Boerne Star Newspaper

Here is the article on last week's game against Boerne. Thank you to Scott Jacobs for sending me the link!!!

http://boernestar.com/articles/2009/09/30/sports/boerne/doc4ac241c0dd98f063648864.txt

And Scott and Sarah make 5!!!

Yep, you read it right!
Scott and Sarah Brennan will the 5th Coach to add to the Raider Coaching Families!!!

Before long we might have an offensive line and a full cheerleading squad!!

Alright Coaches, Who is Next?????

32-27 Beating the Greyhounds..... wasn't easy.

Have I ever told you about my favorite, most memorable football game at Cedar Park High School? It was 2006, we were 6-0 and we were about to face a VERY stable and tough Pflugerville Panthers. As luck would have it- Friday Night Lights- the TV series was AT our game, filming in the stands, so this game was even more hyped up than normal.
I won't go through the entire game, but so I will fast forward to the 4th quarter. By this time, our starting QB was hurt and our star Running back (Tyler Smith- now at Rice) was also hurt. I remember specifically every detail of what happened. I was in the stands, my football fanatic aunt had came to the game to watch and I was a nervous wreck. Me and Jace, then 3 years old were standing the entire 2nd half of the game. Judson, 9 months old was sitting in the lap of a football mom who was sweet enough to hold him for me because I was shaking so bad. ALL I wanted was a touchdown, but instead, there was 1 minute left in the game and Pflugervilles Offense was driving the field. Our defense was number 1 in the district thanks to Josh and Brent Brittain and I was praying that they could hold them just a few seconds longer.
Thankfully we were able to hold them to a field goal attempt. ATTEMPT being the key word.
They missed the FG and we were tied with 30 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter.

If you know me and have ever seen me at a VARSITY game, you know that I get OVERLY excited. So here I am, with Jace, my aunt and my high heels, and my huge filled backpack and shaker bottles JUMPING and screaming and ready to take on this overtime. My heart literally was about to pop out of my chest. I got my stuff together to truck it quickly to the field, but still watching the last 30 seconds of the game. Pflugerville kicks the ball, we take it to the 50 and bam... I thought we would take a knee.

I couldn't have been more wrong.
With 8 seconds left in the 4th quarter, tied at 24-24, Travis Watson (2nd string QB) throws a deep pass to Jamie Knight and he runs it in for a touchdown with ZERO seconds on the clock.

To view this play go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj236TnBAt8&feature=related
Fast forward to 5:55 and watch from there.
_______

Two different teams, but our scenerio's were the same.
That Cedar Park game does not even compare to what I was feeling last night.

I don't know if it is because now I am the HEAD Coaches wife vs. the Defensive Coordinators wife, but the feelings that I had last night were so much more.

I can not even begin to describe how proud I was. Not only was I proud of our coaches, but I was more than anything- proud of our team.

At the Rockdale game, remember how I said I was proud that we never gave up on trying to win the game? Well that proved to be true; more so last night than last week.

We were down 2 touchdowns with 1:38 in the 4th quarter!!!!

We could have easily said, we fought a good game, but really we can't come back with 2 touchdowns. I mean, people were seriously leaving the game thinking that we had already lost.

You know what I have always said: When people start leaving a game- that's good, because something big always happens.

We had 1min 38 seconds to go. We were in the Greyhound territory and we went 60 yards to score with 37 seonds to go in the game.

THEN we got the onside kick.

Do you know how many times that happens? Rarely. But unfortunately for the Greyhounds and fortunately for the Raiders and Will Zarsky it happened for us.

So, just like at the CP/Pflugerville game, I was standing there again- except this time I RAN to get down on the sideline so that I could be there to watch if we scored.

We went on to score with 8 seconds left on the playing clock, kicked the PAT and time ran out.

Raider Win 32-27 in the BEST game I have ever witnessed on the RHS playing field.

You would have thought that the Raiders had one a state championship by the way we were jumping up and down and screaming. It was all I could do to not rush the field, but I think the Head Coach would have been pretty upset with me if I had caused a penalty.

Finally the team went to shake hands and then they started jumping up and down hugging each other, as were the coaches wives on the sideline.
I have never been more happy to give Josh a hug.

Thank you Raiders for making this an exciting game

and thank you for Winning this game for our dear friend Coach Jay Seviere.

I am sure he was helping you out as an Angel on our Field

As I am sure he was watching over Cedar Park with their huge win over Georgetown. 57-13

AND, I just realized that Round Rock McNeil won for the first time this year against a good Round Rock High and that is where Jay graduated from.

Seems that he was watching out for all of our teams:)

Boerne Star Newspaper

9-25-09

To read Boerne's Pre-game write up- visit
www.boernestar.com

All Gave Some.... Some Gave All

All Gave Some... Some Gave All

Josh uses this phrase a lot with his football players. It is a military motto that most of the Armed Forces use. If you think about the phrase and break it down- its pretty powerful and it stands for bravery, commitment and determination.

Josh didn't google military quotes, he had a good friend that used it.

That friend was a High School Football Coach and a Trainee in the United States Army.

Josh and I moved to Cedar Park in 2005 and he and Jay knew each other because all middle school coaches help out the High School coaches on the weekends and he was at Canyon Ridge MS with Coach Darrell Knight at the time. Over that first year, Coach Sevier showed a ton of promise- he was a hard worker and wanted to learn more and more.

In fall 2006, Coach Sevier joined the the Cedar Park staff and he started helping Josh with coaching the Linebackers. Coach Sevier was amazing with the players and worked really well with all the coaches.

We had a lot of time to hang out with him on the weekends and he was really such a nice, sweet and good-looking young man.

In June of 2007- Jay went to Coach Ross and told him that he had always wanted to join the United States Army and after a lot of conversations with his mother and father, he made the decision to end his teaching contract and join in the Special Forces of the United States Army.

Because he already had his degree, he was able to join the Army as a Lieutenant and went straight into Special Ops. He wrote us a few letters and we received several emails. He was still in training in the US and he was learning Arabic.

This past Saturday we received a call from one of Josh's friends that is coaching at Pflugerville Hendricks, who also knows Jay. Josh and I were at Corey and Taylor Elrods watching the UT game when Coach Killian called and told Josh that he was not sure exactly what had happened but that Coach Sevier had passed away that afternoon.

It was a shock to us and to all of us that knew him. Mostly because he was still here- he was not overseas. We have no idea exactly what happened, but all that matters to us is what his family must be going through this past week. We will be attending his service.

Jay was an amazing, courageous young man. It is a huge loss to us in the coaching profession, but we know that Coach Sevier got out of coaching to do something that he felt like he was called by God to do and even though he was not in battle, he died doing what he felt like God was calling him to do. He made an important choice concerning what he felt was the best way to give back his community and his nation and he served our nation for us, to protect me and my family and you and yours. If my boys grow up to be like someone, I hope it is Coach Sevier.

*I want to point out that this next part comes from an article that Brad Cone wrote in 2007 about Jay Sevier. I wish I could take credit for this, but honestly the way he wrote it was amazing and I wanted to share it with you.

There are many who question the value of football, and indeed all scholastic athletics. Some wonder at the spectacle we make of the competitions. They question the proportionate gain football might provide for the young men. The answer could be found in Jay Sevier. Football is a concentrated laboratory that provides for the rapid development of all the attributes a young man will need to succeed at life. It is fertile ground for growing character, drive, determination, and honor. Football builds a solid foundation for the human experience. Football builds men like Jay Severe.

When we talk about heroes and courage in football, we're talking about what we see in young men that later in life enables them to do the extraordinary things, among these the making of that most honorable of all choices; the choice that Jay made 2 years ago, he took it upon himself to suborn his own wishes in order to defend a nation that remains the last, best hope for mankind, to expend the currency of courage to purchase our right to live with liberty, and justice for all.

When we talk about dedication, drive, character, ethics and victory, the certain knowledge that our young men will grow up to be like Jay Sevier is exactly what we have in mind.

Rest in Peace Coach Jay Sevier. Thank you for all that you did for us as a valued Coach and friend. But most of all thank you for standing up and doing something that you felt strong about and serving our country and protecting me and those that I love. You were and will continue to be an inspiration to us all and I am sure that even now- you are watching over us and will continue to protect us.

On Friday night, our forthcoming, we will be playing the game to honor you!

"All gave some,

some gave all...

some stood through for the red, white and blue,

some had to fall....

and if you ever think of me,

think about all your liberties and recall...

some gave all."

Rouse vs. Rockdale

Well... a lot has happened over the weekend, so I am sorry that I have not written my post sooner.

Rouse Raiders fell to the Rockdale Tigers 56-0.
Sounds worse than it actually was.

Factor One,
the Rockdale Tigers were ranked #10 in class 3A, so when you look at the score and you think about that- its really not so bad. Also consider the fact that we are a group of Sophomores and 4 Freshman. They had 18 Seniors and 15 returning starters. That is enough said right there.

Factor Two-
From my own personal point of view, I was nervous. I was nervous from the get-go. I am always this way on game day, so it was actually quite exciting. I realized how much I miss the Varsity, Friday Night atmosphere. I also realized that our players have never experienced this type of excitement before and unfortunately for them- they don't have anyone to look up to and see what they go through on game day to get ready for a Varsity game.
The JV Field and the Varsity Field are very different Fields. Sure they look the same and they are have the same measurements, but the experience and the pressure is much different.
Not only is it an eye opening experience for the players, but it is also much different for the parents.

This was all put into prospective for me when, right before the game, I did my normal routine: search for Josh walk down to the fence and give him a good luck speech. However, I couldn't find him, so I am searching, searching , searching the field, the sidelines and no Josh.
I notice the players in the tunnel getting ready to come out and finally I found Josh. He was in the tunnel gearing the players up. Typically a coach will give the team a pep talk and walk to the sidelines and let the team finish pumping each other up.
So, it seemed strange to me to see Josh in the tunnel with the guys.
Then, it dawned on me that the boys probably had no idea WHEN to run out of the tunnel themselves. They have never done it and they have never seen it done either. They have NO ONE to look up to. Everyone is Looking UP TO THEM!
That in itself had to be overwhelming.

They had to be nervous and really, it showed in the first few drives of the game. If I could have yelled anything knowing that the players would hear me, the only words out of my mouth would have been "Calm down"

Factor Three-
We were unhealthy the entire week leading up to this game. That is a factor that NO ONE can help and unfortunately everyone that was sick, were all sick during the same week!

Good things-
1) we gained some Varsity experience! That is great and it was fun. Whether we won or lost, I was excited to watch some Friday Night Football.

2) Our players NEVER gave up. Never- they played the entire game and never gave up, or quit trying to make a play. They played all 48 minutes of the game. They TRIED and tried. That team was just plain better than us and they had Varsity playing experience and they have Seniors AND did I mention that they are a #10 3A team? The score really should have been a lot worse and believe me when I say that they did not back off of us in any way. They would have scored more if they could have, so really when you look at the scoreboard 56-0 isn't that bad considering you have Seniors playing Sophomores/Freshman.
Think of it like this: a Good College Team up against a GREAT NFL Team. (maybe that is a bit far fetched, but its all I could come up with)

I was upset for our team because I thought Josh would be upset. However, at the end of the game, I looked at him on the sidelines and I could tell he was fine. I know his looks and I know when he is mad, upset, confused and he was ok. Obviously there isn't a coach alive that is good with getting beat 56-0, but when you look at all the variables and who we were playing- he was ok and he was PROUD that they played and fought till the end. A lot of teams will just give up- and we never did, which counted for something to him.

3) We made some good plays. We took some hard hits. (By WE- I mean the players- sorry:)
We made some mistakes, but they were mistakes that Freshman and Sophomore make- that unfortunately, Junior/ Seniors do not make. Again, because they have more experience.

4) This isn't something that had to do with the game, but I have to say that Rockdale was wonderful. They take pride in their school, which was something I could tell right off the bat. They were nice to us- the opposing team. For the first time in a while, I walked into a field and no one knew that I was a coaches wife. So, I felt that their actions were genuine. They just thought I was another fan and they were nice to us. I felt good about that.
THEN, at the end of the game, watching both teams come together in a circle in the middle of the field and praying together gave me chills. I thought that was awesome.
AND to top it off- we went to hear our band play the Alma mater and Rockdale's team came to OUR SIDE OF THE FIELD and put their hands in the air and stood there, facing our crowd and listened to the Alma mater right behind our players. It was breath taking. In my 29 years of watching High School football games, I can honestly say that this was the ONLY time that I have ever seen this happen. I thought it showed class and respect for us and I really hope that the Raiders adopt this tradition. It was wonderful.

Raiders- I am sorry about our loss. I know it is hard, but we fought hard and we stuck with it until the very end and I am proud for all of us.
Now, lets put this game behind us and go beat up some Greyhound's!!!!!

What Time is it????

GAME TIME!
I am 20 minutes away from leaving my house to head to the game. Just wanted to wish ourselves a big huge good luck! I will write about our game the minute I get back!

Good Luck to our Raiders!!!

Freshman Gold and Maroon!

Last night our Freshman Gold and Maroon played.
Gold team played the Rockdale Freshman and didn't have the best turnout- and I am not even sure of the score.
Gold team: I know a loss is TOUGH, but keep your head up and I promise it will get better. That doesn't help right now, but you will understand in the future.
I was not able to be at that game because Taylor Elrod and I decided to shoe polish our cars and tag some of the coach's cars. We also hung up signs in the stinky JV locker room!! We had fun so the smell wasn't too bad!

Maroon team- what a game! Our first half was a battle through and through, but they managed to pull out a win. 13-6.
Something you should know- our Freshman maroon beat a GOOD Rockdale JV. It wasn't easy, but they pulled out in the end!

Tonight we travel to Rockdale to take on the Tigers and I get to see what I have wanted to see for a year and a half: The Coaches wear their Headsets. Sounds silly, but with heatsets and wristbands, it feels like a Varsity Game.
I am ready to see my Coaches: butt chewing, high five'in, side jumping, bad looks to the referee,
hats turned backwards, running down the sideline when our guys make an 80 yards touchdown run and I am ready to give Josh a BIG HUGE hug at the end of the night after our hard fought Victory.

I am ready for the Friday Night Lights baby!!!!
and I am ready to get some Tiger Blood on our Hands!!!!

Go Raiders- make us proud.
Win or Lose, come out with your heads up high and be ready to be 1-0 at the end of tonight.

Raiders, What is your Profession??

Early Ticket Sales

You may purchase tickets to the game on Friday in the Raider front office with Jennifer Chandler.
Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students

You may also purchase them at the gate for the same price, but be prepared to wait in line!

Alright Coach Harrison or Coach Thompson- QUIT voting for Robert- I can SEE that Georgetown people are on my blog- and I know it is ya'll.... remember who my husband is- you need to be on MY side.... happy wife=happy boss

Our FIRST OFFICIAL Pre-Game (pre-VARSITY) game write up, straight from Rockdale Reporter!!!!!

I had to pay $30 just to get the full article online for me to read and post it, but it was the BEST $30 we have ever spent!!!!

If you want to get this too, just go to http://www.rockdalereporter.com/news/2009/0917/sports/058.html


Rouse bent on building a solid foundation
Tigers are Raiders' first varsity opponent

Starting a new high school football program is all about baby steps and Leander Rouse is going to take its biggest one Friday night right here in Rockdale.

When the Raiders suit up against the No. 14 Tigers, it will be their first experience against a varsity team.

"Rockdale is going to be a huge challenge and we're looking forward to it," said Rouse head coach Joshua Mann. "We're going to find out how our kids are going to respond to that adversity."

Rockdale wound up with Rouse on its schedule after Midland Christian decided it didn't want to make the extremely expensive trip to Waco this season to face the Tigers at Waco ISD Stadium as was the case in 2008.

(You may remember, Midland Christian was a replacement for Austin Johnston).

So, in searching for yet another replacement, Rockdale Coach Jeff Miller found Rouse, which is in its second season of competition.

When the UIL goes through its bi-annual reclassification next February, Rouse will be placed in a Class 4A district with approximately 900 students.

Like District 24-3A mate Bryan Rudder, the Rouse roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Fifty sophomores to be exact.

However, unlike Rudder, Rouse's players have been together longer.

This week's game will also mark Rouse's first time playing under the Friday night lights.

"Going back and forth between Thursday and Friday night schedule, it changes the complexity and balance," said Mann. "We'll have to be consistent throughout the year.

"There will be challenges, but we're excited about the Friday night games. It allows us to find out what we are now with the band and the crowd. The kids and community are ready for that."

"Ever since we scheduled the game six months ago, they have had this circled on their calender," Rockdale Coach Jeff Miller said. "The band is travelling for the first time, students buses are filling up. The excitement around Rouse is really neat."

The Raiders—who were idle last week—are 2-0 so far this season with victories over the Academy (45-8) and Liberty Hill (49-0) junior varsity teams.

While Rockdale will initiate Rouse into varsity play, the Raiders will also take on the Boerne and Vandergrift varsity squads, twice each.


Vandergrift is Rouse's sister school in the Leander school district which is in a similar situation as a new program and could create an early rivalry between the district schools.

Despite being a well established school, Boerne is attempting to re-start its football program.

"We are trying to start a tradition others have to live up to," Mann said.

Surprisingly, Rouse is loaded with talent at the skill positions— quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

"The skill position kids are the depth of our team," said Mann.

Perhaps the area w ith the strongest talent and leadership for the Raiders is at quarterback, which has two athletes, Tai Gadison and Michael Botello, vying for the position.

"They are both strong leaders and very gifted athletes for their age," Mann said of the pair.

Botello will start Friday against the Tigers, while Gadison will have plenty to keep him occupied, lining up at wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense.

While the race is on at quarterback, Rouse has a load of talent at wide receiver and running back with players like Ed Butts and Ryan Henry at running back and Brady Spencer, Andras Vega and Will Zarsky ready at receiver.

"We're going to have to be on our toes," Miller said. "They've been ready for six months. This game is good for both teams. They do a lot of the stuff that we'll see in district."

"We've got a tough schedule, but we're gonna be in every single one of these games," said Mann. "We're not cocky, but confident."

This report contains information from the Hill Country News.

Tiger Tracks

• Two-way starter Tai Gadison of Rouse is a cousin of Rockdale's Justin Gadison, except the two have never met.

• Leander Rouse is named after Charles Rouse, who was the principal at Leander High School for 16 years (1981-1997).

• The Tigers were banged up pretty good against Marlin. Senior lineman Chris Ware twisted a knee and he is questionable for Friday. Junior running back Terral Dixon twisted an ankle and is also questionable. Junior lineman Dillon Schnerr had trouble with his shoulder and is day-to-day. Logan David's hand is not broken as first thought and he played Friday. Senior linebacker Shane Barcak (shoulder) is still a couple of weeks from playing and could be ready for the district opener against Cameron.

• The Tigers slipped to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll, tied with old friends Cleveland and China Spring. The Old Coach's poll has them at No. 9 and Texas Football at No. 10. Navasota jumped up from No. 10 to No. 9 in the AP. Gilmer and Carthage remain 1-2 in the poll.

• Waylon Boyd has now made 34 consecutive extra points (8-for-8 in '09) and is 53-of-55 overall. Boyd attempted just his second field goal Friday and is one-for-two in his career.

• Justin Elliott led the Tigers in tackles against Marlin with 10. He was followed by Logan David's eight, while Casey Burrough and LeRaven Clark tallied seven each. David is the leader on the season with 38.

• With the win Friday, Jeff Miller is now 18-18 as head coach of the Tigers. He is tied with Ricky Ray (1990-93) for fifth on the all-time list. Since starting here at 3-14, Miller has guided the Tigers to a 15-4 mark ever since and two of those losses are in the playoffs. In nine years, Miller's overall record is 53-39.

• Rockdale has allowed just 39 yards passing so far this season.

• Ten receivers have shared the 17 completed passes for the Tigers, led by Brandon Gibbs' five.

• Rockdale is 13-of-32 (40.6 percent) on third down efficiency and 2-for-5 (40 percent) on fourth down.

• Joe Sanders is averaging 119 yards of total offense per outing.

• District 24-3A went 6-1 last week, highlighted by Bryan Rudder's very first win as a football program. The Rangers bested Brookshire-Royal 21-19. Madisonville suffered the only loss at the hands of Palestine Westwood.

• Rockdale is ranked second in defense in District 24-3A, allowing just 186 yards a game to Taylor's 147.

• Cameron's Steven Townsend leads the district in passing with 567 yards and six touchdowns, but conversely, the Yoemen lead the district in passing yards allowed.

• In three games, Caldwell has already rushed for 1,023 yards, led by Kyson Woolverton's 421 and 10 touchdowns. The Hornets also lead the district in fumbles lost with seven.

• Taylor's Mark Jackson leads the district in both punt and kickoff returns as well as scoring.

• The surprising Ducks are 3-0 on the season (matching last year's win total) but will face their first real test on Friday when they trek to Llano to take on the Yellowjackets (0-2). The three teams Taylor has beaten, (Manor, Reagan and Elgin) are a combined 1-8.

TIGER SEASON LEADERS

Rushing—Brooks 18-211 3 TD; Chelf 33-162 1 TD; Sanders 24-93 1 TD; Dixon 19-129; Peters 4-35; Wright 1-(-1).

Passing—Sanders 17-44-1, 264 yards, 2 TD; Wright 1-3-1, 49 yards, 1 TD; Chelf 1-1-0, 17 yards. Receiving— G ib bs 5 - 55 1TD DeBault 3 - 85; Mynar 2- 67 1TD; Elliott 3 - 45; Sanders 1- 49 1TD; Torres 1-10; White 1-10; Dixon 1-5; Brooks 1-3; Chelf 1-1.

Tackles—David, L. 38, Burrough 27, David, D. 25, Elliott 25, Clark 21, Mynar 17, Estrada 15.

THE STARTING LINEUPS
ROCKDALE OFFENSE ROUSE DEFENSE
No. Pos. Player, Ht.-Wt. Class No. Pos. Player, Ht.-Wt. Class
18 QB Joe Sanders, 6-2, 190 Sr 78 DE Wesley Scott, 6-1, 230 So
22 RB Greg Chelf, 5-7, 150 Sr 71 DT James Schubert, 6-4, 250 So
31 WR J.B. Debault, 5-11, 175 Sr 90 NG Doug Mathenia, 6-3, 230 So
9 WR Justin Elliott, 6-3, 180 Sr 57 DT Lucky Torres, 6-0, 185 So
8 WR Brandon Gibbs, 6-1, 170 Sr 74 DE Christian Smither, 5-11,200 So
88 WR Derrick Mynar, 6-4, 205 Sr 27 LB Dorian McNeil, 6-2, 190 So
62 LT LeRaven Clark, 6-6, 230 Jr 38 LB Charlie Stewart, 5-9, 190 So
65 LG Chris Ware, 5-10, 265 Sr 25 S Dakota Unger, 6-2, 190 So
50 C Patrick David, 6-0, 235 So 5 CB Tai Gadison, 6-0, 190 So
64 RG Clemente Diaz, 5-11, 235 Sr 22 CB Ryan Henry, 5-9, 175 So
76 RT Dillan Schnerr, 6-4, 250 Jr 7 S Caleb Boyles, 5-11 So
ROCKDALE DEFENSE ROUSE OFFENSE
64 NG Clemente Diaz, 5-11, 235 Sr 12 QB Michael Botello, 5-10, 175 So
62 DL LeRaven Clark, 6-6, 230 Jr 22 FB Ryan Henry, 6-0, 189 So
77 DL Logan David, 6-4, 300 Sr 5 RE Tai Gadison, 6-0, 190 So
88 LB Derrick Mynar, 6-4, 205 Jr 3 LE Brady Spencer, 6-0, 175 So
34 LB Anthony Montoya,5-10, 200 Jr 8 H James Potts, 5-10, So
9 LB Justin Elliott, 6-3, 180 Sr 54 LT Tyler Hawkins, 6-3, 265 So
6 LB Derek David, 6-3, 225 So 50 LG Tommy Noriega, 6-0, 185 So
8 CB Brandon Gibbs, 6-1, 170 Sr 75 C Nick Rogers, 6-0, 220 So
11 CB Terral Dixon, 5-9, 160 Jr 56 RG Michael Hoang 6-2, 230 So
15 S Tyler Wright, 6-3, 180 Jr 78 RT Wesley Scott, 6-1, 230 So
2 S Casey Burrough, 5-7, 160 Jr 32 Z Ed Butts, 6-2, 190 So




Ok- so they have our heights and weights off quite a bit, but either way I thought it was a dang good article and one that I will keep forever!!!!

Go Raiders! Stay Healthy and Make us Proud!!!!

Robert- dude, you can only vote for yourself once.

Ahhh....

AHHH..... Coach Sainz voted on the poll this week! I am so excited that Robert thinks he has a chance to beat me. That's ok- Coach.... keep dreaming.


In other news: Jacob Thompson officially lost to Josh last night. That is exactly why volleyball coaches shouldn't play Fantasy football... especially with FOOTBALL coaches.

AND- I can say that Coach Knight did manage to pull out a win- unfortunately for him- NOT over me. Knight is in another league and he beat his finance, Tamara.
I don't know what is worse, losing to me or beating Tamara. I am sure she isn't happy with him right now! She is competitive!!!

Rockdale football and Knight went DOWN!!!

Raiders- Are you Ready??
We are 4 days away from playing the most important game in your JV career.

With a win over Marlin last week- the Rockdale Tigers have been pushed to #10 in State Rankings in 3A.

You all voted that we are going to crush them and Make them wish they hadn't played us.
Come out and play like you did against Liberty Hill and I have no doubt that you will make them fight for a win.

Who will come out on top?
We will know after 48 minutes of game time on Friday Night!!!!
Go Raiders, make us proud!!!!!

________________________________________________

Fantasy Football League:

Alright everyone- it was a sweet night in the Mann household. Brandi Mann beat poor Darrell Knight in Fantasy Football. Poor Guy.. I am pretty certain he was devastated.
I mean really.... He got beat by a girl... the bosses WIFE no less
That's ALMOST as bad as getting beat by the Girls Volleyball Coach.


Face it Coach: you just didn't draft well- maybe you should consult me next year when getting ready to draft and I will help you out.
In all fairness- we were neck and neck and I was sweating it until the last minute of the game. However- I still came out on top and I am going to milk it for all its worth.
Athletes: Be sure and give Coach Knight a hard time- rub it in his face as much as possible, he deserves it as hard of a time as he game me last year.

On the other side of Mann household, you had the underdog Josh playing Jacob Thompson's team: Smack That.
Josh is currently beating Jacob but we still have tonight to go, but Jacob's defense has to play lights out to play catch up.

NEXT up on Lady Mann's hit list: Campeon de Mexico
I guess Coach Sainz thinks that if he has a Hispanic team name- he sounds tougher. However, I beat him to a pulp last year, so I am not intimidated in the least bit. I have faith in my boys and I know they will play better than his.
(New poll to the Right)

If you Wanna Play with the Big Boys.....

You have to have a tunnel! And now we do!


I have noticed that quite a few of you think we are going to murder Rockdale. Now you have a LOT of work to do to make this happen, but I am betting you can do it. I believe in you. I also appreciate the votes that I have been getting.

I am hoping to smash Coach Knight this week in Fantasy Football. I picked up my sleeper last night, so if he thinks he can beat me now, well.. he has another thing coming.

Really, I only care to beat Robert Sainz. Robert was the only team that I beat last year, so I will be happy just to make him mad again. Poor Robert, last year he lost his QB in the FIRST game (and in the first quarter at that). He thought he had struck gold and was talking quite a bit of smack until BAM! Tom went down. That shut Robert up for the rest of the season. Robert did not draft Tom Brady again this year.

Robby and I were the lone 2 at the very bottom of the rankings (I was dead last). Even his own wife beat him last year.
THIS year- its on.... I am totally set up.. Infact, I will probably beat Josh's team to a pulp. (sorry, baby)

Josh plays Jacob Thompson this week and I am pretty sure that I have no idea how that will go. Josh isn't happy with his team, but Josh has a way of pulling it out when he is the under dog. I will stick with my mann and say that Josh will beat the heck out of Jacob. That would make me happy considering Jacob is the biggest smack talker of all of us.

Cory Elrod and Scott Brennan told me that I was going to get killed by Darrell's team, so my boys better fight for me! Starting with my defense tonight! Go Steelers! _________

Also- by the way, my OTHER favorite LISD team is playing tonight at Bible. Coach Ross, Coach Abseck, Coach Brittain (X2)and Coach Q- the Raiders are cheering loud for you and the team and we will be sitting in the stands watching your victory over Lake Travis!!! We love our T-wolves!

About our Next Opponent

We are playing Rockdale Tigers in 2 weeks. Scratch that- our JV is playing Rockdales VARSITY in 2 weeks. Rockdale is ranked 15th in the STATE in 3A.

I did a little research so that you know who we are up against in 2 weeks. We are a good team, but we are young.
Can we hang with these guys?? (I think we can- but after you read the facts- look to your right and vote on the poll and tell me what YOU think!)

- They are in District 24-3A and are currently 2-0
-To Date they have Defeated:
*Llano(42-20)-Llano is in Liberty Hill's District and is picked to make the playoffs
*Lampasas(7-6)
and will play Marlin this week

-They are a 3a school- meaning that they will Bring a CROWD!

- They are favored to win the District Championship in District 24-3A. Their district includes teams: Cameron, Madisonville, Bryan Rudder, Navasota, Caldwell, and Taylor.

-- Their Head Coach, Jeff Miller has been the HC at Rockdale for 4 consecutive years.

-They ended their 2008 season ranked 19th in the State in class 3A. Carthrage defeated them and then went on to went on to win the 3a State Championship against Celina (defeating them 49-37)

-From the 2008 season they have 24 returning Letterman, and 15 starters. However, they are having to replace their all state Linebacker (who is now at Rice) and their school's all time leading passer- who had a career ending 3,000 yards passing.

(Mommy's don't read this part:)
-Currently they have a great Lineman, who is 6'4, 300lbs, who is a Division 1 caliber player. He is also listed in Texas Football's Top 300 players.
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After watching our guys play like they had a match lit under them against Liberty Hill and Academy- I 100% have bought into the fact that we can beat ANY team that we play if we play with that same intensity.
BUT- these guys can't do it alone. They will need some help. By help- I mean support.

-September 18 will be Rockdale's Senior Night and what that means is that the ENTIRE Freaking TOWN will be there to support them. (they are 3a- which means its a SMALL town, which means that these folks really don't have anything better to do than go watch some great High School football) If you don't know what Senior Night is, then I will explain: Senior Night is usually scheduled against a team that they know that they can beat.
(Raiders- get pissed over that!! They wanted us to play them because they THINK they can beat us. PROVE 'Em WRONG!)
Anyway- all the seniors walk out onto the field with their parents and are announced over the PA, so its a big game and literally the entire town comes out to watch.
SOOOO-

Parents, Students and Fans need to get on the band wagon and come out to Rockdale and cheer them on. We need to be standing up the ENTIRE game and cheering our little hearts out.
We need ALL of our Shaker Bottles, Signs, any thing in the world that you can find that is noisy- BRING IT!
Wear Maroon, as it is the Maroon out game. Or if you don't have maroon- wear gold or black.
(I promise they will all be wearing blue and gold)
We need to decorate our cars, honking the entire way there and then walk in like we aren't scared. We need to be LOUD, LOUD, LOUD in the stands. We need to be yelling
"Raiders" What is your Profession"........ "Ha-ooh, Ha-ooh"
Or
"Looks Like Another Raider".... "First DOWN!"- and we hope to yell that a lot.

We need to SIT TOGETHER so that our voices can carry out.
Shake your shakers the entire game and act like stupid football fans- because lets face it, thats the fun part and it will help our boys to win.
-Paint your faces! How cool would THAT be? lol... (ok, maybe we won't go THAT far)

Just think: If we can win this game, we will make a firm statement to our coming opponents and will make a name for ourselves come our Varsity year.

Good Luck to our Boys. Go Get 'EM!

49-0 Baby!

Wow.. that is really all that I can say about last night's JV game. It was amazing. Rouse came out on FIRE and didn't let up until it was over! Even at 46 seconds left in the game we were still holding them on the goal line fighting for that shutout and boy did we get it.

This week's game was a bit more entertaining than last week's 49-8 win over Academy. Liberty Hill is a much better match up than the 49-0 score showed. We just really came out and were ready to play. We made big plays after big plays and it was a well deserved win.
For those of you who don't know- last year as Freshman, our boys beat their JV, but what you need to remember is that the Panther JV hadn't lost a game- EVER- they had been undefeated since their 7th grade year.
Here is the cool part (and its not a knock to our guys) but OUR Freshman are made up mostly of kids from LMS and WMS- and in 7th and 8th grade those kids did not win a game. I think the only game WMS won was against LMS and LMS had a losing record.

THAT goes to show you how hard work can pay off. (and not to brag- but I think our coaches are amazing and do a great job).

SO, it was a nice feeling and a more comfortable feeling when Josh came home nervous about the game. That might sound strange for me to say that it was nice and comfortable, but really- when you come from the Varsity level- there isn't much to get nervous about at the lower levels. BUT this year is a bit different. We have 2 teams that we play that are Varsity and another team that we play 2 times that will be close to our rivals in the future. (Vandergrift)

So Josh is really starting to get ansy and that familiar nervousness that has lurked in our house in the previous years is starting to inch its way back in and it is the best kind of nervousness that one could ask for- so I am excited to report that I am officially getting my Coach back!!!!


Anyway- we had a great game- ALL of the kids did. I was very impressed with Dorian McNeil's out of nowhere tackle. BOOM that kid went down and didn't know what hit him. I was so close that I could hear the hit. There is no sweeter sound!

Ed Butts rushing down the feild with beautiful touchdown and I couldn't scream loud enough. (My throat hurts today by the way)
Tai Gadison came running full speed with a hit that stopped a potentially huge play by the Panthers. In my book Tai shined the most on Thursday. He rose to the occassion and excelled at safety. He was impressive and pretty to watch.

The one thing that i miss the MOST about being a Varsity Coach's Wife, was the one thing that I got to see last night that makes my hearbeat faster and faster and gives me chill bumps: I FINALLY got to watch Josh coach.
There are so many great aspects of football, but the one thing that gets me going at a game is watching Josh coach. I mean REALLY Coach. He hasn't shown that side of himself at Rouse- until last night.

He wore his wristband with the plays on it, which sounds silly- but its a big deal to me. He hasn't worn it since our last varsity game at Cedar Park. Josh got excited on the sidelines: running up and down and jumping and giving high fives, yelling at kids, and my favorite part- after our first big play- he ran out onto the field and side jumped with one of our kids. He was totally fixated on the game and I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only part that was missing was the sexy Headsets! LOL.

I love to watch the coaches get into the game. Luke Harrison was a blast to watch. I hate to sound bias, but I think Defensive Coaches have the better end of the deal. The defensive side is more explosive and hard hitting and in my book- more fun to watch. Or maybe I am just more of a defensive girl, because I bet the offensive guys feel that they have the better end of the deal:)

After the game, I went to meet Josh on the field (which I got a nice b-day suprise from him) and the kids ran out and hugged Josh- then he came over and gave me a huge- pick me up- hug. (and I did get a quick smooch:) lol.

I headed back to the happy school and all the coaches were excited. I mean REALLY excited. It was so great to walk in and see that again and I hope no one takes that wrong- but this is the first year that it has felt like a big year. And really there is some truth to that- we are going to play some Varsity teams this year and we are 1year away from actually being a varsity team- so this is getting exciting!!

So, Josh walks in and just looks bewildered! I asked him if we were that good- or if Liberty Hill just played bad and Shane Krause say's : "no- we are that good" and all of the coaches were just astounded.
I think deep down they knew we would win, but we came out on FIRE and dominated that game.
Victory is so Sweet!

I firmly believe that if we can come out at every game fired up like we were on Thursday- then we will crush every team that we play. I have never seen a team come out and keep the momentum going from the begining to end. You guys made it so entertaining for me!

Sorry I don't have more about the actual game. I am not a sports writer- but I am going to try and get better.

Freshman Gold won over Lake Travis 16-14 and our
Maroon team fell to Liberty Hill 38-22.
I hope that doesn't discourage the players. They need to keep in mind that their roles are different than those ahead of them. Right now its about learning and making mistakes and learning to overcome adveristy and how to respond to defeat. Winning games is great, but its how you respond to a loss that is going to define you later in your high school career.
Liberty Hill is a small school town that plays together from Pop Warner on, and they are ALWAYS good- so a 16 point difference isn't all that bad:)

We will have all game broadcasted on www.huttofm.com!!!