Building Men for Others: Setting Goals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Directions to La Jolla HS

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

Directions to La Jolla HS:

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

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

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

Tailgate for SDSU Game a GO!

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

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

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

Scripps Ranch Falcons 29 Patriots 22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Directions to Scripps Ranch HS

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

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

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

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

Tailgate Party Update

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

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

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

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

Here is the breakdown on who is bringing what:

Drinks:
Dailey: Water and Gatorade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

The cost is $25.00 per ticket

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

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

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

Building Men forn Others: Alma Mater

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.