The Turnaround – Estacado, Week 5

gamestrat high school football sideline instant replay

by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach

Lubbock Westerners HelmetFor the second week in a row the Westerners are taking on an LISD foe, the Estacado Matadors.

Mats Head Coach, Danny Servance, has become a good friend of mine here in Lubbock. When I moved here, Danny, Kent Jackson and Todd Pearson all showed me how things work in Texas. I will be eternally grateful for all they did for me. Danny is the only one still left here with me. Very thankful for the relationship we have built.

Come Friday we both want to win. LHS has never beaten Estacado. This will be the first meeting between the schools since 1997. Should be an exciting game and we should have a great crowd!

Looking forward to it!

SUPPORT
One thing I know for certain is this: we have tons of support at LHS. Our students are great, the administration is second to none. It has been a tough week for us all but everyone has been nothing but supportive. Positive vibes all the way around.

Jennifer Roland, assistant AD at LISD, is one of the best in the business. She is always the first one to check on us after a game. She was great on Friday night. It was tough to watch and she knew what we were going through as coaches. Knowing you have people in your corner that care is a tremendous feeling.

Mark Ball, our Executive AD, was the first to greet me in the locker room following the game. I am really lucky to work for such great people. They are in this business for all the right reasons. We know we have support here and the players and coaches are very appreciative of it!

MINDSET
Never take the field of play without the right mindset! Why practice all week long if you think you can’t win? Why go through summer camp and train year round if you don’t believe you have what it takes to be successful? Don’t waste time if you don’t have the mindset. Pack up your clothes and go home if you don’t think you can win.

Mental toughness. We have it. I know we do. Our mindset never wavers. We will be ready. Count on it.

RANDOMNESS
– Our injuries piled up so bad on Friday we had to borrow crutches from Monterey. We had an army of crutches.
Derek Jeter is set to retire. I grew up watching him play. What an icon. The game of baseball is going to miss him.
– Had Captial Pizza for dinner tonight. Who cares, right? Well I do! Finally found east coast worthy pizza in the south. If you never moved away from where you grew up, you won’t know what I am talking about.
– This Friday is Homecoming.
Jinks White wore a 1994 throwback pullover to work on Sunday. It reminded me of a few things: I was a senior in HS in 1994 and fashion really slacked back then. Wow. Glad I didn’t coach in that era of clothing.
Neal Tull eats hummus and thinks it’s good. Football coaches can’t eat hummus. Got get a burger, Tull!
Jake Willingham wears polyester briefs.

No More Fumbles

Play Football

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.