Finishing 2nd....and 1st?!

Midland ISD held the seventh grade boys basketball tournament to decide the city camp this weekend. My school, San Jacinto - which is named for the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution - had 3 teams in the tourney. During the regular season my team finished 8-2 and took 3rd in league. The other teams finished 10-0 and 4-6. I had the 3rd seed in the tourney which gave my team a long shot in making it to the championship. We took our first two games by 20 points and were playing lights out. Those wins game my team a shot at playing a revenge game against a team that beat us by 3 points in December. My team was considered by many to be a long shot at the beginning of the year. But I had faith. Again, even after an 8-2 season we were considered to have no chance. Guess again people! This morning, my boys took on the team with two 6 footers. It was a gave they were not susposed to win but that is the beauty of sports. To make the long story short "that team" got run out of the building as we won by 12, 40-28, to advance to the championship 2 hours later.

Unfortunently they came up short losing by 6 after a furious 4th quarther finish in which we outscored them 12-4. Call it a combination of being tired from the first game and full from all the crap they ate between. Anyway, at least we lost to the other team at my school - a team in which I had just as much a part in coaching as my own. Therefore this second place finish also netted me first! =)

Lettermen?!

This past spring I was presented with a gift from my Grandmother, my late great uncle's lettermen's jacket from Washington State University. My uncle Joe played football for the Crimson n' Gray during the mid 1950s. Megan and I are the only two in the family other than my uncle to have graduated from WAZZU. I was honored to receive the jacket and it finally has a perminate place in our home.


On each side are mine and Megan's diploma. I have another in the form of a Masters degree but have yet to purchase a frame.

Now I remember why...

...I never picked up the carpenters pamphlet at career day!

Megan and I are finally getting around to putting pictures on the our walls. The reason - we have been busy painting, sanding, and tearing up carpet. Not to mention coaching and everything that goes on with that. Anyway, first I had to sand down the walls in the kitchen (about 4 months ago) and the dining area (Sunday afternoon). Then I filled in the holes with spackle. After that the walls were ready for primer. If you haven't used primer before the smell is awful. After that a coat of yellow and then a second coat and what you have is what is above.

West Texas Cougs!

Crimson & Grey aren't your typical West Texas colors. Yet...Megan and I aint your typical Texas transplants either! Check out our new look for our front room - was brown....yuck! Jazlynn enjoys her lunch. And Wyatt gets and early start on his football career.

Yeah Man!

My Football Team

I have been so busy over the past 4 months, with good reason obviously, that I never really wrote about the boys I coached this year during the football season. The way it works is that seventh grade has three teams; two "A" teams and one "B" team. The B team is basically made up of kids that have little to no experience playing football or kids that are still developing physically. In Midland they basically call these kids the "scrub team." Additionally, the B team is the only seventh grade team with two coaches. Since this was my first year I was assigned the B team with a coach that knows nothing about football. The odds, needless to say, were against me.

We started the season 0-4, scoring only one touchdown during that span. It wasn't that my kids were bad or that the other teams were just that good; they just would not play as a team. After the fourth loss my quarterback came to me after and said that several kids on the team were blaming him for the team playing so poorly. This is were I grew up a bit and became the coach that I always knew I could be. After confronting my team, as well as the other two, it was amazing to see the difference in attitude on the team. They knew that I wasn't going to put up with their garbage. They either come together as a team or sink as individuals. Our fifth game of the year was an exciting one. After a scoreless first half our opponent scored to open the second. However, it should have been called back for a false start. The officials for Junior high are not the best. My boys got the ball back however and scored on a beautiful 60 yard run. However, unlike the other team my boys were flagged for a bogus penelty. That is when I lost it. I got into it with the official and was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. That put my kids in a hole, 4th and 30. So I called the same play and surprise it went for a first down. That drive ended in a touchdown and 2-point conversion. The game ended in our first win, mine best moment in coaching. My boys then won their final two games and ended the season 3-4, the most improved team in all of Midland. Proud of it - you bet; but even more proud of my boys.

New Favorite!

Wyatt has learned a new word, "FAVORITE." So today I asked him a question after he said something was his favorite or "bavorite" as he says.

Wyatt: Pince Aspian my bavorite (Prince Caspian is my favorite)

Daddy: What about me? Am I your favorite?

Wyatt: Yep, you my bavorite (favorite)

Mommy: Am I your favorite?

Wyatt: Nope!

Daddy: LAUGHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!