Be A Student of the Game

It's been pretty quiet on here, hasn't it? The coaching staff has been busy (hence a lack of articles). A lot of folks may not realize this, but there is an upside to losing early in the tournament. We'd obviously rather be playing (way, way rather be playing), but we're not about to let an opportunity for improvement pass us up. An early exit allows us to attend other practices and find lessons to apply to our own program. You can discover a lot about the nature of a team by observing them practice.

It's also an opportunity to catch up on all the work we've been putting off. Consult other coaches about certain aspects of the offense or defense. Brush up on some game film. Kick back and take in our favorite teams at the collegiate and professional levels. I'm sure that's not at all unlike many of you (especially over Thanksgiving!).

If you're a student-athlete, you should always be learning. While you're munching on that turkey, watching a game, keep your mind active. What is the team doing well? What are they doing poorly? How could you use something, anything that they are doing to improve your own play? Be a student of the game, at all times.

Just wanted to mention this in the wake of yesterday's post. We have some really smart people in our program. A high level of intelligence, team-wise, is definitely something we coaches consider a strength of Westfield Football. This fact, however, means exactly nothing for us on the field if we do not endeavor to make the most of our gifts. Offseasons are where champions are made. What are you doing to increase your football IQ?

Always strive to learn; in sport, in life, in faith.

First Tri-mester Grades

Grades are in! You better believe us coaches are tracking your academic progress with diligence (and, you know, PRIDE). We'd like to give recognition to our top 15 classroom performers:

1. Mitchell Turley
2. Jacob Tebbe
3. Normando Gonzalez
4. Jonathan Crawford
5. Spencer Tebbe
6. Matthew Kinney
7. Benjamin Huntley
8. Dani Hartnett
9. William McCool
10. Samuel Trompen
11. Madison Turley
12. Robert Harrison
13. Renzo Alvarez
14. Eric Rearden
15. Turner Edwards

Keep up the good work!