Week 3 Preview: La Jolla at Fallbrook
Much to my surprise, Coach Jason Carter said no, that's not true. "It's all up to the players," Carter said, as we had a good-natured phone conversation in advance of the La Jolla High football game at Fallbrook Sept. 12. "The coaches don't play the game. It's a kid's game."
Having said that, Carter, in his second year of constructing his own football program, following several years before that as an assistant coach elsewhere working in others' programs, said he knows his players are teenagers, with all their energy and all their humanness. They're not pro players. Far from it. And they're not automatons programmed to make certain plays at certain times.
"These are 14- to 18-year-olds," Carter observed, following last week's disappointing 42-7 loss to crosstown rival Bishop's in their first match-up ever. It was Blastoff, a big event for La Jolla High, marking the first home game of the season. It was very emotional, and there was a giant crowd on hand for both teams. They even had a photo op the day before the game on Pearl Street, to kind of recreate the "Abbey Road" Beatles cover idea to build up the game.
"They're not perfect. They're thinking a lot of the time with the back of their brain, not the front of their brain. They're going to make mistakes."
The former Texas A&M star and pro wasn't down on his players. He has practically lived with them everyday since he was named new head coach a year ago March, in Spring 2013. He and his assistant coaches know the kids pretty well, have bonded, know their personalities, and challenge and encourage them.
These coaches have organized kickball events, bowling, movie nights, team dinners, I-don't-know- what-all. They're not perfect, either, but I think Jason Carter is mindful of the impact his actions and words and those of his assistants have on these young men in the program. He has brought a lot of energy. He chooses to build up a lot of emotion, whereas the Bishop's coach, Joel Allen, took a low-emotion tact to the Pearl Street Trophy game. That doesn't mean one's wrong and the other's right. But when you build up that much emotion, people have to come down from it at some point.
I remember last season, when players were crying, speechless, dazed after a game. One of the few players I could get to talk after that particular contest was Eric Tims. John Wooden used to want his players playing without emotion, practicing to the point where muscle memory took over. There are different approaches to the same task. That's why coaches are selected and hired. That's why each of us is human, bringing a particular mix of personality characteristics and abilities to our leadership roles (speaking as a public school teacher).
Carter said, "We have to be sure we do what we're supposed to do. Sometimes you have to give the kids all the pressure."
Last week, "We were down 21-7. We don't block a guy on fourth-and-one...
"If we get that score, it's 21-14. The score doesn't tell everything."
What are you going to tell your players right before you go out tonight at Fallbrook?
"Have fun.
"You can whoop and holler all you want. You have to make plays."
He added, "What I'm looking forward to is, are we going to sprint to the ball?"
Copyright 2014 Ed Piper
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