Friday, October 19, 2012
Goose Creek Memorial vs. Friendswood - October 19, 2012
Tonight, the 5-1 (2-1) Friendswood Mustangs celebrated their homecoming and hosted the Goose Creek Memorial Patriots 3-2 (1-2). The was the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Homecoming activities first - The Homecoming Queen is Jillian Bergeson. The Football Sweetheart is Anna Griffith. Anna received a standing ovation when she was named Football Sweetheart, and anyone who knows her, or knows of her, will know why.
My first thought when I saw the team tonight, even before the kick off, was that the team was in the black pants again. I have said from the first time I saw the team wearing black pants - the blue and black uniforms are bad juju. And while we did win tonight, there were several aspects of the game that need work. I'm not sure if I didn't notice before because of the style of play we've been facing, or if this is a problem that is getting worse instead of better.
Before I get into all the details, let me hand out some props to some of the players who made good things happen tonight. Wood, Montalvo, Williams, Dooley, Bertlesman, Vandersyphen, Longbotham, Hill, Vail, Camarillo, Alexander, King, Wenzel, and Langston.
The Mustang offense played well most of the time tonight, but I think our coaches need to sit down and come up with a plan B, C, D, E & Plan F. Having 3 of the top rushers in the district on your sideline, and with the news that Wood made over the first few games of the season means that everyone knows how to stop our offense. If the O-Line can't open holes for Wood, and the ball carriers can't get around the opponents-D-line, our offense is going no where. Wood is getting better at the passing game, but he's not consistently accurate enough to depend upon that aspect of the game. Wood has earned a majority of his yards by running up the middle, then moving to the outside. That strategy isn't working anymore. Wood is a great athlete, he is agile, faster than many other players and can jump over obstacles, but he can't make a hole to run through. He needs the rest of the offense to block for him and create the necessary holes. That actually goes for anyone who's carrying the ball. Longbotham has become the little engine that could. I don't think the boy knows how to stop; and that's a good thing. Vandersyphen is one of the most agile players I've seen. But none of them can win alone. Our offense needs to work on becoming more diverse. That said, tonight, they did what had to be done to win the game. There was one trick play that worked (we haven't seen many trick plays this season). Wood pass the ball (laterally) to Williams, who passed it back to Wood. They passed the ball almost the width of the field each time. Wood was able to make it to the end zone, but a penalty called the play back.
There were too many penalties tonight as well. I think our team was get frustrated. I know it's hard to stay calm when things aren't going well, but you have to. That's when mistakes are made.
Now to the Mustangs inconsistent defense. For as long as I can remember, our defense has struggled to defend against the pass, and it's an issue that seems to be getting worse instead of better. It seems that the strategy is to be sure to give the opponent as much room as possible to catch the pass, then try to stop him from running to the end zone. This is a stupid strategy, for many reasons. How many first downs and yards has the team given up by doing this? The answer is too many. And how many points have been given up, I don't even want to count. I understand wanting to prevent pass interference calls, however, . . . . At one point this evening, One of the Mustangs who was lined up to defend a receiver ran away from the receiver toward the quarterback. This left 1 Mustang to defend against 2 receivers. I think anyone can see this problem with this set up. We're just lucky that the pass was dropped. And if he thought that the Patriots were going to run the ball, he needs more practice at reading an offense. I think it was fairly obvious that the Patriots were going to pass the ball. Camarillo usually does the best job of all the Mustangs at defending against the pass, but . . . . And Camarillo and Longbotham both do a great job of getting to the receiver after he has the ball, but again; but . . . .
I do however, need to give props to Dooley for recovering 2 fumbles tonight. And props to everyone who helped make those fumbles happen.
How many interceptions have the Mustangs caught this year? How does that compare to years past? How many opportunities did the Mustangs have for an interception? And hoe many of those opportunities did a player make the attempt? These number would be very telling.
If they don't already do it, the coaches need to go over the game film with the players. I think they all would be surprised if they paused and measured just how open the receivers are. That kind of defense will get crushed at The Rig next week.
Dawson is not going to drop passes all night long. Neither are they going to miss passes. Dawson is ranked #1 in the state for a reason, and it's not because the don't take advantage of every opportunity given by their opponents. You can bet that Dawson will make Friendswood pay for every mistake they make, whether it's a mistake in execution or strategy. And the one thing I do not want to listen to all night next week is that screaming Eagle. Last year, that eagle screeched every time Dawson scored or earned a first down. That was like fingernails on a chalkboard and we heard it way too many times last year. I truly hope that the players and coaches do everything necessary to shut that thing up, Or better yet, just make sure it doesn't make any noise all night long.
I will be at The Rig cheering for the Mustangs next week. Will you?
Tonights boxscore
Goose Creek 0 7 0 0 7
Friendswood 0 14 0 10 24
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friendswood Mustangs vs. Texas City Stingarees October 12, 2012
Last night, the Friendswood Mustangs traveled to Texas City to take on the Texas City Stingarees. The Mustangs entered the game 5-0 (2-0) and Texas City entered the game 3-2 (1-1). I think everyone expected this to be a night that Texas City sought revenge for their one point loss to the Mustangs last year that sent the Mustangs to the playoffs and forced Texas City to end their season earlier than they had hoped. Many people said that this would be the game for second place on the district. I was hoping that they were wrong, and they still may be, but it looked as though they were right.
Before I get to my thoughts on the game, let me hand out some well deserved "atta boys". Some of the players who made good things happen last night were Wood, Faulk, Faulk (yes, there were two Faulks who played well), Bertlesman, Hill, Vandersypen, Montalvo, Camarillo, and the "Brian Cushing award" goes to Longbotham.
Friendswood did not have the game they were hoping for last night. I wish I could say that our offensive line didn't play up to their usual standard, or that our defense didn't do what they needed to, and leave it at that. Both of those statements are true, but there was something else going on last night. I wish I could put my finger on it, but something was off. Vail & Wood were not in sync on all of their snaps, and it wasn't just one snap that was bobbled or low. Holes were not opened they way they usually are. Players did not block for the ball carrier they way they usually do. I'm not sure . . . Maybe there are some players who were sick; or maybe some of them pulled an all-nighter cramming for school on Thursday night (and if that's the case, shame on whoever put them in that position); maybe they didn't prepare for this game the way they should have; or maybe they came to Texas City with a chip on their shoulder (and if so, it's a good thing the Stingarees knocked it off before the Mustangs travel to The Rig in two weeks). I'm not looking to make excuses for the Mustangs. Texas City has a good football team and they played well last night. After what they did in Pearland last week, everyone expected them to come out and play hard for a full 48 minutes last night. But I wish I knew why the Mustangs weren't playing as well as they can. I'm not trying to make excuses for poor play. I'm just saying that there was something else going on as well.
Friendswood still struggles with a weak (almost nonexistent) secondary. This is a problem that seems to have gotten worse over the last few years instead of better. It took a "play" by a determined Friendswood sophomore to bring our defense to life near the end of the first quarter (maybe the beginning of the second). And they played better for the rest of the game afterward. This play led to Longbotham's "Brian Cushing award.". After being hit so that his helmet came off, Longbotham continued to play and was the only Mustang to chase down the ball carrier (I think it was one of the Foremans) to prevent a touchdown. Longbotham didn't know that there was a penalty for an illegal block that was bringing the ball back anyway. And he received a personal foul for continuing to play without a helmet. But he obviously was doing everything in his power to prevent that touchdown. I heard later, from a reliable source, that when Longbotham's helmet came off, it didn't even come unbuckled. When he went back to pick it up, all the straps were still secure. I wish I'd seen that hit. But that brings up an interesting real world application issue. Obviously, it's incredible dangerous for players to be playing without helmets. But when a helmet is knocked off during a play, what should happen? If the play continues, and the player removes himself from the action, the team who hit a player hard enough to cause that is rewarded by having one more active player on the field than it's opponent. Another player cannot be substituted in during the play, and if he could, he would not be in the right place to be effective. However, allowing the player to continue to play without the helmet puts him at risk of serious injury. So, what to do? I disagree with the ruling made last night - a personal foul (15 yard penalty) against the player who no longer has a helmet. His lack of helmet was not his fault, and with the straps still being secure while the helmet was on the ground, it would appear that he did nothing to put himself in that position. Would a personal foul penalty against the player who caused the helmet to come off be more appropriate? That would discourage players from giving those kinds of hits. But would "dirty" players "accidentally forget" to secure their helmets before a play to "draw the foul"? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Now, to the aspect of the game that should never have happened; was wrong in every way; and should not be tolerated - unfair officiating. The officiating last night was not as poor as the playoff game between Friendswood and Dawson a couple of years ago, but it was obviously biased. Waiting seconds after a player was down to blow the whistle, and then declaring a fumble long after the ball carrier was down? Watching one team repeatedly cross the line of scrimmage and leaving the flag in the ref's pocket? Allowing pass interference? Watching obvious holding and doing nothing about it? There were several times during the game that I wish we had the NFL's replay, zooming, and slow motion capabilities. If so, those officials would no longer be working in high school football. It was terrible. And what was also upsetting was our coaches reaction to the poor officiating. I know that we all try to teach our kids to respect authority, and that booing or arguing with officials is wrong. But what does it teach them when we don't stand up for them? It looked like of the of the players felt like his coaches wouldn't do it, so it was his job to make the officials aware that he was being illegally held during a play. I'm not sure what Friendswood ever did to any of the officials to cause them to blatantly dislike Friendswood, but it became obvious a few years ago, and while it has gotten better, it still shouldn't be happening at all. There is absolutely no excuse for unfair or poor officiating.
But, I must also give credit to the way the Mustangs handled the bad calls. They never gave up. They continued to play hard and work to win. It would have been very easy to throw in the towel, but they never did. Good job boys.
The next game is Friendswoo's homecoming. The Mustangs will host the Goose Creek Memorial Patriots. I am hopeful that the team will not be sidetracked by all the homecoming activities and think that becuase Goose Creek doesn't have a good record, they are not worthy of adequite preperation. The Mustangs cannot overlook the Patriots and start thinking about Dawson. The rest of the season must be taken one week and one team at a time. I'm sure that the coaches and players will work to fix whatever problems the players were struggling with last night, Let's see some real Mustang football this week.
Friendswood 7 7 7 0 21
Texas City 21 14 21 7 63
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.
Before I get to my thoughts on the game, let me hand out some well deserved "atta boys". Some of the players who made good things happen last night were Wood, Faulk, Faulk (yes, there were two Faulks who played well), Bertlesman, Hill, Vandersypen, Montalvo, Camarillo, and the "Brian Cushing award" goes to Longbotham.
Friendswood did not have the game they were hoping for last night. I wish I could say that our offensive line didn't play up to their usual standard, or that our defense didn't do what they needed to, and leave it at that. Both of those statements are true, but there was something else going on last night. I wish I could put my finger on it, but something was off. Vail & Wood were not in sync on all of their snaps, and it wasn't just one snap that was bobbled or low. Holes were not opened they way they usually are. Players did not block for the ball carrier they way they usually do. I'm not sure . . . Maybe there are some players who were sick; or maybe some of them pulled an all-nighter cramming for school on Thursday night (and if that's the case, shame on whoever put them in that position); maybe they didn't prepare for this game the way they should have; or maybe they came to Texas City with a chip on their shoulder (and if so, it's a good thing the Stingarees knocked it off before the Mustangs travel to The Rig in two weeks). I'm not looking to make excuses for the Mustangs. Texas City has a good football team and they played well last night. After what they did in Pearland last week, everyone expected them to come out and play hard for a full 48 minutes last night. But I wish I knew why the Mustangs weren't playing as well as they can. I'm not trying to make excuses for poor play. I'm just saying that there was something else going on as well.
Friendswood still struggles with a weak (almost nonexistent) secondary. This is a problem that seems to have gotten worse over the last few years instead of better. It took a "play" by a determined Friendswood sophomore to bring our defense to life near the end of the first quarter (maybe the beginning of the second). And they played better for the rest of the game afterward. This play led to Longbotham's "Brian Cushing award.". After being hit so that his helmet came off, Longbotham continued to play and was the only Mustang to chase down the ball carrier (I think it was one of the Foremans) to prevent a touchdown. Longbotham didn't know that there was a penalty for an illegal block that was bringing the ball back anyway. And he received a personal foul for continuing to play without a helmet. But he obviously was doing everything in his power to prevent that touchdown. I heard later, from a reliable source, that when Longbotham's helmet came off, it didn't even come unbuckled. When he went back to pick it up, all the straps were still secure. I wish I'd seen that hit. But that brings up an interesting real world application issue. Obviously, it's incredible dangerous for players to be playing without helmets. But when a helmet is knocked off during a play, what should happen? If the play continues, and the player removes himself from the action, the team who hit a player hard enough to cause that is rewarded by having one more active player on the field than it's opponent. Another player cannot be substituted in during the play, and if he could, he would not be in the right place to be effective. However, allowing the player to continue to play without the helmet puts him at risk of serious injury. So, what to do? I disagree with the ruling made last night - a personal foul (15 yard penalty) against the player who no longer has a helmet. His lack of helmet was not his fault, and with the straps still being secure while the helmet was on the ground, it would appear that he did nothing to put himself in that position. Would a personal foul penalty against the player who caused the helmet to come off be more appropriate? That would discourage players from giving those kinds of hits. But would "dirty" players "accidentally forget" to secure their helmets before a play to "draw the foul"? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Now, to the aspect of the game that should never have happened; was wrong in every way; and should not be tolerated - unfair officiating. The officiating last night was not as poor as the playoff game between Friendswood and Dawson a couple of years ago, but it was obviously biased. Waiting seconds after a player was down to blow the whistle, and then declaring a fumble long after the ball carrier was down? Watching one team repeatedly cross the line of scrimmage and leaving the flag in the ref's pocket? Allowing pass interference? Watching obvious holding and doing nothing about it? There were several times during the game that I wish we had the NFL's replay, zooming, and slow motion capabilities. If so, those officials would no longer be working in high school football. It was terrible. And what was also upsetting was our coaches reaction to the poor officiating. I know that we all try to teach our kids to respect authority, and that booing or arguing with officials is wrong. But what does it teach them when we don't stand up for them? It looked like of the of the players felt like his coaches wouldn't do it, so it was his job to make the officials aware that he was being illegally held during a play. I'm not sure what Friendswood ever did to any of the officials to cause them to blatantly dislike Friendswood, but it became obvious a few years ago, and while it has gotten better, it still shouldn't be happening at all. There is absolutely no excuse for unfair or poor officiating.
But, I must also give credit to the way the Mustangs handled the bad calls. They never gave up. They continued to play hard and work to win. It would have been very easy to throw in the towel, but they never did. Good job boys.
The next game is Friendswoo's homecoming. The Mustangs will host the Goose Creek Memorial Patriots. I am hopeful that the team will not be sidetracked by all the homecoming activities and think that becuase Goose Creek doesn't have a good record, they are not worthy of adequite preperation. The Mustangs cannot overlook the Patriots and start thinking about Dawson. The rest of the season must be taken one week and one team at a time. I'm sure that the coaches and players will work to fix whatever problems the players were struggling with last night, Let's see some real Mustang football this week.
Friendswood 7 7 7 0 21
Texas City 21 14 21 7 63
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Santa Fe vs. Friendswood October 5, 2012
Last night, the Friendswood Mustangs hosted the Santa Fe Indians at Henry Winston Stadium. Santa Fe came into the game 0-4(0-1) and Friendswood came in 4-0(1-0) after a record setting game against Galena Park with a scoreboard that more closely resembled a basketball game than a football game.
First off, some of the players deserving "atta boys" are Jordan Wood, Colin Faulk, Sam Longbotham, Jonah Vandersypen, Michael Hill, Michael Montalvo, Slade Holle, Ryan Bertlesman, Walker Williams, Garrett Wenzel, Anthony Makransky, and Sean White. I have no doubt that there are other players deserving of "atta boys", but I didn't see everything that everyone did. So, if you played last night, give yourself a pat on the back.
Each week, Friendswood gets better about penalties. Last night, I counted 8 penalties. And only 2 of those were against Friendswood. The entire team is improving. Our defense was able to swarm the ball carrier regularly. The pass coverage is also improving, though it's still not quite as good as it was about 4 years ago. Santa Fe didn't throw the ball much, which may be why I didn't notice Camarillo's pass coverage, but I did notice Makransky. He did well. Our defense is still playing too far off the receivers, then trying to race them once a receiver has the ball. This can work against a team on slugs. But anyone with speed will waltz right past us. One thing our defense did do well last night against the passing game was preventing the ball from getting to the receivers. More than once, passes were batted down and nearly intercepted.
Our offense was on fire again last night. So much so, that many of the back up players played the second half. In fact, I didn't see Jordan Wood set foot on the field during the entire second half. I saw immediately that Faulk was in at QB for the second half, but I thought Wood might work on is free safety skills; you know, just for fun.
I am very much looking forward to next week's game. Friendswood will travel to Texas City to take on the Stingarees.
Santa Fe 0 0 0 14 14
Friendswood 21 21 20 0 62
First off, some of the players deserving "atta boys" are Jordan Wood, Colin Faulk, Sam Longbotham, Jonah Vandersypen, Michael Hill, Michael Montalvo, Slade Holle, Ryan Bertlesman, Walker Williams, Garrett Wenzel, Anthony Makransky, and Sean White. I have no doubt that there are other players deserving of "atta boys", but I didn't see everything that everyone did. So, if you played last night, give yourself a pat on the back.
Each week, Friendswood gets better about penalties. Last night, I counted 8 penalties. And only 2 of those were against Friendswood. The entire team is improving. Our defense was able to swarm the ball carrier regularly. The pass coverage is also improving, though it's still not quite as good as it was about 4 years ago. Santa Fe didn't throw the ball much, which may be why I didn't notice Camarillo's pass coverage, but I did notice Makransky. He did well. Our defense is still playing too far off the receivers, then trying to race them once a receiver has the ball. This can work against a team on slugs. But anyone with speed will waltz right past us. One thing our defense did do well last night against the passing game was preventing the ball from getting to the receivers. More than once, passes were batted down and nearly intercepted.
Our offense was on fire again last night. So much so, that many of the back up players played the second half. In fact, I didn't see Jordan Wood set foot on the field during the entire second half. I saw immediately that Faulk was in at QB for the second half, but I thought Wood might work on is free safety skills; you know, just for fun.
I am very much looking forward to next week's game. Friendswood will travel to Texas City to take on the Stingarees.
Santa Fe 0 0 0 14 14
Friendswood 21 21 20 0 62
Friday, September 14, 2012
Rosenberg Terry vs. Friendswood - September 14, 2012
First, please allow me to act like my teenage daughter for a minute - OMG! OMG! OMG!
Okay, I think I might have gotten that out of my system. Where do I even begin with tonight's game. How about with my pregame research. Since two of the best sports writers the Galveston County Daily News have ever had left Galveston County and now have a much larger audience, I haven't been able to find nearly as much good information on our opponents. That is, unless our opponent is a team I already know about. For example, I tried to research Rosenberg Terry this week. I found a small amount of information on the Fort Bend Herald's website. And a little more on the Houston Chronicle's website. But I didn't find nearly as much information as I would have liked. I was able to find out that, depending on which poll you read, Terry came into this game ranked as the #8 or #13 4A team in the state. Although, I think I may have come across something that our coaches didn't see. That little pitch play they ran that gained them yards every time and points sometimes - well, someone posted video of them running it against Clear Falls. It worked against them, too. Other than that video, I was able to deduce from the information on the Chronicle's website that the Rangers like to run the ball, run it well, and don't pass very often. And we saw some of that tonight.
Terry had obviously did their homework on Friendswood. The first quarter was very rough for Friendswood. It took Terry about two play to run right past Friendswood and find the end zone - 63 yards from where they started. Friendswood spend most of the rest of the first quarter trying to get some points on the board. After a lot of hard work, the boys had to settle for a field goal and three points. A couple of snaps later, Makransky recovered a Terry fumble at the Terry 8 yard line. 1 minute 39 seconds after the first field goal Friendswood has to settle for a second field goal. And 45 seconds later, Terry found the end zone; however, they had already had their only extra point success of the night. So to end the first quarter, the score was Terry 13 - Friendswood 6.
During the second quarter, Terry continued to do what they'd been doing. Why change what's working? I can't pin point any real changes that Friendswood made, but I would say that the defense continued to learn the Terry offense. Each team scored during the second quarter, but Terry scored twice and Friendswood scored once.
The third quarter was where Friendswood began to make their intentions known. They intended to win. The Mustangs were no longer just keeping things close - Friendswood scored 21 points during the third quarter, while Terry only scored 13. This was now a 5 point game.
I think most of the stadium spent the fourth quarter on their feet. Friendswood took the lead for the first time with 7:06 left in the game and never gave it back. With a score of 39-40, Friendswood decided to go for 2 after the touchdown. The conversion was good, but there was a penalty on the play - never did find out the cause for that penalty. On the second try, Friendswood was called for illegal motion. Third attempt - I guess Wood's line of sight was blocked, because he had an open receiver near the 1 yard line. However, by the time he threw the ball, the receiver was at the back of the end zone and under heavy coverage. The pass was overthrown and incomplete. Terry got the ball back, but wasn't able to do anything with it. Thanks to the Friendswood defense, the ball went back to Friendswood on downs. With 1 minute 49 second left in the game, Friendswood found the end zone again. This time, Friendswood chose to kick; which I admit is not what I thought they would do. The kick was good, and the score was Terry 39 - Friendswood 47. Terry managed the clock well and made some good plays to get them back to the end zone with 14 seconds left on the clock. The game came down to the two point conversion attempt. After a delay of game penalty against Terry, the pass was incomplete. The final score for the game was Rosenberg Terry Rangers 45 - Friendswood Mustangs 47.
Yes, you read that right, the non-ranked Friendswood Mustangs defeated the #13 ranked Terry Rangers.
Thoughts from the game:
This is my 6th season to watch the Friendswood Mustangs. Friendswood has always done a good job of learning their opponent during the half and making the necessary adjustments at half time. The Mustang's strength has always been the ability to find the end zone, over and over again. And the place where the team has struggled has been the defense. Our offense has had to run up the score to overcome all the points the defense allowed. So far, this year is no exception. Our defense has improved over the last week. And they were facing an offense that averaged almost 400 yards/game over the first two games. I was very worried coming into the game, and the first half of the first quarter seemed to validate my fears.
And. I don't know why, but the Mustang offense suffered from a severe case of slippery hands syndrome tonight. What happened? Did someone bring a jar of axle grease and tell everyone it was rubber cement? I don't remember the last time I saw the Mustangs drop that many passes and fumble that many times. Just before Terry's first turnover, I told my husband that if Terry mishandled the ball Friendswood would take advantage of it. I never imagined that Terry would be taking advantage of so many of the Mustangs' mistakes.
Our offensive line did a great job of protecting Wood tonight. I don't recall any really hard hits he took tonight. That is a good thing.
Our defense improved throughout the game when it came to stopping the run, however, our pass protection seems to have gone backwards.
Some of the players who made good things happen tonight were: Wood, Longbotham, Vandersypen, Williams, Holle, Hill, Varner, Makransky, Montalvo (I think he is the faster sprinter on our defense), Camarillo, & Langston.
Scoreboard 1st 2nd 3rd 4th final
Terry 13 13 13 6 45
Friendswood 6 7 21 13 47
Next week, the Friendswood Mustangs have a Bye Week. The next game for the Mustangs will be against Galena Park at the Galena Park ISD stadium. As of right now, I don't know if I'll be able to attend, due to my oldest daughter having something that night. I'm trying to decide if I can leave Friendswood at 6:30 and be back before 11pm. And if I do, how much of the game would I have to miss.
Something Fun:
Tonight was the annual Wranglerette Pre-game dinner. I always love this dinner. I was able to watch my daughter dance with the other Fall Clinic participants. Hopefully, next year she'll be dancing in a Drill Trainers uniform.
Being the Wranglerette Pre-game Dinner night also means that it was the annual Daddy Daughter Dance during halftime. This year, the dads dressed up as super heroes. If you're my friend on facebook, I posted a video of the dance there.
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.
Okay, I think I might have gotten that out of my system. Where do I even begin with tonight's game. How about with my pregame research. Since two of the best sports writers the Galveston County Daily News have ever had left Galveston County and now have a much larger audience, I haven't been able to find nearly as much good information on our opponents. That is, unless our opponent is a team I already know about. For example, I tried to research Rosenberg Terry this week. I found a small amount of information on the Fort Bend Herald's website. And a little more on the Houston Chronicle's website. But I didn't find nearly as much information as I would have liked. I was able to find out that, depending on which poll you read, Terry came into this game ranked as the #8 or #13 4A team in the state. Although, I think I may have come across something that our coaches didn't see. That little pitch play they ran that gained them yards every time and points sometimes - well, someone posted video of them running it against Clear Falls. It worked against them, too. Other than that video, I was able to deduce from the information on the Chronicle's website that the Rangers like to run the ball, run it well, and don't pass very often. And we saw some of that tonight.
Terry had obviously did their homework on Friendswood. The first quarter was very rough for Friendswood. It took Terry about two play to run right past Friendswood and find the end zone - 63 yards from where they started. Friendswood spend most of the rest of the first quarter trying to get some points on the board. After a lot of hard work, the boys had to settle for a field goal and three points. A couple of snaps later, Makransky recovered a Terry fumble at the Terry 8 yard line. 1 minute 39 seconds after the first field goal Friendswood has to settle for a second field goal. And 45 seconds later, Terry found the end zone; however, they had already had their only extra point success of the night. So to end the first quarter, the score was Terry 13 - Friendswood 6.
During the second quarter, Terry continued to do what they'd been doing. Why change what's working? I can't pin point any real changes that Friendswood made, but I would say that the defense continued to learn the Terry offense. Each team scored during the second quarter, but Terry scored twice and Friendswood scored once.
The third quarter was where Friendswood began to make their intentions known. They intended to win. The Mustangs were no longer just keeping things close - Friendswood scored 21 points during the third quarter, while Terry only scored 13. This was now a 5 point game.
I think most of the stadium spent the fourth quarter on their feet. Friendswood took the lead for the first time with 7:06 left in the game and never gave it back. With a score of 39-40, Friendswood decided to go for 2 after the touchdown. The conversion was good, but there was a penalty on the play - never did find out the cause for that penalty. On the second try, Friendswood was called for illegal motion. Third attempt - I guess Wood's line of sight was blocked, because he had an open receiver near the 1 yard line. However, by the time he threw the ball, the receiver was at the back of the end zone and under heavy coverage. The pass was overthrown and incomplete. Terry got the ball back, but wasn't able to do anything with it. Thanks to the Friendswood defense, the ball went back to Friendswood on downs. With 1 minute 49 second left in the game, Friendswood found the end zone again. This time, Friendswood chose to kick; which I admit is not what I thought they would do. The kick was good, and the score was Terry 39 - Friendswood 47. Terry managed the clock well and made some good plays to get them back to the end zone with 14 seconds left on the clock. The game came down to the two point conversion attempt. After a delay of game penalty against Terry, the pass was incomplete. The final score for the game was Rosenberg Terry Rangers 45 - Friendswood Mustangs 47.
Yes, you read that right, the non-ranked Friendswood Mustangs defeated the #13 ranked Terry Rangers.
Thoughts from the game:
This is my 6th season to watch the Friendswood Mustangs. Friendswood has always done a good job of learning their opponent during the half and making the necessary adjustments at half time. The Mustang's strength has always been the ability to find the end zone, over and over again. And the place where the team has struggled has been the defense. Our offense has had to run up the score to overcome all the points the defense allowed. So far, this year is no exception. Our defense has improved over the last week. And they were facing an offense that averaged almost 400 yards/game over the first two games. I was very worried coming into the game, and the first half of the first quarter seemed to validate my fears.
And. I don't know why, but the Mustang offense suffered from a severe case of slippery hands syndrome tonight. What happened? Did someone bring a jar of axle grease and tell everyone it was rubber cement? I don't remember the last time I saw the Mustangs drop that many passes and fumble that many times. Just before Terry's first turnover, I told my husband that if Terry mishandled the ball Friendswood would take advantage of it. I never imagined that Terry would be taking advantage of so many of the Mustangs' mistakes.
Our offensive line did a great job of protecting Wood tonight. I don't recall any really hard hits he took tonight. That is a good thing.
Our defense improved throughout the game when it came to stopping the run, however, our pass protection seems to have gone backwards.
Some of the players who made good things happen tonight were: Wood, Longbotham, Vandersypen, Williams, Holle, Hill, Varner, Makransky, Montalvo (I think he is the faster sprinter on our defense), Camarillo, & Langston.
Scoreboard 1st 2nd 3rd 4th final
Terry 13 13 13 6 45
Friendswood 6 7 21 13 47
Next week, the Friendswood Mustangs have a Bye Week. The next game for the Mustangs will be against Galena Park at the Galena Park ISD stadium. As of right now, I don't know if I'll be able to attend, due to my oldest daughter having something that night. I'm trying to decide if I can leave Friendswood at 6:30 and be back before 11pm. And if I do, how much of the game would I have to miss.
Something Fun:
Tonight was the annual Wranglerette Pre-game dinner. I always love this dinner. I was able to watch my daughter dance with the other Fall Clinic participants. Hopefully, next year she'll be dancing in a Drill Trainers uniform.
Being the Wranglerette Pre-game Dinner night also means that it was the annual Daddy Daughter Dance during halftime. This year, the dads dressed up as super heroes. If you're my friend on facebook, I posted a video of the dance there.
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 8, 2012
Dickinson vs. Friendswood - September 7, 2012
This week was an interesting game for me. This week, Friendswood (my current home and favorite place to live) hosted Dickinson (where I grew up and went to school). I had family sitting on both sides of the stadium, and both were cheering for both teams. Like I said, interesting. It was nice to not only see some good football, but I also got to watch my nephew march in the gator band from the comfort of my stadium seat in my home stadium.
Before the game, one of my relatives told me that unless the Mustangs "roll over and play dead", the game would be an easy win for Friendswood. During the first half of the first quarter, I told her that the Mustangs did have a weakness that the Gators could exploit. Then I asked her how fast the Gators were. On the very next snap, one of the Gators went through the hole and made it to the end zone. I guess I need to remember to keep my mouth shut. It was not pleasant to see the Gators on the board first after they got stomped last week. It seemed like it took the Mustangs a while to get going, but once they did, . . . I've always said that the Mustangs improved throughout the course of a game, and we're usually more of a second half team.
Before I get into too many details, let me dole out some well deserved "atta boys". Last night, some of the players who made good things happen are; Wood, Camarillo, Longbothom, Vandersypen, Hill, Bertlesman, Williams, Montalvo, Horner, King, Dooley, Wegner, Makransky, Holle, & Simmons. And props to King for stripping the ball from the Gators after his fumble was recovered by them.
I think last night could be summed up as a game of penalties. According to my count, there were a total of 22 penalties last night - 12 for Dickinson and 10 for Friendswood. It felt like every other play there was a flag on the field. The Gators got most of their penalties in the first half, while Friendswood waited until the second half to start raking in those flags. However, Friendswood was called more than once for a kick going out of bounds without being touched. While I understand the reasoning behind that rule, I don't think it's right for a team to be penalized when their opponent watches the ball bounce out of bounds without trying to catch/stop it. But then that gets into subjective officiating, and no one wants that.
I would also say that Dickinson watched the tape from our game against Alvin, because they knew what they needed to do to get on the score board. The first half of the first quarter, I was really concerned that Dickinson would run all over the field last night. And while they did get too many big runs, our defense is better than last year. Our defense is definitely improving. (But some of those holes were still big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through.) The Mustangs still need to practice stopping the run game.
It was really nice to see the improvement in the pass coverage. That is something that has gotten under my skin for the last few years. There were a few times that our pass coverage was looking like the past, but the Gators receivers had butterfingers last night, so we didn't have to pay for those mistakes. The defense played tight on the receivers more last night than they did in games past. THANK YOU!! Camarillo did a great job with this last night!
It was interesting to watch Longbothom and Vandersypen run the ball. I'm glad we will get to watch them for more than just this season, as they are both sophomores. They are both good, but they are good in different ways. I wish I had the stats on this, but going on memory, I think the Gators sacked Wood more than the Yellowjackets did last week. However, those sacks looked less painful. I'm not sure if it was the way Wood was sacked, or if he was feeling better, or a better actor, but he seemed to get up quicker this week than last. I hope that our offensive line continues to improve in this aspect.
I haven't read the stats from last night, but I think more Mustangs got their hands on the ball last night - and with the number of times the Mustangs were in the end zone, that's a good thing. One stat that was announced last night - total yardage during the 3rd quarter (combined Gators and Mustangs) was 300+. I don't remember the exact number, but it was either 328 or 348. That was probably the longest quarter I've ever seen. I wish I knew exactly how long it was, but according to my twitter posts from last night, it was at least an hour long. And you could tell by the way the boys were playing that they were ready for it to be over (and that better not be because some one's Monster wore off. I hope they've learned their lessons about drinking those before a game.)
While the final score last night was a difference of 3 touchdowns, it also highlighted things that the Mustangs have improved and things that still need to improve (of course, there's always room to improve, even for the pros).
The score board from the night was:
Gators 7 0 14 7 28
Mustangs 0 21 21 7 49
If you want to read my play by play from the game, you can follow me on twitter, @momrod2000
A final thought - and this is for all coaches, everywhere - Pay attention to who is around you when you're talking game strategy. I don't think any coach would want their opponents to know if they were planning to do something a little different.
The next game for Friendswood will be Friday, September 14, 2012, at Henry Winston Stadium. The Mustangs will host the state ranked Terry Rangers. Before the game, the Wranglerettes will host a pregame Chick-Fil-A dinner in the cafeteria beginning at 5pm. Performing at the dinner will be the Wranglerettes, Drill Trainers and Fall clinic participants.
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.
Before the game, one of my relatives told me that unless the Mustangs "roll over and play dead", the game would be an easy win for Friendswood. During the first half of the first quarter, I told her that the Mustangs did have a weakness that the Gators could exploit. Then I asked her how fast the Gators were. On the very next snap, one of the Gators went through the hole and made it to the end zone. I guess I need to remember to keep my mouth shut. It was not pleasant to see the Gators on the board first after they got stomped last week. It seemed like it took the Mustangs a while to get going, but once they did, . . . I've always said that the Mustangs improved throughout the course of a game, and we're usually more of a second half team.
Before I get into too many details, let me dole out some well deserved "atta boys". Last night, some of the players who made good things happen are; Wood, Camarillo, Longbothom, Vandersypen, Hill, Bertlesman, Williams, Montalvo, Horner, King, Dooley, Wegner, Makransky, Holle, & Simmons. And props to King for stripping the ball from the Gators after his fumble was recovered by them.
I think last night could be summed up as a game of penalties. According to my count, there were a total of 22 penalties last night - 12 for Dickinson and 10 for Friendswood. It felt like every other play there was a flag on the field. The Gators got most of their penalties in the first half, while Friendswood waited until the second half to start raking in those flags. However, Friendswood was called more than once for a kick going out of bounds without being touched. While I understand the reasoning behind that rule, I don't think it's right for a team to be penalized when their opponent watches the ball bounce out of bounds without trying to catch/stop it. But then that gets into subjective officiating, and no one wants that.
I would also say that Dickinson watched the tape from our game against Alvin, because they knew what they needed to do to get on the score board. The first half of the first quarter, I was really concerned that Dickinson would run all over the field last night. And while they did get too many big runs, our defense is better than last year. Our defense is definitely improving. (But some of those holes were still big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through.) The Mustangs still need to practice stopping the run game.
It was really nice to see the improvement in the pass coverage. That is something that has gotten under my skin for the last few years. There were a few times that our pass coverage was looking like the past, but the Gators receivers had butterfingers last night, so we didn't have to pay for those mistakes. The defense played tight on the receivers more last night than they did in games past. THANK YOU!! Camarillo did a great job with this last night!
It was interesting to watch Longbothom and Vandersypen run the ball. I'm glad we will get to watch them for more than just this season, as they are both sophomores. They are both good, but they are good in different ways. I wish I had the stats on this, but going on memory, I think the Gators sacked Wood more than the Yellowjackets did last week. However, those sacks looked less painful. I'm not sure if it was the way Wood was sacked, or if he was feeling better, or a better actor, but he seemed to get up quicker this week than last. I hope that our offensive line continues to improve in this aspect.
I haven't read the stats from last night, but I think more Mustangs got their hands on the ball last night - and with the number of times the Mustangs were in the end zone, that's a good thing. One stat that was announced last night - total yardage during the 3rd quarter (combined Gators and Mustangs) was 300+. I don't remember the exact number, but it was either 328 or 348. That was probably the longest quarter I've ever seen. I wish I knew exactly how long it was, but according to my twitter posts from last night, it was at least an hour long. And you could tell by the way the boys were playing that they were ready for it to be over (and that better not be because some one's Monster wore off. I hope they've learned their lessons about drinking those before a game.)
While the final score last night was a difference of 3 touchdowns, it also highlighted things that the Mustangs have improved and things that still need to improve (of course, there's always room to improve, even for the pros).
The score board from the night was:
Gators 7 0 14 7 28
Mustangs 0 21 21 7 49
If you want to read my play by play from the game, you can follow me on twitter, @momrod2000
A final thought - and this is for all coaches, everywhere - Pay attention to who is around you when you're talking game strategy. I don't think any coach would want their opponents to know if they were planning to do something a little different.
The next game for Friendswood will be Friday, September 14, 2012, at Henry Winston Stadium. The Mustangs will host the state ranked Terry Rangers. Before the game, the Wranglerettes will host a pregame Chick-Fil-A dinner in the cafeteria beginning at 5pm. Performing at the dinner will be the Wranglerettes, Drill Trainers and Fall clinic participants.
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, August 31, 2012
Friendswood @ Alvin August 31, 2012
It's the return of Texas High School Football! For those of us who have been counting down to this day since December, it was like New Years Day, only better. We got the football team, the band, the drill team, the cheerleaders and the stadium food.
This year Friendswood began a new era with new head coach, Robert Koopman. Coach Koopman was the offensive coordinator for many years (15+). Coach Van Meter decided to retire after 20+ years, leaving the program with a good reputation and in the hands of an able successor.
Many people were concerned about what to expect from "our boys in blue" this year. And some are still concerned. Last year was not a banner year for Friendswood. We were hit hard by injuries. Those injuries were sustained mostly by 1st string seniors At one point, our entire defensive line was made up of JV players. It's alot to ask for JV sophomores to play against another team's varsity offense.
In addition to all the injuries last year, over the last 2 years, most of the "big boys" have graduated. Our offensive line and defensive line doesn't have the size that has been there in years past. (Yes, there are some big players, but over all, the OL and DL are not as big as they have been.) I'll admit, I was one of the people who was afraid that our DL would look like weeble wobbles - every time the ball was snapped, they'd get knocked right down, the OL too for that matter.
Tonight showed that some of those fears are unfounded. First, offense. Our offense looks better than I was expecting. However, there is still work to be done. Most importantly, and I do mean most, is that they have got to protect the quarterback. Wood is a great player. And that's an understatement. But if he is not well protected, he's going to get hurt. He really is a tough guy, but he can only take so many of those hard hits before he has to sit out; either from a minor or major injury.
Second for the offense - more practice time. There were a few times when the receivers and the quarterback weren't quite together. I'm not blaming any one person for the missed passes. But more practice time with Wood and each receiver should help. Catching passes thrown by coaches and other quarterbacks in good. But they need to practice what they will perform to make sure everyone is in sync. Another problem that should be able to be worked out during practice is the false starts. Again, that's just practicing together as a unit.
Now for defense. While our defense did look better than most people expected, they did make one mistake repeatedly. On most 1st downs, Alvin ran the ball up the middle and gained yardage. Now, what happened on 2nd, 3rd and 4th downs varied. And many times Alvin was not able to convert. But our defense has got to close up those holes. Alvin is not known for being a great team, and a better team will make the Mustangs pay for that.
And the defense has got to play tighter on the receivers. This was more of a problem during the second half. But that's probably because Alvin didn't throw the ball very often in the first half. Giving receivers a few yards to catch and start to run is a good way to give up yardage and get beat. Some of our players have the ability to play right on top of those receivers and not get into interference trouble. They need to be allowed/reminded to do that. And the rest of the defense needs a lesson from them.
Special teams needs some more practice. I believe it was 3 times that there was a mistake on the snap for the extra point and the ball went tumbling toward the 50 yard line. Each time, we were able to cover the ball and prevent Alvin from doing anything with it. But there will be times when we're not so lucky. And there will be times when those extra points are the difference between a W and an L. There was another extra point where the kicker missed.
All the "problems" I saw for Friendswood tonight are things that can easily be fixed with more time on the practice field.
The final score tonight was Friendswood 28 - Alvin 7
If you want to read my play by play, its posted on twitter, www.twitter.com/momrod2000 I usually post a more detailed blog on each game, but for tonight, I'm just writing my general observations. I'm looking forward to watching the Mustangs take on my Alma mater, Dickinson, next week in Friendswood. And sorry Gators, but GO MUSTANGS!
Updated 9/1/12: After getting some sleep, and then reading what I wrote, I realized that I didn't offer praise where praise was due. Some of the players who made good things happen last night were; Wood, Longbothom, Bertlesman, Williams, Faulk, Camarillo, Simmons, Varner, Robinson, Vandersypen, Bauer, Makransky, Montalvo, Hill. And speaking of Hill, Can someone please tell me where this senior has been for the last 3 years?
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.
This year Friendswood began a new era with new head coach, Robert Koopman. Coach Koopman was the offensive coordinator for many years (15+). Coach Van Meter decided to retire after 20+ years, leaving the program with a good reputation and in the hands of an able successor.
Many people were concerned about what to expect from "our boys in blue" this year. And some are still concerned. Last year was not a banner year for Friendswood. We were hit hard by injuries. Those injuries were sustained mostly by 1st string seniors At one point, our entire defensive line was made up of JV players. It's alot to ask for JV sophomores to play against another team's varsity offense.
In addition to all the injuries last year, over the last 2 years, most of the "big boys" have graduated. Our offensive line and defensive line doesn't have the size that has been there in years past. (Yes, there are some big players, but over all, the OL and DL are not as big as they have been.) I'll admit, I was one of the people who was afraid that our DL would look like weeble wobbles - every time the ball was snapped, they'd get knocked right down, the OL too for that matter.
Tonight showed that some of those fears are unfounded. First, offense. Our offense looks better than I was expecting. However, there is still work to be done. Most importantly, and I do mean most, is that they have got to protect the quarterback. Wood is a great player. And that's an understatement. But if he is not well protected, he's going to get hurt. He really is a tough guy, but he can only take so many of those hard hits before he has to sit out; either from a minor or major injury.
Second for the offense - more practice time. There were a few times when the receivers and the quarterback weren't quite together. I'm not blaming any one person for the missed passes. But more practice time with Wood and each receiver should help. Catching passes thrown by coaches and other quarterbacks in good. But they need to practice what they will perform to make sure everyone is in sync. Another problem that should be able to be worked out during practice is the false starts. Again, that's just practicing together as a unit.
Now for defense. While our defense did look better than most people expected, they did make one mistake repeatedly. On most 1st downs, Alvin ran the ball up the middle and gained yardage. Now, what happened on 2nd, 3rd and 4th downs varied. And many times Alvin was not able to convert. But our defense has got to close up those holes. Alvin is not known for being a great team, and a better team will make the Mustangs pay for that.
And the defense has got to play tighter on the receivers. This was more of a problem during the second half. But that's probably because Alvin didn't throw the ball very often in the first half. Giving receivers a few yards to catch and start to run is a good way to give up yardage and get beat. Some of our players have the ability to play right on top of those receivers and not get into interference trouble. They need to be allowed/reminded to do that. And the rest of the defense needs a lesson from them.
Special teams needs some more practice. I believe it was 3 times that there was a mistake on the snap for the extra point and the ball went tumbling toward the 50 yard line. Each time, we were able to cover the ball and prevent Alvin from doing anything with it. But there will be times when we're not so lucky. And there will be times when those extra points are the difference between a W and an L. There was another extra point where the kicker missed.
All the "problems" I saw for Friendswood tonight are things that can easily be fixed with more time on the practice field.
The final score tonight was Friendswood 28 - Alvin 7
If you want to read my play by play, its posted on twitter, www.twitter.com/momrod2000 I usually post a more detailed blog on each game, but for tonight, I'm just writing my general observations. I'm looking forward to watching the Mustangs take on my Alma mater, Dickinson, next week in Friendswood. And sorry Gators, but GO MUSTANGS!
Updated 9/1/12: After getting some sleep, and then reading what I wrote, I realized that I didn't offer praise where praise was due. Some of the players who made good things happen last night were; Wood, Longbothom, Bertlesman, Williams, Faulk, Camarillo, Simmons, Varner, Robinson, Vandersypen, Bauer, Makransky, Montalvo, Hill. And speaking of Hill, Can someone please tell me where this senior has been for the last 3 years?
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.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Catching up - books and dance
Wow! I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted on my blog. I didn't post anything during dance competition season (what a wild ride), or about any of the books I've read. If you're interested in the books, please check out my goodreads page, http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4761727-autumn Anyone who knew me about 5 years ago, or more, would be shocked to know that I've read 86 books so far this year! Before I read Twilight during the summer of 2008, I haven't stopped reading. I read almost always read on my iPad. I love that thing. I can carry hundreds of books with me everywhere I go.
As for dance season, this past year was our first experience in competition dance. Both of my girls were on drill teams, and both earned National Champion jackets! Which is even more impressive when you learn that my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Sever's Disease in both feet and fractured a growth plate in her foot during the season. The 2012-13 season has already begun, but this year, only my oldest is dancing. This week is the first dance camp of the summer. She made dance officer this year! I can't wait to find out what styles of dance she will be competing in this year.
I will try to keep up with this more regularly. And with football season less than 60 days away, I'm sure I'll be here alot very soon,.
As for dance season, this past year was our first experience in competition dance. Both of my girls were on drill teams, and both earned National Champion jackets! Which is even more impressive when you learn that my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Sever's Disease in both feet and fractured a growth plate in her foot during the season. The 2012-13 season has already begun, but this year, only my oldest is dancing. This week is the first dance camp of the summer. She made dance officer this year! I can't wait to find out what styles of dance she will be competing in this year.
I will try to keep up with this more regularly. And with football season less than 60 days away, I'm sure I'll be here alot very soon,.
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