Coach’s Words of Wisdom Part II
What did Coach Blue have to say about his team’s performance on Friday night?
The Knights push for the playoffs hit a speed bump on Friday night, as the Griffins of Glendale Prep defeated the Knights 42-7 in the Homecoming game. I recently caught up with the one and only Coach Blue to find out his opinions of the game on Friday night.
Q: What went wrong on Friday?
A: We weren’t executing on offense. The gameplan was perfect, and what we were trying to do was working. Simple things, catching the football, missing a block here and there, got away from us. The offense couldn’t maintain any drives, so our defense was on the field too long.
Q: The running game was so successful the week before, yet it wasn’t there this game. Why is that?
A: There were missed blocks here and there, nothing glaring. If one guy doesn’t do his job, it affects everybody. We tried to continue running the football, but we weren’t successful. Our game plan was to pass the ball this week. We found some holes in their pass defense, but we just couldn’t execute.
Q: What were the positive takeaways from this game?
A: One thing is that these guys continue to battle. They may be discouraged throughout the game, but they continue to battle. Immediately following this game on Saturday, going into this week, they have a different approach to practices; there is a sense of urgency. They feel like they let one get away.
Q: Turnovers were an issue. What are you working on to limit them going forward?
A: That is something we work on every single day in practice. Being a young team, that is something we’ll continue to work on. Even at the professional level, there are turnovers, so it’s something that never goes away. But we’ll keep working on it.
Q: I felt there were a few questionable penalties called. What was your opinion of the officiating on Friday?
A: In the heat of the moment, you try to get it corrected, but ultimately they can’t see everything. There are going to be some bad calls, and we try to stick up for our players, and then immediately move on to the next play because we need them to move on as well. I have yet to see a referee call back something they called wrong or are corrected by a coach. In the moment, we’re involved, we’re trying to win, we’re fighting for our guys, but ultimately, it’s part of the game. There will be some bad calls.
Q: Overall, do you think there was one thing you can point to or was it a combination of things that went wrong?
A: It was a combination of everything. One of our focal points going into this week was our receivers; everyone holds themselves accountable. Mark Chavez had a great week, especially watching film. He was putting the ball in good spots, but his receivers let him down. So they took it upon themselves to focus in, knowing they have a big game against Antelope.
Q: You’re now 0-3 at home. Do you think there’s any added pressure for the guys to perform well in front of the home crowd?
A: I think there is a little bit. I really felt it this week. I didn’t think that going into the game. I felt they were pressing, higher expectations putting up 25 points last week after not scoring, so they felt like they had to put up points. I think there was some pressure, but we’ve got them refocused on doing their jobs. I don’t think there’s pressure to do well at home, but more of executing and winning. I hope there’s no pressure, but instead, they’re just focused on the game.
Q: Do you think winning the week before may have led to overconfidence going into this game?
A: I think there was some of that, thinking they could just show up and get it done. With Homecoming and everything else going on as a distraction, I think they got into it. Being a young team, that is to be expected, regardless of how much the coaches emphasize we haven’t done anything yet, we haven’t achieved our goals yet. But, being a very freshman and sophomore-laden team, it kind of seeps in.
With the Homecoming game now in the rearview mirror, the Knights will turn their attention to Antelope Union High School, where the Knights will take on the 1-3 Rams. Be there at 7 P.M. at Andersen Jr. High School as the Knights will look to win their first home game and continue their push for the playoffs.
