Game Day

For most of the boys game day is saturday but not for Nathan. He plays on thursday which is a little difficult for the parents being in the middle of the week. Unfortunately this week none of us could watch his game against LONE PEAK. And would you know it ,Nathan got in to play. I asked Nathan how he did he said "pretty good." So I asked him if he minded that we weren't there he said "not too much." There you go typical teenage conversation.

Ryan played Heriman gold. He was hoping to play against his friend Dallas Reynolds from velocity camp,but not so. His team defeated Herriman on a hot day 46-0. Ryan threw three touch down passes one was called back and he had a awsome option play that went for six. Ryan himself also got into the end zone a few times on extra points. It was a good opportunity to let some other kids score.

Alta 46 vs. Heriman 0



Dawson had a tough game against an Olympus team that I guess won the champioship last year. He was constantly bull rushed by two players so there was center QB exchange problems. Dawson says that it was because someone wet the ball so it was slick. His coach was giving Dawson and the QB the business all game. Dawson doesn't do well with negitivity. His coaches were a little stressed with each other too. One coach walked off... They won 26-0.

Another good week for the boys.

2010 Football Begins

NATHAN-It seems that it started earlier this year but not really. Nathan had to start early with spring conditioning. I had to take him at 6:30am each day. One morning I watched as they did "Diana's" its a 30-40 degree sloped street. The boys had to sprint up it fifteen or so times. Some boys who ate breakfast lost it. The Neighbors were out with hoses washing down the street. I guess this is something they have done on that hill for some time. Nathan then had camp at Snow college where he did well beating up on the teams that were there and then hell week. Nathan is playing outside linebacker the " WILL"and is now into his season a few games. They are undefeated with wins against Bingham , Jordan, Timpview and just recently Bountiful. Go #66. RYAN- worked out this spring and summer at the Alta explosion camps were they did work outs in the weight room and hills and stadiums and his favorite, running sprints on the turf. He also worked out at Velocity working on his speed power and agility and at a Lehi football skills camp run by ex college football players. Ryan is into his season with wins against West Jordan black 26-16, Bountiful red 26-6 and Olympus 30-0. In the recent game he had four rushing touch downs two were called back on penalties and one one throwing touch down and just for fun he went in on one play as nose guard and got a sack. Hope you have a good year #15.

DAWSON-is having a great year he did the same explosion camps as Ryan and really enjoyed it trying to be a leader by being first on every drill. He was drafted by the black team and has enjoyed not having to play with all the pressure of last years team. His team has slaughtered every one they have played by at least scoring 40 points in every competition. Last week they beat Brighton by at least 60 points but who counts after 40 right! His favorite part of football this year is, his mom is the TEAM MOM. I'm so proud of #51.

WRAP UP OF 2009 SEASON

CHAMPIONS
Nathan again surprised us, his team played really well to the end winning in the playoffs where Nathan had a great game he played with lots of energy and beat another Alta team in spite of a little injury to his hand. The losing coach lost it and was a little less than a sportsman. Opps! Nathan's then went on to defeat Brighton in a cold and miserable championship. Congrats Nathan. Ouch !
Ryan's season was a decent one where he made it to the playoffs with wins against three of his last opponents. Ryan competed well scoring in games like Jordan in park city with a short dive and he even got quarter back the whole game in his second to last game. Unfortunately for Ryan's team they could move the ball very well against Brighton in the Play offs and end up losing Ryan did do well he caught a ball up the middle and dodge several player before ending up in the end zone. We later found out that this Brighton team had been cheating all season with their star kid being from another district. They didn't let us have a rematch they still got to claim the win and play in the championship. Lesson learned sports like life is not fair.

Dawson's team struggled towards the end. They won a few games but it was too little too late because of their earlier losses. But they did have good kids that will be back next year to give it a run. Unfortunately for Dawson's team they were eliminated from the playoffs.

GOOD JOB BOYS

Congrats on another fun year it was fun watching and coaching you guys. your parents are proud of your hard work and commitment

A LOT HAS HAPPENED

Since the last post we have WATCHED nine games. The last time I posted every one was undefeated. Well as the saying goes you win some and you lose some. That has been the case. Dawson's team for being pretty dominating has gone into a tail spin. They played a tough game with Riverton and lost, they played hard and effort was there in spite of the loss. The last game was against Copper hills and Dawson's team did not show up and Copper hills decided to hit and hit hard they did. Two of Alta's kids were knocked out of the game with injuries and Dawson's team relinquished their two TD lead and lost. They are now 4-2. Nathans team keeps on rolling and are undefeated. In a game against Bingham Nathan sacked the QB in the end zone for a safety. His last game there were many TD's The long bomb was working. Nice pass protection from the big guy #35. Ryan has had it tough his team won against Olympus where he scored all the points, since then its quite a different story. Against The other undefeated team Riverton his team was down in the first half and fought back in the second to go ahead. As fate would have it the long snapper snapped the ball over our punters head at the end of the game , the ball went into the end zone for a safety and that tied the game and so we went into over time and lost by one score. Last week we played just to stay in second place with Brighton the other one loss team. The game was a defensive struggle since the offense was ineffective. The game ended 0-0. We went into over time well actually 3 overtimes before some one scored. Unfortunately it wasn't us. Yes now we are fighting for our lives just to stay in the play offs. Sorry no pictures Mom left her camera on the ground and now its lost or stolen. Wait... some one called and said they found the camera but the pictures were played with. I'm not complaining we happy to get the camera back and we are grateful for someones honesty.. yippee.

THE ENEMY IS NOT US
In the past on one of our games i said that one of our worst enemies was ourselves. By that I meant that we we didn't really play up to our potential and some times we let mistakes or lack of effort be our biggest opponent. Well, that was not the case this week. All three boys are still undefeated. Dawson did ok this week and had fun at his game. I thought his opponent would have given us more of a challenge but as it turns out Dawson's team beat a well supported Brighton team 35-0 (There were tons of Brighton parents/fans in their bright orange shirts and there was loud speakers playing the "welcome to the jungle" song during breaks in the action)


Guess who Dawson goes against



Dawson locked in the battle

Ryan played their arch rivals Bingham and won 13-7. Bingham is the true test during the season. They are well coached and usually are big and fast. This was the case again this year. Ryan's team dominated the first half and went up 13 points but in the second half Bingham made some adjustments and it was much tougher to move the ball. Binghm found its grove with a steady ground game which made it tough on our line backers which is what Ryan plays on defense. Like I said this week the enemy was not us. Defense came up big in the second half stopping three drives by stripping the ball and recovering the fumbles. Against Bingham Ryans only score came on the extra point conversion but he had a solid game on offense and defense.





One of Ryans runs

Nathan on the other hand had to play another Alta team from the league that is in his division. That's never fun fun beating up on your own league but because of the size of our league some times that happens. Fortunately for Nathan his team rolled over the other team 21-0. Good job again this week Boys.

MELT DOWN,

Nick and Nathan melting in the hot sun

Nathan getting double teamed

Water!!!

Dawson giving some kid the business

Captains on the field for the coin toss

Ryan running for a TD

Saturday started out like any other except the heat was in the 90 's which is not a great football temperature when your team is Alta whose colors are Black. Luckily we got to wear our white jerseys and silver pants but still had to wear our black helmets.

Dawson was first up against Murray Spartans. His team took a while to get going but eventually found its grove and won the game easily 35-0. As Ive mentioned before Dawson has worked hard and this week, he was to start both ways offense and defense good for you Dawson. Then came the melt down. I don't know if it was the early morning game, lack of sleep, but somewhere between his coach yelling at him to stop messing with his helmet it happened. He promptly told his coach that he was done, he hated football and only played because his dad made him. Yikes!

Replacing a starter is not an easy thing for any coach. This news had to be a Shocker. Thanks to Coach Anderson and his Line coach they were able to put some water on the melt down and Dawson played fine, But less obviously.

Nathan was next against Jordan Grey it was a tough outing in the heat of the day. Nathan played some of the best football I've seen him play. He was aggressive and his intensity was great. One problem for him was that he was getting double teamed almost on every play this added to Nathans fire. Just before half time Nathans team lost there running back to a bad tibia fibula fracture. Poor kid had to leave in an ambulance. In the second half Nathans team had to fight back to come from behind to win 15-14. During the game Nathan was so into leading his team he was yelling "come on Defense" so loud that he told Mary he must have lost his mind (translated: melt down of his brain) because he even scared himself. He told her that it was because he sounded like dad for a minute. Thanks Nathan.

Ryan's game was in the afternoon against West Jordan Blue. We tried to sit under the shade of a tree while we waited for our time. Man was it hot. The other team looked big. I thought they would have given us a better challenge but we ended up winning 27-0. Ryan scored on an end around play where he had to stretch his arms out to get the ball over the pylon. He dropped another ball that would have been a touch down. It was in an awkward position just behind and above his head it would have been a tough catch but as I tell Ryan if you get your hands on the ball you better catch it. He redeemed himself later by catching a ball in the end zone on a Trips Right 931 X in play. In the end every one won this week end good job boys and Ryan thought he would melt if we didnt end the day with a Tigers blood slurpee to cool down.

Vikings, Stallions, Braves Oh My!




The pressure is on, games count towards making the playoffs. So yes the season has now officially started and I'm happy to say that all three boys had wins this weekend. Dawson started off the day with a battle against Bountiful. Unfortunately for Dawson on offense he went against one of their better defensive players, their biggest and a fast kid that seemed to make a lot of their tackles in the first half. I tried to encourage poor Dawson but he was not hearing any of it. The second half was another story Dawson on his own figured that he could not get in close to the kid muscle for muscle. He pushed him off his body so he could better react to his stunts and Dawson ruled the second half. Dawson's team won 19-0 in a slight drizzle at Indian hills.

(Check out the size of Dawsons Opponent the one with his hand up)

Yeah! another win for Dawson's team


Next Ryan played Viewmont. On a third and long his quarter back threw a deep ball for Ryan the speedster and in perfect high light reel form Ryan dove straight out while flying horizontally through the air he caught the ball to keep the drive alive. On another play Ryan scored running up the middle and dove through the air over a defender to score. I don't know what was up with all the diving though the air this week but congrats Ryan for a win 27-0.

(Sorry Ryan no pic's of you this week)

Nathan Leading his team

Take him down Big E


Nathan's game was in the boonies with Stansbury park. His team came up victorious 40-0. Poor kids(not literally) from the other side of the mountains faced Alta Reds fury. If you ask Nathan how he played he just says "I dominated." He did make a few good tackles but dominate Really!. His coach Carlson and coach Andy Boyce from BYU fame were pleased with his effort both on offense and defense. NICE WINS BOYS. I'M PROUD OF YOU ALL.

2009 THE SMELL OF CUT GRASS AND SWEATY PADS

Dawson getting ready to crack heads


Nathan Keep your feet dude


When did Nathan get this big? Nice stance.


Ryan holding the ball like a loaf of bread.

Ryan loves to play QB.

Yes its back. Football season is here and we are loving it. The boys finished tryouts and are on good teams we hope. Yes. I'm still coaching Ryan's team. I tried to help out with Dawson's team. He told me he would rather I just be his Dad. Well OK then. I'm still proud of him for being as his coach for the A team put it his "hardest hitting and best lineman by far". Nathan is doing well and has a starting position on offense as the tackle and on defense as the end. Ryan is set to go as The T and Z backs in the spread offense and plays D-end and outside line backer for the defense and returns punts and kick offs. Busy Guy maybe we should give him some rest. We had our first scrimmage games Saturday Dawson won 7-6 against Riverton in a game they had to come from behind to win. Ryan scored on a kick return for a TD and a sweep that went 50 yards and on two extra points where they went for two. They beat Jordon 30 to zero. Nathan only had a practise scrimmage against Brighton it looks like his team doesn't like the 8:30 am start time. They were a little off their game and have done better. Nathan felt good about his performance but said he was a little slow it could have been the full size protein shake his mom made him drink just before the game. We are hoping for a good season all around. Good luck boys.

Tough loss in the play offs to Riverton 13-7

A trick play from Riverton surprised us in the end to win it. I feel really bad that during the time out I didn't warn our line backers and Db"s to stay home and watch for something tricky. As a coach I should have seen it coming. I've had a pretty good read on most of the teams we've played but Saturday I got out coached and that hurts.

The Boys were on fire this week. They came out this week with heart and toughness and played like champs. I know that each one cared and didn't want it to end this way. I was taken back when some kids came up to me and apologized for the loss. They said things "like it was my fault".." I didn't block my guy"... "I should have made the tackle"... The thing is, it's not their fault. Its not any individuals fault. When we won it was a team win and so it is when we lose, a team loss. I will remember this season not for the scores of the games but for the relationships and friendships made and the challenges we overcame together. I'm so proud of their development they are fine young men.

It's not over yet though. We still have the Border Warz Tournament. So Good luck boys.

Check out or game pictures at http://precision-photo.smugmug.com/

Alta goes to playoffs win 28-0 win over Tooele

Alta makes the playoffs with a win over Tooele buffaloes 28-0. Early touch down throws to Zack and Corey put the buffaloes on their heels. Zander , Alex and Alec got to field punts and Trudo got to run the ball. Nate got tested on defense. It was an easy match up with Tooele invoking the mercy rule in the third quarter(Clock runs without stopping). I must say what good sportsmen Tooele's coaches were they were nothing but gracious and complimentary after the game. Its too bad we as coaches cant be like that all the time. I speak collectively, because i think we have awesome coaches on this team.

Char·ac·ter [ kárrəktər ]

CHAR- AC- TER is by definition: The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is. I was impressed with our win over the Hillcrest Huskies but during the game several other thoughts played out in my head. I began to wonder if we were helping the boys build character and I also wondered what was the character of our team.

Heywood Campbell said" Character is a set of behavior traits that define what sort of person an individual is. It determines whether a person will effectively achieve goals."

My younger son who plays for the Gremlins said to me Saturday "Dad you are playing cream puff teams are you going to be ready when it really counts" .. I was taken back a minute..,...well I thought that depends on the character of our team. To understand our teams character we need to understand that our teams personality and character are different. Personality is primarily inborn traits, Character consists of learned behaviors.

To break it down even further the characteristics that make up a person or team or characterize a person or team taken collectively define our character. And don't forget they are learned. There in lies our responsibility as coaches. What are the characteristics of our team:

Are we dependable? Are we Inconsistent? Are we determined?
Are we quick to give up? Are we committed? Are we persistent?
Are we dedicated ? Are we courageous ? Are we resilient ?
Are we invincible ? Are we believing ? Are we enduring ?
Are we humble ? Are we prideful ? Are we sportsmen ?

and last but not least ARE WE CHAMPIONS ?

On Saturday I saw some things that indicated we have developed some good characteristics and I saw some things some things that indicated we still have some improvements to make.

I love football because I believe football is more about what happens day to day than what happens Saturday. Game days during football doesn't build character, it reveals it.

Alta Mighty Mites Pewter... Champions a work in progress.

Alta Tames The Huskies 38-0

What a fun game! It's always fun when you win. Our guys did a great job today and many got to do things that they don't normally do like run the ball, some got to kick, some got to call their own plays and hopefully everybody got more playing time, Yeah!

I just wanted to point out some plays that impressed me. Congratulations to Trudo for scoring his first touchdown and Linares who scored, well almost scored his first touchdown but it was a nice interception and run back anyway and to Tripp who also made a good run after a catch, offensive and defensive line and backs and last but not least was Hemi's awesome on side kick, which we recovered. I'm sure I'm missing somebody else's good deeds but those were the ones that were impressive to me today. Some of you other guys (Chris, Zack, Ryan, Bourne, Joe etc.) could also be mentioned but you've done good things before so now it's expected of you. Nice win team and good job everybody, keep it up and maybe you can get Coach Kory to sing "Eye of the Tiger" for you.

By the way, be sure to check out Hillcrest game pictures at: http://precision-photo.smugmug.com/ then click on the Alta vs Hillcrest gallery.

Alta Beats Taylorsville Warriors 20-7

Wow! That was an exciting game. I think the kids did a great job. It was really nice to see them fight back after being down in the fourth quarter to dominate. I know the boys felt a little tired but they hung in there and dug down deep and were able to find the will and reserve they needed to win the game. Nice job everyone.

I wish I could say the same for this coach. This year I've been trying to work on being a little more quite and not so loud. My wife says that when I'm loud I sound mean. I say "I'm just excited and want the boys to be able to hear me." She says "they can hear me in Tooele. "

Well, this week I thought I was doing pretty well even when some of the calls weren't going our way I stayed cool. I went home excited to talk to my wife. I told her "see I was able to stay calm and quite today." her reply to me was "not even close." Yikes shocker. So if I was too loud again this week, just know I'm working on it. Better luck next week. By the way the photographer was at this game too check it out at: http://precision-photo.smugmug.com/ I also suggested that in the future he should take a variety of shots of different players on both sides of the ball and not just the main action. Maybe more kids will be in the shots that way.

The Lghts Are Turning On

OFF TO A GOOD START THIS WEEK

I have to say that this week I've been really proud of the boys. I have seen more effort this week then in the past few weeks. It is really exciting to see it click in some of the boys. They are really starting to get it. Jorgy has turned it on and is quite a hitter. Luke just wants to hit anything that moves. Jake, Dally and Fisker are just plain brutes. Chase and Hemi have made huge strides in their blocking techniques and so has Justin. What studs. Chris and Trudo love to make those clean up tackles and are learning that it's funner to hit than be hit. Nick and Nate stand out there on the sides like stately bookends keeping everything inside. Keep up the good work. Zack and Crosby, the rainbow ponies, are improving too. Ryan and Joe are doing a good job bringing the thunder on those lead blocks. Corey, dude you can move when you are being chased. Alec is working hard. Yep! you da man (with the hands). And last but not least my two super buds (I mean studs) Hales and Zander who can play where ever you ask them to, they are always ready. I hope I'm not leaving anyone out because this week you are all bringing it... I love it.. Its' fun to watch you guys get better.

Alta beats Bountiful in the mud 35-0

Saturday was our first game in real football weather. It was a crisp 65 degrees and raining. We faired well, no one complained as far as I could tell. Our success goes to the fact that we just pounded the ball right down their throat. If I'm not mistaken, we only threw the ball twice. Even some of the non starters got to run the ball. How fun is that. I must say that any win at this point should be a confidence builder to the team and they should build from there. There is a quote by Walt Kelly and it goes "I'VE FOUND THE ENEMY AND HE IS US". This is really how our team rolls, when we are on and decide to play we can do good things and on the other hand we can be our worst enemy when we lack the desire to compete. By the way, what is up with last weeks Riverton team beating up Grantsville 77-0. That Riverton coach needs a lesson in coaching. (when the game is in hand pull your starters).

Enough of that. A photographer asked if he could photograph our game on Saturday against Bountiful so I told him sure why not. I have his link if anyone is interested in purchasing any of his shots. Here it is: http://precision-photo.smugmug.com/ then just click on the gallery that says Alta versus Bountiful. By the way, there are some good ones of Chase running the ball and Joe's blocked punt.

Riverton takes Alta behind the wood shed 27-6

What an ugly game on a lot of fronts. Some of the goals we wanted to do on offense never got accomplished. We didn't control the line of scrimmage and we weren't tough physical brutes on defense. This week we didn't run well enough to inflict our will on our opponents and the blocking on the run plays by our backs and receivers was missing on many of the key plays. On a positive note the quarter back had plenty of time to throw this week and that was great. I just wish we could have connected on our passes when we had the good protection. Turn overs killed us again especially the one on the first drive. The boys need to do a gut check because at this point its about how much competitive spirit they have and are willing to bring to the surface.

Alta Pewter Beats Alta Crimson 15-6

What a hard fought game with tons of emotional ups and downs. I really liked the way the team fought back and won the game. Alec Davey nice catch. Way to be ready when called upon to do your job. Ryan way to lay out for a ball too. Zack nice moves for a score. Crosby nice arm this week. Offensive line was tough. It looks like the new blocking will help. Joe Denos nice sack on fourth down to end the half. Ry nice tackle for a safety. Nate Tripp sorry for busting your chops when it was actually Trudo's guy who caught the ball. Nick Linares your best play was when you didn't even make the play but turned the guy in on the sweep that could have gone for big yards. Chris good job on not giving up and pursuing your guy all the way to the sideline. Defensive team way to step up and stop them from scoring when they were pounding on the door, It took a lot of heart. I must say it was just an all round gutty effort by everyone and that's how we will have to play to win all of our games. It doesn't get any easier, we have a must win game coming up against Riverton. Good luck Boys.

YUMM!

Wow! what a tail gait party the kids loved it. I think I speak for the coaches too, we loved it. The hot dogs and chili was a hit. Kudo's to the team moms and the parents who work so hard on behalf of the boys. Parties like that boost moral and build friendships that last for years. I know that my boy's still talk about pep rally's from previous years like they were just yesterday. I went to a coaches camp some years ago and one of the instructors said that some kids only motivation might be to play for the end of game treats , half time snacks and parties and that's OK because it will eventually change to something else (like maybe "winning and succeeding in football"). Silly me, what do I know I thought we played for the love of game, the thrill of the hit, the crushing block, the long run where your feet barely touch the ground, the amazing flying catch, the smell of fresh cut grass or the smell of hard earned sweaty pads..... So if truth be told Team Mom's you may be more remembered in the years to come than the coaches or the season it self. GOOD JOB MOMS- WE APPRECIATE IT, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Alta vs Bountiful