Hey everyone,
 
It was a great game this evening!  Thanks to all who could make it.  What I'd like to do is each week (if not each game) send an e-mail after the game to give some highlights.  There's lots going on in football, and a lot of things to watch, so I want to make sure that all the players got a shout out.  Parents, could you please pass the word to your kids when you have a chance....
 
First, I want to congratulate all of our linemen.  The attention usually goes to the QBs, WRs, RBs, etc. who are in skilled positions, but as a former defensive lineman I know how hard playing in the pit can be, and often your work gets overlooked.  It takes a lot of guts, strength and toughness to get in their down after down and play some hard-nose football in the trenches. 
 
My first shout-out is to my offensive and defensive Bearcrawlers:  Dalton, Benji, Noah, Cody, Mason, Rollan and Ben.  These are the smallest kids on the team, yet time after time they lined up against the biggest kids and, really, were the key to our defense.  Without them, the game would have gone MUCH differently.  So, great job!
 
Next, Timmy, Alex, Sandy, Taylor and Dwayne, also lineman on offense and defense.  They all played their hearts out, selflessly getting battered and bruised on every down.  Our offensive line took some time to gel, but notice in the second half how many positive plays (including a big touchdown!) we had.  It all was predicated on our offensive line doing their job, and they got better and better with each series.  I really think that if we'd played another quarter, we would have easily scored again, so I anticipate great line play tomorrow.  On defense, each of these were critical to holding the middle, and each had several tackles in key moments of the game.  A special shout to Alex and Sandy who both had QB sacks!
 
Two other offensive linemen deserve special attention:  Nick and Andrew.  They both played center and fullback, key blocking positions and played better than I expected.  And both can run!  Expect to see more running plays for both tomorrow.  As far as defense, they almost constantly pressured the backfield!
 
Fox and Jacob were a diverse pair, playing both outside lineman (bearcrawlers) and safeties, and did outstanding.  Both came off injuries only recently, but you wouldn't have noticed by the way they played!  Expect to see more big plays from them.
 
Our skill players:  Donte, Kale and Ricky.  These were some of our key playmakers, and did a great job running, blocking, tackling and just being all-around good sports.  I could hear each of the opposing coaches say "WATCH OUT FOR NUMBER 12 AND 42 AND 15!!!"  These three give us a great combination of speed, strength and toughness that will, as our team continues to gel, have us scoring point after point (don't be surprised if in one game we have 3+ rushing touchdowns!).  On defense, they were among our surest open-field tacklers.  While the other team scored three touchdowns, that number would have been MUCH higher without their great focus and effort.
 
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, the QB:  Logan.  He was our QB for almost every play, and was constantly under pressure.  He toughed it out, stuck in their, executed the plays and never complained once.  After our offensive line began to gel in the second half, you could see his command of the offense (and the team's confidence) grow in leaps and bounds.  He showed a lot of guts and leadership today and I know he'll continue to do so in the coming games.  He was also our starting safety, and showed no fear when it came to going in for the tackle on bigger kids!
 
All the kids did great!  The experience today was invaluable, and I know that while tomorrow's game will be smoother and quicker, I'm happy that everyone showed real enthusiasm and focus today.  I know I didn't cover all the great plays the kids did today, but we're definitely noticing. 
 
A last shout-out (sorry this e-mail is long) to the other coaches, as well as the dads who were right on the sidelines helping out. 
 
Looking forward to a great game tomorrow!  See you then,
 
Coach AJ