Galena Park Yellowjackets vs. Friendswood Mustangs September 27, 2013

     Tonight the Friendswood Mustangs hosted the Galena Park Yellowjackets at Henry Winston Stadium.  Because I had "mom responsibilities", I had to miss the first quarter.  When I got to the stadium, the score was 0-7, Friendswood.
     Tony Hopkins announces all the home games.  Tonight he was not announcing.  I don't know where he was, but I hope he is back soon.  I'm not sure if Tony being gone was the reason behind the strange atmosphere in the stadium, but when we got there, it was almost like the fans were too busy chatting with each other to watch the game.  It's hard to get excited about a game when everyone around you is just sitting.  The second half was much better.  People began to watch and cheer.  Come on Friendswood.  We can do such a great job of cheering on our team..  But we've got to do it all the time.  Catch up with your friends before the game or between downs.  The players play much better when we show our support and give them our energy.
     In addition to missing the first quarter, I also was having problems with my phone this evening - thanks iOS7 - and missed a few plays because I couldn't get my phone to respond.  If you saw one of my tweets and thought, what?; it's because of technical issues with my phone.  From what I did see, I liked this officiating crew much better than those I have seen in the previous games.  Tonight, they seemed to be calling a much fairer and cleaner game.  They did their job to attempt to prevent injuries.  Kudos to the refs!
     Okay, now for the players.  It seems that the theme for tonight was inconsistent.   Our offensive line did a good job protecting the quarterback (Sargent), but inconsistently.  Our defense did a great job stopping the Galena Park offense, but inconsistently.  Our defense made some big tackles, but inconsistently.  Our defense had some great pass protection, but inconsistently.  You get the idea.
     If the defense can make those plays consistently, and not miss those tackles (remember when I talked about diving and missing after the Dickinson game), then our defense could stop just about any offense in 4A.  Those guys have amazing potential to be the defense Coach Koopman was quoted as talking about in the Friendswood Journal before the season began.

 Rare is the occasion when Friendswood’s defense strikes fear into an opponent more than its offense, but the 2013 version of the Mustang football team may well possess that characteristic.
And in no way is that slap in the face to the Friendswood offense. “I’ve been here 19 years, and I’m not sure we’ve thrown a better-looking group of kids out there on defense, and especially at defensive end,” Mustang second-year head coach Robert Koopmann said.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/friendswood/sports/a-horse-of-a-different-color/article_4e565ea5-b3cf-5df1-9788-2ef03dbff1df.html

Don't get me wrong.  Our defense is getting the job done.  And doing it well.  But to really make a statement in this district, they need to make that statement more efficiently.  And I have no doubt that they can.
     Another way to make that statement is pass protection.  There were too many plays where the Yellowjackets had a receiver that was wide open.  Granted, our defense is fast and was able to get to those receivers quickly to prevent him from going far.  But just making those catches moves the chains and gets the offense closer to the end zone.  This is something I have "complained" about for years.  Some years are better than others.  There were a few players who have already graduated who really had a knack for being in the right place and providing great pass protections (Taube and Camarillo come to mind, as well as Wood), but those players who have the mind set that they should tackle the receiver after the catch instead of trying to intercept the pass need to change their strategy.  When the ball is passed, the defense has just as much of a right to catch the ball as the offense does.  Again, I'm not trying to knock our defense.  They made some great plays tonight.  They chased down the quarterback several times and caused great loss of yards for the Galena Park offense.  (can't wait to see the stats)  I'm just saying that they aren't living up to their potential yet, and they have two weeks to get there.
     Our offense made some amazing plays, but had some dropped passes.  I think the mistakes can pretty much be distributed evenly among the receivers.  Which is both good and bad.  It's good because we know that all of them are capable of making the plays.  It's bad because that means that there were mistakes.  I wish I could say something more than repetition, repetition, repetition.  There were a few bad decisions, a few times that Sargent was nearly picked off.  But for the most part, I just kinda felt "blah" about our offense tonight.  The offensive line did a great job protecting Sargent for most of the plays.  I didn't see any great drives that went all the way to the end zone.  Most of the points scored (that I saw) were breakaways.  And while that gets the points on the board, it left me wondering about those dropped passes and plays that didn't work as well as intended.  Something else that should probably be talked about - when you're blocking for the ball carrier, be sure to stay out of the ball carrier's way.  Don't be the reason he trips and goes down.  I think Longbotham got tripped up by his blockers three or four times.  Offense, let's not help the opponent's defense.  Make them work for every stop.  
     In all seriousness, can someone please explain to me the logic/strategy behind allowing a punt to roll or bounce to a stop?  One of those punts rolled all the way to the 1 yard line.  I honestly don't understand why a team or coach would intentionally allow the ball to be any farther back into their own territory than necessary.  I'm sure there's a reason why it's done, but I don't understand.  Please, help me understand.
     Our special teams looked better tonight.  Each game they seem to improve.  One thing I saws tonight that I haven't seen a Friendswood special teams do in a while was missing that many tackles.  What was up with that?  Why did those occasional runners get by so many of you.  I've heard that Hardy and Dement used to like challenging the players to get past them in practice.  And that's fine and probably fun.  But not during a game.  Thankfully, we have some fast players this year and none of those guys made it to the end zone, but they really should have been stopped a lot earlier than they were.
     This week's first "attaboy" goes to Blake King.  His stripping the Galena Park quarterback of the ball at the two yard line is why you never give up on a  play.  Other players receiving "attaboys" tonight are Sargent, Page, Faulk, Makransky (great interception!), Williams (caught what would have been an interception, but was out of bounds), Thurman, Bertlesman, Longbotham, Vandersypen, Kirkland, and Holle.  The place kicker and the punter also deserve "attaboys" - I'm not positive who was kicking this evening, and I don't want to give the credit to the wrong players, but you know who you are, so be sure to give yourselves a pat on the back.  Everyone who played defense this evening also deserves a pat on the back.
     The final score of this game was Galena Park Yellowjackets 7 - Friendswood Mustangs 24.
   
Next up for the Mustangs is the Santa Fe Indians.  They aren't the best team in the district.  But if you want to know what happens when you overlook the Indians, go back and watch the film from the game we played against them in 2010.  We lost a game that should have been a blowout.  Yes, Texas City is the week after the Indians.  And yes, Texas City will require every minute of preparation possible (I recommend setting up cots in the weight room so the guys never have to leave to field house.  There's room in the hallway of the field house, too; but that hallway smells like sweaty feet.  That wouldn't be a very restful environment).  And teachers, please don't assign any homework the week of the Texas City game so that the players can spend every waking hour practicing, working out and eating right.  But before all that happens, do NOT overlook Santa Fe.  If you do, you will face Texas City and the homecoming crowd with a 3-2 record instead of a 4-1 record.
     

     Next Friday, October 5, 2013, the Mustangs will travel to Santa Fe to face the Indians.  Kick off will be at 7pm.
GO MUSTANGS!

Friendswood Mustangs vs. Terry Rangers September 14, 2013

     This evening the Friendswood Mustangs traveled to Rosenberg to take on the Terry High School Rangers.  But before I share my thoughts on this evening's game, first I have to give kudos to the players from the Mustang's JV Blue team.  This week was the first time that I have been to a JV Blue game, and I have to say, I was impressed.  Being a JV game, there was no band, so I expected the stands to be a little quiet.  But there was a much larger turn out than I was expecting and the parents and fans in the stands kept things lively and entertaining.  There were a few players who had a great game Thursday evening.  I wish I knew your names, but #22, 23, 41 & 48 were impressive.  #48 - I could tell by watching that you seem to be able to read an offense very well.  You seemed to know what the offense was going to do, even when you were on the wrong side of the field to be able to stop the play.  Keep practicing that, and you'll be a force to be reckoned with. 
     Now - on to this evening's game.  I'm sure that, after the Dickinson game, the Mustangs were looking to make a statement.  They made one.  And I just love it when our Mustangs are picked to lose and instead of listening to the "experts", they win!!!  The fans were just as loud and excited tonight as we were in Dickinson.  I hope that same energy carries over to the next home game.  Can you imagine how loud we'll be if everyone in the home stands screams and cheers like we did this evening?
     One thing I was impressed with during the game was the sportsmanship exhibited by each team.  Both teams played a clean game and helped each other up after the plays.  I'm glad to see that these coaches are teaching their players to be good player for the whole game, not just during the plays.
     I think tonight, I'm going to start by commenting on the referees.  For the next few days, I'll be spending my leisure time reading the official rule book for high school football from the UIL.  I'll be looking specifically for changes to the rules from years past.  Last I heard, you can't fumble the ball after you're down.  There were a few other "questionable" calls.  I don't think it's too much to ask for the officials to call a fair game.  If you're going to call something a fumble (whether it really is a fumble or not), call it a fumble all night long.  Be consistent.  And one that really gets on my nerves this year (which I've noticed isn't only occurring in high school football) is the refs not blowing the whistle when it's obvious that the ball carrier isn't going down.  Twenty-two players in a standup dog pile is just asking for someone to get hurt.  After last week's game, I skimmed the current version of the rule book and didn't find what I was looking for.  This week, I'll read it cover to cover.
     Fairly early in the game - two minutes and twenty-six seconds into the second quarter - Blumrick threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.  That was his last snap of the game.  Sargent was brought in as quarterback at that point and remained in that position for the rest of the game.  And he looked good.  He can throw and he can run.  And he can fake.  He's one of the best fakers Friendswood has had in a long time.  I'm sure that's not something that a lot of people notice, but I do.  And I think it's important for keeping your opponent from reading you.  If you can't fake, the defense always knows whether or not you have the ball and whether or not to come after you or look for the ball.  I don't know how much practice time Sargent has had with the offense, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with even more practice. 
     I didn't say this after last week's game and I should have - the offense is getting better and better at protecting the quarter back and running backs.  Each week I have seen an improvement.  There were a couple of plays where Sargent had all the time he needed to look around and make a decision.  Good job offensive line! All of you should give yourselves a pat on the back.  It was great to see how many options Sargent had for his throws.  It makes a huge difference to give the quarterback that many options.   And I think that neither Longbotham nor Vandersypen know the meaning of the word quit.  They are both like energizer bunnies.
     Our defense is also looking better each week.  Tackling technique is continuing to improve.  Unfortunately, the defense is still susceptible to the breakaway play, but at least now we have someone with a chance of chasing down those fast offensive players.  But, so far, the number of those breakaways in each game is getting fewer and fewer.  Our defense is also getting better at stopping the run up the middle.  I am seriously looking forward to seeing this defense as they get farther into the season.  If they continue to improve, they will be what Mustangs fans have been waiting years to see.  These guys may not be the largest defense out there, but there's more than enough evidence to say that bigger isn't always better.  Our defense is playing smart and playing with heart.  That heart is the reason I prefer high school football over college and professional teams. 
     Special teams are also looking better each week.  The kick off return is getting better.  They don't always get out past the twenty, but they are consistently gaining yards.  The punt return is looking good, but I have to say that I don't understand the strategy of not going after the punts.  Why allow them to bounce and allow the opponents to determine where the ball stops?  I know that there is a strategy involved; I've seen this play employed by too many teams for there not to be.  But I don't understand why you wouldn't call for a fair catch or catch the ball and run in an attempt to improve your field position.  Another strategy I don't understand is why a kicker would make a short kick on a kick off.  Now, I'm not talking about an onsides kick.  I completely understand the logic behind that.  But unless you're kicking to a specific player who has a history of being a bad ball handler, why kick to the forty or thirty-five yard line when you are capable of kicking it all the way back to the five.  It appears that you are just giving your opponents a shorter distance to the goal line.  If someone out there can explain these strategies to me, please do.  I want to understand.
     Tonight there's a long list of "attaboys"  Everyone who played defense during the second half deserves a pat on the back.  I'm sorry I didn't make note of everyone's names.  But the whole defense gets "attaboys"   Also on this week's list: Longbotham, Vandersypen, King, Sargent, Page, Thurman, Bauer, Robinson, Faulk, Bertlesman, Makransky, & Faulk.  And while Blumrick was taken out of the game in the second quarter, he stood on the sidelines, helmet on, ready to play for the rest of the game.  That demonstrates great support for the rest of the team and respect for the coaches.
     Before tonight's game, the Terry Rangers were ranked at #40 in the state for 4A teams (down from #28 the week before), according to www.texashsfootball.com.  I think we may have just knocked them out of the top 40!
     Overall, if anyone is looking for my advice, it's simple.  Keep on keeping on.  Keep practicing what you did this week.  Was it perfect?  No.  But it's a great step in the right direction.  The tackling looked good, the passing looked good, the running looked good.  Good job "dusting yourselves off" after that loss to Dickinson.  You may have a bye week next week, but don't think it's a week off.  The best teams you will face all season are still to come.  I can't wait to see y'all in two weeks.
     
     Final score: Friendswood Mustangs 21 - Terry Rangers 20
    
     Next week, the Mustangs have a bye week.  The next game will be on Friday, September 27, 2013, at Henry Winston Stadium against the Galena Park Yellowjackets.  Kick off is at 7pm.  The National Champion Wranglerettes will host that night's pre-game dinner beginning at 5pm - Chick-Fil-A!  The kindergarten - 9th graders who participated in the Wranglerette's fall clinic will provide entertainment at the dinner along with the drill trainers and the Wranglerettes.  Half time will feature the ever popular daddy-daughter dance.  Be sure to wear white.  September 27, is "White Out 2013"  If you can't be at the game, you can get updates during the game by following me on twitter; www.twitter.com/momrod2000

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am watching the game and "taking notes" by tweeting 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 Mustangs vs. Dickinson Gators - September 6, 2013

     Tonight the Friendswood Mustangs traveled to Dickinson to take on the Dickinson Gators.  For those of us sitting on the visitors' side of the field, it was a long and frustrating game.  The second half more so than the first. 
     First, let me say, that if you are looking for stats or an official report on tonight's game, you are in the wrong place.  This is my observations of the game.  My high school football education began approximately 35 years ago when my parents bought my first season tickets.  I spent years sitting between my dad and grandpa learning about the game and about the teams in Galveston County.  I have attended almost every Friendswood football game since we move here; for - at least - the last 5 seasons. 
     So, what did I see tonight.  Well, I saw a lot.  I did not attend any practices this week, so I do not know what the attitude of the Friendswood players was like.  But I would bet my next paycheck that the Dickinson practices were intense.  After the beat down they received at the hands of Texas City last week, they were looking to make a statement and to make sure that everyone knew that they were a team that could not be overlooked.  I think Friendswood heard them loud and clear, especially in the second half.  From here on out, Friendswood needs to make sure that all practices have the focus and intensity of a rank bull trying to buck off a cowboy.  Emotion is good.  But don't let the emotion get in the way of focus and logic.  A practice that is very emotional, but not focused burns time and energy, but accomplishes nothing.  This week coming up, Friendswood will travel to Rosenberg to take on Terry.  I haven't seen them yet this year, but if last year is any indication, they are huge, fast and technically sound.  Anything less that the Mustangs best will not be good enough.
     But what is the Mustangs' best?  I sure hope we haven't seen it yet. 
     I spent a good portion of the drive home trying to think of a positive spin to put on tonight's game.  Well, no one was injured - although the refs didn't do much to make sure that happened.  The Mustangs didn't use last week's one and only kick off return play, (and this week, they actually gained some yardage while using other plays.)  When the defense tackled, they used better technique.  And our receivers caught most of the passes that were on target, (at least when they were open to receive the pass.) 
     Friendswood should not have lost this game.  The Mustangs are a better team than the Gators, even if we haven't seen it yet.  But, the Gators appeared to have wanted it more tonight.  And that made a huge difference.
     Friendswood's special teams did a better job this week.  But unless there was a less than obvious strategy, the place kicker should be kicking the ball much farther.  We all know you have a great leg, but the direction of the kick should be distance, not height.  Better than last week, and I'm hoping that next week will be even better.
     Defense - like a said, when they tackle the technique is better.  I haven't seen nearly as much arm tackling as I have in the past.  That is a very good thing.  However, great dives only look spectacular when you catch the opponent.  And if you dive and miss, or even if you don't dive, don't lay on the ground and pound your fist into the turf like a toddler.  Get up and do something.  And guys, how many times are you going to allow your opponent to run the ball up the middle?  Granted, that play didn't always gain a lot of yards, but it worked way too often and served to pump up their players to make bigger plays.  A few years ago, our defense was young, small, and notorious for being unable to stop and offensive line that wanted to run the ball.  Go back, watch the films and don't repeat their mistakes.  If you continue to allow the other teams offense to push you out of the way, your season will be a short one.  And, does Friendswood have any sprinters on the team?  If so, they need to be covering receivers.  The Mustangs need someone who can chase down opponents. 
     Offense - there were not nearly as many dropped passes this week (although that one of the end of the game, . . .).  The quarterback's throws were either on target or overthrown.  Not really off to the right or left, or underthrown.  That is better than last week.  However, I do feel like he made some poor choices on who to throw to.  He either underestimated the Dickinson defenders or overestimated his receivers ability to catch the ball under coverage.  Blumrick threw two interceptions tonight.  The last one was caught at the one yard line with less than a minute left in the game.  Our offense also, once again, tried to run the same play several times and each time it was unsuccessful.  Hey guys, we've talked about this before - remember the definition of insanity??  Oh and bobbling snaps - really guys?  And yes, that was supposed to be plural - snaps.  Like I said previously, I don't keep stats during the game (the newspapers do a good job of that), but I think our offense is relying too heavily on a few people.  Spread the ball around more, allow more people to touch the ball.  The best offenses are diverse.  Relying on one or two people can get you to November and December, but not nearly as effectively and easily and spreading the love can.  Of course, that's assuming all the players are capable of doing what needs to be done. If they aren't, perhaps they need to spend more time practicing.  There should be at least two or three viable receivers lined up on every play.  Give the quarterback real options.  It's amazing what happens when the defense doesn't know what to expect. 
     Officials - honestly Friendswood, you got robbed.  I don't normally say that.  And while I often dis the officials, I actually do respect them.  I don't know if I would be able to watch everything all at once.  I often wonder what happened when I see a flag on the field in someplace where the ball did not travel.  However, even I know the difference between a fumble, a touchdown, and a player being down.  I also know that referees are supposed to stop a play when there is a lack of forward progress in order to prevent injuries to the players.  I am very thankful that no one was hurt during all the times that the officials allowed that to happen.   Tonight's officiating crew needs to go home and study.  I'll give you a few pointers - if/when the ball is in the possession of a offensive player and breaks the plane of the goal line, the play is over and it is a touchdown.  Anything that happens concerning possession of the football after the ball crosses the goal line is moot.  A player can not fumble of have the ball stripped and have possession change to the other team because it is a dead ball.  This mistake by the officials cost Friendswood some points tonight and those points could have changed which teamed ended up with this game in the W column.  I was actually surprised that the Friendswood fans didn't protest this more.  I think we were too confused by what was happening.  And the players probably would have stopped the Gator who had the ball sooner if they had realized the officials mistake.  During halftime, fans were watching the replay on the camcorders that were in the stands.  On the video, there was no question about it.  There was blue paint between our player's feet and the goal line.  Another one for the officials - when a player who has possession of the ball is hit and goes down (both knees on the ground), he is down.  The play is dead at this point.  A player can not pick up the ball and run with a dead ball.  Doing so is nothing more than a delay of the game and exercise for the player. 
     I forgot my program and don't have this year's jersey numbers memorized yet.  So, there are players who deserve attaboys who won't get them tonight because I don't know their names and I couldn't read the names on their jerseys from where I was sitting.  For this, I apologize.  But for those players I do know - this week's attaboys go to Longbotham, Vandersypen, Williams, Faulk, Holle, Page and Blumrick.  Yes, Blumrick threw two interceptions, but he continued to play without appearing flustered and he did make some good passes.  We also saw tonight that while he is not a "track star", he does know how to run. 
     Hey Mustangs - let this week be a learning experience for you.  I realize, it may take a few hours to calm down enough to really analyze what you did tonight, as a team and as an individual.  But take the time to do that.  Otherwise, this loss is meaningless.  Tonight showed that the better team doesn't always come out on top.  Yes, you can rightfully blame the officials for their (huge) mistakes.  However, you really should have run away with this game.  Those mistakes by the officials should not have made the difference between winning and losing.  Pick yourselves up, dust your selves off and work your tails off this week.  Otherwise, Terry HS is going to show you how it feels to be 1-2.  And no one likes that feeling. 
    The final score for this week's game was Friendswood 30 - Dickinson 33

     The Mustang's next game is on Saturday, September 14, 2013.  The Mustangs will travel to Rosenberg to Traylor Stadium to take on the Terry HS Rangers.  This will be the last pre-district game.   If you want to know what's going on during the game, be sure to follow me on twitter,  www.twitter.com/momrod2000

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.