On Saturday, November 23, 2013, the Friendswood Mustangs hosted the Stratford Spartans at Fort Bend ISD's Mercer Stadium. It was still a great day to be a Mustang, but it was not the Mustangs' day.
Before I get into what went right and what went wrong, let me say thank you to all the seniors. Thank you for your years of contribution to this program. Your influence will be felt after you leave the field house for the last time, thanks to the way you led the younger players. They will continue to look up to you in the years to come. Thank you Collin Faulk, Walker Williams, Slade Holle, Anthony Makransky, Brandon Brower, Cameron Faulk, Garon Stewart, Eric Loll, Nick Flores, Blake Reagan, James Bauer, Brad Rains, Zach Dillon, Garrett Wenzel, Wes Dooley, Ryan Wilcox, Blake Stansberry, Matt Mazza, Mason Cruse, James Richardson, Robert Mejia, Kade Beyer, Hunter Kirkland, Jake Ranostaj, Gatlin Lowe, Alan McNatt, Matt Moffitt, Blake Anderson, Justin Deatherage, Chris Ykac, Carlos Benem, Jordan Pike, Jackson Pruet, and Shawn Scheknecht.
And now, for the good, the bad and the ugly.
I hate having to do this, but I have to start with the Refs. Shame on you! Turning a blind eye to that many rule infractions should never happen in any sport at any level. Whether it's little kids just learning the game, high school varsity sports, or at the professional level. If an athlete doesn't know he/she is doing something wrong, the bad habit or illegal move will not stop. And if the athlete does know that he/she is doing something wrong, receives no consequence for the action and sees his/her team being rewarded as a result; the action will not stop. Why would it? Sports is a metaphor for life. A person must learn to play by the rules in order to have long term success in life. As an official, it is your responsibility to help these athletes learn the game. And in order to do your part in these athlete's education, you must call the game fairly. This was a playoff game. The final score of this game sent one team to the next round. And for the other team, their season is over. How do you sleep at night knowing that your lack of proper officiating could have been the difference that ended the season for the team on the wrong side of the score board? Now, with the way the Mustangs were playing Saturday (and I'm about to get to that), I can't honestly say that fair officiating would have made the difference. But, the score probably would have been much closer. This season I have seen more poor officiating than I have seen in a long time. Why? Is there some sort of shortage resulting in poorly trained officials, or officials who don't take pride in their work? Is there a lack of officials who care about doing a good job? Is the game becoming too complex for the current officials? Do we need more officials on the field to keep a better watch on the game? Do we need less officials? What is the cause in the deterioration of the quality of officiating in varsity football?
And the bad, well, most of the game could qualify for this. Stratford had obviously studied film of Friendswood's games. They knew what the Mustangs were going to do and how to stop it. They knew how to make holes in the Mustang defensive line and how to prevent the Mustang offense from creating holes. The offense did not block for the ball carriers, and the Spartans knew how to take advantage of that. This is a problem that has been seen and previous games. The play callers continued to call plays that didn't work. Someone on the Mustang sideline definitely meets Einstein's definition of insanity. Just because a play worked well against one team does not mean that it will work well against every team. Variety is the spice of life. Keep trying different things if what you think will work, doesn't. Don't give up and don't stick to the same old same old. The preparation by the Mustangs' opponent was made more apparent by the mistakes made by the Mustang offense. At least three fumbled snaps and three or four interceptions thrown. (I think Sargent at least doubled the number of interceptions he threw this season during this one game). And how many passes were incomplete either because the receiver wasn't where he was supposed to be or the ball was thrown to the wrong spot? Did the Mustangs study the Spartans? Just looking at the team stats on the Houston Chronicle's website, I knew that the team preferred to run the ball and was good at intercepting. Before Saturday, their quarterbacks only completed 50-56% of their passes and their defense had 11 interceptions. That completion percentage and interception rate both greatly improved for the Spartans on Saturday.
So that was the ugly and the bad; now for the good. Even in the face of having to play the Spartans with "blind" refs, the Mustangs never gave up. They went out and played each snap like it would be the one to be the difference between winning and losing. And every Mustang should be commended for that. As I previously said, the Mustangs played their hearts out on Saturday. They left it all on the field. Defense - once again you were the heart and soul of the team. You are a unit to be admired and looked up to by future squads of the varsity Mustangs. Seniors, please pass on your knowledge to the younger players. I've been watching high school football for more than three decades (man that makes me sound old), and I've rarely seen a defense that dominant. I know that Saturday was not your day. I don't know if you weren't prepared for Statford's offensive scheme, or if it was just a bad day. But don't let your heads hang for long. You have a lot to be proud of. Special teams + you got to work a lot more than you probably would have liked, but you played smart and consistent all day. Faulk, I know the fans weren't fond of the low punts; but when punting into the wind, that was effective. Whoever's idea that was knew what he was talking about. The Mustang offense worked for every yard they got. They earned each of them. They played two different quarterbacks and brought Williams in from the defense to play receiver for a while. Neither Longbotham nor Vandersypen touched the ball much, but they both dug deep and gave it everything they had on every play to try to get into the end zone. Page is really improving at the quarterback position as well as running and receiving the ball. Sargent didn't have a great day, but he never allowed any frustration he felt to show. He appeared calm and collected through the whole game.
So, what can the Mustangs do to help next season's team go even farther into the playoffs? A lot actually. And as many have said, next season starts today. I waited longer than usual to write this week's blog because of some things I realized while discussing what happened on the way home from the game. I wanted to spend some time thinking and organizing my thoughts before I sat down to type.
The first thing I realized is that, over the season, the quarterbacks become more like robots. This is not a phenomenon that is limited to this season. This is something that has happened many seasons. When the season begins, the quarterback(s) reads the field, sees what his options are, and chooses the best option available. Some quarterbacks have been better at this than others. Sometimes, the quarterback(s) made poor choices. But they seemed to be making choices. As the season progresses, the quarterback(s) appear to be following the play more and making decisions less. And by the time we get to the playoffs, it looks like the quarterback(s) is handing the ball or throwing the ball to the exact place that the play dictates, regardless of who is open, who is under double coverage, or where the intended receiver actually is. Again, this is not an observation that is exclusive to the game against Stratford. This is a trend that I have observed over several seasons. And I usually notice it in the game that knocks the Mustangs out of the running for state. Whether this is intended or not, I believe it is something that is deserving of a second look. It is in the best interest of the each player and the team as a whole to teach the players to think while they are on the field. Yes, have a plan, but allow the players to make adjustments when the intended receiver is under double coverage and someone else is wide open with a clear shot at the end zone. Teach the players to read their opponents, anticipate their opponents, and make decisions. And once you've taught them to do that, trust them to do it. Trust them to follow through with what you have taught them. If the coaches trust the players, the players will trust themselves.
This same principle can be applied to the whole team. Teach them to read, anticipate and make decisions. Or, "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome." Those three words can transform a team of any kind.
The second thing I realized is that the Mustangs seemed to peak in the game against Dawson. The Texas City game was a great game, and with the way the two teams played, it really could have gone either way. But the Dawson game was better. So, the question is, what changed after the Dawson game? Did the team's or coach's attitudes change? Did practice change? Did the time change effect anything? Something changed. And speaking of attitudes; attitudes can be a dangerous thing. Being over confident is just as dangerous as having no confidence. Be sure to remain confident but humble. Nothing is a given, in sports or in life. Know who you are. Know what you can and can't do. And before you take the field, believe that you can do something, not that you will. That attitude will take you far.
To the coaches, as you prepare for next season, please take the time to think on my observations. I am not at your practices, nor on your sidelines. I'm just an observer who can not only see the results of your coaching, but can also read the body language of the people on the field/sidelines. Dismiss what is irrelevant, and make changes based on what is. This is my two cents and is worth exactly that; two cents.
To the players, now that the season is over, you can read all your press that you want to read, and read it all with a grain of salt. Look at your stats and watch your game film. What can you do differently to improve yourself as a player and a person? What did you learn this season? and What can you pass on to younger players?
One more thing that I noticed this season, and I waited until the season was over to comment on this because I didn't want to jinx anyone; but the lack of serious injuries this season was a nice change. And everyone in the organization deserves credit for this. From the sports medicine trainers who help tend to the athletes, the coaches and the weight trainer(s), and the athletes themselves. Whatever you did different this year, please continue.
Don't worry, I didn't forget about the "atta boys" for the Stratford game. The last set of "atta boys" for 2013 go to: Robinson, Loll, Page, Faulk, Longbotham, Vandersypen, Williams, White, Bertlesman, Holle, and Kirkland. Good job guys.
The box score for this game is:
Spartans 6 14 7 7 34
Mustangs 7 0 0 0 7
Football season has come to an end. Time to move onto basketball, or whatever sport you prefer to play next. Only 277 days until we get to watch the Boys in Blue take the field again.
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