22-4A District Champions

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

We are waiting on that LCM preview to be released tonight.

Quote from Living 4 Friday Nights

"They have a shot. You have to remember they have a new Coach who knows Football. David Williams was a good Coach it was just time for a change."

L4FN

The jury is still out on our change. It is obvious that as a varsity staff we have lost a step or two. Especially after our recent loss of three good coaches Theriot' date=' Foster, Pachuka. And possibly to soon lose one more. Have some kids leaving us for other schools too. Hope we can pull it together before August.[/quote'] Why are they leaving? Coach to rough on them?? !@#$ this is football he's supposed to be rough on them. The laid back days of the 80's and 90's are over. I hope they do well myself, give the coach a chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bearbooster]

L4FN

No one hopes they do well more than I.

Were you referring to the coaches leaving or the players leaving?

It is hard for me to admit it (and I hope I am wrong), but it could be more of the same for us this year and in the near future as well.

We are struggling a little right now in 7 on 7. I know that this is not an exact indicator of things to come, but when you can't beat the 3A's in 7 on 7 I think you might be in trouble against the 4A's when you put the pads on.

Things have not changed much for us. One guy insinuated that our kids are working harder than ever. I have had two kids go through here. One is finished and one is just getting started and it is not much different than before. They worked hard then (under the old coach) and they are working hard now (under the new one). People would like you to think that everything is different (better) now, but it is all just about the same.

The problem IMO at this point is with personnel. I am talking about playing personnel and coaching personnel.

We continue to lose players that could have been difference makers for us. Last year there was a great running back and a great receiver that both had played for us the previous season that had great years at WOS. A couple of this seasons probable starters have quit and another returning starting defensive player was released late in the year. The best sophomore running back is moving to Deweyville. The best freshman running back is moving to WOS. The 2 best sophomore lineman decided not to play. The best sophomore quarterback and another good sophomore lineman were lost to injury.

We must find a way to keep these kinds of kids or we will continue to struggle.

I personally think a start would be to keep the coaching personnel more consistent. About the time a kid connects with his "favorite" coach, like Coaches Theriot or Pachuka, they leave. This is a blow to a young kid who hangs his hat on working hard for these good men. Our athletic program has lost OVER TWENTY FIVE COACHES and some junior high volunteers (for a total OVER THIRTY COACHES) in the last two school years. This might be ok if we were replacing them with better coaches, but that is not always the case.. Some of them are impossible to replace with better people. They were as good as there are in Texas. ie Coach Randy Theriot.

Some on this list are HUGE losses to our kids. Some of them I don’t know enough about to comment on. I am also sure my list has some mistakes, but it was all I could come up with after making a few calls.

1 Josh Rankin vfb dc 04

2 Adam Pendergrass vfb

3 Robert Dean vfb oc 04

4 Terry Williams vfb

5 Dwight Bickham vfb

6 Chris Pachuka vfb oc 05

7 Doug Foster vfb dc 05

8 Randy Theriot vfb

9 Rick Dean vfb

10 David Williams vfb

11 David Shaw tr

12 Darren Fletcher svfb

13 Laurie Tsyuchia vb

14 Adam Powers gbb

15 William Douget jh

16 Robin Voss sb

17 Clayton Harrell jh

18 Leonard Bland jh

19 Amanda Hallman ten

20 Ralph Fields jh

21 Natalie Sarver vb

22 Robert Walker jh

23 Jennifer Knapp gsoc

24 Oliver Simmons vbb

25 Tom Wooley sb

26 Heather Jones jh

27 Larry Brister jh volunteer

28 Ryan Pickering jh volunteer

29 Trey King jh volunteer

30 Mike Prouse jh volunteer

31 Brandon Breaux jh volunteer

32 Nat Byerly jh volunteer

The question to be asked now is: Is the varsity football staff better after this two year period of turnover? The general consensus to that is no. The loss of the most recent three or four will be tough to overcome.

It was obvious to all this year that both junior high programs were negativley affected by the loss of three volunteers apiece.

IMO we might have taken one step forward and two steps back and I am not real sure about the one step forward part of that. I hope I am wrong. Time will tell. We want to be the sleeper this year if at all possible. We also want to be the favorite in future years if at all possible.

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

Very good post. It's hard to say what will happen. I know programs like Nederland and PN-G are good every Year but then again they've had the same Coaches for years. I like the fact that Coach Moody is starting with the Jr. High level. It will take time, I hope for nothing but the best at LC-M.

[WOS92]

Losing players to area schools is a problem that we all face. After all, let's not forget that Earl Thomas started out at WO-S, transferred to LC-M and then transferred BACK after his freshman year. JaCorey Walker, your leading rusher last year, was a transfer from WO-S to you guys. Earl has been with WO-S for the past two seasons. He was only at LC-M as a freshman. Both before and after that, he was a Mustang. Still, there have been countless players to leave the blue and silver to play for you guys, just as there have been vice versa. Somehow, coaches have to be able to overcome it. We lost a very good young back to Central last year. We lost several linemen due to the hurricane. But the players who remained continued to be loyal and to believe in what they were put there to accomplish. Losing a few players - even star players - shouldn't kill a TEAM. If the coaching has changed and the players are working hard, then where is the problem?

[use2baplaya]

The problem is that LCM was without a youth program for years. The in-coming Sophmore class will be the first ones brought up through or newly formed LC-M Junoir Leaugue Football program and it shows, these guys are good and excited about playing football. If you were to walk down the halls at LCM high you would be amazed at the number of huge kids not playing football, if we could get these guys on the field we would be able to stand toe to toe with anyone in the area.

[bearbacker09]

use2baplaya,

Aren't you one of those guys that we could use on the field? Some of those guys in the hall you talk about use2baplaya too!

I think that ya'll are talking about two different kinds of kids here. You are talking about kids that our team was never counting on and booster is talking about kids that our team was counting on this year and in the future.

[Guest GoStangs]

The problem is not one of athletes in your community, it's about an absence of community support and a history of underachievement. You certainly can't complain about the lack of youth programs, when your kids have at least the same opportunities as the kids who go to WOS, and there certainly isn't a complaint of football failure there. The talent pool in SETX is roughly the same no matter where you go, and it should be about equal in the same town; however, how it's utilized and groomed is another issue entirely. You all have failed miserably and consistently in those aspects.

The lack of confidence in coaching hurt you all, as did the low expectations placed on the football team year after year. If anything, Coach Moody brings a new hope, but unless your community does something to get behind the team, the coaches and players do their respective parts, the players start believing in themselves, and opponents respsect your potential, you will continue to find success is not soon to be achieved.

[KFDM COOP]

From what i've heard they've had a great Offseason. I think they may be able to surprise some people.

[bearbooster]

GoStangs

One of your components to succes that you list is "the coaches and players do their respective parts". That is where I am saying we are falling behind. Ours chance of winning goes down when our best coaches and players leave for other schools.

Another component of success that you talk about is "expectations". Lose enough good coaches and players to other schools and your expectations, in turn will drop.

I don't buy the talent pool thing either. I have lived here all of my life and even attended WOC as a child. WOS has had better athletes, period! Your claim that they are better "groomed" may be ture to some degree, but I truely believe this; Put David Williams, who had a couple a long playoff runs while at LCM football, in Dan Hooks shoes for the last thirty years and he would have been just as successful in that environment. I know that will be responded to with great vigor, but it is what I believe.

I am not saying that to toot David Williams horn or discredit Dan Hooks. What I am saying goes the same for ten other good head football coaches in this area. I almost would go as for to say if you had no head football coach and had the same players and coordinators as you have had, like Coach T and the others I could have won quite few football games.

Here is an interesting question for you gostangs. How do you think that same staff would have done over the years at LCM? I can predict your answer, so take it easy on me now. Do you think a couple of state titles would have been won with the kids we have had?

I do think this, your staff would remain consistant and cultivate relatoinships with kids that would keep them form leaving. I will give them credit for that. Those guys are good with people. I have known most of them all of my life.

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

I agree 100% with that post. WO-S has always had extremely good Talent dating back to the 1980's. You are correct on the talent level. What all players have left LC-M?

[WOS92]

The two transfers that were referred to early in this line of discussion were LaDarius White and Earl Thomas. As I pointed out earlier, Earl Thomas was a WO-S kid up until shortly before his freshman year, I think, when he transferred to LC-M. Apparently, he decided to come back home and returned to WO-S for his sophomore and junior seasons. LD came over last year. But let's not discount the kids who leave WO-S and become starters in green and gold, which also happens fairly regularly. The "word" has always been that the rigorous program at WO-S drives them away. I don't know that it's necessarily the truth - just what I've heard.

But I look at last year's bears roster and see some big WRs, an all-state-caliber TE, a highly-praised QB, etc. There is clearly talent there - including Jacorey Walker, one of our starters from the year before. There may be some difference in talent level (clearly you have no K. Beasley, but who does?) but not enough for the opposite ends of the spectrum at which these programs sit.

[Guest GoStangs]

GoStangs

One of your components to succes that you list is "the coaches and players do their respective parts". That is where I am saying we are falling behind. Ours chance of winning goes down when our best coaches and players leave for other schools.

Another component of success that you talk about is "expectations". Lose enough good coaches and players to other schools and your expectations' date=' in turn will drop.

I don't buy the talent pool thing either. I have lived here all of my life and even attended WOC as a child. WOS has had better athletes, period! Your claim that they are better "groomed" may be ture to some degree, but I truely believe this; Put David Williams, who had a couple a long playoff runs while at LCM football, in Dan Hooks shoes for the last thirty years and he would have been just as successful in that environment. I know that will be responded to with great vigor, but it is what I believe.

I am not saying that to toot David Williams horn or discredit Dan Hooks. What I am saying goes the same for ten other good head football coaches in this area. I almost would go as for to say if you had no head football coach and had the same players and coordinators as you have had, like Coach T and the others I could have won quite few football games.

Here is an interesting question for you gostangs. How do you think that same staff would have done over the years at LCM? I can predict your answer, so take it easy on me now. Do you think a couple of state titles would have been won with the kids we have had?

I do think this, your staff would remain consistant and cultivate relatoinships with kids that would keep them form leaving. I will give them credit for that. Those guys are good with people. I have known most of them all of my life.[/quote']

I believe the talent level is roughly the same, but the tradition and coaching at WOS has been consistently greater than most in this area for quite a while. I'm not saying that to be cocky, but the results speak for themselves.

I'll show you two examples to illustrate my point. Nederland, who was horrible before Larry Neumann, and Bridge City, who had equally bad teams during the 80s and 90s. They haven't seen a recent influx of naturally talented players that has made them consistently strong over the past few years; however, they have recently established a tradition of excellence and an expectation that they will have playoff bound teams -- and that's using the same quality athletes that they had before. The attitude prevails beyond the field house and into the community, and I think if you took a Larry Neumann or Tarver, they would be successful anywhere they go. The same is true of Coach Hooks, but yet to be seen with Coach Moody.

I think Coach Williams was a nice person who had two pretty good years, but he fell victim to whatever force held Rhodney Russell and Wozniak behind -- I don't know if that's low expectations, poor coaching, or a combination of both, but you can't say your community has only had one team in the past 10 years that has had the talent to make it into the playoff season and only two in the past 15 years to make it past the first round of the playoffs... You all didn't have lesser-quality athletes than everyone in the area -- all Orange County and Jefferson County teams have made it to the playoffs since 2000, except yours -- and, with an increasing enrollment, you certainly can't argue you didn't have the depth to compete. With that known, I think Coach Williams, given the same opportunity as Coach Hooks, would have turned WOS into what we know your program to be.

[bearbooster]

Although Earl Thomas actually played junior high and 9th grade football over here, (I think) let's leave him out of the equation. My earlier mention of the reciever really was not the focus of my complaint either. He was just one of many examples. It is the departure of about six or seven of our best young players from our program that I am discussing here and we simply must turn the tide on this or we will never get over the hump.

Yes we get some players that come this way, but don't even try and get me to believe we get the best end of that deal.

[bearbooster]

Quote from GoStangs

"but you can't say your community has only had one team in the past 10 years that has had the talent to make it into the playoff season and only two in the past 15 years to make it past the first round of the playoffs"

You can't say your community (WOS) had only one team in seven years (from 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004) that had the talent to make it past the first round of the playoffs.

So you are saying David Williams leading Cornel and crew would have led WOS football to it's demise? I don't buy it. GoStangs You could be the head football coach at WOS with that set of coordinators and keep it rolling over there couldn't you?

If your answer is yes, then your comments about David Willimas are out of line.

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

Yea, there's no question that WOS has had alot more Talent than LC-M. As for as Athletes there's no comparison. LC-M will get there though.

[Guest GoStangs]

You're right -- Coach Hooks has a tremendous support staff, which I consider the best in the state. However, Coach Hooks is not just a figure-head, and he does his share of work to make sure all is well-oiled in Mustang land. You may have forgot, but Coach Thompson and Foreman both had head coaching opportunities, and neither were as successful (strictly by the number of wins achieved) by themselves or together as when they were with Coach Hooks.

Hiring good assistant coaches and being able to work with those coaches are part of the game. You can't overlook that part of the equation. Put Williams, Russell, or Wozniak in charge at WOS, and I don't even know if the assistant coaches at WOS would have stayed or could have produced under them. It's all hypothetical, but I believe, with all of my heart, that a major difference between the two programs has been coaching, not talent level.

[Guest GoStangs]

Yea' date=' there's no question that WOS has had alot more Talent than LC-M. As for as Athletes there's no comparison. LC-M will get there though.[/quote']

How do you figure? You all have seen successes in sports other than football, and that requires at least some athletic talent... You have baseball, track, softball, golf, soccer, volleyball, and basketball athletes, don't you? I think you all competed fairly well in those sports.

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

You all? I mean Athletes in Football!! There's no comprsion in speed between LC-M and WOS.

[WOS92]

According to this thread, Whistle Britches says the bears have:

More than a dozen guys 4.6 or better, according to spring testing.

That sounds like plenty of speed to me. We know they always have size. Size+speed is a pretty good equation, isn't it? We've been a small but quick team for years. Maybe they just need the right person in place to help them utilize the tools at their disposal.

[bearbooster]

I can see that L4FN and myself are not going to be convinced today by GoStangs that LCM has had the athletes that WOS has had. You are entitled to you opinion and I respect that. You never replied regarding the seven years without the talent to make it past the first round of the playoffs. I thought that was good stuff, seeing that you brought it up.

[Guest Living 4 Friday Nights]

Someone from LCM posted they had several players that run 4.6 40's i believe. WOS has several that run 4.0 and 4.1 40's. GS would have to know that surely.

[bearbooster]

According to this thread' date=' Whistle Britches says the bears have:

That sounds like plenty of speed to me. We know they always have size. Size+speed is a pretty good equation, isn't it? We've been a small but quick team for years. Maybe they just need the right person in place to help them utilize the tools at their disposal.

Whistle Britches needs to get his stop watch and go time his son in the 40. Better yet let a friend do it. A father timing his son is about the same as a coach that wants fast times. Some of those kis under 4.6 were at world class speed. (4.3) Realistically my son is an average of between .10 and .15 slower than the time they got him at.

[piratefan]

I hate to burst your bubble But NO ONE runs a 4.0 in the 40..Not in high school....

[bearbooster]

Someone from LCM posted they had several players that run 4.6 40's i believe. WOS has several that run 4.0 and 4.1 40's. GS would have to know that surely.

4.0? Is that their 40 time or their GPA? Is a 4.0 or 4.1 possible in the 40? If so, I was unaware that there were any kids out there that could run those times.

[bearbooster]

There is no official world record for 40 yards.

The shortest distance that the IAAF, track and field's international governing body, recognizes for world-record purposes is an indoor 50 meters, or about 54 yards. It is 5.56 seconds and it was set by Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey in 1996. There is also a world record for 60 meters -- 6.39 seconds by American Maurice Greene in 1998.

But it is another Canadian, Ben Johnson, who is believed to have run 40 yards faster than any human in history. Johnson is best known for injecting copious amounts of steroids and winning the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in 9.79 seconds, only to have his gold medal and world record stripped after failing a post-race drug test.

Timing officials have since broken down that famed race into 10-meter increments, and Johnson was so preposterously fast that he went through 50 meters in 5.52 seconds and 60 meters in 6.37 -- both under the current world records at those distances. He went through 40 yards that day in 4.38 seconds.