"What's the team looking like so far coach?", "How good are we going to be this year?", "Are we going to be able to beat La Mirada, and re-take control of the Suburban League?", "Can we win it all with this team?" These are the questions that have been repeatedly asked to me since the start of spring practice. All good questions, with some not so easy answers.
It has been two weeks since the start of spring football, so I figured this would be a good time to try to answer some of those questions that you are asking. Keep in mind, that it is very, very early in the season, and a lot can change between now and the start of the season; the La Mirada game; and the playoffs.
As a coaching staff we are very happy thus far with the attitude of this team. These kids are working extremely hard to improve themselves in the classroom, the weightroom, and on the field. We have healthy competition at a number of key spots, and the kids are really getting after each other to earn playing time. Sometimes this sort of competition causes players to act selfishly, and counter-productive to the team needs, but we are pleased to say that we have not seen any of this sort of behavior. These guys have been extremely supportive of one another. They go out of their way to cheer a great play by someone they are competing with, and even coach each other up on their assignments.
There is a great deal of talent of this team. We will look a little different than some of our past teams. We will not be as big, and slow, and as plodding as some of our past teams. This team will be built on speed and quickness. We will definately be more fun to watch this year. We are very excited about what we have seen to this point.
That should answer the first two questions. As far as the second two; those are tougher to answer. La Mirada is a very good program that has had a resurgence over the last few years. They have graduated some very good players over the last couple of years. But, La Mirada has a great coaching staff, and they usually re-load very quickly when they get things rolling. We feel that our best success against them over the years has been when we've had more speed than they could handle. We haven't had that clear-cut speed advantage over the last couple of years, and the results have not been pretty. But, coming into this year we feel like we are better athletically than we've been in some time. This should put us in a position to recapture the Suburban League Crown. This will be a huge game this year.
As far as winning it all. I will say this. Over the last 16 years, the winner of the La Mirada-Mayfair game, not only has gone on to win League, but has also been considered one of the favorites to win the Division. This will not change this year.
I hope that answers some of your questions. I'm glad that the interest in our program is so high, and welcome any questions or feedback from our fans and community. This program is here to make our school and community proud. We hope that we have made you proud, and promise to continue to do our best.
GO MONSOONS!!!
