone (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit). We are not used to almosts. We are not used to seeing players almost catch a pass, almost tackle a ball carrier or almost intercept a pass. If we can turn those almosts into wows, we can show everyone how high school football is played. Next week we play Houston Stratford in Friendswood at Henry Winston Stadium Kick off is 7pm after the pregame dinner sponsored/hosted by the Wranglerettes. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the gate, the stadium parking lot is reserved and shuttle buses will be running from Windsong and Westwood-Bales.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering and during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
I am calling this "The Game of Almosts." During my running commentary, I used the word "almost" 8 times, though I could have used it many more.
Last year, we met this team in Deer Park. 3 Friendswood Mustangs left that game with injuries. 1 of those players, who was out for the rest of the season, was on the field last night. I wondered if he would be looking for revenge. He played well last night, which is probably the best revenge.
Many of the high school football prognosticators said this would be a close game and that WOS would be the fastest team we would probably face this season. They were right on one account, though not in a good way; and wrong on the other. WOS wasn't faster than Angleton. They had a few breakaways, but not the "leave them in the dust" speed that Angleton displayed. It was a close game, but other than the last hour, that's not a compliment to either team.
To start the game, Friendswood won the toss and elected to receive. WOS chose to start the game with the wind at their back. The wind was strong enough that this made a difference. The National Weather Service reports that at kick off the sustained wind speed was 18mph. The highest gust recorded was 24 mph. I would like to have seen a wind speed gauge reading from inside the stadium.
Our first two plays looked great. Matt Morris was in as quarterback. He handed off to Jonathan Johnson, who earned 2 first downs. But then we hit a wall. After 3 downs, Scott punted the ball away. WOS took over on their 25.
WOS's first possession began the long list of penalties, and it didn't help that those like me who were "taking notes" while sitting on the visitors side couldn't see the refs signals most of the time and the announcer didn't always announce what the call was. There were two flags on one play during this set of downs. One of those flags was blocking below the waist against WOS. Everyone walked off the yardage, but before play resumed, the ball was walked back to the original line of scrimmage. Offsetting penalties?
Most of the game was a series of 3 downs (often more than 3 plays thanks to penalties) and a punt. Morris played quarterback for Friendswood for about the first half of the first quarter. During his last set of downs, there was some sort of mistake during a hand off to Battle and the two collided during the hand off. Battle was down a few yards later, losing yardage on the play.
During WOS's next possession, the first of a hand full of chop blocking calls was called against WOS. I don't recall the last time I heard a chop blocking call in a high school football game.
Tonight, more new players for Friendswood made names for themselves. Which is a very good thing, considering how many "names" we lost to graduation last year. Two of those were Joshua Camarillo and Trey Simmons. They were able to chase down the WOS player who broke away, making a 47 yard run. A few plays later, thanks are due to our defense for the first interception of the night. I never did see who came up with the ball, but we gained possession at our 1 yard line. Thanks to a "half the distance to the goal" penalty, the ball was snapped from 1.5 feet outside the end zone. Here Wood made what would probably have been a great pass. It probably could have had the distance to remind Friendswood fans of some recent great quarterbacks. But the wind caught it and blew it our of bounds. WOS used their next possession to get on the board first. With 48 seconds left in the 1st quarter, the score was Friendswood 0 - WOS 7. Unlike last year, WOS has a place kicker who can kick. Although his style looks like he's holding back. Not sure why.
We got the ball back, and had to punt again. The wind was a factor in this punt as well. The punt was high and short. But this was our last offensive play having to play against the wind as well as against WOS. By the time we were back on that side of the field in the second half, the wind had died down to a point where it wasn't a factor, or the players made the necessary adjustments; because I never noticed the wind being a factor after that point.
WOS earned another penalty on their next possession - Substitution infraction. They punted again and earned another penalty. We started this drive from our 25. Battle made a great catch, earning 19 yards before being taken down - took 3 WOS defenders to take him down. And once again, Johnson ran hard, it was very exciting, but he didn't gain any yards. He just ran parallel to the goal line. Morris came back at QB during this drive. He threw a beautiful pass that was intended for Holle, but Holle looked like he was running with a bungee cord attached to his back. He just couldn't catch up to the ball. Scott punts again. With the wind at his back, the ball goes through the end zone, if I remember correctly, this punt was near 50 yards. I guess I need to start counting all these punts.
Another name that was new to me was Brunson. At this point, he earned one of those almosts - almost sacked the WOS quarterback. That was on 4th and 7 when WOS decided to go for it. The QB threw the ball away to avoid the sack and we took at their 48 yard line.
Next drive, Wood throws his first interception. But the ball was fumbled and recovered by Trevor Stevens. Scott gains 7 yards on the next pass. On the next play Johnson breaks away for the touchdown. But, it was called back for an illegal man down field. Scott ends up having to punt again (his 5th so far). Cameron Smith and Logan Varner both demonstrated that they've been paying attention during practice with great tackles.
During this drive, we got to play "What's that flag" and never did learn the answer. But the ball was moved 5 yards against WOS, so I guess the penalty was on them. WOS decided to punt on 4th and inches. Their 5th punt of the game (yes, 5 punts for each team and we're still in the first half).
Wood makes a great pass to Holle to start this drive. Next up, JJ makes a great run, but a penalty forces them back for 1st and 20. Never did learn what that penalty was. Things started looking up after Wood had to run with the ball and got tripped up. He managed to gain 6 yards on the play. Nice, direct pass to Holle's chest brought up 4th and inches. Hand off to Battle and away we go. 1st and 10 from the 10 yard line. Less than a minute left in the first half. Wood's passes to Holle who manages to get the toe of one shoe to touch the grass before he falls out of the end zone. With 42 seconds left on the clock - Touchdown Friendswood! Dement's kick is good. Friendswood 7 - WOS 7
Dement's kick is low, but tumbles WOS takes over on their 17. WOS fumbled on their first attempt at a first down. Friendswood picked up the fumble (didnt' see who) and ran into the end zone. For the 2nd time in 5 seconds, Friendswood put numbers on the board. 37 seconds left in the half and the score was Friendswood 14 - WOS 7.
WOS earned their 6th penalty of the game, this one for chop blocking, bringing up 2nd and 20. When they were 4th and 13, they faked a punt. It didn't work our for them and the half ended with a score of 14-7.
WOS had first possession during the second half. With 2nd and 10, Camarillo comes up with an interception. We were able to start a drive on their 39 yard line. But if you think we managed to do anything with it, you're wrong. TJ Scott made is 6th punt of the game.
WOS attempted a pass up the middle after earning a couple of first downs. Not one, but two Friendswood Mustangs got their hands on the ball, but it fell incomplete.
During our next possession, WOS earned their 8th penalty. Pass interference isn't a strong enough description. Try mobbing the intended receiver. Holle might have caught up with that pass, had he not been mobbed. After several back and forths and even more penalties, Tyler Dement kicked a 42 yard field goal. 1:59 left in the third quarter the score is Friendswood 17 - WOS 7. That kick was strong enough that he could have gone much farther. Attention college scouts - if you're not looking at Tyler Dement for a kicking position on your team, you should be. Guess what, he can tackle and play defense, too.
At this point, I'm sure most of the Friendswood fans are thinking the game is in the bag. Not at all.
WOS had to punt on their possession. Friendswood started on their 48 yard line. A pass to Stevens bounces out of his hands. On the next play, Wood demonstrated his baseball skills by sliding before he is tackled. He managed to gain a few yards.
Once the clock started over for the 4th quarter, Friendswood was forced to punt again. But, Scott dropped the ball and wasn't able to kick it. WOS picked up the ball, but tripped.
On 3rd and 10, WOS's receiver was wide open, something that started happening often. He gained 10 yards before he was brought down. Brunson got in a great sack, but WOS made it to the end zone on the next play,. 10:01 left in the game Friendswood 17 - WOS 14.
During the next set of downs, our offensive line was able to give Wood plenty of time to make a play. He probably had time to grab a snack before the defense would have touched him. Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone open for him to pass to. He tried to get the ball to TJ Scott, but was nearly intercepted.
It took WOS a handful of plays to travel 80 yards and into the end zone. 7:02 left in the game, Fwd 17 - WOS 21. Again, the defense looked like they might need to work on their conditioning and endurance.
Up until this point, the game was fairly boring. Lots of back and forth with a few highlights. From this point on, I spend very little time sitting.
Thankfully, our offense was not suffering from the same problems. It took 2 plays for us to get from our 5 yard line, where Holle caught the kick off and passed it off to Scott, to the WOS 1 yard line. JJ ran approx. 50 yards before he was caught. Friendswood got back into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. 6:35 left in the game, Fwd 24 - WOS 21. Montalvo came in for the point after attempt and the kick off.
The announcer had to double check what he was seeing a few minutes later. The ball went back and forth, WOS made a pass to the end zone that was almost intercepted by Jordan Wood. Yes, the same Jordan Wood who'd played quarterback for most of the game. Last year, he was one of Maetzol'd favorite receivers and made a host of interceptions. WOS settled for a 33 yard field goal. The score was tied at 24 with 2:47 left in the game.
After WOS kicked the ball to us, Scott caught the ball nearly the goal line and made it to the WOS 30 yard line before he was tackled and the ball stripped. WOS recovered the fumble.
More good hits by Camarillo, but the fumble gave WOS the momentum. That is, until their QB throws under pressure and is intercepted by us (sorry, don't know who).
We start at our 40, complete a 35 yard pass and then throw an interception. 21 seconds left in the game and the score is tied. A great tackle by Brunson ends the game.
Time for our first overtime. This is the first time I've seen overtime in a high school football game since we played Manvel a few years ago. That game took 4 overtimes to decide.
After alot of discussion between the officials and the head coaches, then more discussion between the coaches, the officials and the players, the team captains met in the middle of the field for a coin toss. Friendswood won the toss and elected to have the wind at their backs. Friendswood will go first and start from the 25 yard line.
A great pass was made to Scott, who almost came up with the ball under double coverage. Wood was brought down in the backfield bringing up 4th and 11. Montalvo came in for a field goal, and the ball bounced off the bottom of the goal posts. WOS's turn to start on the 25 yard line.
After they gained a 1st down, they found themselves with 3rd & 5 from the 10 yard line. They took a time out to discuss things. They went for a field goal, but missed wide.
Time for overtime #2. Everyone moved to the other end of the field and WOS took first shot. More almost interceptions. Then Brown went down with what appeared to be an injury. Everyone was watching, remembering that Brown was one of the players who suffered a season ending injury last year against WOS. I kept an eye on him for the rest of the game and it looks like it was a muscle cramp. I will try to find out more before next week's game.
WOS managed to find the end zone and the pat was good. Now it was Friendswood's turn. Score Friendswood 24 - West Orange Stark 31.
Wood's pass was tipped, but his next pass bounces out of Scott's hands and is caught, in the end zone, by Holle. After much discussion, Friendswood elects to go for 2. I guess WOS wasn't expecting that, because they called a time out to talk things over. Once the ball is snapped, WOS was ready for whatever we were going to try. Our offensive line did a good job holding them back and giving Wood plenty of time to look and the receivers plenty of time to get open. Once he finally let it go, the pass was caught in the back corner of the end zone by Trevor Stevens. Game over, we win!! Final score Friendswood 32 - West Orange Stark 31.
So, now that I've finished telling what happened in the game, I can tell you what I saw. According to my unofficial count, both teams punted the ball away 9 times each. Friendswood racked up 7 penalties and WOS earned 10. Most of the time, after seeing the flag fly that many times, I would think that the officials were biased against one team or the other. However, I think most if not all of those penalties were deserved. Lots of chop blocking by WOS and lots of holding by Friendswood.
Friendswood seems to still be searching for their identities and some players are struggling to regain what they showed last season. The tackling is continuing to improve. But the receivers need alot of practice. Every receiver had a ball bounce off his hands, or missed a pass he should have caught. They also need to continue to work on their stamina. They started to show fatigue during the 4th quarter, but found the energy, or adrenaline to get through 2 overtimes.
The offensive line continued to improve throughout the game and played better at the end of the game than the beginning.
There were more players who are playing on varsity for the first time who showed that they belong on the varsity squad. Our team needs to continue to improve all the way to Cowboys Stadium in December. However, what they have displayed on the field over the last 3 weeks is not good enough to get into the post season in this district. There's a reason that 24-4A is labeled the toughest district in the state.
I'm sure that TJ Scott never anticipated that he would be kicking as much as he did. And he really shouldn't have had to. Both Morris and Wood need to spend more time working with the receivers. And if I were their coach, those receivers would spend the week carrying a football with them everywhere they go. In fact, I know a few coaches who would not only have them become best friends with the ball, but would ducktape the ball to their hands. I've seen some of those receivers play before. I know they can play better then what I have seen over the last 3 weeks. So, . . . .
In each of our games, there have been way too many almosts for Friendswood Mustangs fans. We are used to seeing our receivers make impossible catches by leaping yards into the air and snagging balls under quadruple coverage and land in the end zone (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit). We are not used to almosts. We are not used to seeing players almost catch a pass, almost tackle a ball carrier or almost intercept a pass. If we can turn those almosts into wows, we can show everyone how high school football is played. Next week we play Houston Stratford in Friendswood at Henry Winston Stadium Kick off is 7pm after the pregame dinner sponsored/hosted by the Wranglerettes. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the gate, the stadium parking lot is reserved and shuttle buses will be running from Windsong and Westwood-Bales.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by twittering and during the games. I am at each game with at least one of my kids, if not both. Sometimes, my husband is able to attend with us and sometimes I have other family with me as well. My football education is from attending high school football games for 30+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I was 3 when my parents bought my first season ticket. I missed 2 home games from the time I was 3 years old through junior high, and started traveling (not missing a single game) during high school. I started taking my kids to games before they could walk and have been taking them ever since.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Angleton vs. Friendswood August 26, 2011
Tonight was the season opener for the Friendswood Mustangs. The Mustangs hosted the Angleton Wildcats. We knew before the game began that it would be an interesting night. Both teams are rebuilding after several players graduated, but Angleton brought back more players that Friendswood.
The evening started with Friendswood coming out later than usual to warm up, which in turn caused the cheerleaders to have to be introduced from the track. For an unknown reason, Angleton's cheerleaders and band were late and were not there in time for the cheerleader introductions or the school songs (which were completely skipped).
Friendswood is wearing the blue jerseys without names on the backs and the black pants they introduced at homecoming last year. There are mixed feelings from the fans on the uniforms. First of all, Friendswood's school colors are blue and white, not blue and black; although black has been becoming more prevalent over the years. That being said, the black uniforms do look good. So, unless there is some bad juju associated with the white pants or the black pants, it doesn't effect the game. Just gives the fans something to talk about.
Angleton won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, leaving Friendswood to receive the kick off to begin the game. Angleton's place kicker never kicked the ball very far. And they were not going for onsides kicks, he just kicked high and short. I didn't see who it was that was going for the catch on the kick off, but he was hit as he was catching the ball, leading to Angleton taking posession of the ball on Friendswood's 34 yard line. The first few plays, I thought our defense had shown up to play. However, they were inconsistent. They almost sacked the quarterback a few times, and they almost tackeld the runner. But almost doesn't change the scoreboard. 2 minutes and 49 seconds into the game, the score was Angleton7 - Friendswood 0.
After another short kick, Friendswood's offense started on the 41 yard line. Hayden Gardner, who had been announced as probable before the game, did start the game. Friendswood wasn't able to get a first down on this drive and had to punt the ball away. During this drive, Gardner took a hit to the injured knee, forcing him to leave the game. He spent the rest of the evening on the sidelines with ice strapped to his knee.
2 minutes and 54 seconds after the first touchdown, Angleton scored again. Angleton 14 - Friendswood 0 with 6:17 left in the game.
With Gardner out for the game, it would appear that the Mustangs would bring in Jordan Wood to take over at quarterback. After all, it had been announced that Garnder or Wood would be playing quarterback tonight. For a reason unknown to me (but I will be researching) Wood never entered the game. The Mustangs went to Matt Morris. I've never seen Morris play QB before. He did a good job, but it did look like he doesn't have as much experience as his predecessors (Karam and Maetzold). Anyone who steps into that roll will be under scrutiny. Friendswood has been blessed with very talented quarterbacks over the last several years.
The Mustangs seemed to click better when Morris took the field. I'm not sure if it was Morris, or if it was just that they got the jitters out after the first drive. Johnson was a work horse all night. Friendswood ran the ball much more than they have in the past. After several runs by Johnson, and a catch by Scott, Friendswood finally found the end zone. With 1:18 left in the 1st quarter, the score was Angleton 14 - Friendswood 7.
Dement has taken over place kicking for Zach Hardy, who graduated last year. He looked great, and he doesn't just kick. On his first kick off, Angleton caught the ball just before the goal line. Thanks to Angleton's speed and strength, their receiver made it to the 41 yard line before being brought down by Dement. I know that last year Hardy used to play a game with the recivers during practices - he would kick off the ball and the receiver had to make it past him on their way to the end zone. From what I heard, and saw, Hardy got rather good at that game. From what I saw tonight, I think Dement likes that game. He tackled many receivers.
Angleton really hurt themselves, starting in this drive. They were called for several penalties during this game, most of them being false starts. Matt Lewis showed his tackling abilities. He has improved over last year, or he's getting his turn in the spot light. Most of his tackels were good. He missed a few, but I'm sure his number of misses will go down as the season continues.
Unlike last year, our defense didn't seem as strong and as able to hold the line. I'm not sure if that is a result of the smaller size of our players, a lack of experience, or if Angleton was just that good. Once again, Angleton drove into the end zone. With 8:19 left in the half, the score was Angleton 21 - Friendswood 7. I'm not sure that this catch was actually a touch down, because I don't think the receiver had control of the ball. But no one complained, so maybe I was wrong (it has been known to happen).
Friendswood's offense took the field again, and parts of their game looked better. During this drive, they utilized more offensive tools. Also during this drive, I was able to see Angleton's tackling a little better than in other drives. When Angleton tackled, they attempted to strip the ball (and thanks to some Friendswood fans and Mr. Kennemer at last year's LaMarque game, I'll never be able to use that term with a straight face). This exposed a problem for Friendswood, causing many fumbles. One of those fumbles was during this drive when Battle (I think) was running the ball. As he was tackled, the ball was stipped. The fumble was recovered by Vail in the end zone for a Mustang touch down. Lineman don't score very often and I'm sure he will remember that for a long time. So, with 6:40 left in the half, the score was Angleton 21 - Friendswood 14.
During the next drive, more Friendswood players showed that they were people to watch. Camarillo seemed to be in the right place at the right time on several plays. But even so, it still took 3-5 Mustangs to take down a Wildcat on several plays. Again, is that because our players are smaller, less experienced, or because Angleton was better? But, on this drive, our defense was able to force the Wildcats to punt. Their punting wasn't much better than their place kicking. Angleton might want to think about talking to some of their varsity soccer players about kicking for the football team.
During the last drive of the half, Morris showed that he can throw the ball. His 45 yard pass to the end zone was on target for the reciever, but the receiver was well covered and the half ended with the score Angleton 21 - Friendswood 14.
Our special teams looked good on kick offs for most of the 2nd half. To start the half, Taube tackled the Wildcat receiver on Angleton's 14 yard line. Again, the defense was close on their tackles. But not close enough. But wow, they look so cool when they're close - flying through the air toward the ball carrier.
Almost 10 minutes into the second half, a 39 yard pass to Scott found the endzone. Bringing the score to Angleton 21 - Friendswood 21 with 2:40 left in the 3rd quarter.
Angleton fumbled the kick off this time, after bobbling it after several other kicks. The refs didn't agree on who recovered the ball, and ended up giving the ball to Angleton and with 38 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Angleton found the end zone again. Angleton 28 - Friendswood 21.
Just over 2 minutes into the 4th quarter, the best catch of the game occured when Scott caught a 40ish yard pass in the end zone under double coverage. Those type plays make the game so exciting. With 9:40 left in the game, the score was Angleton 28 - Friendswood 28. Unfortunately, that was the last time Friendswood would cross the goal line.
It took 2 plays for Angleton to show, again, that the Friendswood defense is still suseptible to the breakaway. Angleton ran 65 yards into the end zone. It took 15 seconds for the score to be Angleton 35 - Friendswood 28. But the game wasn't over yet. Friendswood was driving and looking good, but a miscommunication on 4th down led to the ball being turned over to Angleton. Angleton found the end zone once again. Friendswood looked good on the next posession, right up until they lost the ball on a fumble. There were several injury time outs during the second half, mostly in the last quarter. Almost all if them were due to muscle cramps. A couple of times, there were 2 players down at once.
Final score Angleton 42 - Friendswood 28.
I like that we've played Angleton first the past few years. Angleton always plays well and this game shows our players and coaches what they need to work on, and what's working and should be left alone. I know that during the spring as well as this month they've worked on tackling. Most of the tackling did show better technique over last year, but with our defensive players being smaller than in years past, they are going to have to have near perfect technique, or spend a lot of time in the weight room, in order to have a strong defense. I beleive it can be done, but those players are going to have to really work for it.
Our offense didn't seem to always be clicking. I'm not sure how much time the offense spent working together. In all the interviews I read, the quarterback for tonight's game would be Gardner or Wood. Gardner had to leave the game after the first posession and Wood never entered the game. How much time did the offense spend practicing with Morris. Morris did well. I was pleasently surprised. But it did look like they need to spend some more time practicing together. There were some miscommunications, and some mistakes. Some of those mistakes were things that Mustang fans weren't used to seeing. Morris needs to spend more time practicing reading defenses. Not only did he throw some interceptions, but there were several almost interceptions. Most of those near misses were the product of Morris throwing to the intended receiver, even if he was well covered. Or him telegraphing his intentions. One thing Karam did well, and Maetzold did even better was to wait until the last second to make a decision about which receiver to throw to, helping to prevent that situation.
Even though Johnson has shown that he's a force to be reconned with over the last few years, tonight he showed that he's hasn't reached the top of his game yet. He is still learning how to break tackles, and gain more yards as he's being taken down. I noticed he still likes to run along the sideline. The problem with that is that to get to the outside, he spends too much energy running parallel to the goal line instead of toward it.
The Friendswood Mustangs are going through a period of redefining themselves, after all the players who graduated over the past few years. Are they a running team? A passing team? Are we going to bulk up and rely on size? Stay small (comparitively speaking) and use technique? or a combination of size and technique?
From everything I read before the game (which there wasn't alot out there to read), no one really knew what to expect from this game. Everyone knew that Angleton had speed, and that they came to win. But not many people knew if they knew how to use the assests they have this year. Some thought this would be a low scoring game played mostly by running backs. I don't think a final score of 42 - 28 is a low scoring game. and 28 points is enough to win most games. But it wasn't enough tonight.
I have no doubt that the Mustangs will make some adjustments over the next week. I'm sure the coaches and players will spend time watching video of this game and look for the positives as well as the negatives. There were several things they did well, and things that need improvement, and some things that will get better just by spending more time practicing together.
Next week, the Mustangs will travel to Orange, TX to take on West Orange Stark. Last year, this game was played in Deer Park due to the constuction at Henry Winston Stadium. Friendswood won the game, but lost 3 players to injury (some were out for the season). I truely hope that there are no injuries when we play this year.
Added: Just another comment - this game was probably one of the most fairly officiated high school football games I've seen in a long time. Sure, the refs made a few mistakes. But their mistakes were not obviously biased for one team or the other. Refs are human, and will make mistakes. But this crew made very few mistakes and called the game fairly. I hope we see that officiating crew again this year.
The evening started with Friendswood coming out later than usual to warm up, which in turn caused the cheerleaders to have to be introduced from the track. For an unknown reason, Angleton's cheerleaders and band were late and were not there in time for the cheerleader introductions or the school songs (which were completely skipped).
Friendswood is wearing the blue jerseys without names on the backs and the black pants they introduced at homecoming last year. There are mixed feelings from the fans on the uniforms. First of all, Friendswood's school colors are blue and white, not blue and black; although black has been becoming more prevalent over the years. That being said, the black uniforms do look good. So, unless there is some bad juju associated with the white pants or the black pants, it doesn't effect the game. Just gives the fans something to talk about.
Angleton won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, leaving Friendswood to receive the kick off to begin the game. Angleton's place kicker never kicked the ball very far. And they were not going for onsides kicks, he just kicked high and short. I didn't see who it was that was going for the catch on the kick off, but he was hit as he was catching the ball, leading to Angleton taking posession of the ball on Friendswood's 34 yard line. The first few plays, I thought our defense had shown up to play. However, they were inconsistent. They almost sacked the quarterback a few times, and they almost tackeld the runner. But almost doesn't change the scoreboard. 2 minutes and 49 seconds into the game, the score was Angleton7 - Friendswood 0.
After another short kick, Friendswood's offense started on the 41 yard line. Hayden Gardner, who had been announced as probable before the game, did start the game. Friendswood wasn't able to get a first down on this drive and had to punt the ball away. During this drive, Gardner took a hit to the injured knee, forcing him to leave the game. He spent the rest of the evening on the sidelines with ice strapped to his knee.
2 minutes and 54 seconds after the first touchdown, Angleton scored again. Angleton 14 - Friendswood 0 with 6:17 left in the game.
With Gardner out for the game, it would appear that the Mustangs would bring in Jordan Wood to take over at quarterback. After all, it had been announced that Garnder or Wood would be playing quarterback tonight. For a reason unknown to me (but I will be researching) Wood never entered the game. The Mustangs went to Matt Morris. I've never seen Morris play QB before. He did a good job, but it did look like he doesn't have as much experience as his predecessors (Karam and Maetzold). Anyone who steps into that roll will be under scrutiny. Friendswood has been blessed with very talented quarterbacks over the last several years.
The Mustangs seemed to click better when Morris took the field. I'm not sure if it was Morris, or if it was just that they got the jitters out after the first drive. Johnson was a work horse all night. Friendswood ran the ball much more than they have in the past. After several runs by Johnson, and a catch by Scott, Friendswood finally found the end zone. With 1:18 left in the 1st quarter, the score was Angleton 14 - Friendswood 7.
Dement has taken over place kicking for Zach Hardy, who graduated last year. He looked great, and he doesn't just kick. On his first kick off, Angleton caught the ball just before the goal line. Thanks to Angleton's speed and strength, their receiver made it to the 41 yard line before being brought down by Dement. I know that last year Hardy used to play a game with the recivers during practices - he would kick off the ball and the receiver had to make it past him on their way to the end zone. From what I heard, and saw, Hardy got rather good at that game. From what I saw tonight, I think Dement likes that game. He tackled many receivers.
Angleton really hurt themselves, starting in this drive. They were called for several penalties during this game, most of them being false starts. Matt Lewis showed his tackling abilities. He has improved over last year, or he's getting his turn in the spot light. Most of his tackels were good. He missed a few, but I'm sure his number of misses will go down as the season continues.
Unlike last year, our defense didn't seem as strong and as able to hold the line. I'm not sure if that is a result of the smaller size of our players, a lack of experience, or if Angleton was just that good. Once again, Angleton drove into the end zone. With 8:19 left in the half, the score was Angleton 21 - Friendswood 7. I'm not sure that this catch was actually a touch down, because I don't think the receiver had control of the ball. But no one complained, so maybe I was wrong (it has been known to happen).
Friendswood's offense took the field again, and parts of their game looked better. During this drive, they utilized more offensive tools. Also during this drive, I was able to see Angleton's tackling a little better than in other drives. When Angleton tackled, they attempted to strip the ball (and thanks to some Friendswood fans and Mr. Kennemer at last year's LaMarque game, I'll never be able to use that term with a straight face). This exposed a problem for Friendswood, causing many fumbles. One of those fumbles was during this drive when Battle (I think) was running the ball. As he was tackled, the ball was stipped. The fumble was recovered by Vail in the end zone for a Mustang touch down. Lineman don't score very often and I'm sure he will remember that for a long time. So, with 6:40 left in the half, the score was Angleton 21 - Friendswood 14.
During the next drive, more Friendswood players showed that they were people to watch. Camarillo seemed to be in the right place at the right time on several plays. But even so, it still took 3-5 Mustangs to take down a Wildcat on several plays. Again, is that because our players are smaller, less experienced, or because Angleton was better? But, on this drive, our defense was able to force the Wildcats to punt. Their punting wasn't much better than their place kicking. Angleton might want to think about talking to some of their varsity soccer players about kicking for the football team.
During the last drive of the half, Morris showed that he can throw the ball. His 45 yard pass to the end zone was on target for the reciever, but the receiver was well covered and the half ended with the score Angleton 21 - Friendswood 14.
Our special teams looked good on kick offs for most of the 2nd half. To start the half, Taube tackled the Wildcat receiver on Angleton's 14 yard line. Again, the defense was close on their tackles. But not close enough. But wow, they look so cool when they're close - flying through the air toward the ball carrier.
Almost 10 minutes into the second half, a 39 yard pass to Scott found the endzone. Bringing the score to Angleton 21 - Friendswood 21 with 2:40 left in the 3rd quarter.
Angleton fumbled the kick off this time, after bobbling it after several other kicks. The refs didn't agree on who recovered the ball, and ended up giving the ball to Angleton and with 38 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Angleton found the end zone again. Angleton 28 - Friendswood 21.
Just over 2 minutes into the 4th quarter, the best catch of the game occured when Scott caught a 40ish yard pass in the end zone under double coverage. Those type plays make the game so exciting. With 9:40 left in the game, the score was Angleton 28 - Friendswood 28. Unfortunately, that was the last time Friendswood would cross the goal line.
It took 2 plays for Angleton to show, again, that the Friendswood defense is still suseptible to the breakaway. Angleton ran 65 yards into the end zone. It took 15 seconds for the score to be Angleton 35 - Friendswood 28. But the game wasn't over yet. Friendswood was driving and looking good, but a miscommunication on 4th down led to the ball being turned over to Angleton. Angleton found the end zone once again. Friendswood looked good on the next posession, right up until they lost the ball on a fumble. There were several injury time outs during the second half, mostly in the last quarter. Almost all if them were due to muscle cramps. A couple of times, there were 2 players down at once.
Final score Angleton 42 - Friendswood 28.
I like that we've played Angleton first the past few years. Angleton always plays well and this game shows our players and coaches what they need to work on, and what's working and should be left alone. I know that during the spring as well as this month they've worked on tackling. Most of the tackling did show better technique over last year, but with our defensive players being smaller than in years past, they are going to have to have near perfect technique, or spend a lot of time in the weight room, in order to have a strong defense. I beleive it can be done, but those players are going to have to really work for it.
Our offense didn't seem to always be clicking. I'm not sure how much time the offense spent working together. In all the interviews I read, the quarterback for tonight's game would be Gardner or Wood. Gardner had to leave the game after the first posession and Wood never entered the game. How much time did the offense spend practicing with Morris. Morris did well. I was pleasently surprised. But it did look like they need to spend some more time practicing together. There were some miscommunications, and some mistakes. Some of those mistakes were things that Mustang fans weren't used to seeing. Morris needs to spend more time practicing reading defenses. Not only did he throw some interceptions, but there were several almost interceptions. Most of those near misses were the product of Morris throwing to the intended receiver, even if he was well covered. Or him telegraphing his intentions. One thing Karam did well, and Maetzold did even better was to wait until the last second to make a decision about which receiver to throw to, helping to prevent that situation.
Even though Johnson has shown that he's a force to be reconned with over the last few years, tonight he showed that he's hasn't reached the top of his game yet. He is still learning how to break tackles, and gain more yards as he's being taken down. I noticed he still likes to run along the sideline. The problem with that is that to get to the outside, he spends too much energy running parallel to the goal line instead of toward it.
The Friendswood Mustangs are going through a period of redefining themselves, after all the players who graduated over the past few years. Are they a running team? A passing team? Are we going to bulk up and rely on size? Stay small (comparitively speaking) and use technique? or a combination of size and technique?
From everything I read before the game (which there wasn't alot out there to read), no one really knew what to expect from this game. Everyone knew that Angleton had speed, and that they came to win. But not many people knew if they knew how to use the assests they have this year. Some thought this would be a low scoring game played mostly by running backs. I don't think a final score of 42 - 28 is a low scoring game. and 28 points is enough to win most games. But it wasn't enough tonight.
I have no doubt that the Mustangs will make some adjustments over the next week. I'm sure the coaches and players will spend time watching video of this game and look for the positives as well as the negatives. There were several things they did well, and things that need improvement, and some things that will get better just by spending more time practicing together.
Next week, the Mustangs will travel to Orange, TX to take on West Orange Stark. Last year, this game was played in Deer Park due to the constuction at Henry Winston Stadium. Friendswood won the game, but lost 3 players to injury (some were out for the season). I truely hope that there are no injuries when we play this year.
Added: Just another comment - this game was probably one of the most fairly officiated high school football games I've seen in a long time. Sure, the refs made a few mistakes. But their mistakes were not obviously biased for one team or the other. Refs are human, and will make mistakes. But this crew made very few mistakes and called the game fairly. I hope we see that officiating crew again this year.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Alvin vs. Friendswood Scrimmage
This evening, the Friendswood Mustangs hosted their first annual Football Frenzy. The afternoon began with freshman and JV scrimmages while a punt, pass, kick competition was happening on an auxiliary field. The booster club was there selling BBQ, concessions, raffle tickets and spirit items. The JV and freshman squads both appeared inconsistent; however, since the players didn't have numbers on their jerseys, the individuals may have been consistent.
At 7pm, after the Wranglerettes and the cheerleaders performed, the varsity squads took the field. The Mustangs looked great at times. At other times, they didn't look very good at all. For a reason unknown to me, the players did not wear their usual jersey numbers. It would have been much easier for me to keep up with everyone if they had been wearing the proper jersey numbers. Our defense held well, but was susceptible to break away plays by the Yellow Jackets. One of the Jackets was very fast, the only Mustang who could chase him down was J.J. ( At least, I think it was J.J., again, they weren't wearing the correct jersey numbers).
I also learned that the Mustangs are already dealing with injuries. I don't have any confirmed details, so I will wait until I do before I comment.
To be honest, tonight left me a little nervous for next Friday night when the Mustangs play the Angleton Wildcats in the first preseason game. I know they had scouts at the game, and I hope the jersey thing confused them a bit, or causes them to be watching for the wrong people.
The Yellow Jackets and Mustangs played one quarter of proper football, minus the kick offs, after about an hour of running plays. At the end of that quarter, the score was Alvin 3 - Friendswood 14. This quarter revealed something else as well - the score board isn't working properly.
7 days until the beginning of Friday night Football!
At 7pm, after the Wranglerettes and the cheerleaders performed, the varsity squads took the field. The Mustangs looked great at times. At other times, they didn't look very good at all. For a reason unknown to me, the players did not wear their usual jersey numbers. It would have been much easier for me to keep up with everyone if they had been wearing the proper jersey numbers. Our defense held well, but was susceptible to break away plays by the Yellow Jackets. One of the Jackets was very fast, the only Mustang who could chase him down was J.J. ( At least, I think it was J.J., again, they weren't wearing the correct jersey numbers).
I also learned that the Mustangs are already dealing with injuries. I don't have any confirmed details, so I will wait until I do before I comment.
To be honest, tonight left me a little nervous for next Friday night when the Mustangs play the Angleton Wildcats in the first preseason game. I know they had scouts at the game, and I hope the jersey thing confused them a bit, or causes them to be watching for the wrong people.
The Yellow Jackets and Mustangs played one quarter of proper football, minus the kick offs, after about an hour of running plays. At the end of that quarter, the score was Alvin 3 - Friendswood 14. This quarter revealed something else as well - the score board isn't working properly.
7 days until the beginning of Friday night Football!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Foundation repair
Today is day 2 of our foundation repair. The day began at 7am with jack hammers and the house jumping every 5 minutes. This is the first time we've ever had this done (it was done to our 1st house when we bought it, but before we moved in). I'll be glad when it's finished and I can use my front door and all my windows again. And we won't have anymore bricks, tiles or sheetrock breaking. But in the meantime, . . . Thankfully, today should be the last day.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Summer
I know, I don't spend much time on the computer during the summer. But, there's only 12 days of summer left. :( Then it'll be back to school, back to "work" and back to twitter. Back to High School Football and posting in my blog, and hopefully writing. I've spent alot of time thinking about one of the books I started a while back, but never spent much time on. I'm think I'm going to change the POV from the new love to the one left behind. I just wish I could find the spiral notebook where I wrote out a few scenes and all of my notes.
I'm also working on writing book reviews WITH OUT spoilers. I rarely post very much info on a book, (my thoughts are on goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4761727-autumn ) because I'm afraid I'll give away too much.
Enjoy what's left of summer!
I'm also working on writing book reviews WITH OUT spoilers. I rarely post very much info on a book, (my thoughts are on goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4761727-autumn ) because I'm afraid I'll give away too much.
Enjoy what's left of summer!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Iron Fey book series
Just a quick note. I love the Iron Fey book series. I read Iron Queen and Summer's Crossing in one day. I've never read a whole book in one day, let alone 2 books. I can't wait for Iron Knight on October 25th. I wonder how many times I'll read the first 5 books between now and then.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Another break?!?!?!
Today, I went to the podiatrist for what was supposed to be my last visit. 4.5 months ago, I had surgery to repair two torn ligamnets in my right ankle. Today was supposed to be a stress test on that ankle. When asked how my ankle was doing, I told the nurse that after a minor stumble about three weeks ago, my big toe joint felt like it needed to pop. It still feels like it needs to pop. She decided to x-ray the foot, just to be on the safe side. Turns out, I fractured the tibial sesamoid on my right foot. So, I'm back in a soft cast and the boot I wore after surgery. Lucky me. And of course, I'm back in this footwear 9 days before we leave to Camp Pineywoods for 5 days.
I told Dr. Sands about leaving for church camp and that I was planning on swimming and working in the lake at camp. His compromise, I have to wear all of this until it's time for me to get wet at camp. Then, I have to wear an ace bandage and boot when I'm not in the water, and wear a brace when I am in the water.
I think I can live with that. I will see Dr. Sands again the day after camp to see how my foot has healed.
I told Dr. Sands about leaving for church camp and that I was planning on swimming and working in the lake at camp. His compromise, I have to wear all of this until it's time for me to get wet at camp. Then, I have to wear an ace bandage and boot when I'm not in the water, and wear a brace when I am in the water.
I think I can live with that. I will see Dr. Sands again the day after camp to see how my foot has healed.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
Ms. Stephanie, our childrens' minister, is always telling the preteens that they need to be a Sample Example. My Stephanie came up with this list of 105 Ways To Be A Sample Example. Some of these are from personal experience and others are observations.
To Whoever is Reading this;
These are 105 ways to become a sample example! I used past experiences to use to my advantage. You see, when I have kids, I am going to teach them how to be a sample example. There are over 100 ways and these are just a few! I hope you learn something! Remember, before you read this, LET GO of your ego. I hope that you can walk away from this list a leader!
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
1. Don't talk about people behind their backs or in front of them.
2. Don't call people ugly.
3. Don't be rude.
4. Don't embarrass people.
5. Don't do bad/mean things in front of kids.
6. Don't interrupt.
7. Be kind.
8. Have personal space and be aware of it.
9. Use common sense.
10. Don't talk about private things in front of others.
11. Don't be possessive.
12. Stay in your business.
13. Don't take credit for stuff you didn't do.
14. Think before you act.
15. Listen and respect others' opinions.
16. Do what your superiors ask.
17. Don't hurt others physically.
18. Pay attention to others' feelings.
19. Don't say rude or hurtful things.
20. Care for others.
21. Don't be critical.
22. Don't be judgemental.
23. Don't talk under your breath.
24. Don't be purposely annoying.
25. Think to yourself, "Would I want this done to me?"
26. Don't touch people inappropriately.
27. Make eye contact when you're talking to others.
28. Don't bully.
29. Don't gossip.
30. Be mature.
31. Don't intentionally break things.
32. Respect others and everything about them.
33. Be responsible.
34. Care for others.
35. Follow instructions immediately.
36. Don't use sarcasm.
37. Control your temper and emotions.
38. Don't slam doors.
39. Don't yell at people.
40. Have some modesty.
41. Stay focused.
42. Don't whisper to people very obviously.
43. Do as you are told.
44. Don't talk about situations that involve the person that is right in front of you out loud.
45. Don't be obnoxious.
46. Don't goof off.
47. Be helpful.
48. Don't curse.
49. Pay attention to what you're doing.
50. Be aware of who is listening to you.
51. Be aware of who is around you.
52. Don't be nosey.
53. Pay attention to others.
54. Clean up after yourself, no matter what it is.
55. Fix your mistakes.
56. Take constructive criticism well.
57. Don't pick favorites.
58. Don't show off.
59. Treat everyone as your equal.
60. Realize that you are not the only person on the planet.
61. Don't have people go and get information in order to plot against someone.
62. Don't try to show-up others.
63. Love who you are.
64. Don't hate yourself.
65. Love God!
66. Hate sin.
67. Don't brag about yourself or boast.
68. Don't pick friends by what they look like.
69. Don't be a diva.
70. Ask yourself, "Would I want my kids to do this?"
71. Ask yourself, "Does this make God happy?"
72. Ask yourself, "Does this make me feel better?"
73. Ask yourself, "Would I act like this if Jesus was in the room?"
74. Respect others' interests.
75. Ask yourself, "What if that was me?"
76. Don't steal.
77. Don't make fun of insecurities.
78. Pay attention to your surroundings when you talk.
79. Don't trespass.
80. Don't cheat.
81. Don't lie.
82. Ask yourself, "Would I do this in front of the other person's parents?"
83. Don't look at other people's things without asking.
84. Help others, especially in their time of need.
85. See a need, fill a need.
86. Remember that life goes on.
87. Use your brain.
88. Keep moving forward.
89. Remember, life is like fishing; sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
90. Keep God with you.
91. Don't fall for peer pressure, no matter how tempting.
92. When people are trying to help you, don't ignore them.
93. Be understanding.
94. Don't doubt others.
95. Don't try to be someone you're not.
96. Give your best effort.
97. Don't try too hard.
98. Let out anger.
99. Don't keep things inside of you.
100. Don't throw away gifts.
101. Be the bigger person.
102. Don't envy.
103. Respect natural gifts.
104. Don't disrespect people.
105. Don't blow things off.
To Whoever is Reading this;
These are 105 ways to become a sample example! I used past experiences to use to my advantage. You see, when I have kids, I am going to teach them how to be a sample example. There are over 100 ways and these are just a few! I hope you learn something! Remember, before you read this, LET GO of your ego. I hope that you can walk away from this list a leader!
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
1. Don't talk about people behind their backs or in front of them.
2. Don't call people ugly.
3. Don't be rude.
4. Don't embarrass people.
5. Don't do bad/mean things in front of kids.
6. Don't interrupt.
7. Be kind.
8. Have personal space and be aware of it.
9. Use common sense.
10. Don't talk about private things in front of others.
11. Don't be possessive.
12. Stay in your business.
13. Don't take credit for stuff you didn't do.
14. Think before you act.
15. Listen and respect others' opinions.
16. Do what your superiors ask.
17. Don't hurt others physically.
18. Pay attention to others' feelings.
19. Don't say rude or hurtful things.
20. Care for others.
21. Don't be critical.
22. Don't be judgemental.
23. Don't talk under your breath.
24. Don't be purposely annoying.
25. Think to yourself, "Would I want this done to me?"
26. Don't touch people inappropriately.
27. Make eye contact when you're talking to others.
28. Don't bully.
29. Don't gossip.
30. Be mature.
31. Don't intentionally break things.
32. Respect others and everything about them.
33. Be responsible.
34. Care for others.
35. Follow instructions immediately.
36. Don't use sarcasm.
37. Control your temper and emotions.
38. Don't slam doors.
39. Don't yell at people.
40. Have some modesty.
41. Stay focused.
42. Don't whisper to people very obviously.
43. Do as you are told.
44. Don't talk about situations that involve the person that is right in front of you out loud.
45. Don't be obnoxious.
46. Don't goof off.
47. Be helpful.
48. Don't curse.
49. Pay attention to what you're doing.
50. Be aware of who is listening to you.
51. Be aware of who is around you.
52. Don't be nosey.
53. Pay attention to others.
54. Clean up after yourself, no matter what it is.
55. Fix your mistakes.
56. Take constructive criticism well.
57. Don't pick favorites.
58. Don't show off.
59. Treat everyone as your equal.
60. Realize that you are not the only person on the planet.
61. Don't have people go and get information in order to plot against someone.
62. Don't try to show-up others.
63. Love who you are.
64. Don't hate yourself.
65. Love God!
66. Hate sin.
67. Don't brag about yourself or boast.
68. Don't pick friends by what they look like.
69. Don't be a diva.
70. Ask yourself, "Would I want my kids to do this?"
71. Ask yourself, "Does this make God happy?"
72. Ask yourself, "Does this make me feel better?"
73. Ask yourself, "Would I act like this if Jesus was in the room?"
74. Respect others' interests.
75. Ask yourself, "What if that was me?"
76. Don't steal.
77. Don't make fun of insecurities.
78. Pay attention to your surroundings when you talk.
79. Don't trespass.
80. Don't cheat.
81. Don't lie.
82. Ask yourself, "Would I do this in front of the other person's parents?"
83. Don't look at other people's things without asking.
84. Help others, especially in their time of need.
85. See a need, fill a need.
86. Remember that life goes on.
87. Use your brain.
88. Keep moving forward.
89. Remember, life is like fishing; sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
90. Keep God with you.
91. Don't fall for peer pressure, no matter how tempting.
92. When people are trying to help you, don't ignore them.
93. Be understanding.
94. Don't doubt others.
95. Don't try to be someone you're not.
96. Give your best effort.
97. Don't try too hard.
98. Let out anger.
99. Don't keep things inside of you.
100. Don't throw away gifts.
101. Be the bigger person.
102. Don't envy.
103. Respect natural gifts.
104. Don't disrespect people.
105. Don't blow things off.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
All Tied Up - paracord bracelets, key chains/zipper pulls & chokers
I've opened my etsy shop. www;etsy.com/shop/momrod2000 I'm selling paracord survival bracelets, key chains/zipper pulls and chokers. Coming soon - lanyards. I hope you visit my shop soon,
May
Just a thought . . . .
I'm not sure which is busier for parents; December or May.
I'm hoping that this year we can get through May without any illness or injury. DD2 has decided to take off the Month of May from her activities. No complaining here. DD1 has a 2 hour dance class on Mondays, she's student helping in a class of 2 & 3 year olds for 45 minutes on Tuesdays, a 2 hour dance class on Wednesdays, followed by a 30 min tumbling lesson, a 1 hour dance class on Thursdays and various events on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition, we're having 2 or 3 events that happen at the same time on the weekends.
Fun, fun!
I'm not sure which is busier for parents; December or May.
I'm hoping that this year we can get through May without any illness or injury. DD2 has decided to take off the Month of May from her activities. No complaining here. DD1 has a 2 hour dance class on Mondays, she's student helping in a class of 2 & 3 year olds for 45 minutes on Tuesdays, a 2 hour dance class on Wednesdays, followed by a 30 min tumbling lesson, a 1 hour dance class on Thursdays and various events on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition, we're having 2 or 3 events that happen at the same time on the weekends.
Fun, fun!
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