This Blog Dedicated to My Son
This is My Hero: Sgt George Zaleuke (Mike)
2nd Cavalry- Fox Troop
This is a photograph of my son Mike in Full-Kit. Can you imagine wearing close to 100 Lbs of extra gear in 100 degree heat? This is exactly what these guys do every single day while defending our country. I don't care what political side of the fence you reside...Republican, Democrat, or Tea Party. We should NEVER, NEVER cut our military budget. Our country needs to remain strong at all times. I miss my boy.
Vero Beach vs Sebastian River
Now, before I hear anything about my lack of photographs of Sebastian River, let me just say I am BORROWING a couple of photographs from #TCPrepzone website. I just could not find many photographs of Sebastian on the net or #Facebook about this game. I found a lot of pictures of Vero Beach, so I am going with that.
Truthfully, the game was sort of surreal for me. It felt strange being in the stands while watching my former team warm-up in the end zone. I sat with several former coaches, and we were trying to figure out who was playing where, and what offense and what defense Sebastian (SR) was running. It was strange sitting in the stands surrounded my so many fans and students for the first time....while trying to avoid any conversation about why we left. Luckily, I was texting with my daughter, and posting on #Twitter about the game itself. I watched a fired-up Sebastian run out of their end zone to the visiting team sidelines. It was good to see the kids ready to play ball. I kept telling Joe and Tony Brown that we would generally be cussing Vero Beach about this time...trying to get our self ready for the game.
I then noticed something different in the Vero Beach (VB) endzone. Vero Beach is generally led on the field by a flag-carrying senior football player. Been this way for years. Tonight, I noticed that the flag was in the hands of a 10th grader. Patrick Bethel #93 led his new team on the field carrying the huge flag and pole....such an honor for the young player. Coach Bethel just glowed with pride. It was kind of cool.
For the first few minutes, SR held their own against the powerful VB team. I think Zach Finnegan was putting some heat on the VB center, and there were a few high snaps which totally screw up the timing of the VB offense. Mason Wilborn and Bubba Martinez were stuffing some running plays, and the timing on (VB QB) Dalton Stoke's throws were completely off. VB was forced to punt after a three and out.
The SR offense took the field. Coach Wilson and I wondered: "What the hell are they running?" The offense LOOKED familiar, but it was blocked differently. SR is a zone blocking offense with little pulling or trapping that we saw. The QB is still under center, and they still use a tight end. They use jet motions across the formation quite often, and I noticed the QB is rolling from the pocket most times. I think I stated in an earlier blog that it takes about three years to completely install a high school offense, so I am sure it is a work in progress.
The VB offense took the field again. I noticed that SR's 3-4 defense adjusted to Vero's spread differently. VB QB Dalton Stokes hit a couple short passes and a couple of screens to loosen up the defense a little. About this time, I told Coach Wilson: "VB needs to go vertical right now" Coach Janikowski dials up a beautiful vertical route, and it was out the gate. Unfortunately, the game was about to get out of hand quickly. The score was 35-0 at the half. I felt badly for the SR kids, and I could see the dejection in their body language. I have been on both sides of a beat-down, and it is never fun to be on the losing side.
FHSAA rules say that if a team goes up by more than 28 points, the losing coach has the option of accepting a running clock for the second half of the game. A running clock is just what it sounds like. The clock never stops for anything other than a injury.
The ENTIRE second half lasted about 30 minutes. Time just flew by. SR finally scored against VB's back-ups late in the 4th qtr. Final score was 42-7. I stayed up in the stands for a short time talking with the other coaches, and we were all kind of shell-shocked to say the least. It was hard to watch your former team take a beating like that, but we all expected it. In fact, if the clock was not running in the second half, the score would have been much worse. I watched as the VB players greeted Coach Bethel in the endzone which sort of made me emotional. I milled around a little talking with parents and former players.... I was glad I went to the the game.
I will hit you guys up later.
GZ
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