Is this the week??

[IsoSauce]

Livingston vs Huntington..........Could there possibly be a more exciting game in the state this week?? J/K, I'm wondering if Livingston avoids the 0'er this season and picks up

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here. I don't think I've ever seen a school the size of Livingston lose as much or as badly as they seem to do week in and week out. I was down that way back when Rowe and his staff had them pretty competitive, and to see a team that has fallen off so far and fast is very sad. I didn't know Rowe, but I know several of his assistants and I know many of them have moved on to very good programs across the state (Nacogdoches, Liberty, Kilgore, Carthage, Woodville, and College Station) just to name a few that i still keep in touch with. Rowe had a heck of a coaching tree, and to see where some of those guys are now, and compare that to where Livingston is now is just mind blowing. I truly wish the Lions the best, and hope they can find some success. i lived there for 5 years so I'll always have a soft spot for them.  Are there even any Livingston fans on here to offer their perspective?

[Bulldogs92]

I know there are a few Lions fans on here, but as you would expect, they're quiet. Before last Friday, they had beaten Jasper four straight times and it's never good to see a program struggle like they are right now. I think they'll beat Huntington, but it'll be close and sloppy. 

[PlayActionPass]

1 hour ago, IsoSauce said:

Livingston vs Huntington..........Could there possibly be a more exciting game in the state this week?? J/K, I'm wondering if Livingston avoids the 0'er this season and picks up

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here. I don't think I've ever seen a school the size of Livingston lose as much or as badly as they seem to do week in and week out. I was down that way back when Rowe and his staff had them pretty competitive, and to see a team that has fallen off so far and fast is very sad. I didn't know Rowe, but I know several of his assistants and I know many of them have moved on to very good programs across the state (Nacogdoches, Liberty, Kilgore, Carthage, Woodville, and College Station) just to name a few that i still keep in touch with. Rowe had a heck of a coaching tree, and to see where some of those guys are now, and compare that to where Livingston is now is just mind blowing. I truly wish the Lions the best, and hope they can find some success. i lived there for 5 years so I'll always have a soft spot for them.  Are there even any Livingston fans on here to offer their perspective?

Rowe had some great staffs, that is for sure. He some how convinced some of the best coaches around to go to Livingston and that is why they were as good as they were for 10 year (oh, a few athletes also helps).

Now as for this game, this week, this will mark the lowest point in Livingston Football history if they lose. And they very well might.

[LionBacker99]

There are still a couple of us Lions that like to read through the comments, but as you can imagine we don't have to much to say. As much as I hate to say it, our program, at least at the varsity level, is about the worst I've seen. Its just awful. To me, it looks like our kids try their best, and I can't say I've seen them through in the towel any game, but we just don't have any size, speed, or frankly talent outside of a couple kids. The culture in Livingston is one of the biggest problems in my opinion. We don't breed winners over here. The kids aren't expected to win, and honestly it looks like we don't know how. For the sake of the players I hope they can this week and maybe get some momentum rolling. Coach Vanover and his staff seem like they're giving everything they've got, but with what we've got right now I don't think there is a recipe for success. I've heard our freshman team has been looking pretty good, so maybe in a couple years we can get back to being some contenders, but for now we're just looking for a win. 

[Lionfootball6]

I graduated from Livingston in 2017 and from my point of view from being on the team it’s hard to win when the players aren’t shown actually how to play to game! Yes we were taught on how to do the plays and all that but most of the kids didn’t know the basic fundamentals of football! We didn’t have the morning workouts like winning programs do! We don’t have specific things that we go through each season to make us better and most importantly there is absolutely NO CULTURE! We went 5-5 in 2016-2017 but that’s nothing special but was a upgrade from the 1-9 and 2 2-8 seasons! Then going to 0-10! We had the coaches without a doubt, the players are what made us have the records we had! It sucks seeing Livingston in the spot they’re at right now but it’s strictly on the players! And most people think Vanover is going to change the way Livingston is, and they’re hopefully right BUT, it’s not going to happen in 1 year, especially with Livingston! But I say 28-14 Livingston wins against Huntington!

[PlayActionPass]

On 9/27/2018 at 10:45 PM, Lionfootball6 said:

I graduated from Livingston in 2017 and from my point of view from being on the team it’s hard to win when the players aren’t shown actually how to play to game! Yes we were taught on how to do the plays and all that but most of the kids didn’t know the basic fundamentals of football! We didn’t have the morning workouts like winning programs do! We don’t have specific things that we go through each season to make us better and most importantly there is absolutely NO CULTURE! We went 5-5 in 2016-2017 but that’s nothing special but was a upgrade from the 1-9 and 2 2-8 seasons! Then going to 0-10! We had the coaches without a doubt, the players are what made us have the records we had! It sucks seeing Livingston in the spot they’re at right now but it’s strictly on the players! And most people think Vanover is going to change the way Livingston is, and they’re hopefully right BUT, it’s not going to happen in 1 year, especially with Livingston! But I say 28-14 Livingston wins against Huntington!

Who do you think the best coaches in Livingston were when you were there?

[IsoSauce]

I actually talked to one of the coaches i mentioned above last night. He said when he was there, the biggest problem in Livingston was the parents thinking their 15-18 year young MEN were still their little babies. He told me a particular story about a mom who came up to the school livid that they had to run 10 40's after practice. He said her exact words were, "This ain't the NFL, you coaches should know better." Obviously it was dismissed pretty quickly by the school, but that was one of several incidents he said happened while he was there. 

Another one in particular he mentioned was another coach was called in because there were two parents in the front office complaining about the language a coach was using towards their kids. Thinking the coach must have cussed the kids out or something, they set up a meeting. The parents were upset because the coach used this exact wording. "You guys are varsity defensive linemen. You need to suck it up and man up, otherwise, you're going to get embarrassed Friday night." 

I honestly thought he was making those two stories up just to mess with me, but there were several more that were just mind-boggling. The school obviously backed the coaches in these incidents, but just having to put up with that crap it's obvious why they would all leave. With that kind of community support, I see now why Livingston will never be good at anything. I feel bad for the few that do want to compete, and being in Livingston, it's not like there are a whole lot of options close by as far as schools go that they could go to.

[Guest ECBucFan]

12 minutes ago, IsoSauce said:

I actually talked to one of the coaches i mentioned above last night. He said when he was there, the biggest problem in Livingston was the parents thinking their 15-18 year young MEN were still their little babies. He told me a particular story about a mom who came up to the school livid that they had to run 10 40's after practice. He said her exact words were, "This ain't the NFL, you coaches should know better." Obviously it was dismissed pretty quickly by the school, but that was one of several incidents he said happened while he was there. 

Dang! Just think if he had been at Hamshire-Fannett!

[PdaddyBball]

So reading through the what makes a good football program thread, how does Livingston get better? I know that there are other struggling programs too around SETX, but Livingston is a larger sized school than some of the struggling 2a and 3a schools. What needs to happen to get those kids to thrive and perform?

[The Icon]

1 hour ago, PdaddyBball said:

So reading through the what makes a good football program thread, how does Livingston get better? I know that there are other struggling programs too around SETX, but Livingston is a larger sized school than some of the struggling 2a and 3a schools. What needs to happen to get those kids to thrive and perform?

Update Facilities

Garner community support

Administration needs to make it a priority

If the administration and the community don't make it a priority, then who will?

[MBaller#1]

I’m a tigers fan but I remember when Livingston Had that powerful team can’t remember what year but those three Diebo running backs and that offense was tearing everybody up sometimes the talent pool runs really low and it doesn’t help that the lions have been between 4a and 5a but the talent will come back around like Jason Garret said (lol) keep scratching and clawing and keep working it will pay off

[BMTSoulja1]

Livingston had a good team with an exceptional QB, Dustin Harris that single handedly embarrased Central in the district title game.  Went on to play at UT.  He was a senior in 2008 I believe...  That Livingston team was nice.  

Couple of years later between 2010-2012, they had a great wave of talent come through.  They had a senior 'Bull' Mayes and a sophmore Collins (the Athletic QB) and I believe they went on to tie for the district title.  Both teams were 4a (then, there was no 6a in 2008) and 5a for the second team I mentioned.  

Anyway, just amazes me that great talent like this just disappeared with no trace.  Funny.  The dissipation of talent in Livingston is equivalent to the 'departure' of the old coach, Rowe....

[LionBacker99]

Those were the last 2 really good groups we had. Dustin went in to play corner and was a return man at Texas A&M, and one season I believe he led the NCAA in yards per return. Collins and Mays played together one year, but it was Mays’ senior year and if I remember correctly he went out for the season about midway through with an injury. And Collins was our QB that went to UT, although I don’t think he ever played there. And I wouldn’t say the talent left with Rowe- his last season here went 1-9 in 4A. In my opinion he left when the talent left. He got off the ship before it sunk. I think Broussard did a lot of good things to try to get Livingston back on track, but between the kids, parents, administration, and school board, I don’t there was much he could do. Vanover is proven to be a successful coach, and he’s trying to figure out how he can get Livingston to become the type of program he’s familiar with running. The only thing is, I think he knows he has a lot of work to do. But I’m all in for anything he thinks is good for the program and he has my support for sure.

[prepballfan]

On 9/26/2018 at 11:23 AM, PlayActionPass said:

Rowe had some great staffs, that is for sure. He some how convinced some of the best coaches around to go to Livingston and that is why they were as good as they were for 10 year (oh, a few athletes also helps).

Now as for this game, this week, this will mark the lowest point in Livingston Football history if they lose. And they very well might.

Rowe's lineage was from the PNG coaching tree

[scat_trap]

On 9/27/2018 at 10:45 PM, Lionfootball6 said:

I graduated from Livingston in 2017 and from my point of view from being on the team it’s hard to win when the players aren’t shown actually how to play to game! Yes we were taught on how to do the plays and all that but most of the kids didn’t know the basic fundamentals of football! We didn’t have the morning workouts like winning programs do! We don’t have specific things that we go through each season to make us better and most importantly there is absolutely NO CULTURE! We went 5-5 in 2016-2017 but that’s nothing special but was a upgrade from the 1-9 and 2 2-8 seasons! Then going to 0-10! We had the coaches without a doubt, the players are what made us have the records we had! It sucks seeing Livingston in the spot they’re at right now but it’s strictly on the players! And most people think Vanover is going to change the way Livingston is, and they’re hopefully right BUT, it’s not going to happen in 1 year, especially with Livingston! But I say 28-14 Livingston wins against Huntington!

I'll go a step further.  Where is the accountability at home coming from?