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

We did a great job tonight, very proud of the boys going back to back games.

Coach Mark.

Good evening everyone,
 
Great game today!  All the kids tried very hard and showed a lot of enthusiasm.  In addition, they met one of our goals for this week:  maintaining focus throughout the entire game. 
 
Although there were several individual plays that stood out today (in particular Donte's touchdown and several amazing tackles!), I want to focus on the group tonight and quickly highlight two things that I was very proud of today...

First, we played on NO REST!!!  No one ever does this!  Not at any level of football.  It seems to me that, before they play us, a lot of other teams think we're the "practice team," and that they might as well be playing blocking dummies.  So, we get stuck with the roughest schedule to get us the most exposure (on the other hand, we do get lots of playing experience).  And you can tell that they think they're going to push us around the entire game.  Yet when I see our kids sack their QB, make great open-field tackles, run so hard it takes the entire defense to bring them down, and break open for TD runs, I think to myself, "So, you guys think we're pushovers, huh?"  Yes, this is all supposed to be fun, and it is, but what is football without at least an ounce or two of "us vs them"?
 
Our team is only a third of the size of the others, and our players play every down, some with barely any rest.  I could see in their eyes today how tired they were, but they didn't give up.  Their grit was awesome to watch!
 
Secondly, one of the parents called our team the Kings of the 2nd half, noting how much we improve in the 2nd half of each game we play.  While we coaches coach the team and explain to them what they need to know to make the right half-time adjustment, it's still the kids who have to go out and execute.  In particular, some of the adjustments are much easier to describe then to actually do.  I applaud the players for their ability to quickly absorb what the coaching and adjustments, which immediately pay off great dividends. 
 
Our kids are definitely on the ball and playing their best.  Sure, we missed some things and there is still lots to work on, but they're doing a great job and I'm proud to have the opportunity coach them. 
 
Looking forward to a nice weekend, and practice on Tuesday (which, unless otherwise told, will be at the soccer field off of Gungywamp). 
 
Coach AJ