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.
