Bev's Blog

Tough Loss 17 – 20… played our hearts out!  Great team effort – hustle, grittiness, focused – made our coaching staff proud.

Down 13 – 7 at half made things look bleak.  Why?  We could not stop their double-wing.  Two small adjustments on our defensive game plan gave us an edge that shut down their power running with minus 5 yards for the 2^nd half!

Football is played though with 3 phases – offense, defense, special teams.  Offensively, we had 2 huge turnovers that cost us 2 TD’s.  One TD was called back because of 5 men in the backfield; another was a fumble on their 12 yard line.  Special teams had 2 long kickoff returns that were critical to field position.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda, it does not matter, we lost 17 – 20.  The important fact is that our team is playing hard for four quarters and getting better.

Ladies night out was again a huge hit.  We have raised nearly $1,000 in 2 meetings.  Three more to go with men allowed to come to the last one.

First loss of the season, to a 3A school, Erath, 20 – 0…the game was 0 – 0 at half-time, but our team then had left little in the gas tank for the 2^nd half.  A week of flu for multiple players, etc, created more openings for some of our younger kids to play – but it was a severe mismatch in quarters 3 and 4.

Erath’s facilities and homecoming details were fantastic.  It truly was a fun night centered around young people – royalty, decorations, parade, families, and a band with good music.  Erath’s athletic complex for football made me jealous – a local company donated the money to build the structure after the old one was ruined by water in a hurricane.  I noticed that the new building had legs so that flooding would be less likely.

Although the loss was disappointing, my week had some really good moments.  First, the inaugural “Ladies Night Out”, where I teach about football, went better than we ever hoped for.  Forty-eight women came and laughed, clapped, asked questions, etc.  It was a huge hit and we made $480 for our school’s academics.  We continue this class for 4 more Mondays.

But the best moment came through an e-mail Friday.  A player that I coached in Washington communicated to me that he just found out that I was coaching in Louisiana and was coming down to see me and the game.  Wow!  Zach Miller is a captain in the Air Force – flying B-52’s, and hoping to train as a pilot in the Stealth bomber unit.  He’s an Air Force Academy graduate who made 500 parachute jumps in 3 years at the academy so he could jump into a National Championship game with the game ball, etc.  He drove 3.5 hours to visit and then drove back the next day with his baby girl and pregnant wife, all to see me for a few moments.  I am truly blessed and humbled to receive such a tremendous human being and a true American hero.

Two victories in a row!  Rain all day, 2–hour bus ride to Lake Charles, several athletes recovering from flu, etc., play 15 sophomores – freshmen in prominent roles, we win 25 – 7!  Go figure??

Players are playing with intensity and great team chemistry.  Mistakes are glaring like all young teams, but our theme, “Setback – comeback” is prevailing – these kids DO NOT QUIT!!

Before we left for our game a deputy sheriff walked into my office.  Immediately, bad thoughts entered my mind – who messed up, did someone get into an accident, etc.?  My mind relaxed when he said that he was escorting our bus out of town.  WOW!  An escort for us!

Anyway, we left town with the sheriff’s department cruiser, the bus, equipment trailer, and lots of cars in a caravan winding through small towns and fields of sugar cane and rice.  I felt like we were in the movie, “Hoosiers.”  I soon found out that they do this for all teams traveling, even all the way to Lake Charles.  I wonder if other states do this.

Today in our paper is an interesting stat about how many players from Louisiana are playing in the NFL.  The number was an astounding 41!  There are tons of FAST athletes in this football crazy state.

Our “Ladies Night Out” is starting this Monday (9-14-09).  For 5 weeks, yours truly is going to teach FB 101 at a local restaurant from 7 to 8:30 pm to women only.  Cost is $10 each night.  All proceeds goes to academics.  My wife said that she cannot wait because she is going to impersonate Archie Manning on a snap from me as the center.  This night should be a lot of fun and help women to re-connect with their significant others.

Finally, we welcomed another grandchild to our brood.  A beautiful granddaughter born to our 2^nd oldest daughter Dana, and her husband Kenney Bennett.  The young beauty is named Stella Hart Bennett.  The name sound Hollywoodish – they live in Huntington Beach, CA.

Our visit to Ronnie Griffith’s grave did not work out.  We decided that we we’ll wait till football is over and then do it right for a great young man.

Joan says…

From Sunday

August 16, 2009

Back in August, my brother-in-law sent us and article about a coach from Chicago who is taking the head football job at South Lafourche High School.  Who would have thought there would be two Illinois coaches in Cajun country?

We had attended the Delcambre Shrimp Festival that same weekend, and Craig went on and on about the shrimp we ate.  For several hours we sat in and out of the sun, watching shrimp boats in the bayou and two volunteer fire departments hosing each other down in a competition…I’m still not sure what the rules were.   We listened to a great blend of Cajun music, Zydeco, and New Orleans style Blues.  Of course a person needs a little nourishment in all that time.  So after Craig had a big shrimp po-boy, shrimp tacos, shrimp sauce piquante, stuffed shrimp, and a couple of cold drinks, we went home and slept for two hours (I quit after the po-boy).

Anyway, we are living the life, and that South Lafourche coach doesn’t stand a chance.  Craig already has the title: “Da Chicago Cajun Coach.”

Well, our losing streak ended!  After losing 11 games in a row from the end of 2007 through 2008, we defeated a very good Westminster team 27-26.  Although I have coached over 400 games, no game is the same – and Thursday night’s game fit that mold – wild and unpredictable.

With 10 minutes left in the 4^th quarter, we were winning 27 – 6!  However, I was still nervous because we had been scrambling since the end of the 1^st Quarter with severe cramping with as many as 7 to 8 starters on the sideline during the game.  Wow!  As a head coach, I have never before sent DB’s in to play TE, RB, etc., without them knowing what to do at that position.  We prevailed though with a missed XP by Westminister with only 30 seconds left in the game.  After the onside kick failed for Westminister, the celebration started.

This week we play a larger school, Hamilton Christian, from Lake Charles.  Hopefully, we will not cramp up.  Bananas, pickle juice, water by the ton will help…I think?

Lake Charles is about 1½ hours away from VC.  The last time I was in Lake Charles was 1995.  I went down to give the eulogy for a former athlete from our school, Kamiakin, at this old but beautiful Catholic church.  The service was like a scene from a Pat Conroy novel or maybe more like James Lee Burke’s novels – the first half was in French, second half in English.  The congregation was mixed with every color of mankind and every age group.

The player’s name was Ronnie Griffith.  He died battling to the end with brain cancer.  He was my angel.  Ronnie was a devout Christian and he knew I was a “LUKEWARM” Christian.  He arranged for me to give the eulogy so maybe it would sink something into my heart and soul.  It did!  To this day, I still do not know what I said nor did I when I flew back to Washington.  However, I did know that God was in my life and I better get busy to know him like I should.  Ronnie introduced me to God!  This weekend, I will get to visit Ronnie’s grave.  He and I will get to talk with God’s permission.