Building Men for Others: Setting Goals

Yesterday's Freshman Tailgate Party was a huge hit.  Parents, coaches and players enjoyed the great food, drink and fellowship of building a football family.  A huge thank you goes out to you parents for all the great food and to Mrs. Phillips (Diego's mom) for the lumpia!  Yum yum.

Part of the mission for having the tailgate party was to give our young men a look at the next level.  What is it like to be a college football player and what is it like to participate in the college experience?

At 3:00, the Aztec team busses arrived at the stadium. Our team lined up at the on both sides of the Aztec Walk.  Cheerleaders and the Aztec drumline led the players and the coaches towards the stadium.  Our players exchanged high fives with the Aztec players and coaches.  It was electric and you could see the look on the player's faces how exciting it was to be a part of the Aztec Walk.

But that was only the beginning.  We lined up the players and took them not only into the stadium, but down onto the field for the Aztec pregame warm-up.

The players were in awe.  They looked at their particular positions that they play and watched the drills and team period.

I asked all the players the following question:  With hard work in the classroom and in the weight room, do you see yourself playing for a CIF Championship in the same stadium in next two to three years?  All of them responded yes.

It is going to take hard work and dedication to re-build our football program to where it was when I was a player and coach in the late 70's and early 80's.  It will have to start with discipline in both the classroom and in the weight room.  We have a lot of work to do as a staff and as mentors to our young men.  But it all begins with setting a goal.  Our players set their goal.  Now let's work to make that a reality.

I want to thank SDSU LB coach Kevin McGarry for getting our players down on the field.  It was a great experience for our players.  Coach Martinez and I like the event so much, we are looking to do it again next year!

Directions to La Jolla HS

Our next game will be on WEDNESDAY 11/9/11 at 2:30 pm at La Jolla HS.  This will be the last game for our mighty Patriots and we hope to end the season with a victory.

Directions to La Jolla HS:

N/B I-805 from I-8
W/B I-52 which turns into La Jolla Pkwy
Continue straight of La Jolla Pkwy which turns into Torrey Pines Rd.
Left or S/B on Girard Ave.
Right or W/B on Genter St.
Left or S/B on Fay
The football stadium is on the right hand side.

Our stands will be located on the west side of the field.  (The sideline closest to the ocean)

Dress warm.  It does get chilly there at La Jolla HS.

Tailgate for SDSU Game a GO!

Rain or shine, we will be in the area of E3 and E4 at 12:00 noon. 

Like I mentioned before, I will bring water and non-alcoholic beverages for the players.  I will set up three table for serving food and also have the PH Football pop-up for all to see.

I told the players to wear their green jerseys so we all look like a team.  I am looking forward to hanging out and getting a chance to meet all the parents and family members.  See you all tomorrow!

Scripps Ranch Falcons 29 Patriots 22

Perseverance.  Intestinal fortitude.  Never give in.  Never give up.  Those would be the words I would use to describe yesterday's heart breaking loss at Scripps Ranch as the Patriots fell short to the Falcons 29-22.

Early on, the Patriot running game was unstoppable.  But mental mistakes, penalties and fumbles took that momentum away and we opened the door for the Falcons to take a 21-7 lead in the 3rd quarter.

But the Patriots got the ball back as the defense stopped the Falcons and marched down the field to pull with in a TD.  The Patriot defense bent but did not break and they were able to get the ball back in the 4th quarter. 

Again, the Patriots methodically marched down the field and rushed for another TD.  An offsides penalty on the extra point against the Falcons moved the ball to the 1 1/2 yard line.  The Patriots took the ball and ran over C Blake Liscom, RG Brian Tran, RT Tre Tyler and TE Josh Pelloquin and converted at 2 point conversion to take a 22-21 lead with 5:00 left in the game.

Scripps took the ensuing kickoff and ran the ball going 60 yards in 3:00.  They eventually scored taking a 29-22 lead with 1:54 left in the game. 

Unfortunately, we fumbled the following kickoff as the ball took a really crazy bounce.  The players were down, dejected and were left with very little hope.  Then the impossible happened.  The Scripps QB fumble the snap and NG Ernesto Moya came up with the fumble recovery.  Right then, the mood changed on our sideline.  Players were jumping and cheering and we now have a chance to win the game.

Sixtyfive yard to go.  1:45 left in the game.  No timeouts.  We practice this scenario every week.  Our players went into the 2 minute drill.  It was a thing of beauty to watch.  The offensive line was, as we say, "FAT-tastic" and QB Cruz Samaniego took control of the game as the field general.

Priority #1: Catch the ball.  Pelloquin and WB Adrian Torres took passes from Samaniego and Jon Bergum for decent gains. 

Priority #2: Stop the clock.  Players moved the ball down the field and knew that time was of the essence.  They were all smart enough to step out of bounds after the gain and stop the clock to give us time to re-group.

Priority #3: Score. Once we got down to the 10 yard line, we were poised to score the go ahead TD.  Unfortunately, life is filled with tragedy.   We threw the ball and one of the Falcon's defenders reached up and grabbed the ball, one handed, falling on his back and thus ending any hope for the Patriots.

Life is not about winning.  Life is about Perseverance.  Intestinal fortitude.  Never give in.  Never give up.  I could not be prouder of how our players finshed that game coming from behind.  I hope you were too.

Directions to Scripps Ranch HS

Sorry for the delay...   I have been busy this week with various reasons.  My apologies to you all.

We play the Falcons at Scripps Ranch HS today (Thursday) at 3:30.  SRHS has a football stadium but only seating on the west end or home side of the field.  We hope to see you all there today!

Directions:
N/B I-15 from Friars road.
Exit Carroll Canyon Road
Right or E/B on Carroll Canyon Rd.
Left or W/B on Scripps Lake
Left or S/B on Treena.

Parking is on the right side of Treena.  The stadium is located behind the bungalows.

Tailgate Party Update

I ordered tickets and handed them out to the parents on Thursday.  If I did not get a chance to buy you tickets for the game, you can walk up and buy tickets are ticket window E at the stadium..  We are sitting in Plaza 26 rows 7 thru 13.

I will be setting up the tailgate at 12:00 noon just to hold down some spots for us. 

Coach Martinez and I have a friend who is the LB coach at SDSU. We are working on having our players and coaches down on the field during pregame warm-ups at the New Mexico game. So that means we will have to close down the tailgate around 3:45 or so in order to get the players down on the field. Unfortunately, parents won’t be allowed on the field. But our seats and up against the railing if you want to take photos of your sons. This ought to be a really positive experience for the players.

We will be hosting over 90 people. We will set up along the Aztec walk and will have the PHHS Patriot pop up tent. I will set up three serving tables to place the food on for your convenience.

Here is the breakdown on who is bringing what:

Drinks:
Dailey: Water and Gatorade

Appetizers:
Abate: Chips
Altmeyer – Bean dip and chips
Berkoben – Chips and dip
Griswold – Chips and dip
Reed – Veggie tray
Samaniego – Fruit
Unknown – Hot wings
Unknown – Pasta salad
Unknown – Fresh veggies and dressing
Unknowns – Fruit

Main Dish:
Armenta: Hot dogs and buns
Hernandez - Fried rice, pork menudo and lumpia
Nygaard – Pasta salad
Tarantino – Pasta
Torres – Italian sausage
Tyler – Macaroni salad
Ybarrondo – Pasta Salad

Dessert:
Altmeyer – Cookies and brownies
Fiato – Cookies
Kurz – Brownies
Patrick – Chocolate chip cookies

Freshman Football Banquet Money Due on Friday 11/4/11

To print out a flier for the 2011 Freshman Banquet, you can click onto the following link:

http://www.phhsfootballboosters.com/2011-banquet-info.html

Here is the information the Booster Club has for you in regards to the banquet:

WHEN: Tuesday November 15th
TIME: 6:30 pm
WHERE: Patrick Henry High School Cafeteria


Hunter’s Steak House
Tri-tip Steak/ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, Salad, Garlic Bread, Dessert and Drinks


All players that have purchased a spirit pack, your player ticket is included.

All players that paid the full price of the spirit pack and we owe you for the ASB card, 1 (one) extra ticket is included.

The cost is $25.00 per ticket

Due No Later Than Friday, November 4th
 
Remember to check on the web site for any changes or updates!

Player Name: _______________________  Jersey #: _______
Home Phone: ___________________
Parents Name: ______________________________________
Number of Tickets Ordered: ______________________

Please make checks payable to: PHHS Football Boosters
 
Any questions: Contact Jill Pankow at: jills91163@yahoo.com