Finally, game week is upon us!
The Westerners are now prepping for our opener this Friday against the Tribe from Seminole. Kickoff is at 7:30pm at Plains Capital Park, a gem of a stadium that we are fortunate enough to call our own. Game planning and worrying is well underway.
It’s go time.
I’m excited and the entire program is excited. I mean, who isn’t excited this time of year? I look at this Friday not as a challenge; I look at it as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to showcase what we have been working on in the weight room and on the field. It’s an opportunity to compete and prove naysayers wrong. It’s an opportunity to play a team that is talented and ranked as high as 4th in the state.
Who doesn’t want an opportunity like that?!
The Westerners will be ready. They have been practicing and playing like they are pissed off. It’s about time. This group gets it. This could be the class….to be continued.
Scrimmage Two
It was a good scrimmage except for losing two players. Anthony Martinez and Naz
Ramos went down with knee injuries. I’m not pleased by that. I really don’t know if scrimmages are an evil necessity or not. I’m going to think on this and put a good plan of action into place.
Right now, I’m thinking that may have been the last scrimmage I ever participate in. I just don’t see the merit in them anymore. The world of football is evolving. May as well evolve and move on from scrimmages. I’m not the “this is how it’s always been done” kind of guy.
Anyway, Naz and Anthony, heal up. Plenty of season for you to get back out on the field with us!
Top Notch Staff
I like bragging about my coaching staff. I have a good one to brag about, too. You just don’t make things up to brag about. Well, that’s not my style anyway. I have legitimate coaches who have done good things in this game.
Two of my offensive assistants, Tyler Lloyd and Nathan Slaughter, have track records of extensive success on the field and are know carving out their niche in the coaching world with me.
Tyler Lloyd at Frenship
Lloyd was a QB at Frenship, a 6A school just outside of Lubbock. They win and they win often. With Lloyd at QB they won a lot of games, advancing to the fourth round of the state playoffs one year with him being the signal caller (I believe it was the fourth round). He was a heck of a QB and also an accomplished baseball player.
Lloyd had been a great asset to me in building our offense this year. He can relate to QB’s and he knows his stuff. He is smart and very cerebral. He is a critical piece to our whole program, in terms of what he does for us off the field as well.
Slaughter is a Lubbock High grad and is living proof that good athletes can come out of LHS and have successful athletic careers. He played in the NFL with the Texans and Jaguars. I know he also spent time with Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Once his NFL days were over, he went north and played in the CFL.
Coach Slaughter works with our wide receivers and he is in his second year. He had been tremendous in the development of our wide outs. He knows the position and played it at the highest level.
More importantly, Slaughter is a Westerner. He can relate to our kids and the kids know he is one of them. He is an outstanding role model for our kids.
See, I have a lot to brag about with this staff. That is just two guys. More coming on other staff members.
Randomness
-The country I live in amazes me when everyone pulls together to help everyone out in the face of disaster. So many acts of kindness have been witnessed in the past 48 hours in Houston and South Texas.
-The country I live in amazes me when people use twitter to promote political
agendas during times of national crisis. Here is something for you and your
contribution to the cess pool that twitter is at times (well, most times): SHUT
UP!!!
-Again, twitter does not solve issues. Stop tweeting all of your great ideas and go
put a plan in place to fix what you think is wrong. Until then, you are just an
empty twitter warrior.
-College football begins this Saturday. I know it started this past weekend. But you know it really starts next Saturday. It’s the best time of year.
-Athletics and competing teaches you valuable life lessons. You learn life lessons every day in the athletic arena. Seriously, this is the truth.
-That fight won by that Fairweather guy (whatever his name is) was a spectacle
shoved down the human populations’ throat. Thankfully, it’s over with.
-You want a good protein punch in the morning? Try Vanilla Greek Yogurt and mix in a teaspoon of peanut butter. Will give you roughly 16 grams of protein. I mix in a banana, too. If you don’t like this don’t take my advice. I’m good.
-Not sure when the NFL starts but I’m hoping the Steelers have a good run this year. Miss going to games in the Steel City.
-Larry Holmes is from Easton, Pennsylvania. Part of the Lehigh Valley, where I grew up.
Eric Karr Photography
by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach
