Whoa… its been awhile since I was able to sit down and write. That is disappointing. But there has been a lot going on, other than football. Things come at you fast and you better be able to react. I have constantly been on the run the past three weeks. It’s been a steady mix of football, family, hospital visits and airplanes. All wrapped around a football season.
So, here is the run down:
ALCS Game 2
Coach Strunk with his son Mac at Yankees/Astros playoff game.
After we played Lubbock Cooper, my son and I hopped in the
car at 1:30 a.m. and drove to Houston to watch the Yankees take on the Astros in game 2 of the ALCS. You talk about a long night and day. I was beat. But it was worth it. Spending time with Mac and catching a piece of baseball history together was worth the drowsiness. Also, I have learned that you can put the football work aside for a little and enjoy some family time. There is more to me, and life, then the game of football.
Lake View Week
Craziness was the theme of this week. Prepping for a big district ball game and we were thrown a bit of a curveball: our niece Danielle suddenly went into labor on Wednesday
Tavin and Danielle
afternoon. Labor happened much sooner than expected. We all found ourselves huddled at the hospital. Tavin Jennings finally arrived at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, October 19th.
The next night we went out and knocked off Lake View, 54-26.
Abilene Cooper Week
The family spent time between work and the hospital visiting little Tavin in the NICU. When it
Coach Strunk with his wife Tracy at wedding in Pennsylvania.
was all said and down, Danielle and Tavin spent 11 days there. It was a rough time for all of us but toughness prevailed and little Tavin finally came home with mommy from the hospital.
We lost to Abilene Cooper on Thursday night. It was not a good night. The following morning I was on a flight with Tracy at 5:00 a.m. to Philadelphia. We spent the weekend in Pennsylvania at our friends weekend. We were back in Lubbock by Sunday night. Then it was right back to football work.
Coronado Week
It came and went fast. We played a good first half but couldn’t maintain in the second half. We showed some damn fight and I loved every minute of it.
Now, we are in our final week of play. Monterey week is now and I finally feel like I’m back on a normal schedule. It’s been a crazy three weeks. You just need to keep rolling and take things as they come at you.
Randomness
-Football is great. But family is even greater. Being surrounded by people you love
under one roof is the greatest, safest feeling in the world. No football win, or
loss, will ever change my mind.
-Coaches work hard. Coaches have a plan. Coaches are on top of things. People
sitting in the stands know nothing about what we do. Until you are at every practice
and in that locker room every day, nobody has anything to say. There is a reason for
everything we do. We just don’t show up and throw darts at different ideas on a
dartboard. We actually work and we actually know what we are doing.
-College football playoff people are now officially comparing resumes. Now I’m
officially tuning you out. Decide it on the field with a real format to declare a
champion.
-Twitter used to be a great thing to connect with coaches and talk ball etc. Now
it’s just a wasteland of political crap and everybody is an expert. I never had a
Facebook page. Never will. Twitter is the only social media I have ever used. Sadly,
my time is running out on it. I can see myself in 6 months deleting my account.
People are sick and twisted. I don’t need to read that crap daily. Get a life.
-Saw an NFL fight this weekend. What a bunch of tough guys. Throwing punches at
people with helmets on. Brilliant.
-Roy Halladay was a guy who did it right. It’s a shame he was taken from this world
so young.
That’s all I got. I have more words to write in the coming weeks. I’m going to drop
the hammer on some things I’m sick of seeing and hearing.
Until next time… FIO.
Eric Karr Photography
by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach
