“We didn’t get beat, we just ran out of time”…..
That was the word from my old summer football camp coach, John Cartwright, and it used to work.
Cartwright was the quarterback up at the Naval Academy and he followed Roger Staubach there, and after Staubach made his run for the Heisman Trophy, Cartwright was in consideration for the award as well, after he broke every record that Staubach had set, while at Navy….
Coach Cartwright was a believable fellow and I bought into his theory for many years, but have finally come to the conclusion that his assessment of the end results, another “L” up on the scoreboard, will not hold water in today’s society….
Try that speech for 10-11 weeks in a-row and the believablity rating will begin to plummet/drop about 10 minutes into week #1.
Today’s game is all about reality and real deal is, you need to seal the deal and get a few wins under your belt by mid-season, to keep the ole’ boat, in the proverbial water….
Cartwright was right in a way, his theory helped players overcome a feeling that they got their butts kicked, but if you can’t kick that losing habit, then you will eventually run out of time and your time will be over…..
If your team drops the opener this week, “Cartwright’s Plan” may get you through one night, but you better have some sort of Norman Dale speech(Hoosiers), back on the bus, or in the lockeroom and whip it out, before it gets too late…..
Games on the way this week:
Western at Northern
Eastern at Northwest
Southeast at Southwest
WS Carver at Dudley
WS Parkland at Page
Durham Hillside at Grimsley
Smith at HP Andrews
Ragsdale at Southern
HP Central at WS Reynolds
Games of the Week
Western @ Northern—-It will be great to see if Northern can compete at a high level without Keenan Allen on the field. Western has a huge offensive line and some quick RB’s behind it.
Carver @ Dudley—-Can Dudley win with all the injuries they are having? Word is Carver will not be a push over this season.
Smith @ Andrews—-Ahhhh Smith! They seem to be one of the favorites in the Triad area this summer. Smith is returning a ton of players and looked really good at their scrimmage this past weekend. If Smith can get out of this game with a W they should be a contender for the Metro.
HPC @ RJR——Both teams had a ton of success last year and are expecting more of the same this season. Will be great to see which one will step it up this Friday!
Can’t wait for the Friday Night Lights! Good Luck to all the teams this week!