Patrick Henry Freshman Football

Building Men for Others: Setting Goals

2011-11-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-11-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-11-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

2011-11-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

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

Building Men forn Others: Alma Mater

2011-10-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Several parents have commented that they like to see the players do the alma later after each of our games. But what led to us doing the alma mater?

Webster's Dictionary defines the word Alma Mater as: 1) The school, college, or university that one has attended. 2) The anthem of an institution of higher learning.

Patrick Henry is my alma mater. I take great pride in graduating from our school. As a young boy, I followed Patrick Henry Football and I looked up to them while I played Pop Warner football at Alvarado. I followed their championship runs in the mid 70's and I looked forward to playing at Patrick Henry.

Once I got to Henry as a student/athlete, there was a tradition after every game for the players to stand in front of the band, with our helmets off. The band would play the alma mater and everybody (fans and players) would sing the alma mater. Win or lose, we would stand in front of the band and pay homage to the band and to Patrick Henry High School.

When I returned to coach here in 2009, I was up in the press box for the Varsity Homecoming game. The game started with a young man singing the alma mater. I sang along with him... But nobody knew what the song was or what the words were. How sad.

I am proud to have Patrick Henry as my alma mater. So I took it upon myself to change the culture of Patrick Henry Football. I taught last year's Freshman team how to sing the alma mater. We finished the season with a win over Hilltop HS for the last game of the year. After the game, our players sang the alma mater and took great pride in being from Patrick Henry.

I have done the same for this year's team. I want the players to take great pride in being from Patrick Henry. The alma mater is our version of the Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem.

So this week, I have been singing Mira Mesa's alma mater. Our players got together and began to sing the Patrick Henry alma mater as to drown me out. They do take pride in their school. They know what school spirit is all about.

ON OUR CITY’S EASTERN BORDER

MIDST THE HILLS AND THE SKY

HOME OF THE VALIANT PATRIOTS

PATRICK HENRY HIGH.

IN OUR MANY HALLS OF LEARNING,

ON OUR FIELDS OF PLAY,

GOALS OF EXCELLENCE AND HONOR

ALWAYS LEAD THE WAY.

AS WE MARCH ALONG TOGETHER

LET’S BE BRAVE AND BOLD.

ALL HAIL TO PATRICK HENRY HIGH SCHOOL

HAIL TO THE GREEN AND GOLD.

1979 Patriots

2011-10-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Players have been asking what year I graduated from Patrick Henry in the hope to look for photos of me. I graduated in 1980 and played on the 1979 team. We were ranked #2 in the County and were Eastern League Champs that year beating Mira Mesa, Pt. Loma, San Diego, Clairemont, Madison, Kearny and Morse in League play.

Here is a photo of me (#78) blocking for QB Scott McKee, who was voted all CIF that year. Enjoy

Directions to Mira Mesa HS

2011-10-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

We play this Thursday at Mira Mesa HS. This is always a big game so we hope to see all of you at the game on Thursday. Kickoff is at 4:00 pm.

Coach Armenta will take the players on the bus. I will be at the school at 2:15 to pick up any stragglers that were not allowed to leave their classes early by their teachers.

Directions to Mira Mesa HS:

N/B I-15
Exit Miramar Rd.
Left or W/B on Miramar Rd.
Right or N/B on Camino Ruiz
Right or E/B on Mira Mesa Blvd.
School parking lot and football stadium on the right.

Grades Are Posted

2011-10-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Grades came out on on Friday. Unfortunately, some of our Student/Athletes did not make the CIF mandate of a minimum 2.0 GPA in academics and citizenship.

All year long we have emphasized our priorities in life: Faith, Family, School and then Football. We have made it the responsibility of the student-athlete to take care of their grades. If they needed tutoring during practice, I would allow our players to meet with their teachers instead of attending practice. It is their responsibility of maintaining eligibility, not the coaches and not the parents.

For those players that did not make the grades, I will be collecting their gear. CIF rules prohibit those players that are ineligible to travel with the team on the bus and from being on the sideline for the games.

St. Augustine Saints 13 Patriots 40

2011-10-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

Three words can describe this week's game against the Saints: Preparation, coaching and execution. Our team prepared well all week in practice and studied the tendencies of what the Saints do on offense and defense. The coaches emphasized the strong points of the Saints and worked hard with the players to put together a plan of attack. As a coaching staff, we tell our players the field is theirs and it is up to them to execute the gameplan.

All of that came together and the Patriots got back into the win column with a 40 -13 win over the Saints. I challenged the offensive line to take the game on their shoulders and carry the team for the remainder of the season. Melvin Mora, Chris Berkoben, Blake Liscom, Brian Tran, Nick Coffey and Josh Pelloquin anchored a running attack that was beautiful to watch.

The Patriot defense played well. All week long we emphasized what the Saints do according to formation and with down & distance. Jack Kurz and Brandon Brooks came up with big plays in big situations. And if you hear us on the sideline yelling "WHOOOOOOOS", that is for safety Eric Hus whenever he makes a tackle. (BTW, I am the president of the Eric Hus fan club)

A lot of the credit to our success is due to the hard work of the coaches and the manner in how we prepare the players each week. With playing below our expectations the last two games, our coaches were upbeat and positive in rebuilding the confidence of the team. We adjusted our practice schedule to be more competitive and work on the basics.

I also want to congratulate Coach Armenta on his first victory as a head coach at PHHS. He did a great job getting the team ready for the game.

Next week we travel to Mira Mesa to play the mighty Marauders of Mira Mesa HS. This is an Eastern League rivalry that started my senior year back in 1979. The Marauders have been a dominant force for many year and it will be a good gauge to see how far we have come as a team.

Freshman to Play at La Jolla HS

2011-10-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Patriots last game of the season was supposed to be against the Lincoln Hornets. The Hive does not have a Freshman team this year so Coach Jacobacci and I were looking were looking for a replacement game.

Well, we found one. We will be travelling to La Jolla High School on Wednesday November the 9th for a 3:00 game against the Vikings. The reason we play on a Wednesday is because Varsity and JV have to play on Thursday. Friday is Veteran's Day and a school holiday.

So mark your calenders and make it out for the last game of the season!

Tailgate Party: SDSU Aztecs vs. New Mexico Lobos 11/5/11

2011-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

I will be planning a tailgate party for the team and their families as the SDSU Aztecs as they take on the New Mexico Lobos at the Q. The date for that game is Saturday November 5th with Kickoff at 5:00 pm.

I want to get a head count and see how many tickets we need to get. Once I get the head count, I will call the Aztec ticket office and see what kind of pricing I can get for a group. Deadline for the will be this Thursday. I want to call the Aztec ticket office on Friday this week. E-mail me at: ldailey@pd.sandiego.gov to let me know how many in your family will be attending.

Once I get the ticket prices, I, LeRoy K. Dailey, will collect the money and buy the tickets. I will separate the tickets by family or player and hand them out the following week. It looks like group tickets will cost $10 each.

I want to make this event a potluck. I will set up 3 large serving tables and provide the paper plates, plastic silverware, paper towels, sodas and water. (BYO adult beverages for you adults). I will pass out a sign-up sheet after the Saints game to see what you folks want to bring.

I also want to have all our players and fans to be a part of the Aztec Walk before the game. The Aztec Walk is something you have to see and experience. The buses for the SDSU team park at the west end of the stadium. Fans, alumni and students form two columns for the players, cheerleaders, band, coaches and yes moms, Monty Montezuma to walk through all the way to the stadium. Fans start routing for the Aztecs and players engage in high fives with the fans.

I think it would be a great college experience for our players to see and be a part of.

Directions to Saints Game

2011-10-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Patriots will try to get back on track as we travel to St. Agustine HS for a Friday tilt against the Saints. Once again, we are playing this Friday, not the usual Thursday game. Kickoff is slated to be at 3:30.

The stands at Saints are few. I suggest that you bring a beach chair and sit along the track to watch the game like we did for the Green and Gold Scimmage.
Directions to St. Augustine HS is as follows from PHHS:

W/B I-8 from College
S/B I-805
Exit University Ave in the left hand lane of the exit.
Stop at the Stop Sign to goes straight onto North Park Way.
Straight or W/B on North Park Way
Left or S/B on 32nd St.
Left or E/B on Palm St.
The football field will be on the right hand side.

Dons 56 Patriots 14

2011-10-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Our players ran into a buzz saw yesterday and that buzz saw was the Dons of Cathedral Catholic HS. We came out on the short end of the score 56 - 14.

It was a total team collapse and as the head coach, I will assume the responsibility of the lack of performance by our Patriots. Offense, defense, special teams and coaching all played a part in our loss. But there was a ray of hope. Something positive to build on... Our team did not quit. There are several individuals that began to pout and get upset over the outcome of the game. But for the most part, our players were competing to the very end of the game.

Tre Tyler earned his way onto the field by giving a good effort at DL. Nick Patrick made a nice sliding catch from the WR spot and backup QB Cody Beltz threw a great pass to 1st string QB/WR Cruz Samaniego to put into scoring position.

That game is behind us now... There is nothing more we can do about the outcome. We now need to focus on Saints. This will be a test of the character of our young men. Will they fold or will they shine through like I know they are capable of doing? Only time will tell. WE will continue to love our players and point them in the right direction.

As for my announcement in stepping down as head coach, I hope you all understand that it is for the good of the program. MY job has been to coach the coaches and prepare my team. This is an excellent opportunity to see what my staff and Coach Armenta are capable of doing in my absence. I will still remain with the team to handle administrative and parental communication duties through the end of the season.

The one thing I have learned over the years of coaching is that if the bond of trust between coaches and players is solid, that is a bond that nobody can break. I trust my coaches to do what is right for our players. And I know my players feel the same way. They know I love them. I know they love me.

I want to thank all of you fans, parents and family members for your support of the Patriot Henry Football Program and more importantly, for making me feel like a part of YOUR family.

Directions to CCHS

2011-10-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Directions to CCHS are as follows:

NB I-15
WB I-56
Exit Carmel Valley exit.
Right on Carmel Valley
Left on Del Mar Heights Rd.
Left on Old Carmel Valley Rd.
Right on the 2nd entrance to the football stadium

Building Men for Others: Sportsmanship

2011-10-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last week's Varsity game against Mar Vista was a tale of two games. The Varsity Patriots fought hard and overcame an 18 - 0 deficit to comeback and take a 22 - 18 lead in the 4th quarter. With 9 seconds left in the game, the Mariners threw a pass for a touchdown that ended in controversy. The bottom line was this: The Official was standing at the goal line and the Mar Vista player knocked over the pylon at the goal line, a drill we practice for conditioning period.

Agree or disagree, when an official makes a call, that is a judgement call on their part. How we act and how we conduct ourselves in the face of adversity defines the character of who we are as people.

Now I was not present at the game. (It was board game night with the family) But I spoke to Coach Martinez and he gave me an idea what happened after the game.

I knew we had a large number of Freshman players that attended the game. It is good to see them at the Varsity games and it gives them a goal to reach playing on Friday night and being on the PPR.

So I asked them how the game ended. They told me the referee blew the call and Mar Vista won the game. I asked them how the ref blew the game. Several players told me that the runner was out of bounds. I could see that some of them were really upset by the referee's decision. I then asked my players if the Mar Vista player knocked down the pylon like we do at practice. They all said yes. That provoked some thought on their part. Stopping to think about the pylon made them realize that it was indeed a touchdown.

I then asked my players what happened next. They said several Varsity players began to argue with the referees and some threw their helmets to the ground. As the referees left the field, my players told me that everyone in the stands began to 'BOO' the referees as they left the field. I didn't ask if any of my players participated in 'BOO'ing of the refs. I just didn't want to know.

I will admit, I am an old school kind of guy. I believe in leading by example, earning what you get and treating everybody with respect until they earn my dis-respect. As a player, I never threw my helmet and never lost my composure. I never argue with referees (I will say "I object!" It's the cop in me) because I know it's a hard job.

So I huddled my players before the start of yesterday's practice and I went over my expectations on how to be a man. I told my players they are expected to keep their poise and to not lose control of their emotions. I told them if they ever threw their helmet on the ground, they were telling me they don't want it and I will keep it for the remainder of the year. As a Patriot, they represent their family, the coaching staff and more important, the school itself. BOOing is not acceptable, not in high school athletics. REALLY!!! I mean, was there a threat of thermal-nuclear war related to the outcome of this game? NO!

I remember my senior year at Henry. The ASB Adviser, Mr. Miller, was so impressed with how the football team conducted themselves during the season, that he and the yearbook staff titled the yearbook "A Touch of Class". So I expect my players, the families of my players and the fans of the Patriot Football team to act with a "Touch of Class."

Remaining Schedule for the Season

2011-10-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

We will now begin League play in the toughest League in the County of San Diego. From top to bottom, the Eastern League is the hardest league to compete in, hands down. There might be better teams in the County playing, or teams with higher rankings. But the leagues they play in do not have the competitive balance that the Eastern League has. Last year alone, five out of the six teams went to the playoffs and three of those teams went to Qualcomm Stadium to play in the CIF Finals.

So we start our journey up north in Carmel Valley. Here is the remaining schedule for the Freshman Team:

Thursday 10/13/11 3:00 pm @ Cathdral Catholic HS
*Friday 10/21/11 3:00 pm @ Saint Augustine HS
Thursday 10/27/11 3:00 pm @ Mira Mesa HS
Thursday 11/3/11 3:30 pm @ Scripps Ranch HS
Lincoln game is cancelled. We are looking to fill it with La Jolla HS. I will pass on the information to you all as soon as I find out.

*Note: The game at Saints is on a Friday, not on a Thursday.

Beast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

You see it on TV in the NFL and MLB. Professional players wearing Pink gear to recognize and support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We all know somebody that has been stricken with cancer. A former partner of my had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer a few years back. Another co-worker of mine just had a mastectomy last year.

Several parents and players have asked if it would be possible to recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing Pink for our games in the month of October. I think it's a great idea, not because it looks cool, but that it provoke our players to think about the civic ramifications of taking on a cause.

Wearing Pink because 'they do it on TV' is not good enough. I spoke to the players and explain why we are bringing attention to the cause of recognizing breast cancer. I am proud that our young men are willing to take on a cause. But I want to engage some thought behind taking the cause by opening a dialog with them on why it is important to recognize and support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So, during the month of October, I will allow our players to wear Pink gear for our games. Buying Pink gear is optional and is not required. I also encourage our fans to wear Pink on Thursdays too.

Here is the National Breast Cancer Awareness web site:http://www.nbcam.org/help_promote_nbcam.cfm

No Game This Week October 6th

2011-10-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

We were hoping for a game at Coronado this week, but Cathedral Catholic filled that slot before us. We will take advantage of the bye week and get ready for them.

We will not have practice of Thursday. The coaching staff will take advantage of the day off to scout the other teams on the Eastern League.

Friday will be a workout day with Coach Naughton. He will begin at 2:30 and the players should be done by 3:30.

The JV and Varsity play against Mar Vista on Friday 10/7 at Westhills HS. We will be the home team as we rent out their stadium for a home game. I am encouraging our players to go to the game and wear their green jerseys to represent the football program.

Westhills Wolfpack 35 Patriots 21

2011-10-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Patriots encountered their first loss of the season at Westhills High School losing 35 - 21 to the Wolfpack.

The beginning of the game was a back and forth affair and it looked like neither offense was going to be stopped. Westhills took the opening drive in for a TD. Our Patriots responded with a TD drive of their own with Cruz Samniego throwing a pass to Kage Nygaard.

Westhills took the next drive in for another TD. Johnny Bergum took the ensuing kickoff 65 yards for a TD. Josh Pelloquin capped off the drive with a two conversion.

Westhills' offense continued their pace while the Patriots suffered from mental lapses in their execution. But they never quit and they were able to compete to the very last whistle. Tyree Range capped off the scoring with a 24 yard run with 1:34 left in the game.

After the game, I spoke to our players and told them this is the type of competition we should expect from the Eastern League. The rest of our games are going to be as tough or tougher than the game against Westhills.

WE have work to do as a coaching staff and as players. We will take advantage of this week to prepare for our first Eastern League game against Cathedral Catholic.

Important Schedule Updates

2011-09-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Next weeks game against Mar Vista (10/6/11) has been cancelled. The Mariners don't have a Freshman team this year and we will not be playing them next week Thursday. We will not schedule a game for that week.

Instead, we will take a bye and will be preparing for the next schedule change. On the original schedule, we were to play Lincoln HS on 10/13/11. That schedule was wrong. We will be playing the Dons of Cathedral Catholic HS in Carmel Valley. It will mark the start of Eastern League play and we are anticipating a huge game for both teams.

So mark your schedules for 3:00 PM on Thursday 10/13/11 to be at Cathedral HS. We are hoping to have a huge showing from out fans.

The Lincoln game is slotted for the last game of the season (11/9/11). But Lincoln does not have a Freshman football team. We are currently looking for a team to fill that spot to end the season. I will let everybody know as soon as I find a team to play.

Game Time for Westhills Game

2011-09-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

We play the Westhills Wolfpack tomorrow at 4:30. The team bus will leave Patrick Henry at 3:00, which means parents won't have to worry about transportation for the players.

The players will report to the locker room at 2:15 and suit up for the game.

Directions to Westhills HS:
E/B on Mission Gorge from Jackson Dr.
Left on West Hills Pkwy
Right on Mast Blvd
Right into West Hills Park

Visitor Entrance can be accessed from West Hills Park.

Patriot Apparel for Sale

2011-09-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for the late notice, but the Booster Club is selling Patriot t-shirts and hoodies. This will the one and only time you can buy the gear for the rest of this season.

T-shirts are for sale for $12 and the hoodies are $30. These items are separate from the Spirit Pack and it is a good way to show your Patriot Pride.

To ensure quality control, I will personally be collecting your orders and deliver them to the Boosters. If you buy any items, please fill out a check for the amount made payable to the Patrick Henry Boosters, place the check in an envelope, put your son's name on the envelope and the quantity sizes of the items. (LeRoy Dailey. hoodie 1 XXL. T-shirts 1 med 1 XXL)

Orders will be due on Thursday 9/29. I will stay after practice today to collect orders. I will also collect orders tomorrow after the game and I will personally deliver the order
after I drop the team off in the locker room.

El Cajon Valley Braves 0 Patriots 31

2011-09-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Patriots travelled to El Cajon Valley HS to play the Braves yesterday and came away with a total team victory with a 31-0 win. Defense pitched their second shutout of the season and it was a team effort as we played all the defensive players in the game.

Sean Ybarrondo started the scoring with a 30 yard field goal. Defense was stout by continually making plays in the Braves backfield. Then the momentum changer came. On 4th down, Jack Kurz rushed the punter and blocked the kick. Isaac Pacheco made a clean pick of the ball and raced with the ball for a 40 yard TD return.

Tyree Range was the second coming of former Patrick Henry Alum and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. Range scored two rushing TD's. But what was more impressive was the way he ran like a fullback. in the 3rd quarter, Range carried the ball for 23 yards. 16 of those yards were with Braves on his back and he carried them all down the field.

We executed the 2 minute offense before the end of the half and scored on the play of the game. With excellent blocking from the O-line, Cruz Samniego threw a pass to Kage Nygaard for a 20 yard gain. But Nygaard wasn't finished. He weaved in and out of traffic with help of downfield blocking, broke tackles and as he was about to be pushed out before the goal line, he dove at the pylon knocking it down for a 75 yard catch and run for a TD.

To hear the fan reaction of the plays gives me goose bumps. It was loud and exciting and I could not hear myself think for a bit after the play.

QB Max Martinez and our corp of running backs executed the 4 minute offense by running the clock down at the end of the game.

Field Goals, cleanly picking up a fumble and 'taking it to the house', two minute offense, knocking down the pylon and the four minute offense are all things we practice every week. When we hit the practice field, our coaches are very thorough in the preparation of the team. But on Thursdays, we turn it over to the team. And they put in the effort to win.

But I want to send out a warning. We have room for improvement. Let's not go patting ourselves on the back just yet. I watched film from the game and we made too many mistakes. Our schedule is going to get harder now and we need to tidy up the loose ends.

Team Picture Order Forms and Action Shots of Players

2011-09-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

As a reminder, team photos will be taken this coming Friday at 3:15. I will be handing out order forms from Sharon Cooley Photography if parents wish to order individual photos of the players. We will ask that the players wash their uniforms after the game on Thursday so that we look sharp for the team photos. Remember, part of the Spirit Pack pays for one 8X10 team photo. Any other extras will have to be ordered.

Speaking of photos, my friend Nick LoCoco is a photographer and has offered to take action shots of our players during the remainder of the games this year. He has been taking sports action shots at NCAA sweet 16, University of Northern Arizona and was our photographer two years ago. He has volunteered to set up a web site for parents to take a look at some of the action shots of our players and order them on-line.

You can find Nick's website at:
http://nicklococophotography.zenfolio.com/phhs11

Game Time for and Directions to El Cajon Valley High School

2011-09-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Game time for the El Cajon Valley game is 5:15 pm. The bus leaves on Thursday at 3:30 so there is NO NEED to pull players out of class and NO NEED for parents to pick up their sons and transport them to the game.

Directions to El Cajon Valley HS:
E/B I-8
Take the Mollison exit.
Turn right on Mollison Ave.
Turn left on East Madison Ave.
School is on the right at 1035 East Madison Ave.

Our sideline will be the one on the left as you face the stadium in the parking lot.

Spirit Packs to be Distributed

2011-09-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

I will be holding a short practice today to hand out the Spirit Packs. Practice will be over at 4:00 today and the players will line up at the boys PE locker room. We will hand out the Spirit Packs to all the players.

Football is a Tough Sport

2011-09-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

I remember my first year of Pop Warner. I was a bigger kid and I had to play with the older kids. I was in 6th grade and I played against 8th and 9th graders. To say I was not mentally prepared for that kind of challenge would be an understatement.

I felt overwhelmed, scared, intimidated by kids that were older and stronger than me. I was basically a live punching bag for the team and I wanted to quit. I would get a bruised finger and go home to my mom and say I was injured. My mother would tell me (and she will admit to this), "Suck it up and get back out there! You have to be tough to play football!"

No truer words could have been spoken. I got tired of getting picked on by the older kids. I got tired of being bruised. So I took my mom's advice and started to be more aggressive at practice. I began to hit hard and I would take on the toughest kids and I would hold my own.

At the end of the season, I started the last 2 games playing center. I look back at that time and think of what doors had opened for me because I "sucked it up" and stuck with it. I started as a Freshman because I showed no fear. I started both ways as a Sophomore on JV and made the Varsity team. My junior year at Henry I started as a tackle and remained there through my senior year. And I attribute all that success to not having fear.

The best thing about coaching Freshmen football is that I get to mold our players into men, student athletes, contributing members of society, team mates, sons and football players. I know there are many players that have not played football and they don't know the limits of their mental toughness.

We had a player that sprained his ankle, one with a bruised foot, another that sprained his finger and another that got accidentally "chopped" in the throat.

Football is not a contact sport. It is a collision sport. We, as coaches, do our best to ensure the safety of all our players. We talk to them about the demands of the sport and that times, when you have a bruised finger, you need to "suck it up". But I also want them to understand the psychological demands of being tough.

There is a difference in playing in pain and having an injury. A stubbed toe... Pain. A bruised thumb... Pain
A twisted ankle... Pain

But injuries are different. A broken toe that hurts so bad, you can't touch it? Injury. Go see a doctor. A broken thumb? Injury Go see a doctor. A broken ankle? Injury. Go see a doctor. And just know this, if you see a doctor, I am not qualified to clear you to play. You will need see that same Doctor and get a release from him to play full contact football.

We have players that diagnose themselves. They watch too much dog-gone TV. But to take yourself out of a game or practice because of a little injury doesn't cut it for me. I remember back to those days in my first year of football and I can empathize on what the players are feeling or what they are going through.

I have been there and I remember it like yesterday. Get in there and suck it up. I spoke to the players about this the other day. I told them I loved them and that if I didn't care about them, I would either say nothing or I would shame them over their lack of mental toughness, the same shame I felt when I first started to play football. I would never want to go through that again and I sure as heck wouldn't want our players to feel that either.

We are lucky in that Coach Abate has been a certified trainer many years before. Also, PHHS just hired a new trainer to help with the athletic department. We care about our players and we look out for their physical and psychological well being.

Picture Day Friday 9/23/11

2011-09-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Freshman Football team will be taking team and individual photos on Friday 9/23/11 after school. According to the Football Boosters, each player that paid for a Spirit Pack will receive an 8 X 11 team photo.

For those of you that what to order individual photos of the players, I will get order forms for you sometime next week.

We play at El Cajon Valley HS next Thursday. The players will be responsible for cleaning their uniforms that Thursday night so we have clean uniforms on Friday.

Speaking of photos, my brother in law is a photographer and will begin to take action shots of all the players. He will set up a website to order photos. As soon as it is up, I will pass that link onto you.

Building Men for Others: Accountability

2011-09-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Being this is my 18th year of coaching high school football, I have heard just about every excuse there is in the book. And being a cop for 25 years, the excuses get even lamer.

After the game at Hilltop, the County went through a power outage. The locker room was pitch black and we used cell phones to light our way through opening lockers. It was hard to see as the players tried to change their clothes and put all their gear away in their lockers.

As I closed everything up for the evening, I saw that gear was scattered on the floor of the locker room. I left it all there and locked up the room.

Yesterday, one of our players came up to me and said, "Coach, somebody got into my locker and stole my girdle."

In the 25 years of being a cop, nobody ever took the time to pick the lock of a locker. And nobody every took another person's stinky girdle. Crime doesn't happen that way. But this young man was adamant that the perpetrator took his soiled and slightly smelly underwear. There was no way he could have left the girdle out by accident.

So I had him check the tops of the lockers and see if it could have been thrown there. Sure enough, it was on top of the locker. Somebody picked it off the ground and threw it there.

It is hard for all of us to assume that we could make mistakes and that there is an outside possibility that WE are the masters of our own fate. It is easy to blame somebody took something from us instead of saying, "Coach, I lost this or I lost that."

It comes down to this: We are all accountable for everything we do in life. Step up and put your stamp on what you do in life. If you make a mistake, FIX IT!

I will be sharing this life lesson to our players today after practice.

Practice Scedule for the Bye Week

2011-09-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Since we are in a bye week, the coaching staff will take the time and go back to basics with our players. A refresher course on how to block, tackle, catch and run. We will practice Tuesday and Wednesday at the normal times, 2:45 to 5:15.
On Thursday, I will giving the players a day off. All the coaches will be attending games throughout the County to scout our upcoming Eastern League opponents.

Fridays will be our weight room day. We will take roll at 2:30 and we should be done by 3:45 at the latest.

Hilltop Lancers 6 Patriots 27

2011-09-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

To say yesterday was a hectic day would be an understatement. When the bus left yesterday, we left minus 6 players that weren't released from 6th Period. We arrive to the field at 2:45 and the referees tell us we are scheduled to kick-off at 3:00. (We usually need 40 minutes to stretch before the game). Luckily, the referees took pity on us and gave us an additional 20 minutes to warm up.

Parents brought players to the game, QB's really didn't get the reps they needed to warm up sufficient and we had controlled chaos for a bit. Things calmed down once we began the ball game.

The Patriots took the opening kick-off to the Lancer 45 yard line and marched to a opening series TD with Keith Reed running a perfectly blocked option play from 30 yards out. Then the scoreboard went dead. Little did we know, all of San Diego County lost power.

Johnny Bergum was a workhorse and gained lots of tough yards. Adrian Torres (who missed the bus) scored on a one yard TD run and a five yard TD pass from Cruz Samniego. Samniego completed the scoring by throwing a 10 yard pass to Kage Nygaard.

Patriot defense played good, but as the Head Coach, I see room for improvement. Ernie Moya, Casey Cirina and Jack Kurz led the charge up on the defensive line. We will be working hard during the upcoming bye week to make ourselves better.

Our coaching staff did a great job managing the game. My job is to coach the coaches and I felt they were very prepared to handle the adversity we encountered before yesterday's game. As far as I am concered, they deserve the credit with yesterday's victory over the Lancers. Coach Hubka, Abate, Naughton, Armenta, Brown and Munoz kept the players focused while rotating players in and out of the game.

Once again, we had tremendous fan support at our game. I speak for the entire team and say thank you all very much for coming and supporting our players. We will not have a home game this year, but having the fan support we have had so far this season really makes a difference.

The ride home on the bus was good. There was hardly any traffic on the freeways. But once we got to the locker room, there was no light and the locker room was pitch black. That's OK, I have an App for that. I used my new iPhone's flashlight App and went locker to locker to illuminate the players locks. Players were able to get their iPhones out and began to help each other. These young men truly take care of one another.

Game time change for Hilltop (Edit change in directions)

2011-09-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

As stated in the bottom of your football schedule, times are subject to "change".

Our game time has been moved up to 3:30PM at Hilltop High School. Directions to Hilltop are as follows:

Take the 805 South to the H Street exit WEST. Take the first left at Hilltop Drive. Take a left on EAST I Street. Hilltop High School is located at the corner of Claire Avenue and East I Street. To arrive at the stadium walk up to the top of East I and the stadium is on your left hand side.

The team was happy to see such great support at last weeks game. They look forward to the same support this week from their family and friends. It makes a big difference to the players and the coaches.

Go Big Green!

San Ysidro Cougars 0 Patriots 19

2011-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a typical first game at the freshman level as the Patriots beat the Cougars 19-0. It was Typical in that there were a lot of inexperienced players on the field and they did not know how to carry themselves during the course of a game. It is also typical that mistakes will be made during the first game for freshmen.

But what stands out the most is the heart and desire for our players to compete and play hard. There were a lot of players that stepped up and had outstanding games. We started the game with an interception by Nick Cocca on the first play from scrimmage. Not to be outdone, we fumbled it back to the Cougars. That was just the first two plays of the game.

Offensively, Keith Reed and Sean Tighlman scored on runs of 5 and 12 yards respectively. Cruz Samniego threw a perfect pass to Nick Cocca for another TD.

Despite the errors made here and there, the defense played a good game. They came away with two out of our three game objectives with 3 turnovers and 3 sacks. The goal line stand at the end of the game was truly a thing of beauty with different players coming up and making plays. Casey Cirina, Jack Kurz, Ernie Moya, Isaac and Isaia Pacheco, Brandon Brooks, Tommy Fiato and Sean Ybarrando all had a hand in the stop of the Cougars at the 2 yard lines as the clock expired preserving the shut out.

I want to take a moment and address the problem we had on the sideline and the foul behavior that stemmed from that. There were two girls on our sideline that were not from PHHS. They were disrupting the chain gang and my ability to keep our team focused. I asked them to leave and they refused to do so.

That is why SYHS was penalized 15 yards by the referee and the game came to a stop. Later in the 4th quarter, the girls grandmother came down to the field and went after their head coach, who happens to be a friend of mine and a former partner of mine on SDPD when we worked San Ysidro.

Again, the referee had to stop the game and get the Varsity coach to have the lady removed.

I know this frustrated everybody but the players. The players didn't care and all they wanted to do was play football. But I could hear comments from out stands that were obviously the product of frustration. At one point, I could hear people sing, "Na na na na Na na na na Hey hey hey, goodbye!"

Funny as that might have sounded, I did not see a need for it. All it could do is incite a bad situation and make it worse. I am teaching out players to treat others with respect or R.O.O.T.S. for short. Respect the Rules, the Officials, Others, the Team and most important respect Self.

My staff and I live that way all the time and we expect our players to do the same. Parents, family, friends and the coaches have one goal: Let's make our football players men for others. Let's be the example for that. Because our success will not be gauged in wins and losses. It will be gauged in 5 to 10 years from now when they become productive members of society, loving husbands, loving fathers and loving sons.

6th Period PE and Freshman Football Practice

2011-09-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

I sat down and spoke to the Athletic Director, Coach Lococo about the upcoming school year.

The reason many of our players don't have 6th period PE was by design due to the size of the team room and the high number of athletes that have to use the room. 6th Period starts at 1:15. The Varsity team will be the first to suit up. They have to be on the field at 1:40. Then the JV will suit up and they have to be on the field at 2:00.

School ends at 2:15 and the freshmen team will have the team room to suit up for practice. Players have to be out on the field at 2:45 to warm up throwing and kicking. We start practice at 3:00 sharp and will finish around 5:00 or 5:15.

For those players that have to take the bus home, I will excuse them at 4:45 to catch the last bus of the day, which leaves at 5:00. If you are a parent of a VEEP student and you can pick your student athlete up at 5:15, I would encourage them to stay and finish practice with the rest of the team.

San Ysidro Game to Start at 5:15 PM

2011-09-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Even though I passed out the game schedules to you all, on the bottom of the schedules it does say: "Note - Dates and time are subject to change."

Our game will be moved to 5:15 PM. Players need to be at PHHS at 2:30 and the buses leave at 3:15 sharp.

Also, next weeks game at Hilltop will be at 3:00 PM, not 4:00 pm.

Directions to San Ysidro:
S/B I-805
E/B I-905
Take the first right onto Otay Mesa Rd.

The football stadium will be right in front of you.

Communcation with the Booster Club

2011-08-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

There have been many questions by our parents in regards to information on what is happening with the PHHS Football Boosters. The Boosters put all their information on their web site and it is constantly updated with new information. I have attached the link to their web page below:

http://www.phhsfootballboosters.com/

There will be a Booster Club meeting on Wednesday at 6:00 pm in the coaches office. If you are interested in making a difference and helping out the Boosters, please show up and introduce yourselves. We could use your help and it would make a huge difference for everyone in the program.

ASB Stickers and 6th Period PE

2011-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

As your sons are starting to register for school at PHHS, there are several items you parents need to know.

First, I did not get the roster to who paid for Spirit Packs to the finance office. My apologies and I will take full responsibility for that foul up. Though the Boosters collected Spirit Pack money, I should have taken a list of who paid for the Spirit Pack and submitted that list to the Finance Office before your sons enrolled at PHHS. I am the Head Coach and I am ultimately responsible for what goes on with my team.

I will see to it that you all will be reimbursed for having to pay for your sons ASB Sticker via the Booster Club.

Second, I have sent a roster of our players to our Athletic Director Jack Lococo and VP of Athletics Jim Good. Many parents have called, e-mailed and spoke to me in person that their son is not in 6th Period PE. The Administration is working to correct that. But in the meantime, if you want to call the school to ensure that your son gets into 6th Period PE, you can call the school and see if you can make that change.

The major concern for having your son in 6th Period PE is not so much about missing practice time, but it is about making travel arrangements for your son for all our games, which happen to be all away games. If your son does not have 6th Period PE, I have to ask permission from their 6th Period teachers to let your sons out of class early. If your son is struggling in that 6th Period class, there are some teachers that will not release your son and require your student to stay in class and do their work.

In the meantime, that student misses the bus ride to the game and you as a parent have to pick them up and transport them to the game. It would be a big mess not being in 6th Period PE.

Patriots Travel to Mission Bay HS on Friday

2011-08-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank all the family and friends that showed up to the Green and Gold scrimmage last Saturday. It was a nice turnout and the players did well for their first time out. The picnic afterwards was very nice and I got a chance to talk and meet most of you parents. Thank you all for contributing to the picnic and especially to Mrs. Moya for helping to organize the picnic. It was such a success, I will be doing it every year from now on.

This week we will scrimmage against the Mission Bay Buccaneers at Mission Bay HS. The scrimmage starts at 1200 noon this Friday 8/26/11 and we should be done around 1:30 at the latest. We will have a bus to take the players.

I will be at the school at 9:30 to help with any equipment issues. Roll call will be at 10:00 and I will meet with the players before we leave Henry. The bus leaves PHHS at 10:30. Once the door shuts as we leave, we are gone.

We should arrive at MBHS around 1115. We warm up and we get to work at 1200 noon.

After the scrimmage, if you parents want to take your son home with you, I need to see you in person and I will check your son's name off the roster for the ride home on the bus. I will not be staying for the JV and Varsity because I have to ride the bus home with my players.

I am looking for a volunteer to video tape the scrimmage for us on Friday. If you can tape the game for us, please give me a call on my cell at (619) 980-4159.

Scrimmage, Spirit Pack and Fellowship

2011-08-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

We will have our annual Green and Gold game on Saturday 8/20/11 at 9:00 am. Parents and friends are invited to attend and watch the Freshmen team in our first full length scrimmage. Players need to be in the locker room at 8:00 am to go over equipment adjustments and final instructions. We stretch out and warm up at 8:30 and we start playing at 9:00 and should be done around 10:30.

Parents and friends, if you are coming, be sure to bring beach chairs so you can sit on the sideline to watch the game. The players will be on the sideline closest to Navajo Rd. and the parents and family can sit on the sideline closest to the school.

During the scrimmage, the Patrick Henry Football Boosters will be accepting donations for the players Spirit Pack. The Freshman Spirit Pack will include: 1 practice jersey the players get to keep, 2 pairs of game socks, 1 PHHS Football t-shirt, 1 pair of PHHS Football shorts, 1 padded girdle the players get to keep, an 8X10 team photo and the admission of the player for dinner at the team banquet at the end of the year.

The cost of the Spirit Pack is based on a donation on the part of the player and his parents. We cannot make this mandatory. Therefore, we ask the fees for these items to be made on a voluntary basis. I spoke to a friend of mine that has a freshman football player in Poway HS and they charged $270 per player just for the summer camp. That price did not include the Spirit Pack.

My goal was to keep the Spirit Pack costs as low as possible and still provide our student athletes the proper gear needed.

After the scrimmage, we will practice our 'Victory Jumping Jacks' and sing the Alma Mater. I bought Gatorade for all the players and I am asking parents if they could donate fruit such as watermelon, grapes or oranges. If there are parents willing to volunteer and cut up a bag of watermelon or oranges or provide a bag of grapes, it would be much appreciated.

I will stick around after the scrimmage and we will make a tailgate party of sorts where we get to mingle and enjoy each other's company. Our coaches and I are looking forward to meeting you all.

What Equipment Should I Buy For My Son

2011-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Every year, I take time to explain to my players what EXTRAS they can buy to play football. As a football staff, we have fully equipped each and every player at Patrick Henry. But players looking at the pros on TV see some of the extras the pros wear and they want to emulate those pros by wearing what they wear.

Buying the extra gear can get costly and in some cases I won't allow players to wear certain pads as it could cause a player to use that piece of gear in a manner that is against what we are teaching to our football players.

This year I have been getting e-mails from parents asking the same questions. So I will break it down piece by piece. Please keep in mind, none the gear I am about to list is mandatory to play football. This list is a pros and cons list along with what I will not allow:

Athletic Supporter with a Cup:
The days of wearing a 'jock strap' with a cup are behind us. Today, manufacturers make compression shorts that have a pocket to hold a 'cup' to protect the genitals.

Is it necessary to have one? We aren't playing catcher in baseball short hopping a 90 MPH fast ball. I never wore one playing football and the way our pants fit, the cup would be up tight against the body and cause a rash which could be a bigger problem if that continues. I told the players it is a personal preference if they want to wear on or not.

If you want one, I suggest getting the all-in-one soft cup with compression shorts.

Visor for the Helmet:
LT used to wear one when he played for the Chargers and he still does as he plays for the Jets.

Pros: Visors are good in that they protect you from getting poked in the eyes.

Cons: Once a visor fogs up, you can't see out of the helmet. When it rains, visibility is blurred because the rain drops stay on the visor.

CIF rules mandate that all visors have to be clear as a precaution to treating a player that might sustain a neck or head injury.

Personally, it is rare that anyone gets poked in the eye, especially in Freshman football.

Forearm Pads:
Forearm pads protect the forearms from bruising. They cover the area from the wrist to the elbow.

Pros: It gives protection to the forearm.

Cons: The technique we teach our linemen is us their hands, not their forearms. They need the separate themselves from their opponent by using their hands. By using the forearm, you get too close and you lose control of your opponent. Also, as a ball carrier, you have no feel for where the ball is and you could fumble the ball.

Personally, I will not allow players to use them as it teaches the wrong technique at the line of scrimmage.

Football Gloves:
Manufacturers have made football gloves for each position: Line and everybody else.

Pros: Gloves for the skilled positions come with a sticky composite material on the palms that lends a more secure catching surface. For linemen, the come padded and protect the fingers and the bones in the hand.

Cons: Cost. Some gloves can get downright expensive.

Personally, I recommend the glove for all the big boys. Coach Abate and I have crooked fingers and scarred knuckles playing on the line.

Gloves MUST be within the color scheme of PHHS Football. I don't want to see orange and purple gloves. Also, if a receiver has gloves and drops the ball, he will be asked to remove the gloves

Compression Under Shirts:
Under Armour and Nike make compression shirts that players wear under their shoulder pads.

Pros: They also make them with added padding in the ribs and shoulders. The tight fitting shirts also protect from and rashes you might get from the shoulder pads as opposed to a loose fitting shirt.

Cons: The long sleeve version covers the forearm and causes a slippery surface. That would cause the ball carrier to loose a feel for the ball and fumble.

Personally, if you get a shirt, be sure it is a short sleeve version. Green, gold or white would be the colors I will allow our players to wear.

Elbow Pads:
Elbow pads help protect the player when they fall to the ground. Manufacturers make a neoprene version that looks like it has been cut out of a scuba diving suit.

Pros: It protects the player as a pad. But more important, it protects from rug burn. We play and artificial turf and sliding on the plastic grass causes rug burn.

Cons: The elbow pad causes the ball carrier to lose feel for the ball at the elbow.

Personally, if I was not a ball carrier, I would buy an elbow pad.

2011 Freshman Football Schedule

2011-08-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

2011 PATRICK HENRY FRESHMAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

8-26-11 FRIDAY 12:00PM PHHS @ MISSION BAY (SCRIM)

9-01-11 THURSDAY 4:00PM PHHS @ SAN YSIDRO

9-08-11 THURSDAY 4:00PM PHHS @ HILLTOP

9-15-11 BYE WEEK NO GAME

9-22-11 THURSDAY 4:30PM PHHS @ EL CAJON VALLEY

9-29-11 THURSDAY 4:30PM PHHS @ WEST HILLS

10-6-11 THURSDAY 4:00PM PHHS @ MAR VISTA

10-13-11 THURSDAY 2:30PM PHHS @ LINCOLN

10-20-11 THURSDAY 3:30PM PHHS @ SAINTS

10-27-11 THURSDAY 4:00PM PHHS @ MIRA MESA

11-03-11 THURSDAY 3:30PM SCRIPPS RANCH @ PHHS

11-09-11 THURSDAY 4:30PM PHHS @ CATHEDRAL

NOTE: Dates and times are subject to change.

Time Change for the Green and Gold Game

2011-08-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

We will be starting the Green and Gold game at 9:00 am instead of 9:30. Players will need to be at the field at 8:30 am for warm ups and then we will scrimmage. The scrimmage will last until 10:30.

An earlier start gives the JV and the Varsity a chance to finish before 3:00 pm and begin to enjoy their weekend too.

Also, there were typos on the previous Blog entry. We scrimmage Mission Bay at 12:00 noon on the 26th.

Our game at San Ysidro will be on Thursday 9/1 at 4:00 pm.

Upcoming Schedule

2011-08-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

I want to pass on info for the next three weeks before the start of school. We will have practice next, Monday 8/15 through Friday 8/19, we will have practice from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

On Saturday 8/19, we will have our annual Green and Gold inter squad scrimmage at 9:30 am. The players have to be on the field at 9:00 am for warm ups and we start playing at 9:30. We will be playing on the baseball field so I suggest parents and family bring beach chairs to the field.

Afterwards, I believe the Booster Club will be hosting a picnic with hotdogs and drinks. I will be there to meet and talk to parents, family and friends, as well as hang out with our players.

Practice will resume Monday 8/22 at 5:00 pm through Thursday 8/26.

We will travel to Mission Bay HS on Friday 8/26 to scrimmage the Bucaneers at 12:00 noon.

We resume practice on Monday 8/29 thru Wednesday 8/31 from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. We play our first game of the year against the Cougars of San Ysidro on Thursday 9/1 at 4:00 pm. I will give the team the rest of the Memorial Day weekend off.

School starts on Tuesday 9/6. Practices during the school year will be from the beginning of 6th period PE until 4:30 pm in the afternoon.

I will print schedules out and hand them out to parents at the Green and Gold game.

Mouth Pieces

2011-08-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today will be the first day in shoulder pads. Our players all need mouth pieces to participate in practice from this point on.

Our spirit packs will not be here anytime soon so the coaching staff bought mouth pieces for our players.

I will be in the coaches office at 4:00 pm to sell mouth pieces to our players. I will also have some hot water available for the players to help mold the mouth pieces to their mouth. It takes 30 seconds to mold the mouth pieces and then the players can attach them to their helmet.

The cost for the mouth pieces will be $1.

Dropping off and picking up your football players

2011-08-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

During the Varsity summer workouts, there was a traffic accident in which a parent struck a football player with the family car while dropping off a player back by the coach's office. The player suffered a broken ankle and the police had to come out to investigate the traffic collision.

In working with the Administration at Patrick Henry, I know a ban of personal vehicles will be coming soon. Being a parent myself, I want to make it easy for my kids to get to the car after practice. So I understand parking close to the field. But the traffic is a bit heavy back by the coach's office before and after practice.

So I am asking my parents to set the example for safety's sake. I will be asking my parents for the Freshmen Football team NOT to park their cars in the back by the office and to NOT to drop or pick up your son by the coach's office.

I am sure that there will be parents from other teams or sports that will continue to drop and pick up their student athletes back in that area by the coach's office. I am asking the parents of the Freshmen Football team to set the example.

I am only asking for the safety of our players and coaches. I won't go out and write tickets like a cop because I enjoy being off duty. But I think as a team, we can all benefit by making the school a safer place for everyone.

Status of Coach Martinez

2011-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

There are no guarantees in life. We teach our players that nothing is given to us. Everything we receive in life is earned, not handed to us on a silver platter.

We live in a Nation where we take a wrong and try to make it a right. Where the voice of the people is to be heard by their elected officials. Where action takes precedence over inaction.

We are all aware of the budget crisis throughout the State of California and how it effects schools throughout the in the SDUSD. WE all have felt the pinch in one way or another.

With that being said, Mike Martinez has not been re-called to be the head coach of Patrick Henry HS. He is currently working outside the school district at San Ysidro HS. Varsity Offensive Coordinator Steve Jacobacci has assumed the position as the Interim Head Coach. He is a former head coach at PHHS and is a very capable coach. We will all be running the same offense we installed throughout the program.

But Coach Martinez was the Defensive Coordinator and he would game plan and do film study each week.
He would set the practice schedule, make the personnel match-ups and play a major part in special teams preparation. The bad news about his absence is that there is nobody on the Varsity staff that knows the ins and outs of the 3-5 defense the way Coach Martinez does. So, there are going to be changes on the defense, even though the players are familiar with it and have been dominant during summer passing league. All the hard work that Coach Martinez and the players put in for the upcoming season is about to evaporate into thin air. What a shame...

Well, I am asking players, parents and friends to make another push to reinstate Coach Martinez.

As an A/P History teacher, Mike Martinez' classes score well above the National average. He is engaging with his students and they respond well to his teaching style. I have sat in his classes and have seen how he works with his students first hand. The reason Mike is successful is not because he demands his students to do the work, it is because they want to do the work because they really like and respect him as a teacher. I wish I could command the same respect with the trainees I deal with on the Police Department.

As a football coach, you won't find another coach that works harder than Mike Martinez. Being a varsity football coach is a 7 day a week job. Managing student/athletes, managing weight training, working with the school administration, reporting in with the Athletic Director, managing film study, breaking down film of the upcoming opponent, setting up practice schedules, setting up transportation for students to and from school and home, managing equipment needs, setting up transportation to all away games (which, by the way, will be all games this year), setting up staff meetings, working with the Booster Club and putting out little fires that come up here and there due to player conduct.

That is a 7 day a week job and it is not for the faint of heart. Yet Mike Martinez does it out of the love of the school, his Alma Mater, the community of San Carlos in which he lives and most important, the student athletes that play football at Patrick Henry HS.

I will be blunt. If Mike Martinez is not re-hired, there is a chance that I will not be back either. The uncertainty of who will be the permanent head coach is a variable we cannot see. A coach could be hired and bring an entirely new staff to PHHS. They might have a different agenda from out 'Building Men for Others'. Nobody knows...

There will be another School Board meeting on Tuesday August the 2nd at 5:00 pm. I know it is 'Dead Week' where I am not supposed to have contact with my players. But I would appreciate it very much if we all could fill up the Board meeting and make another push for the school district to re-hire Mike Martinez.

If you want to e-mail the board members, I have attached links to their e-mail addresses below:

Superintendent Kowba: wkowba@sandi.net
Scott Barnett sbarnett@sandi.net
Richard Barrera rbarrara1@sandi.net
Kevin Bisner kbeiser@sandi.net
John Lee Evans johnleeevans@sandi.net
Sheila Jackson sjackson@sandi.net
Area Superintendent dlorden@sandi.net

Patriots for Life

2011-07-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

The team finished week 3 of the camp with a good day of effort in the weight room. To watch the growth of each of these young men is impressive. They have drive, they hustle, they respect each other and pick one another up when times get tough. I attribute that to all of you parents and the hard work you put into raising your sons.

We are instilling the core values of being a man and our priorities in life: Faith, Family, School and then Football in that order.

It had come to my attention that one of our players has a chance to go to Saint Augustine HS and leave us here at Henry, his home school. So I made it a point to talk to him in the hopes he would stay here at Patrick Henry. But if he and his family were committed to going to Saints, I would respect that and wish him all the best without any hard feelings.

I pull the young man aside and I told him I heard he might be going to Saints. He looked at me with a grin and what he was about to say threw me for a loop. He said, "Coach, I'm not leaving. I love this team because it feels like a family."

As a coach, you know you have influence over those you teach and mentor. But for a young man to tell me "it feels like a family" so early in the season really touched me.

Coach Abate noted that most of our Offensive Linemen and Tight Ends have buzzed haircuts. Coach Abate told me, "Coach Dailey, you need a fat guy hair cut!" (Please don't take offense. The term 'Fat Guy' to me and Coach Abate is a term of endearment for the tightest unit on the team: the OL and TE's)

So after weight training, I gave the players a choice in conditioning: A) Sprints in the sand pit or B) Coach Dailey gets a buzz cut. Buzz cut won out 48 - 2.

Coach Abate whipped out the clippers and buzzed my head pretty good. The players got a good kick out of it.

After Coach Abate cut my hair, I explained the reason why we did it: The players are a part of me and I am a part of the players. We talked about how this team has come together as a family. We talked about how the friendship we form today will be forged for the next 4 years here at Patrick Henry and for the rest of your life.

Coach Naughton, Coach Abate and myself are all graduates from Patrick Henry. We all played football at Patrick Henry. We spoke of tradition and leadership. We spoke of family and how it is essential to grow together to be successful. Your sons have joined our fraternity at here Patrick Henry Football. They are now Patriots for Life.

So I want to welcome all our new brothers to Patrick Henry Football. You, like us, will be proud to wear the green and gold.

I want to send a special note to the player I spoke to about going to Saints. You have re-newed my faith in the future of our community. Thank you Josh Peloquin

Lift-a-thon and Physicals

2011-07-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Dr. Peters will set up the last round of physicals at the coach's office on Thursday 7/21/11 at 3:30 pm. The cost of the physicals will be $25 and all the money raised will go to the Patrick Henry Football Boosters.

If you want to write a check, you can make it out to 'PH Football Boosters'.

At 5:00 pm, we will meet in the weight room and conduct out fund raiser, the Lift-a-thon. Players will be given pledge forms on Thursday 7/14/11. The money for the Lift-a-thon will be collected when we come back from our break on Tuesday 8/9/11.

Players will be raising money for the Booster Club and we will be adding the weight they push on the bench press and what they lift in the hex bar dead lift. The combined weight will be added and the players will collect the set donations per pound they lift.

When Hellweek Starts

2011-07-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

There is a typo on the information sheet I handed out to you all. We begin the Freshman hell week on Tuesday August the 9th at 8:00 am. To be more precise, the players have to turn in their paperwork on Tuesday the 9th beginning at 8:00 am. But there is much more to that:

1) We check and collect the paperwork and make sure it is all filled out.

2) Money for the Freshmen Spirit Pack will be due. It will costs $100. The fee for the Spirit pack is not mandatory, as it is prohibited to pay for "play" in high school athletics. But we do ask the parents to make a voluntary donation for the following: T-shirt, shorts, mouth piece, football girdle, and for the players fee for the banquet at the end of the year. Part of that $100 is mandatory to play and that is the cost of the ASB card. All athletes have to have an ASB card.

3) The money for the Lift-a-thon is due. The Lift-a-thon is our fundraiser for the Booster Club. We will be sending forms out with the players to get pledges. We ask the players to get pledges for cents on the pound. For instance, if a player lifts 200 pounds at 5 cents a pound, he would have raised $10. The players will be using weights from the bench press and the hex bar dead-lift.

4) Then they have to go to the office an meet with the Athletic Director and he has to "clear" them to play in that is checks the academic eligibility.

5) Then they go to the ASB Office and get their ASB Card.

6) They come back to the PE office and get their locker in the team room

7) They get fitted for football gear and store it in their locker

8) They get their spirit pack (Shorts, football girdle & t-shirts)

I have to do this 70 times with all the players. That is why we start in the morning. When everybody has their gear, I show them how to wear the gear. After that, I send the players home, usually around noon. It is the only day that the players have to be at school in the morning.

We could use help with collecting paperwork and issuing Spirit Packs. If you are available to help, please e-mail Jill Pankow, VP of the Booster Club at angelabove_35@yahoo.com .

Practice will probably be moved to 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm because of the stadium re-building issues. The first four practices will be in shorts, helmets and t-shirts.

How Democracy Works

2011-07-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Coach Martinez is an AP (Advanced Placement) teacher in U.S. History at Patrick Henry HS. Yesterday he spoke to the JV and Varsity players about having a voice in government. About how a Government for the People and by the People was the basis of what our founding fathers wanted in the birth of our nation.

With that being said, Coach Martinez and I came up with the following strategy for the SDUSD Board of Directors meeting at 5:00 pm on Tuesday July 12th:
1) The Varsity is having success in passing league. They currently are 3-1-1 and for the first time since we arrived at PHHS, the team is playing hard and physical football. They are gelling as a team and he does not want to break that up as they go to Mission Bay and play the Buccaneers. So those players will play their game.
2) The Freshman team will still practice. Much progress has been made in a short time and we want to continue that. So we will be practicing as scheduled.
3) Those JV and Varsity players and parents that are NOT involved in the Passing League or the Freshman Camp, we urge you to attend the Board meeting at 5:00 pm. If you want your voice to be heard, you may sign up to speak before the Board by logging onto the following link:

http://www.sandi.net/boe/Forms/TakeSurvey.asp?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=41K5m3M24m2KG&21832072015467900Nav=&NodeID=675

4) For those of you that cannot make the meeting and you want your voice to be heard, you may send an e-mail to the Board member directly at the following e-mail addresses:

Superintendent Kowba: wkowba@sandi.net

Scott Barnett sbarnett@sandi.net

Richard Barrera rbarrara1@sandi.net

Kevin Bisner kbeiser@sandi.net

John Lee Evans johnleeevans@sandi.net

Sheila Jackson sjackson@sandi.net

Area Superintendent dlorden@sandi.net

Coach Martinez and I ask that if you speak or send a letter, please be respectful and courteous to the Board members.

Mike and I are dedicated to building men for others. This is a great opportunity for our young men to be involved directly in the Democratic Process. If the voices of the people are heard, change can be made.

On behalf of Mike Martinez and the entire coaching staff, thank you all for your involvement.

Support for Varsity Head Coach Mike Martinez

2011-07-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

As a child, Patrick Henry HS Head Coach Mike Martinez grew up in the Allied Gardens and San Carlos neighborhoods. He went to Lewis MS and went onto Patrick Henry HS for his sophomore year starting in the fall of 1979. He played JV football for Coach Walt Baranski as a sophomore, played running back as a junior on the varsity for Coach Dale Twombley. As a senior, Mike was voted team Captain by the players of the PHHS 1981 team, was a starting middle linebacker and helped lead the Patriots to it's third Eastern League Championship in five years. Mike is a graduate from Henry's class of 1982.

After graduating, Mike and I coached the 1982 season on the JV at Henry with our mentor, Coach Walt Baranski.

Mike went onto the University of Arizona. He graduated from U of A and got into teaching. He became an assistant coach at Pueblo HS in Tucson. Pueblo was riddled with the inner city problems of gangs, drugs, lack of parental support and academic indifference.

Mike was eventually promoted to the position as the Head Coach at Pueblo HS. Mike worked hard to change the culture at Pueblo by holding his players to higher standards both on and off the field. Pueblo did not have a winning record for many years. Mike turned the program around and made kids believe in themselves. Pueblo made it into the Arizona State Football playoffs.

Mike, along with his wife Mia, daughter Sophie and son Max, moved back to San Diego to raise their family back where he grew up. Mike got a teaching job at Bonita HS in Chula Vista. In 2005, Mike earned the job as the Head Coach at Southwest HS in the San Ysidro/Nestor communities of San Diego.

Once again, Mike was faced with a school that did not have a winning culture in it's football program. once again, Mike had to deal with the same problems he faced at Pueblo HS in Tucson. His first year at Southwest was a hard transition earning only one win that season.

But Mike worked at it and kept telling his players that hard work in the weight room and in the class room would eventually pay off. In 2006, I joined up with Mike and coached the Freshmen team for him and assisted him with the Varsity.

The hard work paid off and Southwest had it's first winning season in 19 years going 5-4 and making an appearance in the San Diego Section CIF Playoffs.

Mike and I went onto Hilltop HS in 2007 and in 2009, the coaching job at Patrick Henry came open. Mike interviewed for the Head Coaching job at Henry and was hired in the Spring of 2009. It was a dream come true for the two of us: to coach football at our Alma mater.

So Mike brought me to Henry and I begged him to let me coach the Freshmen Team because I wanted to set the tempo in those young men from the first time the set foot on the campus. He relented and let me coach the Freshmen.

The first two years, Mike had to start all over again by changing the culture at Patrick Henry. There had been no weight training program, so Mike had to start that from scratch.

At first, there was some resistance. Some of the players applied themselves, but there was always a small group that would not do the work that others were doing and it created a division within the team. Now with two groups of players that went through our Freshman Program and Mike trimming the team down to players that want to work out and take care of their studies. Gone are the malcontents, the lazy, or as one of the seniors said to me, "cancers".

The off-season workouts have been high in attendance and intensity. Alex Cordoni, a senior Safety who will be a three year starter on the Varsity, told me that workouts are fun because everybody gets along, everybody works hard and they all see improvement in their performance. The team is finally beginning gel as a unit and as a family.

This year at the SDSU Passing Tournament, the Varsity won several games and for the first time in several years, were able to play on day 2 of the Tournament. (In the past, Henry would lose two game and were out of the Tournament)

As it stands right now, Mike Martinez IS NOT the head coach at Patrick Henry. The recent budget from the SDUSD called for 800 layoffs. Mike got his pink slip back in May. Even though Mike has over 17 years of teaching under his belt, he is at the bottom of the totem pole as far as seniority goes. There is a possibility that the District might reascend 400 of those layoffs.

I am asking for your help. WE as a community of parents, players, alumni and coaches need to come to the support of Mike Martinez. He would never ask this because it is his nature not to seek outside help. Well, he is my friend, a mentor to our kids and more important, a builder of men.

Tuesday July 12th, there is going to be a SDUSD Board of Directors meeting at 4100 Normal St.in North Park. I need every parent, every student, every player to attend that meeting in the hopes of saving Mike's job. Heck, the marching band did the same for their teacher!

It is very important to the growth of the football program at Patrick Henry HS. We are about to turn the corner and restore Patriot football to what it once was. And the only person that can finish the job is Mike Martinez.

By the way, if Mike is not hired back, I WILL NOT coach on the Varsity. I have a full time job and a family to take care of...

HUDL Video Program

2011-07-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

You all should be getting an invitation to the HUDL Video program. Do not be alarmed. It is not a SPAM. It is a video program in which we download video online and the parents and players can access it on their own computer.

Each player will have an account with HUDL and they also have the ability to make their own highlights from the video we put into the system.

It is also a good way for me to communicate with all the players by sending them e-mails, PowerPoint presentations and instructional video to help our players understand how things fit in the scheme of football.

This is a new program and the Patrick Henry Football Booster Club was nice enough to buy this system for all of us to enjoy.

4th of July Weekend

2011-06-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

To start the Fourth of July weekend, we will be off from Friday 7/1/11 and return on Tuesday 7/5/11.

We want our players to enjoy the weekend and have a good time with family and friends.

But I will put a disclaimer on what the player should do to take care of themselves as not to hurt themselves and the team.

Believe me, as a coach, I have seen the most bizarre injuries over the years. Breaking bones by jumping off roofs, jumping down cliffs, skateboarding off 3 flights of stairs, or burning hair by playing with sparklers... I'm not even going to address the '3 Stooges' memorial.

But players will want to do those things. I can only remind them about their obligation to the team and that their injuries will hurt the team.

I hope you and your family will have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Physicals on Thursday 7/7/11

2011-06-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Dr. Peters will be at Patrick Henry on Thursday 7/7/11 to conduct physicals for all the athletes participating in sports for the 2011-2012 season. Physicals are open to all athletes adn will cost $25 per player. All the procedes will by donated back to the Patrick Henry Football Boosters.

Dr. Peters will set up camp for the Varsity and JV at 3:00 pm in the coach's office. As far as the Freshman football team, we will split the squad in half at the normal parctice time at 5:00 pm. One half will stay with Dr. Peters to get their physical and the other half will report to the weight room for workouts.

At 4:00 pm, we will switch groups so that everybody will have a chance to go through the process.

To obtain the forms needed, click onto this link: Athletic Participation Forms & Eligibilty Information . You will need to fill out the Physical form when you get your physical.

Checks can be made out for $25 and made to the Patrick Henry Football Boosters.

Please keep in mind, I will not be collecting this packet until Tuesday August 9th.

Follow-up Questions From Parent Meeting

2011-06-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasure to meet you all yesterday at the Parent Meeting. I saw a lot of good young athletes that are eager to start working of football. Almost all the players came up to me at and shook my hand and introduced themselves. Our coaches and I are very excited about the start of the season.

As typical with any presentation that you make off the top of your head, sometimes things are forgotten or get left off the agenda.

So here are some questions from last night's meeting that I needed to cover:

What kind of cleats should I buy?

Cleats that are mostly white with green or black accents are preferred. Something similar to the cleats shown below.

What should the players wear during the summer camp?

An old white t-shirt that has the players name written on the front and back so coaches can identify who the players are. Gym shorts, running or work-out type shoes and cleats.

You flier says camp is Monday thru Friday. But you wrote on the Blog it's Monday thru Thursday. Which schedule are you going to use?

The summer camp will be Mondays thru Thursdays. We will take Fridays off and Monday July 4th off.

We have planned a family vacation during camp. Will that effect my son's chances of making the team?

Yes, no and maybe. It just depends on the player's ability to pick up on the things we are trying to teach. The summer camp is not mandatory and the players that will be at the camp will have a slight advantage in that they are learning the system we use.

But remember... Our priorities in life are our faith in God, Family, School then football. Family comes before football and it will always remain that way as long as I am coaching.

When is the next physical?

As soon as I hear from Dr. Peters, I will post it on the Blog and pass the word out to you all at practice.

Since the practices will be on the baseball field, is there a place for the parents to sit and watch?

I suggest parents bring a beach chair if you want to watch the practices. There will be days that we are on the baseball field, on the concrete in front of the weight room or in the weight room. Obviously, there is not room for parents in the weight room. But I welcome parents to attend and watch the practices to see what their son is learning.

The only request I have is that parents sit outside of the fenced field or areas we conducting drills.

You want us to say 'yes sir' and 'no sir'. Can't I just say 'yes coach' or 'no coach'?

No sir, you can't. There is a reason for everything I do and this one is goes beyond football. This is about treating everybody, officials, administrators and teachers with respect. Not just coaches. I will respond in kind and I expect my players to do the same.

I have never played football before. What position should I go out for?

We will time our players in the 40 yard dash. Then we will do a series of combine events to assess the talents of our players. After the combine, the coaches will sit down and draft players where they see a fit at the particular position they are coaching. Size, speed, athletic ability, mental toughness and how smart a player is goes into where we draft that player.

Like I told you all last night, I wanted to play QB... But God made me an offensive tackle...

Physicals for Upcoming Season

2011-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Physicals for the upcoming season will be held on Saturday June 4th at 9:00am-2:30pm. They will be held in the Coach's office at Patrick Henry.

Physicals cost $20 and all proceeds go back to Patick Henry Football Program.

I have attached a link to the school Website that has all the eligibility forms you need for the 2011-2012 school year. Once you take a physical and submit these forms to the school, you will have the ability to play in another sport after the football season.

I will collect the completed forms when we hand out the foot ball gear on August 9th, 2011.

http://www.sandi.net/11716201216144119577/site/default.asp

Preparing for the 2011 Season

2011-05-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

We have a mandatory parent/player meeting at 5:30 pm on Wednesday 6/15/11 at the Amphitheater on campus at Patrick Henry. I will give out my expectations of players and parents, meet the coaching staff, discuss the “Lift-a-thon”, ask for volunteers, introduce the Booster Club and hand out information for the upcoming season.

We are in the process of replacing the playing surface in the stadium at Patrick Henry. So the schedule for our summer camp is very FLUID… But we will open our summer camp on Monday 6/27/11 at 5:00 sharp. Camp goes Monday through Thursdays 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Our last day of camp is Thursday 7/21/11.

We will be conducting a “Football Combine” to assess skills and talents of each player, similar to that on the NFL Network.

Typically, CIF mandates a “Dead Week” on the last week of July and the 1st week of August. What “Dead Week” means is coaches cannot have any contact with the players during that time. Our players and families are free to make vacation plans from Friday 7/22/11 to Monday 8/8/11. We try and tell our parents that is a good time for families to take a summer vacation before the start of hell week (football training camp).

I have been to Lewis and Pershing Middle Schools and handed fliers out to the incoming Freshmen.

If you have any questions, you may contact me at my work e-mail at ldailey@pd.sandiego.gov or on my cell at (619) 980-4159.

Old School

2010-12-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

One of the things we tried to teach our players last year is to embrace some of the traditions that have fallen off by the way side over the years.

After every game, win or lose, the Marching Band would play the Alma Mater as the players stood in front of the band with their index finger pointed to the sky.

Other traditions have been picked up after I graduated from Henry. Like dumping the water container on the coach after a big game. (See 1986 NY Giants)

I told the players after the Hilltop game that they were not allowed to dump the cooler on me. Instead, I offered them an 'Old School' approach...

Back in the day, after a big victory, the players would pick up the coach and the team would carry him to the showers and soak the coach with all his clothes on. The following link was video taken of that very incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8dRbfRP-UA

Being Thankful

2010-11-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. This is a time for enjoying family, food and football. But more important, it is a time to reflect and give thanks for all we have.

I am thankful for my family, friends, for my job, for the roof over my head and for my health. But I look back at the last year, I think of Darren Shanks and his family. Darren's battle against cancer, a community coming together and supporting him and his family during some very dark times and his giving back through the Make a Wish Foundation with new uniforms for our beloved Patriots.

Back in October, I had the privilege to help out with the Make a Wish Foundation and their video for the National Fundraising Campaign. I have attached the Youtube link for you all to see the video. It is very powerful and I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVeVS6rcun8

2010 Freshman Banquet

2010-11-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

The Freshman Patriots remembered their season with our end of the year banquet at Patrick Henry High School last Wednesday. Family and friends came together to join in the celebration of the football season and more important, the player's journey into manhood.

Hunter's Steakhouse provided an outstanding meal with salad, garlic potatoes, BBQ chicken and tri tip stake. The players served up dessert later in the evening.

A slide show of our players was depicted in the "Patriot Football: A Day in the Life" was shown as players, family and friends came in.

After dinner, the team was shown the 2010 Highlight Film of the Freshmen Patriots. The players 'Oohed' and 'Awwed' at some of the players as they recalled the success of the season.

I spoke briefly about our 'Building Men for Others' as I introduced the coaches and the players. I recapped the lessons we have taught our young men throughout the entire season and asked them to keep building on the foundation we have set for their future.

We spoke about being student athletes and that out of 170 football players, we lost only 5 players to grades in the entire football program.

Players were given team photos, programs and certificates. (I will get the letters out to players on Wednesday 12/1/10)

We recognized Darren Shanks and his contributions along with the Make a Wish Foundation and the new uniforms. We played the Greg Bledsoe's 7/39 news story on Darren and our Freshman Team.

Alex Shrestha and Chris Filardi were the Academic Award winners with 4.0 GPA's.

Coach Terry Naughton painted two portraits for our Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. These awards were voted on by the players and they could not have chosen two players that best exemplify being players of the year. Frankie Bernard was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year and Colton Ledford was voted Offensive Player of the Year.

After all the presentations, I presented Coach Valaile a portrait that Coach Naughton made as a going away gift. Coach Valaile will focus his life in raising a family with his wife Reyna and his daughter Faith.

All the players signed the border of the portrait and it was a real nice and classy going away gift from all of us on the team.

As we ended the night's festivities, there were lots of hugs, exchange of thanks and lots of 'I love you' spread through out the room. These are very good men and you parents should be proud of the way you raise them.

I want to take time the thank the Booster Club, Lisa Cantor, Rich Owen, Janet Dabbert and Jill Pankow for putting on fine banquet last Wednesday night. I want to thank Ann Batson for putting on the "Day in the Life of a Patriot Football Player" slide show.

My job is done... I hope I have lived up to the expectations that I promised you parents back in June. It has been an honor and a privilege not only to coach your sons, but to help them on their way into being men.

2010 Freshman Coaching Staff

2010-11-15T07:46:00.001-08:00

At the banquet, I recognize our coaches so that all the parents, family and friends of our players can put a name and a face together with a bio on each of our coaches. Here are the Freshmen Football Coaches for the 2010 Patrick Henry Patriots.

Andy Armenta, Assistant Head Coach, DB's and Special Teams

Coach Armenta graduated from Calexico HS in Calexico Ca. in 1980. He played football and was a WR and DB while at Calexico. Coach Armenta was selected Southern Section All CIF in 1979 as a WR. After graduating from Calexico HS, he went on to play football at Imperial Valley JC. He earned a scholarship to Hastings University in Nebraska where he was named as an All State WR. After graduating from Hastings, Coach Armenta returned home and began coaching at his Alma mater, Calexico HS. He became Calexico's Varsity Head Football in 1986 to 1988. He then became the Varsity Head Football Coach at Universidad CETYS High School Football Team from 1988 to 1990. This is his 2nd year coaching at Patrick Henry.

Fred Bushardt, Offensive Line

Coach Bushardt graduated from Chula Vista HS in 1967. He is an alumni from San Diego State University and began his career in television at KGTV in the early 70's. He went onto work as the News Director at KRON in San Francisco and he recently retired and came home to San Diego. Coach Bushardt has 2 years of coaching Pop Warner football and spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons working as the endzone cameraman and quality control at Hilltop HS with Coach Martinez and I on the Varsity. 'Uncle Fred' is also my brother-in-law. This is Coach Bushardt's 2nd year with Patrick Henry and is pencilled in to being the JV O-Line coach next year.

Ron Francis, Operations Coach

Ron Francis is a parent volunteer that helps me with all the minutia and paperwork that is involved in being a Head Coach of a football team. Showing up and just coach is the furthest thing from the truth in coaching high school sports. Coach Francis prowls the sidelines and is my morale compass for the team. He is my first Operations Coach and I know next year, not only will I need another Operations Coach, but that filling his shoes will be hard to do, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Paul Hubka, Offensive Coordinator and QB's

Paul Hubka is a graduate for St. Augustine High School's class of 1977. He lettered in football, baseball, track and in basketball while attending Saints. He attended Mesa, Grossmont Colleges and moved onto SDSU. Coach Hubka is also Officer Hubka and currently works Eastern Division of the San Diego Police Department. (which covers San Carlos, Del Cerro and Allied Gardens) He started coaching football at Sacred Heart Academy at the Head Coach of the 8th grade flag football team. In 2008 and 2009, Coach Hubka made the jump into high school football and became the QB, Special Teams and kicking coach at El Capitan HS in Lakeside. This is Coach Hubka's first year at Patrick Henry.

Terry Naughton, RB's

I have know Terry Naughton for many years, going back to playing with his brother, Danny back in 1978 for the Patriots. Coach Naughton graduated from Patrick Henry's class of 1977. He lettered in football and in wrestling while at PHHS. He is an artist and has worked for Disney and Pixar for years now. Coach Naughton has coached wrestling and is our strength and conditioning coach. He has coaching ties to Alvarado Football and has previously coached at the freshmen level here at Patrick Henry.

Ronnie Trujillo, Defensive Line

Coach Ronnie Trujillo is a graduate from Midway Baptist HS in the Southbay. He received All League Honors as an Offensive and Defensive Lineman at Midway Baptist, which is now Oceanview Academy. He works as a youth advisor for his church and heard about the 'Building Men for Others' program here at Patrick Henry. He became intrigued and wanted to coach football. This is his first year coaching football and he will be moving up to the JV as the JV D-line coach next year.

Nick Valaile, Defensive Coordinator and LB's

Coach Nick Valaile graduated from Clairemont HS in 1983. He played OG on the 1981 San Diego Section CIF Championship Team as the Chieftans beat the Lincoln Hornets San Diego Stadium (Before it was Jack Murphy Stadium and before it was the 'Q') Coach Valaile went onto play 2 years at San Diego City College before joining the San Diego Police Department. (Coach Valaile and I have been partners on the SDPD for a total of 8 years). Coach Valaile began coaching football in 2002 as the Varsity and JV offensive line coach at The Bishop's School in La Jolla Ca. In 2003 and 2004, Coach Valaile became the JV Defensive Coordinator at Bishop's. This is Coach Valaile's 2nd and last year coaching football at Patrick Henry. He will be taking time to raise his daughter Faith along with his wife Reyna. I will miss my close friend, confidant and brother and I wish him all the best.

Johnny Zelender, Defensive Line

Coach Zelender is a friend to Varsity LB Coach Damon Schaeffer. Coach Zelender had been coaching at the YMCA in Mission Valley and expressed an interest in coaching high school football to Coach Schaeffer. The Freshmen program is an enrty level job and it was a good spring board for 'Coach Z' to get started. His emotions and enthusiasm is un-matched on the sidelines on game day. Coach Zelender works at Phil's BBQ in Pt. Loma.

Patriots 13 Hilltop Lancers 6

2010-11-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

The Patriots took two bus loads of players to Hilltop HS to finish out the season with a 13 - 6 victory over the Lancers.

To say the game was a defensive battle would be an understatement. Both defenses were dominant and both defenses controlled the game. There was a lot of big hits and really good tackling. Both linebacker squads dominated the game.

The Lancers took the opening drive down for a TD. The Patriots blocked the PAT giving the Lancers a 6 - 0 lead. LB Trey Johnson #48 intercepted a Lancer pass 40 yards for a TD giving the Patriots a slim 7 - 6 lead.

The game went back and forth with no scoring until the 4th quarter. The Patriots had a hard time picking up the blitzing Lancers. So we made a change... We switched to our 'Rhino' or our goal line offense. The change worked and offensive line consisting of Aaron Ping, DJ Samuels, Armando Martinez, Josh Prater, Mohamed Ali, Charlie Martinez and Zack Brown, along with FB's Frankie Bernard, Nick Sullivan and Colton Ledford took control of the game. They were able to open holes for Marcos Gonzalez all the while, eating up valuable time off the clock.

Gonzalez scored on a 5 yard run giving the Patriots some breathing room. The defense closed out the game with a tackle and strip of the ball by Zack Brown. As the refs were looking in the pile for the ball, DE Bernard Smith stood up, held the ball up over his head 5 yards away from the pile as if to say, "Here it is! I have the ball" Finally, a ref saw Smith and signalled Patriot ball.

I am very proud of our players. But not as proud as I was as they sang the Alma Mater in front of our fans. The players posed for a final photo before getting on the bus.

The players wanted to dump the water coolers on me. I told them we have done things the "Old School" way. Back in the day, when I was a Patriot football player, we carried the coach after a big victory into the showers and we soaked him that way.

Well, the players picked me up, carried me into the shower and got me drenched. Not just once, but twice! The players loved it and it re-introduced a lot of tradition to Patriot Football.

In the end, there were lots of hugs, love and admiration that was exchanged between me and all my players. I am proud of them as men and as football players. And I am proud they are a part me and the tradition of Patrick Henry Football.

KNSD 7/39 News Article on Darren Shanks

2010-11-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

During the Mar Vista game, Greg Bledsoe of KNSD 7/39 came to our game and filmed parts of our game while doing a story on Darren Shanks. There have been many stories on Darren, his fight against cancer, the new uniforms and the Make a Wish Foundation. This one is very well done. Darren and I both feel this is our favorite story so far.

I have attached the link for you all to see the story yourself.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/health/One_Players_Legacy_San_Diego-106819673.html

Freshman Football Banquet

2010-11-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Our Freshman Football banquet will be on Wednesday November the 17th @ 6:30 pm in the Patrick Henry cafeteria.

Hunter's Steak House will be providing tri-tip steak, chicken breast, salad, garlic mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and garlic bread. Cake and drinks will be provided by the Booster Club.

Dinner has already been paid for players who purchased a Spirit Pack. Additional tickets may be purchased for $18 a piece.

We will be recognizing the players, awarding the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and the Top Academic Award winner.

We will also show a highlight DVD of the seasons best plays. If you wish to purchase the highlight DVD, I will be taking orders at the banquet for $10 a DVD and $5 for individual games.

I will be sending the banquet order forms home with the players today after our team photos. The due date for turning in the banquet order forms is Friday 11/12/10.

Hope to see you all there!

Cathedral Catholic Dons 55 Patriots 0

2010-11-05T06:01:00.003-07:00

I want to start by saying, the Cathedral Dons were very good. They had some very good athletes and I was impressed by their play and ability. I look forward to seeing them move up the ranks and onto the next level. I sincerely salute you all.

The Dons are definitely the class of the Eastern League and if we are to ever have a chance at them for the next 3 years, we need to get bigger, stronger and faster. And all that comes from working out in the weight room.

We are in a downward spiral and the team is currently in a funk right now. We are making too many mental mistakes and it is too late in the season for us to be doing that. We asked the players to compete. And try as we may, we are just coming up short. After the Dons scored the first TD, you could feel the wind come out of our sails. It was a lopsided game and we will take our lumps like men.

So we will circle the wagons and button it up for our upcoming game against the Lancers of Hilltop HS.

Hilltop Scheduled for Wednesday 11/10/10

2010-11-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

We were scheduled to play Lincoln HS on Wednesday 11/10/10. But due to grades and not enough players, Lincoln folded their Freshmen team leaving us without a game.

I called my former co-workers at Hilltop HS in Chula Vista and we scheduled a game with them to fill the void. Hilltop Freshmen Head Coach Mark Flint is a great guy and playing against them is like playing against my brother. We are looking forward to going to Hilltop HS.

Directions to Hilltop:
S/B on I-805
Exit west on H Street
Left on Hilltop Drive
Left on I Street
Hilltop HS on the left side of the street

Hope to see you all there!

Team Pictures on Friday 11/5/10

2010-10-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Our team photos will taken in the PHHS Stadium on Friday 11/5/10 at 1:30. We will be wearing our white jerseys for the photos. I will send the order forms from Sharon Cooley Photography home with the players after practice on Monday 10/1/10.

A team portrait is included as a part of each player's spirit pack. If you wish to order individual photos or more team photos, those prices will be on the order form. To track each player, order forms must be filled out and turned in regardless of ordering individual shots or not.

Scripps Ranch Falcons 37 Patriots 14

2010-10-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Quicksand... that is the best way to describe our game yesterday. We walked into quicksand and the more we struggled, the deeper we got. We tried to do more than we needed and we kept sinking deeper and deeper until we buried ourselves.

Quicksand, is where we were as the Patriots lost to the Falcons of Scripps Ranch 37 - 14.

Mental mistakes were too many to list. Suffice it to say we all know we are better than the product we put on the field yesterday. But through all the dark clouds, there was some silver lining that came out of the game.

I saw our players develop into men and leaders. Several times on the sideline yesterday, I saw team Captains Charlie Martinez and Aaron Ping huddle their perspective units and rally them to stay positive, focused and do the job they were capable of doing. Even back-up LB Colton Barr kept going up and down the sideline passing words of encouragement and maintaining a positive outlook on things.

You can't put a price tag on leadership. You can yell and scream all you want. But to get people to follow you is hard to do. If you can lead people to do things for you because they want to do it for you, because they care for you, because they respect you, then you are a leader. We need more leaders in the world and our players are on the right track.

Our Alma Mater

2010-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, back when I wore leather helmets in 1979, the Spirit of 76 Patrick Henry Marching Band would always play the Alma Mater after every game. Win or lose. (We didn't lose much) The Alma Mater is our anthem to our school.

All the players and the Cheerleaders would assemble in front of the band and sing the Alma Mater along with the band, all the while, pointing our index fingers to the sky to signify we were #1. Fans, students, parents, players and cheerleaders would sing along. It was a unifying moment for all and has always been the tradition of Patriot football.

Here I am 31 years later and we have gotten away from that tradition. A tradition of being unified as a team, student body and as a school. The Alma Mater after every game was a badge of pride in our school and I feel we need to re-introduce that sense of pride to Patrick Henry High School.

For the last week, I have been working with the Freshman Team to sing the Alma Mater. From this point on, win or lose, as long as I am the Head Coach of the Freshmen team at Patrick Henry, we will always sing the Alma Mater in front of our crowd before we do our victory jumping jacks.

I have attached the words to our Alma Mater:

PATRICK HENRY PATRIOTS HIGH SCHOOL
ALMA MATER
On our city’s eastern border
midst the hills and the sky
home of our most valiant Patriots
Patrick Henry High.
In our many halls of learning
on our fields of play
goals of excellence and honor
always lead the way.
As we march along together
let’s be brave and bold
all hail to Patrick Henry High School
hail to the green and gold.

The 5th Quarter

2010-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Freshman football is a developmental program built to teach players how to play football. It is rare to put 2nd string players in during a tight game. The only way to learn football is to play in game type situations.

After the Mira Mesa game, their coach approached me and asked if we could go with a 5th Quarter. I said yes.

The 5th Quarter is an opportunity for the 2nd string players to get some playing time against the opposing teams 2nd string players. It is a controlled scrimmage with coaches in the huddles and monitoring the play on the field. It is a non timed quarter and it is used as a teaching tool for our less experienced players.

On defense, Edgar Delgado, Sylvestre Berdeja, Ben Cooper and Jake Batson were highlight players for the Patriots as Nick Soarse, Jeremy Naughton and Tyler Holmes stood out on offense.

Mira Mesa Mauraders 19 Patriots 14

2010-10-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Talk about a roller coaster of a game. The ebb and flow, going back and forth as two teams that were evenly matched took the field yesterday. Unfortunately for our Patriots, we lost to the Marauders 19 to 14.

The game started with a bang as Markise Bryant took the opening kickoff 87 yards for a TD. Defense was on the field for the majority of the first half and they worked hard to keep us in the game.

Adjustments were made at the half and the Blackshirt Defense was dominant the second half. Offensively, we switched to our passing game as we went to a no huddle mode moving the ball down the field for another TD with under 5 minutes left in the game.

Strategy dictates to kick the ball off deep and play defense using all your timeouts. Our defense stepped up and stopped the Marauders forcing them to punt. Unfortunately, we fumbled the punt away.

You can't win at any level if you turn the ball over 6 times. Four fumbles, including one that would come back to haunt us at the Marauder 2 yard line. Two interceptions, one coming with 44 seconds in the game, sealed the fate of the mighty Patriots.

After the game, I saw a lot of sad faces. Players were upset and they should be. They knew we were better than we showed out on the field and it left a bitter taste in their mouth.

I am proud of our players. To see them be emotionally upset after that game means that they care. They weren't indifferent about losing. It hurt and they care. They never quit and they did the only thing that I required of them: COMPETE!!

I want to thank the fans for all your support. You were all loud and supportive during the game and the players appreciated it.

Next week, we will re-group and prepare for the Falcons of Scripps Ranch HS.

St. Augustine Saints 9 Patriots 21

2010-10-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

After a week of good preparation, the Patriots were as ready as they could be as they opened with their first Eastern League game against the visiting Saints. We preach to our players that the Eastern League is the toughest league in the County and that we need to work hard to come out as victors in any League contest. Our players stepped up to that challenge as the Patriots beat the Saints 21 - 9.

The offense started out with a game opening, time consuming drive ending with David Hensley catching a Morgan Hatch pass.

On the following drive, Marcos Gonzales scored on another long run as the Patriots went up 14-0. But the unsung hero on that play, along with the O-line, was the crushing block by by team captain Colton Ledford. Colton's block on the Saints LB was with such force, it sounded like a cannon had gone off on the field.

Defense was outstanding. The 'Blackshirts' gave up one TD against the Saints, which is only the second TD they have given up for the season, going all the way back to the Pt. Loma game. The defensive highlight was turned in by DT Frankie Bernard as he sniffed out a pass in the flat, stuck his left hand up and caught the ball (one handed) and ran away from the Saints as he returned the ball 70 yards for a TD. It was quite an athletic play.

I told the players they fought hard and that I was very proud of them. I wanted them to enjoy the win, their 1st win in the Eastern League. It is special and they will remember it for a long time.

Next week we play Mira Mesa, the cream of the crop. We have a big game coming up against the Marauders at home next week and we have to be at the top of our game to come out ahead. Next week will give everybody a good idea of where we stand as a football team.

Grades Coming Soon

2010-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

The first scholastic progress report is coming out in a week and a half. The minimum GPA to play in CIF Sports is a 2.0 academic grade and a 2.0 citizenship grade with no more than one F on the report card.

I sent out status reports with all the players on Thursday after the game. The players were to take them to all their teachers to give me an idea where they stand as far as their grades are concerned.

13 players are currently on the bubble or are currently ineligible. I will be talking to each and every one of those players and see if there is anymore work they can do to raise their grades.

On a side note, I will not go to teachers and have them change grades for our student athletes. I will support teachers and players in getting tutoring and seeing their teachers to get extra help during practice.

Make no mistake about it... If a player comes back as ineligible at the end of the grading period, I will cut them from the team. Period, the end. We try to teach our players to be men and act accordingly. It is their responsibility to fix what needs to be done.

Our priorities in life are: Faith in God, Family, School and then Football. If you can't take care of the first three, then you can't play football.

Mar Vista Mariners 14 Patriots 28

2010-10-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

How many of you were sitting on pins and needles yesterday? After taking a 21-0 lead halfway into the 3rd quarter, we began to substitute players on both sides of the ball. Two fumbles and two touchdowns later, we found momentum to be on the Mariner sideline.

We put the 1st stringers back in and put the game on their shoulders.

1:36 left in the game. The Mariners were trailing by 7 and drove all the way down to our 8 yardline. We practice situational football all the time and the Mariners faced 4th and goal on the 8 yardline. The Mariners rolled out to pass the ball and the Patriot defense did what they were supposed to do: KNOCK THE BALL DOWN!

The Patriots took possession needed to run the clock out. Instead, the O-line busted a huge hole and Marcos Gonzalez ran the ball 92 yards for the game ending TD. Gonzalez ended the day 3 TD's and 154 yards rushing.

QB Morgan Hatch ran a two minute drill before the end of the half. Though we did not score on that drive, it was good to see the offense work like a team. Hatch showed poise behind good pass protection, he called excellent audibles, threw good pass and Arron Graves and Cano Espinoza made clutch catches and stopped the clock by getting out of bounds. Again, we practice situational football and our players executed the plan.

Our Blackshirt Defense was phenomenal. In the four games we have played, they gave up one TD, and that was the 1st drive of the first game against Pt. Loma. They are very smart and aggressive and they play well as a unit. LB's Nick Sullivan, Arron Ping and Zack Brown are the heart and soul of the defense.

Now it is time to prepare for the Eastern League. I tell our players this all the time: The Eastern League is the toughest league in the County of San Diego.

The next 5 games are going to be tough. All 5 football programs went to the playoffs last year and we have a lot of work ahead of us.

Building Men for Others: Being Oblivious

2010-10-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

I sat in the stands during the last JV game against Westhills. As I was eating my hotdog and visiting with family and friends, I heard this young female student use profanity like it was going out of style. Every other word out of her mouth was "F-that, B-that, S-that".

Nobody said anything to her as she kept on cussing up a storm around her friends. Finally, I turned around and yelled at her saying, "Hey! Nice mouth! Do you kiss you mom and dad with that mouth?"

Needless to say, she was embarrassed to the point of tears. Really? Is there a need to cuss like a sailor?

During the Varsity game later that night, the PHHS band played the National Anthem at the beginning of the game. As everybody stood at attention during the Star Spangled Banner, one of my Freshmen players began to hug, chase and grab at another female student.

I love my Country. The playing of the Star Spangled Banner means a lot to me and I give it all the respect it deserves. I think of all the war veterans that have given their lives to protect our freedom and for all those currently serving in the military in the war against terror around the world. I am proud to be an American.

Needless to say, I was stewing as I watched my player and this female student play 'grab-ass' during the National Anthem. Afterwards, I went to my player and sternly spoke to him about the image he projected and the lack of respect he showed. Again, he said he didn't know he was disrespectful. Really?

It is common place in today's society to be focused on yourself and what you are doing while not having a care about anybody else in the world. Building men for others involves thinking of others and how people think of you.

I spoke to our players and asked them, "What kind of image do you want others to have of you?" Don't be oblivious and start thinking of others. I told the players they are an extension of me, the school and their parents. Act in a manner that would make us all proud.

Building Men for Others: Living in a Fish Bowl

2010-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Being a police officer gives me a unique perspective on society. Being in uniform as I go out in public, I feel everybody staring at me not because of the kind of person I am. But for merely being in a police uniform.

It has taken a while, but I am used to the looks and the stares as people interact with me in the public. I had a Captain tell me once, "I want you to act as if a CNN crew was with you and your mother saw the video back at her house. Don't embarrass me and don't embarrass the Department."

I have taken that advice and never have forgotten it. Image is perception.

On game days, I allow our players to wear their game jerseys to school. It gives everybody on campus a look of who is on the team and it gives our players a chance to show the kind of men we are building here at Patrick Henry.

Until yesterday...

I received a phone call from Coach Martinez that two of my players were in a fight during lunch. It was compounded by the fact there were several other players that surrounded the two players and agitated the problem by creating a mob scene.

It turns out that the two players had a verbal dispute, a female student made threats that if they didn't stop, the players would get kicked off the team... High School drama. The two players went to mediation and I spoke to them. That has been dealt with. But the mob scene created by the rest of my players left a black eye on what we are trying to do.

I spoke to the players during 6th Period and I expressed by disappointment. I spoke to the team about how they were an extension of me. How when they wear the green and gold and they represent me, the staff, the school, the admin, their families and the alumni. And the image of all the players gathering around the verbal dispute left a negative image of what I am trying to do: Building Men for Others.

There is a lesson here. In real life, all it takes is a few bad apples to ruin it for everybody. So, I made a command decision that there will be no more wearing jerseys on game day until our team can earn my trust again. Everybody will be required to wear a pants, shirt and tie on game days. Show me you can act like a man then I will let you wear the jerseys again.

I know young people will make mistakes. That is why I love working with them be it in the schools as a police officer or as a coach and mentor at PHHS.

We all live in a fish bowl and everybody is looking. What do you want people to see in you?

Westhills Game Postponed

2010-10-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

In the 17 years of coaching high school football, I have learned there are to things that cancel football games: Poor air quality (from the wildfires of 2003 and 2007) and lightning.

There was a cell that settled over the east county yesterday and it never let up. All of the games in the Grossmont Union High School District were cancelled yesterday. It was the right call.

The players, coaches and I were very disappointed in the fact we couldn't play. The Wolfpack are 3-0 and were going to be a good test to see where we were as a football team. We had a great week of preparation and we were all looking forward to the game.

But the safety of our student/athletes is priority #1.

Westhills HS is looking to reschedule the game and I am all for it. It will take some planning and there is a possibility we might have to play on a Saturday. As soon as I hear from them, I will notify everybody on the Blog and call players and parents to get it organized.

Building Men for Others: Taking on a Cause

2010-09-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

In building men for others, one of the lessons I pass onto our players is to take on a cause. One of my favorite causes that I support is for Children's Rady Hospital here in San Diego. I see the work they do for sick children and the support they provide families. It is a cause that is near and dear to my heart.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Soon you will see players in the NFL and MLB start to wear pink gear to bring awareness and recognition to breast cancer.

I spoke to our players yesterday about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We see the images of professional players wearing the pink gear. High School players want to emulate the pros by wearing pink also. But there is more to life than just imitating what the pros do on TV. I wanted to provoke some thought in our players on why it is important to recognize the cause. I spoke about the National Breast Cancer Foundation and what they are about.

I explained to the players that all of us know somebody that has suffered from cancer in one form or another. We all know Darren Shanks and his fight against cancer. But breast cancer awareness takes the center stage in the month of October.

Why should we support this cause? We want to bring awareness to breast cancer through education, support and provide fund raising for free mammograms. To save lives in early detection is the main goal of the NBCF.

So, the Patrick Henry Football Booster Club is sponsoring an essay contest. The theme of the essay is "How breast cancer has affected me, my family and the cancer victim I know." I spoke to the Varsity, JV and the Freshmen football teams about the essay contest and all players are eligible to participate. (Of course, with the work load of homework our players have already, the essay contest is not mandatory)

Essays are due to me on Friday 10/8/10. I will read and judge the essays and pick out the top 6 essays. Then I will meet with a panel of judges and pick out the top three essays and rate them 1st 2nd and 3rd.

Then at halftime of the Varsity game against St. Augustine on 10/15/10, we will recognize the players of the top three essays, the cancer victims/survivors and present them checks in the name of the victims/survivors to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The first prize essay will receive $75 donation, second prize will be $50 donation and third prize will be $25 donation all going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Start Time for Westhills Game

2010-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Next Thursday's game at Westhills will be at 5:00 pm. That gives the parents time to get off work and see the game.

Westhills HS is off Mast Blvd as you exit the I-52. Hope to see you all there.

El Cajon Valley Braves 6 Patriots 35

2010-09-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

The undefeated Braves from El Cajon Valley HS came to Patrick Henry to face off with the Patriots Freshmen Football team. The Patriots gave the Braves more than they could handle by beating them 35-6.

The Patriot defense was stellar throughout the day. Led by Frankie Bernard, Zack Brown and Kenny Alvarado, the Patriots gave up just one first down in half. Edgar Delgado recovered a Brave fumble, Sam Akili intercepted a two point conversion and Arron Ping intercepted a pass and raced 83 yards for his second 'pick six' touchdown of the year.

On special teams, Markise Bryant had some outstanding returns for huge yardage.

Offense was lead by RB Marco Gonzalez, who ran for over 100 yards. Gonzalez scored 2 rushing touchdowns. Morgan Hatch threw 2 TD's to David Hensley behind good blocking from DJ Samuels, Armando Martinez, Josh Prater, Josh Abate, Charlie Martinez and RB's Colton Ledford and Meko Revecho.

Nest week we travel to Westhills HS and take on the Wolfpack. Westhills usually field a good team and it should be a good gauge to see where our team is as we prepare for the Eastern League.

Game DVD's for Purchase

2010-09-22T05:24:00.000-07:00

We video tape our games for the puposes of reviewing player performance and making adjustments in our coaching. On Tuesdays, I take the team into Room 500 and review the film of the previous game as a coaching tool for the players to see what they are doing in the game and correct any mistakes or assignments to be a better player.

Several parents and players have come up to me and asked if they can purchase a copy of the game films. The answer is yes.

On Wednesdays, JV Head Coach Antione Hough will be available to make to make copies for players and families. Copies of the our DVD's can be made for $5. Coach Hough will be available at the beginning of 6th Period (1:15 pm) and the players can place thier order before they go down to the Stadium for practice. The DVD will be done by the time practice is done. Cash only please.

THIS SERVICE WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE ON WEDNESDAYS. The $5 cost will go back into the purchase of blank DVD discs for copies to our players and coaches.

I will make a highlight DVD at the end of the season for the banquets. Orders can be placed to buy a highlight DVD after the banquet.

El Cajon Valley Game to Start at 4:30 pm

2010-09-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

As a reminder, our game against El Cajon Valley will start at 4:30 on Thursday 9/23/10.

The Grossmont Union Schools start later in the day which means they get out of school later. Personally, I like the later start times. It gets more parents out at the game to see us play.

On a side note, next week's game at West Hills will be at 5:00 pm. Then we will have 5 straight home games all starting at 3:30 pm.

Freshman Perks

2010-09-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Understanding that the Freshman Football team is the bottom of the totem pole and players need to return for JV and Varsity to get some of the 'extras' that come with being a football player at Patrick Henry High School, I still find ways to motivate and give our players a little extras here and there.

For instance, Wednesdays are our review day and we normally dress out in 'shells' (helmet, shoulder pads and shorts). But if we win, the next Wednesday we dress out in what I call "hat day" (baseball cap, jersey and shorts).

But we haven't put together a string of good practices lately so I put a veto on Hat Day. Until... One of our offensive linemen, Mohamed Ali, wanted a challenge to have Hat Day this week. So, I challenged him to catch a punt without dropping it and we could have Hat Day. But if he dropped it, we suit in full pads. With all his team mates cheering him on, Mohamed set out to catch a punt from Aaron Ping. Mohamed caught the punt and the team erupted with joy as they mobbed Mohamed. So, Hat Day is on this week.

On another note, not many people volunteer to play offensive line. It's hard work that comes with little or no recognition that requires to the line to play as a unit. As a former lineman myself, I have a soft spot in my heart for the O-line.

So as a payoff, whenever we have a RB that runs over 100 yards, I treat the O-line to Krispy Kreme doughnuts on Mondays and I did so yesterday after practice. All of a sudden, everybody wanted to be an offensive lineman. "Fat Guys" (that is my term of endearment to my O-line)were coming out of the wood work. Too bad, so sad! I love my O-line.

Learning to Win: Patriots 35 Hoover 14

2010-09-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

In life, nothing is given and everything is earned. Simply going through the motions is not good enough in the real world. Looking across from your opponent and just showing up doesn't get the job done.

We lost our opening game to Pt. Loma 14-7. I attribute part of that to having our first game jitters. Having a bye while Pt. Loma had a game the week before showed. Pt. Loma was well coached and they played hard, as did our Patriots. We played hard and the best part about our opening game was that nobody quit. Everybody competed until the final whistle.

But some players weren't happy because they did not play. Such is life in the Fast Lane of Competition. I spoke with our players after the Pt. Loma game and challenged those that did not play to question their coaches and find out what they needed to do to get into the game. At least six players took me up on that challenge and spoke to their coaches. It is a hard thing to do, but I am proud of them for taking that step on their own.

But come Monday and Tuesday, we did not practice well. We were sloppy, made metal mistakes, missed assignments and we as a team looked very disorganized. Coach Valaile even took away the Black Jerseys from the starting defense. I took responsibility of the team's performance and promised a new attitude from me and the coaching staff on Wednesday's practice. But the players needed to take some responsibility and work towards being a team and pushing each other.

Needless to say, our Wednesday practice was the best practice of the year to this point. Tempo was upbeat, players were hustling, we cut back on some plays and players knew their assignments. The coaches took a more positive approach in coaching the players. I looked forward to seeing how our players would respond to the Hoover Cardinals... That is until I woke up with the flu on Thursday morning.

I wasn't sick as a dog, I was so weak and beat up that I couldn't get out of bed. Luckily for all of us, Coach Armenta is a former varsity head coach, Coach Hubka is a former 8th grade football head coach and Coach Valaile has been my long time assistant coach. So I felt the team was in good hands and I stayed at home waiting on pins and needles to see how our Patriots would do.

As it turned out, the Patriots hard work did not go to waste and they beat the Cardinals of Hoover 35-14. I watched the video of the game and I was very happy with the teams performance. The players took their practice habits and put them to use out on the field. The offensive and defensive lines had good games and Colton Ledford ran for over 100 yards.

As I look back to the previous week's practice, it was the players preparation that pushed us to victory. Not the coaches, not the plays, but the attitude to succeed in whatever you do in life. That is my job. Teaching our players not only how to play football, but how to win in life.

By the way, I am sorry I didn't see it, but all the coaches commented on the large number of Patriot fans that were at the game and how loud and supportive you folks were. Keep up the good work Patriot family. It means a lot to the players and coaches.

Building Men for Others: False Masculinity

2010-09-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is a repeat from a Blog entry from last year...

Tomorrow is 9/11 and I pause to think of all those who lost their lives on that day 9 years ago. It has changed our daily lives and we must never forget the people that lost lives and the ultimate sacrifices that people made on that day.

Today I will meet with the team and speak about what is important in life... Loving one another. We live in a society where personal accomplishments take the spotlight. Masculinity is based on how much money you make, how many girlfriends you have or how many touchdowns you scored. These are examples of the quick gratification lifestyle we live in these days. But that is not the true meaning of masculinity.

As I think back on that day 9 years ago, I think about those folks on United Flight 93. They knew they were doomed and they were going to die. They knew they had to do something and they made an attempt to take over the plane. They all know the chances were slim to overtake the highjackers and there was a good chance they were going to die. As they tried to overtake the plane, it crashed in rural Pennsylvania and all aboard died.

The point I want to bring up to our players is the phone calls people on Flight 93 made to their families before they tried to overtake the highjackers. They did not call home or their loved ones to boast about how much money they made, what kind of car they drove or how many homeruns they hit. They called their families to let them know they loved them.

To me, that is so important for the development of our young men. Nobody ever took the time to explain that to me and as I look back on my development as a young man, I wish somebody would have. Loving one another and trusting one another is important in our everyday lives.

Darren Shanks (Part 10)

2010-09-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

As most of you know by now, one of our players from last year's team, Darren Shanks, has been battling cancer.

Well, Darren finished his last session or chemotherapy and is final home resting. You can see cars all over San Carlos with writing on the windows "No more Chemo" "Go Darren" "We beat Cancer".

The Patrick Henry Football team, staff student and teachers at Patrick Henry, Mission Trails Little League, Darren's Boy Scout Troop, the Chargers, U.S. Navy Admiral Bird, the Charger Girls and the community of San Carlos have all come together to support Darren, his parents Tom and Vivian, his brother Brian and all the aunts, uncles and cousins during this whole ordeal.

To remember Darren, all the players in the football program will wear a Gold Cancer Survivor Ribbon with the number 66 inside the ribbon on the back of their helmets.

Even though it is a home game for the Freshmen Team, we will be wearing our white jerseys to honor Darren.

Why white? Simple... Darren is starting a new life. A new life without cancer. A clean slate. A new beginning. And he has the rest of his life!

It is a small token to say, "I love you Darren". But to me, it speaks volumes on how I feel about Darren's beating cancer and the future that shines brightly in front of him.

Admission for Saturday's Game Against Pt. Loma

2010-09-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

There will an admission to Saturday's game against Pt. Loma. We are hosting a triple header with the Freshmen playing at 12:00, JV at 3:00 and Varsity at 6:00.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult $7.00
Children ages 6-12 $2.00
Seniors 65 and older are FREE
Children 5 and under are FREE

People attending the game can get their hand stamped for re-entry if they wish to leave the Stadium.

The snack bar will be open and programs will be on sale at the Stadium.

Building Men for Others: Empathy Part 2

2010-09-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

In our Building Men for Others theme that we share with our players, it sometimes takes one person to step up to start everybody into joining in and applying the lessons we are teaching.

We have a player on the team, Mohamed Ali, who is a practicing Muslim participating in Ramadan. Ramadan is a month of obligatory daily fasting in Islam is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Daily fasts begin at dawn and end with sunset. Special nightly prayers called, Taraweeh prayers are held.

On Tuesday, I spoke to the players about the pastor in Florida that intended to host an international Quran burning day. I spoke to our players about people being narrow minded and that are quick to stereotype people based on race, color or religion. I told our players that we are a team, a family and that Mohamed is taking part in Ramadan.

I explained to our players that we are a very diverse community of men. We have players that are practicing Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons and Muslims on the team. We are a virtual melting pot of society. Yet we are ONE FAMILY, ONE TEAM.

I asked the players, "What's my job?" They yelled in unison, "LOVE US!" I then asked them, "What is your job?" "LOVE EACH OTHER!"

I told our players to take care and love one another. I explained that there are people out in the world that are filled with hate and prejudice. We need to stand up for one another no matter what our background might be. Because we are ONE FAMILY, ONE TEAM. Despite the narrow thinking of outside world, we need to support and protect each other.

Yesterday during practice, one of our players, Markise Bryant, came up to me and said, "Coach, can I fast also? If Mohamed can't drink during practice, then I want to support him and fast along with him."

As a coach, what do I say? No, you can't support your brother? Or yes, you can risk the chance of dehydration? The social ramifications took the fore front and I told Markise yes, but I had to check on him every 15 minutes to see how he was doing.

These players are starting to get it. I am proud of their development not only as football players, but as men.

Looking for a Volunteer to Film Freshmen Games

2010-09-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in filming the Freshmen football games for the coaches and players, please give me a call on my cell at (619) 980-4159. I will provide the camera. All I need is a volunteer to handle the video for the Freshmen Football Team.

Film study is a valuable tool for coaches and for the players to see the good and the bad of what goes on during a game. The coaches review film on Saturdays to game plan for the next week. We set aside every Tuesday during 6th period to review film with our players.

As my coach once said to me when I was playing, "The eye in the sky don't lie!"

Freshmen Not Participating in Friday Night Carb Loads

2010-09-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

There was a mis-communication as it pertains to the Freshmen Football players participating in this coming Friday's Carbo Load with the Varsity and JV... That will NOT be happening.

Early on when Coach Martinez and I first came to Patick Henry, we introduced ourselves and our philosophy, one of the things we wanted to do is have all our players earn what were deemed as perks to being in the football program.

If you want the cool uniforms, you need to work your way onto the Varsity. If you want to play under the lights, you need to return for the JV and Varsity seasons. If you want pasta for Carb night, you need to return to the JV or Varsity to earn that right.

Freshman football, in my eyes, is the most important football program on any high school campus. If you look throughout the County, the teams with really good Varsity teams have a good Freshman program that works hand in hand with the Varsity. My job is to make football fun for the Freshmen so they the return and play the following year. My job is to teach players to play football not only at the JV level, but to compete at the Varsity level. Having 7 players from last year’s Freshmen Football team on the Varsity is a testament to that philosophy.

I am not an advocate of having the Freshman engage in the Carb Load Dinner. The premise was if the Freshmen made more money than the JV and the Varsity during the Lift-a-thon, the reward to them would be pasta dinner for the team. But that did not happen. I am satisfied our players did their best to raise money, but we came up short. Therefore, we did not earn the right to have pasta dinner.

Some folks might think they want to feed the Freshmen for the sake of team building. We had our own team BBQ after the Green and Gold game two weeks ago. The Coaches bought food and drinks, parents helped cook the food and it was a good time for fellowship and bonding between coaches and players. Afterwards, Make a Wish and Darren Shanks presented the three teams with their jerseys.

Our defense is the only team on campus to wear black jerseys. We stole the idea from the University of Nebraska and their 'Blackshirt Defense'. That is one of the few perks Coach Martinez allows us to use to motivate our players. We use the jerseys to motivate our players to compete for a starting position with those starting in front of them. Later on in the season, I will be handing out helmet stickers, or as we will call it, the Patriot Pride Award. But not everybody gets one. It has to be earned by leadership, motivation, hustle and following the principles we are teaching our young men. Nothing is given and everything is earned.

If I was to wear a t-shirt that expressed my feelings about society today, it would say, “Not everybody gets a trophy.” I want to break our players of that mind set and have them earn everything that they deserve.

Enough of me on a soapbox. I want to thank you all for the hard work you are putting into the football program. But as long as I am the Freshmen Head Coach, the Freshmen won't be participating in the Carb-load because it has not been earned… Not yet anyways.

Joe Ehrmann and Building Men for Others

2010-08-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

If you follow the Patrick Henry Freshmen Football Team, you hear it being said during practice, before and after games. What's the coach's job? "To love us!" What's your job? "To love each other!"

People looking from the outside would look at us with a quizzed look on their face. But in reality, we are building a community of men that trust each other, work with each other and grow a brotherhood that can't be broken.

I have been using this philosophy in coaching since 2004 when I was the JV Head Coach at the Bishops School in La Jolla. I took it with me to Southwest HS and to Hilltop HS before coming here to Patrick Henry.

I saw a news article on Joe Ehrmann, a former player for the Baltimore Colts (Yes, Baltimore Colts was before Indy) and I did some research in the style of coaching he used. I have attached a video for you to see what I am talking about.

Enjoy!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d801c52e2/NFL-Films-Presents-Joe-Ehrmann

Battle of the Bands this Saturday 9/4/10

2010-08-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that we have to members of the band Oculus Sinister on the Freshman team.

RB Colton Ledford and LB Nick Sullivan are in the band Oculus Sinister and they are in the finals in the Battle of the Bands this coming Saturday 9/4/10 at 6:00 pm. The location where the band will be playing is:

Queen Bee's
3925 Ohio St.
San Diego, Ca. 92103

Tickets are $10 and you can buy them from Colt or Sully. Their music can also be bought on iTunes. Here is their web site on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/oculussinister4

Queen Bee's is an all age venue in North Park, one block north of University Ave. I plan on being there to support our boys and I welcome everybody to show their support.

Team Photo for Football Program

2010-08-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Booster Club is putting the final touches on the Football Program (Program as in the book with team photos, shout-outs, ads and Varsity player photos).

The Freshman team will be taking a team photo on Tuesday 8/31/10 at 4:00 in the Staduim. I will be handing out the game jerseys to our players for the photo at 3:00 pm in the team room.

The Freshman team will be using the current practice pants at the game pants until Nike finally sends us the new game pants in a month or two. After the team photo, I will take the team back up to the team room and collect the game jerseys and suit up for practice in their practice jerseys.

Practice will follow at 5:00 pm.

As a note everybody: THIS PHOTO IS A TEAM PHOTO FOR THE PROGRAM ONLY. THIS IS NOT THE TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS FOR PURCHASE.

Assessment of the Mission Bay Scrimmage

2010-08-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have three words to describe the Scrimmage last Friday against Mission Bay: Not too shabby!

I was happy with the level of competition that all the players put forth during the scrimmage. I didn't ask for much. As a matter of fact, all I asked was that each player gave me his best. And each one of them did just that. They gave me their best effort.

I can truly say that our players showed a tremendous amount of hustle, knowledge and passion for the game of football. At no point did anyone get down and we bonded together as a team. The team met the goals I set out from the beginning of the scrimmage: COMPETE.

We still have some work to do on both sides of the ball and we will address them during this, our bye week. Our next game will be on Saturday 9/11/10 12:00 noon at PHHS against the Pointers of Pt. Loma HS.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-08-30T07:23:00.001-07:00

For those of you planning your Labor Day weekend, I would like to pass on some good news...

There will be no practice on Friday 9/3/10 thru Monday 9/6/10. Basically, the Freshman team will have a 4 day weekend. School starts on Tuesday 9/7/10 and we will be practicing after school.

It is a reward to the players, parents and the coaching staff to enjoy the holiday weekend and the end of summer. We all deserve the break from football. Because when we come back, it will be time to get to business and start the regular season.

Stadium Clean Up a Success

2010-08-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Stadium Clean Up Day was last Saturday and it was a huge success. Along with the JV and Varsity Teams that were there at PHHS for their Saturday weight training session, we had 35 Freshmen football players and their family members come to help out and clean the Stadium for the upcoming season.

I was impressed at the final product of how the stadium looked at the end of the day. It's the small details that give our football program a professional feel. I want to extend a huge thank you to all the players and family members that came out to help in cleaning the Stadium.

As a reward to all the Freshmen football players, for showing up to the Stadium Clean Up, those players get a free pass on one conditioning session of their choosing at the end of practice. Getting out of the stair workouts is a very strong motivator!

Stadium Clean-up on Saturday 8/28/10

2010-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

I strongly encourage all of our football players and families to attend the Stadium Clean Up this coming Saturday (8/28) at 9:30 am.

I will make the following offer to all the Freshman players and families: Those that attend and help with the beautification of the stadium on Saturday, I will give each player a free pass to get out of conditioning at the end a practice of their choice. So if you want to skip a day on the stadium bleachers, or a day of game winners, I will mark the player's name down as having a free pass on conditioning.

Players have to check in with me so I can mark them down as attending the Clean Up.

The following is the e-mail sent out to the parents from the Booster Club:

PHHS FOOTBALL FIELD CLEAN UP
Saturday August 28, 2010 9:30AM
We need to get our field, concession stands, and bleachers ready for our Home Opener.
We want all players and their families to attend, so that we all can BUY IN to our program.

Here is what we need:

3-5 Blowers (Gas or Electric) 3-4 Weed Eaters (Gas or Electric)
3-4 Leaf Rakes 3-4 Push Brooms
3-4 Brooms 2 Whisk Brooms
2 Dust Pans 5-10 Paint Brushes
3-4 Rollers 3-4 Roller Pans
2 -Power washers w 100’ hose 2 6’-8’Ladders
2 -Extension Ladders 3-4 5 Gallon Buckets
Windex Disinfectant for buckets
2 Mop buckets 2 Mops
Rags Trash Bags
HOPE IT HAPPENS - WATCH IT HAPPEN
MAKE IT HAPPEN

For more information: 619-459-9208
Email: phhsfootballbooster@gmail.com