What a Ride!

As we enter into the Christmas season, we find ourselves still playing football.  That is a great gift.  There are so many factors involved in still being able to play this late in the year.  We constantly talk about preparation, both mentally and physical, focus, intensity, durability, and in many instances, just pure luck.  I have heard a number of coaches that have won the State Championship say that a huge factor in them being able to win it all was luck.  I agree!  You have to be lucky enough to stay healthy, and sometimes you just have to get lucky during the game.  It might be a fumble recovery, an interception, a penalty just at the right time, etc… Our kids work extremely hard and are very determined.  With a little luck over the next couple of weeks, who knows what will happen?

Over the past 7 years, we have had the tradition of making the players a playoff notebook to keep up with our opponents as we go through the playoffs.  It includes the playoff bracket, Bobcat facts and stats, messages from players and coaches, and stories and quotes that are very inspirational.  It is amazing to stop and think about all the time and effort that is involved in just having a chance to play in December.  If you get a chance, ask one of the players if you can take a look at his book.  It is something that they are very proud of.

One of my favorite portions of the book is called “How to Survive the State Playoffs”.  I have listed that portion of the book below.  I hope you enjoy it.

“How to Survive the State Playoffs”

            There have been many teams who have never mastered the survival of the playoffs.  The hunt of a playoff experience is often such an emotional journey that when the destination of playoffs arrive, those involved can’t continue to focus on the very basic ingredients that got them there.

            Survival of the playoffs ultimately comes down to what goes on during the game.  The field of play is still 100 yards long, it is still 53 yards wide, and there are still two end zones and two goal posts.  Through the game is the ultimate factor, there are other factors that most often set a team up for success or failure; for example, too much attention on what stadium or what city the game will be played; the itinerary of the week does not present enough hype or possibly presents too much hype.  Many times the immediate opponent that is not well known takes a back seat to an opponent we may face a week or two down the road.  This spells danger for sure.  So many factors that don’t have anything to do with the actual playing of the ballgame can distract enough to lose focus on the task at hand.

            If a team can enjoy the outside elements of a playoff run but remain focused on the 48 minutes that really count, they now have a greater chance of surviving the week-to-week occurrences of the playoff run.  The preparation factors become more important at this point than any other period of the season.  Meeting time must be used efficiently and pure focus of learning the opponent must take place on the workout field.  When these measures have truly taken place then you must have the ability to take the workout to the game field and implement our plan.

            Surviving the p