Tonight, the Friendswood Mustangs traveled to Angleton to take on the Angleton Wildcats in bi-district play, round one of the playoffs. While the result was favorable for the Mustangs, what happened on the field in the second half (mainly the third quarter) was sad and slightly worrisome.
I'll start with the box score. That should be enough to show you why I am concerned.
Friendswood 14 14 0 0 28
Angleton 7 7 6 0 20
Did the same people play both halves, you might ask. Well, they looked like the same people. They had the same jerseys, the same faces, but they did not play like the same people. So what happened? I wish I knew.
The game started off great. We kicked off to Angleton to start the game. On the first play after the kick off, it appeared that the Wildcats fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Friendswood. The refs declared the Wildcat was down by contact before losing possession of the ball. Angleton maintained possession. It didn't really make a difference except in field position, because Angleton ended up going three and out. Instead of starting at the Wildcat 30 yard line, the Mustangs started at their own 38 yard line. Friendswood looked like they would have the same fate, but decided to fake the punt and have Faulk throw the ball. Pass complete, first down Friendswood. Friendswood started the next set of downs at the Wildcat 37 yard line. A few plays later, Friendswood found the end zone for the first time during this game.
It took Angleton less than three minutes to answer, putting seven points of their own on the board. The Wildcats gained most of the yards needed for those seven points on a break away run; proving that Friendswood is still susceptible to that.
After that, it took just over one minute for the Mustangs to retake the lead.
Angleton looked like they were going to score again once they got the ball back, thanks to another break away. Angleton earned the first penalty of the game during this drive, and the clock ran out on the first quarter before the drive was over.
Friendswood scored their last two touchdowns of the night before Angleton would score again. The second quarter was probably the most exciting for the fans who packed the visitors side of the stadium. (I think there were more fans on the Friendswood side of the stadium than the Angleton side.) Even though there was only fourteen points scored in this quarter by the Mustangs, and Angleton scored seven, our defense and offense both played, and played with heart. Yes, there were mistakes, but every player worked for it. There was blocking. There was passing. There was running. There was more than one play called. And then the third quarter happened.
I wish I knew what happened during the third quarter. The team that came out of the locker room played completely different from the team that was on the field during the first half. They didn't block worth a darn. They didn't catch worth a darn. And the play caller fell victim to "Van Meter disease". (He was on the sideline tonight, so maybe that's why that happened). I've talked many times about Einstein's definition of insanity. If you've never heard it; it simply states that insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result. Running up the middle over and over again didn't work tonight (does that every work?). Handing off to Longbotham or Vandersypen and providing minimal to no blocking didn't work tonight. Having Page keep the ball and running with little to no blocking didn't work tonight. I believe every player who stepped onto the field during the third quarter is better than what he showed during those twelve minutes. I've seen them all play better. So what happened?
I will say that there was an issue with condensation in the bleachers before the game began and it got progressively worse throughout the game. If the field and/or the ball were as wet as the bleachers, that would definitely impact the game. However, it seemed to have much more of an impact on the Mustangs than the Wildcats.
The Mustang defense played their hearts out for three of the four quarters tonight. The Mustang offense played their hearts out for the first half of the game (some played the whole game, but most were MIA during the second half). Special teams did a good job tonight. We won! We're moving onto the next round. So I should be excited, right.
Well, here are just a few of the reasons I'm nervous. The defense is still playing too far off the receivers. Playing five or more yards off is too risky. Especially against a team with Angleton's speed. Those completed passes kept Angleton drives alive. And we were able to make the stop once the ball was caught. But isn't it better to prevent the reception or intercept the ball. This is a strategy that I have complained about for years (I think as long as I've lived here). There have been players in the past who were great at covering receivers (Taube and Wood are the first two who come to mind). But those were individuals, apparently not a team strategy.
The second reason I'm concerned is because Angleton seemed to know what the plays were before the ball was snapped. This was especially true during the third quarter. If future teams know exactly what our offense is about to do, then it won't matter how good we are, or how bad they are. We will lose, or win by the skin of our teeth. If they knew because we ran the same plays over and over or if it was because they had studied that much of our film, we have to do a better job of keeping the opposing defense on their toes.
The third reason I'm concerned is because I realized tonight that a lot of our starters haven't played a full game in about four weeks. They've played the first half, but there was a lot of subbing during the second half of the last three games. I understand the logic behind that decision. Save the starters for the playoffs. Injury prevention (they are much less likely to get hurt on the sidelines). Allow some of the non-starters to get some playing time; evaluate them for future games and future seasons. Allow seniors to get some time on the field in their last season of play. I get it. Really, I do. But, what are the negative impacts? Inability to keep focus and adrenaline going for the full forty-eight minutes (3 hours). Deteriorating cardio (I'm sure cardio and conditioning are done during practice, but the body's response to the adrenaline of the game is different from the response during practice.) Whatever the negative impacts were, they need to be negated in some way.
The fourth reason I'm concerned is attitude. Not the players (although they may have this same issue), but the parents and the fans. Everyone seems to think that the second round is always easy because it's against a Houston team. Well, guess what. Our next opponent is someone we've played before, and they didn't roll over and play dead either of the times we've faced them. So why in the world would they do that now. They won't. This is not an easy week. This is not the time to take a break. This week the players have to work harder than the week before. And no one, parent, coach, fan, or friend, should tell the players that round two is always a breeze. You can't overlook any team, or you'll be spending your Thanksgiving break watching football instead of playing.
All of that being said, there are a few player who are deserving of "atta boys" for their performance tonight. These players either played with their heart, or made great plays to help the Mustangs secure the victory. This week's "atta boys" go to: Lockwook, Thurman, Page, Holle, Robinson, Langston, Lowe, Faulk, Kirkland, Bauer, King, Williams, Longbotham, Vandersypen, Pruet, Sargent, and Blumrick. Good job, guys. If a name is not on this list, please don't take that to mean that he didn't play hard. It just means that I didn't see him do whatever he did that was great. I'll admit, I can't watch everyone all the time. But these are the player who did something on the field that I did see.
The next step on the road to state for the Mustangs will be Saturday, November 23, 2013, at 1pm. The Mustangs will play the Stratford Spartans at Mercer Stadium in Sugar Land. I will be there ready to cheer on the Mustangs. Will you be there?
- Just a person opinion ~ High school football is a sport that is best played and best enjoyed after dark. I'm sure that the coaches chose this time for a reason. But I find that games played after dark are more enjoyable and more exciting. The field lights (assuming they work for the whole game) and the night air are part of high school football. Again, just my two cents, take the two pennies, or leave them. :)
GO MUSTANGS!!!
If you want stats on this, or any other game; a couple of great sources are: http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/friendswood-mustangs-(friendswood,tx)/football/home.htm and http://www.chron.com/sports/highschool/scoreboard/?mkt=houston&site=default&tpl=team&Sport=1&TeamID=225&SchoolID=&Season=2013&DistrictID=&SearchDate=11%2F16%2F13&SearchDateEnd=11%2F16%2F13&SearchLastName=&SearchFirstName=&Market=9&SearchType=Teams
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment