Day 1: Different- But Good!

                           
                                        Mike at Officer's Academy.  1st place 

Well, my 15th season with Sebastian River High School (SRHS) started today.  Overall, this is my 27th year of coaching football at some level.  Has it really been that long?  My knees, ankles, and shoulders says it has; however, my heart says I am still a rookie.  Lets see how I feel on Saturday! 

Today was different....not bad, just different. Both coaches and players are all adjusting to the new rules on summer practice.  For years we handled the two-a-day practices with no issues, but this is a different time, so we have to conform to what society deems necessary.  Lots of built-in water breaks, and Hilary was running around doing her usual good job; consequently, we did not have any issues.  True, it was a little warm, but then again, it is always warm in Florida this time of year.  I think I may wear a jacket tomorrow. 

Coach Miller has a PINK Fox-40 whistle with a 'train whistle' type of sound.  Hmmm.  I think tomorrow I may put a paper clip on the clear plastic tube coming off his insulin machine.  If he falls out, I may take the pink whistle. 

I looked at my Senior QB Hakeem today, and I can't believe this kid is already a senior.  When this little skinny kid reported as a freshman, he wanted to play QB.  Naturally, he did not get much playing time as a 9th grade QB on JV. Hakeem was very raw at the position, but I could see the talent was there.  He just had to pay his dues. 

AT SRHS, we try to have at least one QB for every class.  General speaking, we have a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior QB ready to roll at any given point.  At the JV level, the sophomore generally gets the nod, while the freshman learns the system.  It is rare gift that we ever have a QB start and play (at the varsity level) all four seasons.  In my time here, we only had one QB to accomplish this....Brandon Neeley.  I started working with Brandon when he was in the 7th grade, so when he was a freshman, he was as good (if not better) than our senior QB.  Randy decided to go with Brandon in mid-season.  Neeley started 3 1/2 years for us. 

When Hakeem was a Sophomore, I literally had to FORCE him to go down and play QB on the JV. He wanted to stay with his peers and play up on the varsity level as a defensive player.  It was cool to see Hakeem develop his confidence and have a great season on the JV.  I was so proud to see him take control of his team and develop his leadership skills.  Of course, once the season was over we brought him to the varsity, and he never looked back.  Hakeem got quite a bit of playing time last year, and the experience has prepared him for this year.  If we can keep his head on straight, Hakeem is going to have a big year.  I can't wait to see him smile after he throws the first TD pass of the season.  Hakeem is a great kid and a pleasure to coach. 

Thats it for tonight.