We came in knowing that we controlled our own destiny versus a vastly improved Yamhill-Carlton team who are playing under a new coaching staff this season.  As I mentioned after the Scappoose game, our playoffs simply started a week earlier than everyone else's.  After a great week of preparation (best series of practices since playing Banks) we came out and accomplished exactly what we knew we were capable of doing on Friday night.  Backed by an outstanding crowd on Senior Night your Gulls didn't disappoint.  Now it's all about the playoff 'staches.

The Good

Total Team Effort
Although there were some outstanding individual efforts on Friday night, we played our most complete team game in the last few weeks.  From finishing blocks, rallying to the ball carrier, running hard with the ball, and jumping on loose balls, I witnessed everyone's best effort on every play.  We discuss selflessness a lot with our young men.  Friday night's effort was the epitome of selflessness. 

Offensive Line Flat-Out Getting It Done
We challenged our big boys up front to start finishing blocks and putting people on their backs this week.  They absolutely rose to the challenge in their most physically dominating effort to date.  They blocked to the whistle and created outstanding running lanes for our backs to scoot through all night.  Trenton Shaw, Max Beaudoin, Even McCormack, Daemon Fassler, Dylan Townsend, Levon Schehl and Nick Richardson had by far and away their best collective effort of the season.  They rose to the challenge and were physical from snap to whistle on every play.  This effort will have to be sustained for the remainder of the season to continue advancing in the playoffs.

Defensive Gang Tackling
With the exception of one blown coverage our defense was near flawless all night.  What stood out to me on Friday night was the number of red jerseys surrounding the ball carrier on each and every play.  It was a rare occurrence to see only one tackler on the ball carrier, rather a group of Gulls pushing the pile back and driving the YC ball carriers back towards their line of scrimmage, and that only on the occasion they even made it back to the line of scrimmage.

Takeaways
Justin Ruiz's pick six changed the momentum in the game and set the table for four more takeaways by the Gull defense.  Three fumble recoveries (one caused by Andrew Owens in the open field) and a second interception by Justin Ruiz were just too much for YC to overcome.  The turnovers all provided scoring opportunities for the offense and we took advantage of them.

Penalties
Penalties have been an Achille's heel of ours all season.  Friday night we were only penalized twice (two questionable holding calls).  Continuing to play clean, disciplined football will also be critical to our success in the post season.

The Bad

Sometimes it isn't pretty but instead it's just about flat out getting it done.  After 365 days of reminding ourselves how close we were to beating Astoria in 2012, we found a way to get it done in 2013.  If you are faint of heart, the last two weeks may have been more than you can handle!  Fortunately this week's outcome can make our fans rest a little easier as opposed to wondering "What if?"  Most importantly, this victory takes us one step closer to locking up the playoff berth we have set our eyes on since the conclusion of the 2012 campaign.  

The Good

Special Teams and Kicking Game
Our kick coverage was unbelievable all night.  With David Ward's ability to kick the ball deep down the field and the relentless pursuit of our kickoff team, Astoria was faced with a long field for most of the game.  A successful measure of a high school kickoff team is typically pinning the opposing offense consistently inside their own 30 yard line.  We managed to hold Astoria inside the 20 for much of the night.  David was again perfect on the night on PAT's which proved to be the edge we needed to secure victory.  Often overlooked is the protection necessary to make those points possible; the snap (Daemon Fassler) and the hold (Kevin LaCoste) are the rest of the equation that makes this unit successful.  We were perfect on the night and David's 34 yard field goal in the fourth quarter was critical to securing the victory.  The consistency shown week after week by these units is a rarity.  Most teams don't enjoy that and it will certainly pay big dividends as we make our push towards the end of the season and into the playoffs.

"The Drive"
Last week I found myself having The Discussion about The Decision…so being able to write about The Drive is that much sweeter today.  Facing 65 yards of green space with 3 minutes to go is a daunting task for any high school program, especially a team that is perceived as one that "only runs the ball."  The ability to make this push to victory is a testament to the belief that our kids have in each other and the belief they have in the system that got them there.  There was no panic, no concern, no fear of failure.  Prior to taking the field for our last possession I witnessed a group of mature young men that were ready to shoulder the burden of 7 years of losing the Clatsop Clash, the memory of losing 44-38 in OT last year, and the fact that they were down by 7 with so little time left on the clock.  They put that on their backs, focused on the task at hand and, to a man on that field, they expected to win.  Despite being backed up with penalties and facing a 1st and 25 at one point, we maintained composure, relied on our training, and went to work.  The resiliency that these young men showed after experiencing a frustrating night was nothing less than what we as coaches expect.  Adversity is something we talk about consistently and over the past two years our boys have become accustomed to looking it straight in the eye, standing up tall and tackling it head on.

Defensive Stop when it was Most Needed
The phrase "bend but don't break" is often used to describe a night just like the one our defense had.  It would be tough to say that at one point in the game we weren't broken.  Too many opportunities were given to Astoria after forcing them into 3rd and long situations and then failing to finish the job in order to get our offense back on to the field.  We did, however, come up with a huge stop when it mattered most.  As Astoria marched down the field in the 4th quarter on a drive that would have secured their victory if it had resulted in a score, we dug our heels in and made two huge plays on 3rd and 4th downs that turned the tide.  Astoria looked to hit a home run on a 3rd and short play with a reverse but Parker Riser stayed home at his defensive end position and wrestled one of their best athletes down for a ten yard loss.  4th down saw the opening of the flood gates in a sack by Kyver Hamilton that resulted in a turnover on downs and gave us the momentum we needed to make the final push.

Clutch Plays
Coming to a conclusive decision on "Play of the Night" is proving to be a difficult task after all that transpired on Thursday night.  We always talk about Team First but on Thursday night there were some clutch plays by individuals in the final minutes that warrant attention.  David Ward's 34 yard field goal was an absolutely perfect strike through the uprights that narrowed Astoria's lead to one score.  As previously mentioned, the discipline that Parker Riser showed in staying home on a reverse proved to be a critical turning point in the waning minutes of the game.  Sometimes it's necessary to go deep into the playbook and pull out all the stops.  Thursday night presented us with the perfect opportunity to get tricky.  Facing a critical 3rd and 7 yards to go, the Guard Special was executed flawlessly.  LaCoste threw a strike to Tadei who secured the pass and then made a perfect lateral to Beaudoin who pulled from his offensive guard position to receive the pitch and run for a first down.  It was easily the best execution of the play since we began practicing it weeks ago.  I guess there is some merit to making fullbacks into offensive linemen after all.  LaCoste's TD strike to Nick Richardson capped off an unbelievable night.  It's one of our go-to plays that gets heavy rotation in practice.  Kevin threaded a needle with the pass and Nick secured the ball for a touchdown that no one in this county will forget anytime soon.  As I called that final play in the huddle, I saw the confidence in the faces of our team and knew that they would get it done…and they did.

The Bad

Penalties and Turnovers
It's been a couple of weeks since I have had to address this, but it reared it's ugly head again and hampered our ability to control the ball and maintain consistency and critical momentum on offense.  We were penalized nine times over the course of the game and put ourselves in bad situations all night.  We have to clean up the penalties.  Our competition will get better each week and we can't afford to make those types of mistakes and expect to be victorious when the final seconds tick off the clock.  No takeaways and two turnovers narrows the positive takeaway margin we have enjoyed all season.  It isn't going to bode well for us if we continue to be careless with the football and don't secure turnovers for the remainder of the season.

Open Field Tackling and Poor Pursuit Angles
We did a poor job of allowing the opposition to get in space and making people miss.  We have to be better tacklers.  I have no problem allowing receivers to catch balls in front of us as long as we are able to wrap up and make tackles, but we can't continue to miss and give receivers the opportunity to gain more yardage after the catch.  Additionally, backside pursuit of ball carriers is an area we will focus on in the remaining weeks of practice.  We have to do a better job of filling backside running lanes and not leaving defensive linemen as the sole protector of the back side when an opposing player breaks containment and gets into the open field.

The Ugly

Lack of Focus
Homecoming is a great week for everyone with all of the events it presents for our kids and community to get involved in and rally school spirit.  This week, however, much of our previous laser-like focus on our opponent was lost or muted in all of the activities leading up to the game.  We must retain that focus and come prepared to every film session, practice, and game that remains in the season.  Complacency and lethargy in our preparation have no place in our program.  We must prepare and play with focus and determination each and every week.

Wrap Up

While I don't typically include a wrap-up in the blog I want to just take a moment to say a sincere thank you to the community who has rallied around this team.  As I looked around at the people who surrounded us at midfield following the win I saw parents, grandparents, siblings, students, and literally hundreds of community members who are there to show their Gull Football pride.    I saw faces full of joy, smiles, even tears of happiness as your Gulls not only won this decades-long rivalry game but they did it for the first time since 2005.  As coaches, we spend time with this team every day and know how special they are but we also know how special it is to have the support of a stadium full of people who believe in these young men, who believe in what football can do for us as individuals, as a team, and within a community.  Thank you for embracing your team and keep watching because there is more to come.  MOC!

If any of you have comments or questions that you'd like answered on the blog, the Facebook page, or possibly on the radio show let us know.  You can use the "Comment" button above or send an email to info@seasidefootball.com  

What a way to start off the regular season.  From the opening kickoff to the final whistle this was strong performance from your Gulls.  The difference in our 2012 team versus this 2013 team is our ability to quickly put away teams that we should beat.  Last year we let opponents hang around and it cost us more than one game.  This year we have been dominant in our victories and have left no doubt about who is the better team on Friday night.  Here are a few observations on our victory over Tillamook.

The Good

No Turnovers

Despite the elements, we held onto the ball for 48 minutes and didn’t give Tillamook an opportunity to capitalize on any mistakes.  What was an unfortunately consistent error of ours last fall has been cleaned up this season.  What was a deficit for us in 2012 has emerged as one of the most positive stats in our favor this season.

Special Teams Score

From our work in analyzing game film we felt that there would be an opportunity to expose Tillamook in the Special Teams category.  What a way a great way to start a football game:  Max Beaudoin made a great effort to block the punt on Tillamook’s first possession and the ball was ultimately covered in the end zone by Aaron Tadei for a touchdown.  Having a kick blocked in any situation is a demoralizing event for a football team.  To have it happen on the first series proved to be simply too much for Tillamook to overcome and it was apparent that the tone of the game had been set early on.

Next Man Up

Despite some injuries that occurred early in the game we never lost our stride.  A theme for our team since the first day of the season has been “Next Man Up.”  Regardless of who is unable to play, whether for a single down, a series, or even an entire game, our young men know that every one of them must be prepared to step in at a moment’s notice and fill that assigned role.  We had a few guys really step up in the absence of some starters:  Kyver Hamilton, Alex Barker, Austin Eagon, Josh Chesnut, and Kyle Rees embraced their time on the field and capitalized on opportunities which ultimately is what any team requires to be successful.

Offensive Efficiency

Although our offensive stat line didn’t look that impressive at the conclusion of Friday’s contest, I thought we put together drives that chewed up the clock and took advantage of the great field position we were given all night.  We scored on all but one drive in the evening, ran the ball effectively, and threw it successfully when we needed to.  Kevin LaCoste has continued to improve his decision making each week which has led to his seven TD passes and zero interceptions. 


The Bad

Tennis Shoes in the First Half

For those of you that weren’t there it is really hard to explain the amount of rain that fell on Friday night.  I have been playing or coaching football in the Northwest for over 30 years and I’m not sure that I have ever seen such unrelenting weather.  In pregame there was a light mist and I thought the rain had pretty much blown through.  A few minutes after kickoff it started to pour…and it never let up.  The tennis shoes I was wearing in the first half let me down.  Fortunately the dry socks and rubber boots I brought “just in case” were waiting for me in the locker room at halftime.  It is a true testament to our kids and their focus on taking care of the ball that they did not turn the ball over on Friday night. 


The Ugly

Keeping Kids Safe

For those of you who know me and my coaching philosophy, you know I will never credit a victory or blame a loss on the work of the officials.  Officiating is a tough job that comes with very little praise from onlookers.  I know there are going to be questionable calls made and calls that are missed, it simply comes with the territory.  However, one thing that I will never accept is when officials don’t fulfill their obligation of keeping kids safe.  I felt that there were a number of times that our players were being blindsided well behind the play and the officials failed to hold our opponent accountable for those actions.  I think our young men deserve kudos for not getting “chippy” or retaliating with any unacceptable or unsportsmanlike behavior.  That attitude and discipline exhibits our team credo of MOC.