Hull-Daisetta Bobcats

[oldschool2]

12 hours ago, jv_coach said:

Offended good

Awe...I think it's cute you may actually believe that I would be offended by something you posted. 

You must not have seen my other posts... No I just think it's funny that every time I even infer that a team is bad, I get jumped on from every direction (not that I care)...Yet you come on here and say a football team is "gay"..I believe that right...and not a peep is said.  Like I said, it's funny.

 

[oldschool2]

11 hours ago, H-D BOBCAT 55 said:

Yall seem to be missing the point and principle of the matter. Let me answer a few of your questions and break this topic down with facts, not assumptions.

Under the Barbay regime:

HD had over 50 kids show up for the first day of 2 a days. (Grades 9th-12th total)

HD had over 50 kids still participating at the start of the football season. JV & Varsity teams.  

 

Under the Slack regime:

HD had over 50 kids show up for the first day of 2 a days. (Grades 9th-12th total)

HD had over 50 kids still participating at the start of the football season. JV & Varsity teams. 

 

Under the Finney regime:

HD had over 50 kids show up for the first day of 2 a days. (Grades 9th-12th total)

HD had over 50 kids still participating at the start of the football season. JV & Varsity teams. 

 

Under the Hodges regimes first season:

HD had over 40 kids show up for 2 a days (admitted lower numbers). (Grades 9th-12th total)

HD had a mere 25 kids still participating at the start of the football season. No JV team.

 

Under the Hodges regimes second season:

HD had roughly 25 kids show up to 2 a days. (Grades 9th-12th total)

HD had roughly 20 kids still participating at the start of the football season. No JV team again.

 

Here are the numbers broke down per grades:

Available Freshman boys: 17 total, only 7 participated.

Available Sophomore boys: 20, only 8 participated.

Available Junior boys: 24, only 4 participated.

Available Senior boys: 28 only 8 participated.

That breaks down to 89 total boys available in grades 9th-12th, only 27 participated, with 62 choosing to not participate.

 

Now that we see the current regime, was handed basically the same ingredients the prior regimes had, why are all these kids walking away from the program. It's not uncommon to have a turnover rate, but not at this drastic of a number.

 

Now to answer direct questions: 

Scatright question: "If we keep a two year revolving door on the position, and keep running off coaches because they don't run the offense we think they should run, we will never achieve the level of investment that it takes to build a program".

You missed the point totally, it has nothing to do with an offense, it's all about having a future at HD for our kids. The number up top should be alarming for all true Bobcats. No JV for 2 seasons straight kills our future, and strips young kids of their reps to get better, along with enjoying the game of football. Most eye opening is why are our young children choosing to walk away... I hope HD has a JV this season, I hope HD has a winning season under Hodges. Realistically HD could go 2-8 again and have a third season with no JV team. Bottom line is, I want to see our kids excited again and chomping at the bit to play football, to enjoy life as a student athlete, making life memories.

 

Old school, at HD 27 kids total in grades 9th-12th coming out is very uncommon and unacceptable... Oh and Scatright, there is and will always be interest in Coaching at HD.

 

 

 

I

 

 

 

No...I believe you're missing the point.  Under those other "regimes" the school enrollment was higher.  Significantly higher.

Do me a favor, if you would.  Find out for me how many boys are playing football in the area schools near you.  West Hardin, Hardin, Liberty, Dayton, Kountze...then find out the total number of boys in the high school.  I think you might see that statistically HD is probably about where they need to be as far as participation.

Are you not seeing what I'm saying.  It's simple math... Higher enrollment=more kids playing. Lower enrollment=less.

You're saying there are 89 boys in high school...and you are expecting 50 to play?  That's over half.  You need to understand that that's fairly uncommon to begin with.

AND...you keep talking about these other "regimes" like they were the saviors.  You do realize I hope...that under the previous 2 "regimes", the junior high teams used 6th graders.  You do know why JH teams use 6th graders, don't you?  It's because of lack of participation or low numbers.  It's seems that everyone realizes that when those groups (that used 6th graders) got to high school, numbers would be down.  Everyone but you.  It's not the coach my man.  You guys are running out of kids...like we all said would happen.  Low enrollment + high band numbers = low football numbers.  Not hard to see.

I also seem to remember that your previous "regimes" had several transfers on the teams.  Y'all still have transfers?

[Scatright]

3 hours ago, oldschool2 said:

o...I believe you're missing the point.  Under those other "regimes" the school enrollment was higher.  Significantly higher.

Do me a favor, if you would.  Find out for me how many boys are playing football in the area schools near you.  West Hardin, Hardin, Liberty, Dayton, Kountze...then find out the total number of boys in the high school.  I think you might see that statistically HD is probably about where they need to be as far as participation.

Are you not seeing what I'm saying.  It's simple math... Higher enrollment=more kids playing. Lower enrollment=less.

You're saying there are 89 boys in high school...and you are expecting 50 to play?  That's over half.  You need to understand that that's fairly uncommon to begin with.

AND...you keep talking about these other "regimes" like they were the saviors.  You do realize I hope...that under the previous 2 "regimes", the junior high teams used 6th graders.  You do know why JH teams use 6th graders, don't you?  It's because of lack of participation or low numbers.  It's seems that everyone realizes that when those groups (that used 6th graders) got to high school, numbers would be down.  Everyone but you.  It's not the coach my man.  You guys are running out of kids...like we all said would happen.  Low enrollment + high band numbers = low football numbers.  Not hard to see.

I also seem to remember that your previous "regimes" had several transfers on the teams.  Y'all still have transfers?

Trust me, I absolutely hate agreeing with OldSchool, especially in matters involving HD, but he is right. I was a part of the first of those Barbay teams, and while we had a big turnout for 2-a-days, we ended the season with 16 players on varsity. I was also a part of a senior class that had 50 people in it, which means that we almost double the amount of senior boys you are saying are available today. That alone makes his point. Barbay and Slack also coached at HD when our enrollment made us a 2A (new 3A) school, and we were able to compete at that level. Slack ushered us into 1A (new 2A) when we were one of the biggest 1A schools in the state of Texas. Frankly, if there was a chance to return to glory, that was our chance. Those teams Slack had in our first two years of 1A were loaded, and we just missed our chance. I do not know how to verify your Finney summer numbers, but I find it hard to believe that Finney turned out 50 kids in his first year at the helm. Maybe the second year because the excitement over the close playoff game with Alto had grabbed a few outliers, but not that first year. Apart from the transfer of the Lavallais boys, that first year team was in deep trouble. Finney did a great job, but I also remember him dealing with several undisciplined knuckleheads that I believe Hodges would not allow to play for him. I have a cousin who was a JV player during the Finney years, and I remember him not having a game that often. The reason wasn't that we didn't have a team, it was because the other schools we were competing with didn't have a team. The Sabine Passes, High Islands, and Colmesneil's of the world couldn't get the numbers together to have a team. Truth is, the enrollment of those schools in 2012-2013 is close to what we are fielding now.

My question now shifts to your comment that there is and always will be interest in coaching at HD. I agree with you, there are always guys looking for that first head coaching job and they will apply. I ask you to go back in time with me to the resignation of Russell Roberts. We are talking 1997 (or somewhere in there). I was finishing up my freshman year, and I was very interested in who they were going to bring in to steer the rest of my high school career. They hired a defensive coordinator from Alto named Randy Copeland, and that was an excellent hire. He was a great coach, a better man, and led the only team out of HD to win a playoff game in recent history. He also hired Darrell Barbay to be on his staff, and that proved profitable because after two years when Copeland took the job at Arp, his predecessor was waiting and willing to take the reins. Barbay was the coach my senior year, and it was great. Barbay was there for several years before leaving for Anahuac, and the powers that be hired home town boy Joe Slack. This was a very anticipated hire and most everyone was excited about it. It didn't go as well as planned and he eventually moved on allowing for the hiring of Josh Finney. Finney came to HD because of his relationship with the Huckaby family and because, by most accounts, he had worn out his welcome in East Texas and needed a fresh start. He was/is a great coach and brought instant credibility to the program, but due to family tragedy (which only expedited the exit because everyone is aware he was trying to get back to ETX), after two years he was gone. After that there was a groundswell of support drummed up for the returning Coach Hodges and after missing out on the job when Finney was hired, he was handed the keys to the vehicle, and we are now two years in.

This is why I recounted all of that. You have to go all the way back to the exit of Russell Roberts to find the last time that someone with no ties applied and made the conscious decision to move their family to HD to pursue coaching football here. That guy was Copeland (although some could argue that he might have been persuaded by Lucky Gamble to accept the HD job that Gamble accepted, then turned down for Alto, when Roberts was hired) and since then it has been a slow progression to get to the place we find ourselves now. When both Finney and Hodges were hired, the finalists were not guys with pedigrees, they were guys looking for that first shot any way they could get it.

My point is, if Hodges leaves, what is our plan to get a better coach? This is a guy who was been a head coach before, been a coordinator at high level schools in the triangle. A guy who has history with the town and really desires to be invested in the kids and community. Who replaces that? There are no Randy Copelands or Darrell Barbays knocking on this door anymore. We will start from scratch with the next guy and just pray he is better. Giving Hodges the time he needs is what I truly feel is the answer, not running him out of town for the next guy.

Also, I hear there is an old coach from the 80's talking about coming back if this job opens. I know that some people truly love him, but he is not a better option than Hodges. These are just my opinions and I do not mean to be offensive or upset anyone but I just think that the approach being taken against Hodges is not fruitful, and this petition could really be something that comes back to bite the entire community and the football program.

[H-D BOBCAT 55]

10 hours ago, Scatright said:

Trust me, I absolutely hate agreeing with OldSchool, especially in matters involving HD, but he is right. I was a part of the first of those Barbay teams, and while we had a big turnout for 2-a-days, we ended the season with 16 players on varsity. I was also a part of a senior class that had 50 people in it, which means that we almost double the amount of senior boys you are saying are available today. That alone makes his point. Barbay and Slack also coached at HD when our enrollment made us a 2A (new 3A) school, and we were able to compete at that level. Slack ushered us into 1A (new 2A) when we were one of the biggest 1A schools in the state of Texas. Frankly, if there was a chance to return to glory, that was our chance. Those teams Slack had in our first two years of 1A were loaded, and we just missed our chance. I do not know how to verify your Finney summer numbers, but I find it hard to believe that Finney turned out 50 kids in his first year at the helm. Maybe the second year because the excitement over the close playoff game with Alto had grabbed a few outliers, but not that first year. Apart from the transfer of the Lavallais boys, that first year team was in deep trouble. Finney did a great job, but I also remember him dealing with several undisciplined knuckleheads that I believe Hodges would not allow to play for him. I have a cousin who was a JV player during the Finney years, and I remember him not having a game that often. The reason wasn't that we didn't have a team, it was because the other schools we were competing with didn't have a team. The Sabine Passes, High Islands, and Colmesneil's of the world couldn't get the numbers together to have a team. Truth is, the enrollment of those schools in 2012-2013 is close to what we are fielding now.

My question now shifts to your comment that there is and always will be interest in coaching at HD. I agree with you, there are always guys looking for that first head coaching job and they will apply. I ask you to go back in time with me to the resignation of Russell Roberts. We are talking 1997 (or somewhere in there). I was finishing up my freshman year, and I was very interested in who they were going to bring in to steer the rest of my high school career. They hired a defensive coordinator from Alto named Randy Copeland, and that was an excellent hire. He was a great coach, a better man, and led the only team out of HD to win a playoff game in recent history. He also hired Darrell Barbay to be on his staff, and that proved profitable because after two years when Copeland took the job at Arp, his predecessor was waiting and willing to take the reins. Barbay was the coach my senior year, and it was great. Barbay was there for several years before leaving for Anahuac, and the powers that be hired home town boy Joe Slack. This was a very anticipated hire and most everyone was excited about it. It didn't go as well as planned and he eventually moved on allowing for the hiring of Josh Finney. Finney came to HD because of his relationship with the Huckaby family and because, by most accounts, he had worn out his welcome in East Texas and needed a fresh start. He was/is a great coach and brought instant credibility to the program, but due to family tragedy (which only expedited the exit because everyone is aware he was trying to get back to ETX), after two years he was gone. After that there was a groundswell of support drummed up for the returning Coach Hodges and after missing out on the job when Finney was hired, he was handed the keys to the vehicle, and we are now two years in.

This is why I recounted all of that. You have to go all the way back to the exit of Russell Roberts to find the last time that someone with no ties applied and made the conscious decision to move their family to HD to pursue coaching football here. That guy was Copeland (although some could argue that he might have been persuaded by Lucky Gamble to accept the HD job that Gamble accepted, then turned down for Alto, when Roberts was hired) and since then it has been a slow progression to get to the place we find ourselves now. When both Finney and Hodges were hired, the finalists were not guys with pedigrees, they were guys looking for that first shot any way they could get it.

My point is, if Hodges leaves, what is our plan to get a better coach? This is a guy who was been a head coach before, been a coordinator at high level schools in the triangle. A guy who has history with the town and really desires to be invested in the kids and community. Who replaces that? There are no Randy Copelands or Darrell Barbays knocking on this door anymore. We will start from scratch with the next guy and just pray he is better. Giving Hodges the time he needs is what I truly feel is the answer, not running him out of town for the next guy.

Also, I hear there is an old coach from the 80's talking about coming back if this job opens. I know that some people truly love him, but he is not a better option than Hodges. These are just my opinions and I do not mean to be offensive or upset anyone but I just think that the approach being taken against Hodges is not fruitful, and this petition could really be something that comes back to bite the entire community and the football program.

Good post, I agree with 90% of it. The only part some folks are choosing not to address is the fact that the players were there, then they walked away(over 40 to 25)... Several students refuse to play for the current AD. I really wish it was just a few families crying wolf, but it's a high number of families. Maybe all those dozens of boys that walk the halls and chill ouside in the parking lot after school, will play ball this season. Maybe HD will win District or come close, maybe we win a playoff game. Scatright you definetly have drunk the same koolaid I did over 2 years ago, you are buying in. I'm sure a few folks close to the regime have nudged you a little. It seems you are very close minded on the subject, I hope after next season, you are singing the same song. IMO some of you should take the blinders off, spend some time at practices, visit with the former and present football players, talk with the parents, just listening will open the eyes of folks. Once football season gets going, it doesn't matter if 200 hundred folks signed a petition or what offense we run, myself and all true Bobcats will back any student athlete or MAN wearing the red and black. I personally hope I have to eat crow and Hodges gets our culture back. Many loyal HD Alumnus are closely watching... HD NATION!

 

P.S. If HD would have lost to WH last year, we would ALL be talking about who all has applied for the HD job...

[camsdad]

15 hours ago, H-D BOBCAT 55 said:

Good post, I agree with 90% of it. The only part some folks are choosing not to address is the fact that the players were there, then they walked away(over 40 to 25)... Several students refuse to play for the current AD. I really wish it was just a few families crying wolf, but it's a high number of families. Maybe all those dozens of boys that walk the halls and chill ouside in the parking lot after school, will play ball this season. Maybe HD will win District or come close, maybe we win a playoff game. Scatright you definetly have drunk the same koolaid I did over 2 years ago, you are buying in. I'm sure a few folks close to the regime have nudged you a little. It seems you are very close minded on the subject, I hope after next season, you are singing the same song. IMO some of you should take the blinders off, spend some time at practices, visit with the former and present football players, talk with the parents, just listening will open the eyes of folks. Once football season gets going, it doesn't matter if 200 hundred folks signed a petition or what offense we run, myself and all true Bobcats will back any student athlete or MAN wearing the red and black. I personally hope I have to eat crow and Hodges gets our culture back. Many loyal HD Alumnus are closely watching... HD NATION!

 

P.S. If HD would have lost to WH last year, we would ALL be talking about who all has applied for the HD job...

Why do the kids refuse to play for Coach Hodges?  Is he too tough on them or do they just not like discipline?  When my son played ball he could've cared less who the coach was, he just truly loves and enjoys the game and he still does. 

[H-D BOBCAT 55]

7 hours ago, camsdad said:

Why do the kids refuse to play for Coach Hodges?  Is he too tough on them or do they just not like discipline?  When my son played ball he could've cared less who the coach was, he just truly loves and enjoys the game and he still does. 

I think the proper question is, why do student athletes enjoy playing for Coaches? Or in this case, why did our players enjoy playing for prior staffs that were here?

The words fun, family and love come to mind. When human beings believe you care about them, they will run through a brick wall for you. I had a Coach in Russell Roberts who was able to master the art of "tough love", the problem some folks have is they forget the love has to come before the tough...

[camsdad]

15 hours ago, H-D BOBCAT 55 said:

I think the proper question is, why do student athletes enjoy playing for Coaches? Or in this case, why did our players enjoy playing for prior staffs that were here?

The words fun, family and love come to mind. When human beings believe you care about them, they will run through a brick wall for you. I had a Coach in Russell Roberts who was able to master the art of "tough love", the problem some folks have is they forget the love has to come before the tough...

Again, if you truly have a passion for something, you will let nothing stand between you and that goal. My son once had a coach that told him he was slow footed and wasn't going to make it. My son didn't listen. Today he plays college football.