by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
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Lubbock head coach Jason Strunk greets Westerner WR Jordan High on the sideline.
Photo courtesy of Abby Reed Photography.
I told the team all week long that this has been the best Summer Camp they have ever had. It was the best I was ever involved in. But, and this is is big but, it would all be lost if we didn’t take care of business against Shallowater. They had to finish strong. The scrimmage was the final exam. Where do we stand?
I will tell you where we stand: right where we need to be! The Westerners went out and took care of business! Great scrimmage all the way around. All three phases (offense, defense and special teams) played well and had some shining moments. As a coach, I could not be more pleased as to where we are. This is the best we have ever been rolling into the season.
Against Shallowater, we scored three times in the controlled portion of the scrum. The highlight touchdown was a thing of beauty. James Garcia dropped a fade into the back of the end zone for Jordan High. You could not have thrown a better ball. Jordan snagged it over his outside shoulder and drug his two feet in bounds for the score. It’s how you draw it up! Coach Jake Willingham simply said, “that’s all PAT and GO”, in reference to our daily throw and catch drill.
Lubbock HS kicker Ryan Huber kicked 2 FG’s in Friday night’s scrimmage against Shallowater.
Photo courtesy of Abby Reed Photography.
Dae Dae Morgan, our sophomore running back, broke off a fifty plus yard TD run. The offensive line opened up a nice hole and Dae Dae did the rest. He has displayed a tremendous burst of speed in the open field. Morgan has two TD’s on the year so far, both being of the long distance variety.
Following the controlled scrimmage, we played two live quarters. This was a full on half of football. It was good for both teams. LHS came out on top 20-14. Garcia hit High with another TD; WR Alex Loredo caught an absolute bee-bee from Garcia for another score. Ryan Huber drilled two field goals for us to close out the scoring.
The defense set up our first score when OLB Terik Witt picked off a pass and raced down to the three yard line. The defense continued to play well all day, intercepting another pass and coming up with some big stops. The final stop came of the last play of the game with a pass being broken up in the end zone.
Like I said, all three phases were in sync. It was good to see! No more tune ups. Now it’s time to do it for real!
Lubbock High WR Devin Trevino.
Photo courtesy of Abby Reed Photography.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
DEFENSE – I’m going to call out big Tony Garcia. Our senior nose guard was in on several stops up the middle. He is 330 pounds and he squats over six hundreds pounds. The big fella showed some wheels and agility. He played well. DE’s Tyree Johnson and Tommy Najera also played well. The defense flies to the football.
OFFENSE – This is a no-brainer. WR Jordan High. The 6’4″ High hauled in two touchdown passes and made several other big receptions. He looked like the best athlete on the field. If he continues like this he may be a late scholarship offer for a major university. He was IMPRESSIVE.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Ryan Huber. He was perfect on PAT’s and nailed two field goals. He has a big leg. Again, you will see him kicking at the next level. He can bang the ball through the uprights with the best of them.
THE WRAP
The scrimmages are over. It’s now time for them to count. We have progressed nicely. It’s a team. It’s a family. They have each other’s back. We are ready to go. Lets hope 2014 is the year of the Westerner!
RANDOMNESS
– Yankees have won four straight. Just enough to get your hopes up only for them go down in flames.
– Earthquake in California. Lets hope everyone is alright!
– I didn’t play youth football. Lets just say the experience was ruined for me by coaches who didn’t quite get the whole “coach” thing.
– Best camp I ever coached: Steve Clarkson Dream Maker. Worked with Jake Locker, Nick and Nate Montana,Terrell Pryor and a bunch of others. Hung out with Joe Montana (great Super Bowl story teller) and Wayne Gretzky (heck of a guy). Young coaches need to get out and work these camps. It’s worth the experience!
I’m out… FIO!!!
Strunky keeping it loose wearing his FIO (Figure it Out) t-shirt in Lubbock locker room before scrimmage against Shallowater High School.
Photo courtesy of Abby Reed Photography.
Lubbock OL Coach Neal Tull during Friday’s scrimmage against Shallowter.
Photo courtesy of Abby Reed Photography.
