Ending The Story

 

Hakeem Feeding Cooper (43 Draw) 

My Boy Zach Finnegan  Feeling Down

Nate Pryor Looking for Running lanes

Bookie Taylor Makes Another Tackle (Javonte King backing him up) 



SRHS Football Team Hits The Field


I

I guess most of you know we lost on Friday night 29-0.  I have spent most of the day pouting and recovering from the emotional ordeal last night.  I am trying to get my head cleared enough to write some complete sentences and perhaps write a decent final blog entry for this year.  I have borrowed a few photographs from the newspaper for some filler.  I hope you don't mind.  I was too wrapped up last night to take any decent shots. 

The game was a disaster for us.  I think we prepared the best we could, but we just did not match up with them very well.  We were much bigger for sure, and perhaps we were physically stronger, but the team speed of Palm Bay Heritage (PBH)  was amazing.  They were easily the fastest team we have seen this year....including Ft.Pierce Central.  At the HS level, a fast player will often beat a much bigger and stronger opponent, and this is what happened to us.   We had trouble blocking their defense, and we just could not move the ball very well.

We stayed pretty close during the first half.  Our defense was going toe to toe with their skilled offensive team, and the the game was tied 0-0 until late in the 2nd qtr when they returned a punt for a touchdown.  We had the man stopped on the 40 yard line, but somehow the runner broke through the tackles and went for 74 yards to score.  Then the rain started....not a hard rain, but a misty rain which got everything wet  (No excuse....they had rain on their sideline too. )  We went into halftime down 7-0. 

At halftime, we were not panicked at all.  We made some corrections which we thought would work. Unfortunately, they received the second half kickoff and marched the ball down the field in four plays to score.  I knew at that time we may be in trouble.  We are a big-time running team which thrives on long scoring drives.  Quick scoring is just not our thing.  We generally grind it out and eat the clock.  We made a QB change early in the 3rd qtr and it costs us dearly.  We had a dropped ball in the endzone which was recovered my PBH and punched in one play later.  We were done.  They added another score to make the final 29-0.  Our kids never stopped fighting, and we went out with our heads held high. 

Collecting the game uniforms was kind of a somber event.  Generally a few coaches sit in the JV locker room and separate the uniforms as the players bring them next door.  This is always kind of sad to me, because we know, and they know,  this may very well be the last time most of them will ever wear football equipment again.  Many of the Seniors will take their time and linger in the locker room trying to remember their experiences during the past four years.  I always see a few tears (from players and coaches) during this time.  Many of the players say: "Coach, it went by so fast!"   I always say the same thing....."I know it does son, I know."    This is just another 'Lesson In Life" which is taught year after year.  I have always told the players:  "You only play high school football for four years, but you spend the rest of your life remembering it."   I don't think many of the kids understand how quickly it goes by. 

I have not talked to a single coach all day long.  No texting, no phone calls, no anything.  I am sure everyone is trying to second guess themselves for their game-day or game-week decisions.  I am sure we are all beating ourself up today.  What could we have done differently?  Did we prepare our team correctly?  I went up to school today (as usual) to wash some laundry.  I was HOPING no one would be up there, because I did not want to discuss the game at all.  I am just emotionally and physically spent.  My daughter Kristin know whats I am going through.  She has not called (or texted me) all day long.  In fact, I just got a 'Tweet" from her saying "when can I expect radio silence to end?'  LOL.  Like I have said before, Kristin is the perfect coach's daughter. 

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you will know that I have questioned myself if this was indeed going to be my final year at Sebastian River High School.  I just don't know that answer right now.  Hell, I don't even know if I will be invited back next year.  Randy may want a younger coaching staff in place, I just don't know.  I will admit that it was a long walk off the field on Friday night.  As the light rain lapped at my rain jacket, I slowly carried my field gear back into the equipment room and I relived many of the memories I had over the past sixteen years.  At that moment, I just felt old.  Maybe with the rain, God was telling me to hang it up.  Do I have anything left to offer this team?  I just do not know. 

I am going to wrap this blog up with this entry.  I have enjoyed writing this blog more than you can imagine.  I originally started writing this blog for my own kids....more so for my son Mike who is stationed in Germany.  I thought he would get a kick out of reading about Me and and my adventures this football season since he was not here to see it.  Unfortunately, Mike did not (or could not) read much of the blog due to his situation. However, my daughter was a major fan, so I dedicate this entire blog to Kristin, Kelsey, Kirby, and Grice who all provided me with so much writing material.  In fact, Kristin would prompt me with so many of her own memories of me in my younger days....good and bad.  I also want to thank by boy Mason Wilborn who let me verbaly pick on him (with the Pussy and Honey Boo Boo) stuff most of the year.  If Ric Flair is reading this blog, a special thank-you goes out to him as well! 

I appreciate all of you who read my blog this season.  This blog as over 6000 hits and it has became one of the most popular blogs on both  Blogspot.com  and Blogger.com this year.  In fact, the popularity of this blog has opened up another door for me next season.  I hope that all my players have indeed learned some 'Lessons In Life' from me this year.  I am getting older, but the lessons are the same.....they always have been.  Whooooooooo!

Thanks Again!

"Coach" George Zaleuke 

Follow me on Twitter:  @CoachGeorgeSRHS