incognito

In my opinion coach Mathews is one of the most effective football coaches pacing the sidelines in Southeast Tx. His competence and quality as a coach cannot be calculated by just the numbers of wins or losses. He is using the means of football to influence young men to tackle more than just opposing players, but issues like racism and bigotry and he is making a difference. That is how you exercise true affirmative action, and that my friends is a game plan the good people of Vidor can support.

The Pirates demonstrated tremendous effort in the game against Texas high. This young team showed they could move the chains and score against a very good defense. Even though the Pirates fell short of a win, I think this particular game goes a long way towards ultimately discrediting those that wrote the pirates off this year, as well as boosting the confidence of a very young and underrated, but promising team. I know a lose doesn't usually inspire confidence, but I think the Texas high game set in motion something that has galvanized this Pirate team and will motivate them deep into the season. Solidarity and confidence is a commodity that is crucial to the success of any football team. I think the Pirates have the right stuff to be one of those successful teams.

This should be a very good game. Vidor wins this one by at least one TD.

[b]Pirates cage the Tigers[/b] The Tigers complain of illness on the bus ride back to Texarkana after Vidor Pirate upset, vet says " the confusion and distress combined with soreness looks a lot like feline distemper." After the pillaging the Pirates were last seen sailing south under fair winds and following seas.

The Pirates took a trouncing last night by a very talented Mustang lineup. I hope the pain of last nights pounding doesn't turn into the dull ache of a prolonged losing season. Bottom line.... Vidor must shake off last nights disappointment and not allow a bad scrimmage to erode team morale

Does a scrimmage give you any insight on how good a team really is?  Obviously scrimmages can tell a whole lot about the players on the team, their cohesiveness, and about how well a team may execute a particular series of plays.  Coaches clearly accumulate a lot of information from scrimmages, but does the "score" of a scrimmage tell you something about the regular season performance of your team?  I think the answer to that is no.  The simple reason being coaches are not coaching for the win in these scrimmages (nor should they be).  They are evaluating different players to see how well they execute.  Scrimmages help coaching staffs identify where the weak spots are, and what the team should spend more time on in future practices.  The "score" is virtually meaningless.

Amen! Spoken like a true champion who has discovered the source of real victory. The world needs more young men of this caliber on and off the field. Young men who have the capacity to elevate the game, not only with their athletic skill, but with the quality of their character as well. Young men who lead by way of example and demonstrate true sportsmanship. TITAN POWER the Pirates are fortunate to have you as a teammate.

[quote name="biaplayer" post="822327" timestamp="1280626372"] yes you are right incognito, jeff mathews is a class act and i was out of line for saying what i said and for that i do apologize,. I understand that you and your fellow pirate fans back your pirates just as i do my ndns.  I can honestly say that i was in favor of a coaching change here in Port Neches, we got one and i believe it was for the best, having watched a team which over the last 14 years with the exception of the dustin long era where we had a balanced attack,  both throwing and running the ball basically was pounding the ball up the middle and running sweeps and traps. I just hate seeing a team be one dimensional, to me it is alot more  exciting to watch a offense move the ball both passing and running not just run run pass  punt. With that being said i hope the pirate faithful accept my sincere apologies,  i was out of line and for that i am sorry. Looking forward  to  seeing  Vidor on the gridiron  this year good luck to the pirates. [/quote] biaplayer, your a gentleman and a scholar. Best of luck to your Indians.....except on Friday night October 29th :) :)

;D ;D ;D

[quote name="biaplayer" post="822154" timestamp="1280529059"] well to be honest with you im glad that vidor runs this horrible offense, we kept them honest and i know they didnt put up 330yards rushing agaist  my ndns. personally i think vidor needs to learn to throw the ball a lot more and maybe they start going to the playoffs, just a thought get a new coach! [/quote] You're mistaken in the type of offense that Vidor runs.  The Pirates run a Slot-T offense, not a Wing-T; there is a difference.  Your post is a good illustration of the old adage, "It is better to let people think you're uninformed than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."  And as for your tacky "just a thought" comment about getting a new coach, let me leave you with one thought...although I'm not so sure you have a place to put it, nevertheless here it is...Coach Mathews is an inspiration on and off the field.  He is loved by his team, and respected in his community; and despite the criticisms from small-minded people like yourself, he remains a class act.

[quote name="hardcore" post="821545" timestamp="1280353299"] I will start this thread off by saying to all of the those who oppose the success of Kirbyville and their hard work to reach this level. Kirbyville does not have to prove anything to anyone in Setex. The recent success speak for itself. I have no problem in anyone having an opinion about Kirbyville or clean fun comments but tag us as the bad guys because we support our culture of success is consider byass act toward our tradition. I supported WOS, West Brook, Central, and any team I consider Setex throughout the playoffs because I wanted a state tilte back in our area. I went against others who made poor comments about Setex teams in the past to help modify our rich tradition in setex. I will not support any future Setex teams again because of the byass nature against the wildcat squad. I will continue to support the wildcat pride and the pineywood area. I thought of Setex as a primary group (family) but I guess The Pineywoods are the stepchildren of Setex or consider the family when we are the only teams left in the playoffs. I say to all of the remaining wildcats fans; continue to support our great success and have no shame in defending our honor. I will continue to monitor the progress of pineywood area teams here, but will keep my comments factual and clean about other Setex teams for know on. To all Setex fans in order to get respect you have give respect.  Once again, thank you WOSgrad for your unbyass comments about the wildcats and your total devotion toward good leadership for people to follow. ;) [/quote] Yep too much yardage between the Goal Posts ???

[quote name="blackflag" post="821451" timestamp="1280335255"] You people are aware that Vidor does not run the Wing-T . Right ? [/quote] The slot-t is the wing-t on steroids ;)

I have heard from reasonably good sources that the student athletes who were considered a safe bet of testing negative seem to get "randomly" selected on a fairly regular basis.  I'm not alleging that this is typical of the way the tests are conducted, and this post is not an attempt to impeach the character of UIL or school officials.  I'm just a little muddy as to exactly what the protocol is in the testing program.  I would appreciate it if someone could clarify for me exactly how the students are selected for testing.  In other words, is the individual choosing the particular group of students an "impartial or neutral" third party, or is it someone who has a stake in the outcome?

I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that has touched this family. I pray that Gods tender love embrace them, His strong right hand uphold them, and that His Grace, Mercy and Peace sustain, protect and shelter them through this storm.

The pressure put on these kids to win from parents, coaches and the community is enormous.  Combine that with their inherent drive to compete and the persuasion of their peers, and you have a recipe for disaster.  Many of these kids dream of playing at the next level, and are trying to attract the attention of college recruiters and a chance at a scholarship.  They know the offers are limited and the competition is endless, and so they justify the use of steroids as a resource to aid them towards that goal.  In other words, the end justifies the means.  As parents, coaches, and mentors we have a duty to help our kids make good decisions.  We have a responsibility to impress upon them the fact that there are no shortcuts on the road to success, that easy street doesn't exist, that the only way to arrive at their goal is through hard work, self-discipline and a never-say-die attitude.  We need a game plan to tackle this challenge that confronts all of us who care about the future of our kids.  We must stay engaged, and be it through education, counseling, or testing, we have an obligation to present a unified front in combating steroid use among our student athletes.  That's my two cents.

We're set to kick off another great season of Texas high school football.  Summer workouts are wrapping up, two-a-days are right around the corner, and random steroid testing begins.  The UIL Anabolic Steroid Testing program is a state-wide random testing program that affects student athletes in grades 9-12 regardless of sport, gender or participation level.  The funding for the $1 million testing program was reduced by $250,000 this year in order to trim the budget.  Although some have championed the program, declaring it to be a deterrent, others are convinced it is a total failure, a complete waste of money and should be done away with entirely.  Since Feb. 2008, nearly 50,000 student athletes have been tested with only 20 confirmed cases of steroid use.  The steroid problem has certainly left its mark on the current era of sports, but is the use of performance-enhancing drugs widespread at the high school level?  At present the UIL only tests about 30% of Texas high schools.  Is that an accurate measure of steroid use in high school sports?  Should they test every student athlete?  Is that feasible, or would the price tag be too great for taxpayers, and what cost can we place on the health and future of our kids?  According to research, 60% of coaches think random steroid testing should be conducted in high schools, and 33% of athletic directors have suspected their athletes of using steroids.  So I propose the question to you, SETXSports, what do you think?  Is steroid use an issue in Southeast Texas high school sports? 

Vidor will definitely surprise a lot of people this year.  Obviously they're coming into this season with something to prove.  The first three games will be a good gauge of their overall talent, but my money's riding on the Pirates as the dark horse that just might break through the pack.

Real American Heroes...here's to the truly skilled people who play the game with their hands in the dirt...Today we salute you.

[quote name="RustedCutlass" post="813825" timestamp="1277017602"] Now, now, now. K-ville will probably win ... this year. But, it won't be because of speed. We play Central and our defense finds a way to compete with their speed every year. And they have more than one or two workhorses to consider. More to the tune of four or five that can take turns turning on the jets. And every year we give them a run for their money and scare the living beejezus out of them. Right Soulja1? LOL! No, our main problem this season, I'm afraid, will be moving the ball ... which will limit our scoring opportunities. Not saying it to dog our players. I'd never do that. Just considering the talk around town I have to be a realist ... even on here. But none of the talk really touches on defense, so we may still be as tough coming in this year. I'll have to wait until scrimmages to see that for myself though... [/quote] RustedCutlass when you write "our main problem this season will be moving the ball." I assume you're refering to the running game, in view of the fact that Matthews runs a slot-T offense, which is a run-heavy offensive system. If by "moving the ball" you're alluding to the passing game I will concede the fact that it is essential for Vidor to include the play-action pass in order to reduce the number of people the defense can put in the box. As for the running game I'm convinced we have a solid backfield capable of running the ball and moving the chains despite the fact that defenses know were going to run the ball. The slot-T is based on misdirections, quick pitches, crossbucks, counter traps, and zone blocking, and it all starts in the trenches with the offensive line. We have some quick lineman this year and they are going to be a huge factor in the Pirates success this season, while big and nasty is desirable, the good thing about the slot-T is that you don't have to maintain your block for that long, it's angle blocking, you just have to be quick to get to contact and hold your block for a second which is good because we're not going to overpower many people, but like they say "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog." the o-line may not be big but they will play big. As for "the talk around town" I know that fans in Vidor have been no stranger to disappointment, but we need to encourage and support these young men with our time, our treasure, and our talk.

I do enjoy reading Dave Campbell's magazine, however, I do it for entertainment purposes only.  Strictly speaking, there is only a loose correlation between his picks and the end-of-the-year position of high school football teams.  Preseason predictions are interesting, but at times are the equivalent of letting your little sister pick the winners by the color of their uniforms or maybe calling up Dionne Warwick's psychic friends network.  Believe me, I am in no way uniquely qualified to evaluate Dave's forecasting abilities, he does passably well, but as my old dad used to say, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then." 

The predictions regarding the Vidor Pirates vary widely this year.  The preponderance of predictions seem to place Vidor in the bottom of their district, some have even proclaimed that Vidor would not win a single district game, all this before the first scrimmage game has been played.  Despite all the premature prognosticators, questions exist concerning the Pirates and signs do point to a rebuilding year, but a rebuilding year doesn't necessarily mean a losing year.  One particular piece of the puzzle that is not a question mark is the backfield, although alot of their success hinges on that untested offensive line.  One certainty about this year's backfield is that they all possess speed.  Somebody on this forum posted that quick in Vidor doesn't mean quick anywhere else.  Well, the Bolinger kid who will very likely be the starting tailback this year runs a confirmed 4.5, that's quick for a sophomore no matter what high school he plays for, and barring any major injury he will simply get bigger and faster.  Although it is yet to be seen if this Pirate team can take it to the field and obtain success, I know that they will play for the love of the game, for the pride, honor, blood, sweat and tears it takes to earn the respect of their opponents on the field regardless of the final score.  I trust that they will exceed the predictions of the skeptics and live up to their own expectations and exhibit the nature of true champions.

;D This is my first time posting so first of all let me take a moment to say thanks for all the great posts that I've read over the last couple of years...Very entertaining and informing. Oh and the smack talk is great to. The moderators on this forum show great leadership in not allowing any post to denigrate a team or school, they do their best to promote and support Southeast Texas football. And for the less than 1 percent of you who tend to run off at the mouth when you post "denigrate" means put down. I'm Looking forward to a great season, best wishes to all the teams......GO VIDOR PIRATES.