by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach
It was hot in west Texas Monday, so Lubbock head coach Jason Strunk got his players to put their hands in ice buckets to get them ready for the chilly nights late in the season.
What a day for the Westerners!
Full contact, physical toughness and mental toughness all rolled into one. The day off on Sunday seemed to recharge the batteries for the coaches and players. It was an energetic practice, full of hitting and loud music. I have to say, the music has been a lot of fun to have during practice. We got away from it last year. Glad we brought it back for this year.
Hoping the energy today is what it was like Monday. Need to get better every day. The season is coming fast. We need to be ready!
GOAL LINE
We did a live goal line session last night. Full tilt with the O and D. I think it was even, with both sides showing flashes of good and bad. Dae Dae Morgan looked solid at RB for us. Tough runner. Alijah Garcia also ran the ball tough down there. On the defensive side, Tyree Johnson looked great at DE. Athletic and quick; he is very hard to block. Steven Duke looked great at LB. Overall, it was a great session for us.
ICE BUCKETS
After practice I used some outside the box creativity. For three years we have had problems in the cold. It’s something we need to overcome. Fumbles, dropped balls, missed tackles. Cold weather games have gotten the best of us. We needed to do something about it.
Last night we used seven buckets of ice water. We had seven players dunk their hands in the water for thirty second intervals. In between each set they caught balls. Thirty seconds in the water, twenty balls caught. We did this three times with fourteen players. We ended with our QB, James Garcia, going for one minute intervals and taking snaps in between. It was great!
The feedback: players had to mentally get through the water and had to really concentrate on the ball because their hands were numb and the balls were slick. Mission accomplished! Mental and physical toughness all rolled into one!
MUFFINS
A big thanks to Julie Onstot for baking 200+ Blueberry muffins for the team! Julie is an anchor for KAMC here in Lubbock. She is also a fan of the Westerners! Thanks again!
RANDOMNESS
– Sad to hear the passing of Robin Williams. Patch Adams is a favorite movie of mine.
– Coach Neal Tull makes octopus soup; he also eats hummus.
– The Yankees lost 11-3 to the Orioles. Awesome.
– Coach Tyler Trout is on a roller blade team named the Muppets.
