Falcon football coach Mark Hodson was hedging his bets the day before his team won their first home game, a 22-7 triumph over the Port Townsend Redskins.
“The guys showed up for first-day practice in pretty good shape physically,†he said.
“But mentally, they have some post-traumatic stress from last year to deal with,†the South Whidbey coach said.
Last year, of course, being the Falcon’s ignoble 0-11 season.
“If you don’t expect to win, you won’t win. The staff’s biggest challenge is to get them to believe in themselves,†Hodson said.
To that end, Hodson has taken the staff and split the defensive and offensive coaching chores.
“It forces each of us to coach every day; our freshmen are being taught the same as the varsity so we have some serious continuity,†Hodson said. “It will work now and for the long haul.â€
The results were obvious. Scrimmages this year were more tightly managed and productive as a competitive, enthusiastic attitude trickled down to the athletes.
A lot of the players have been together for years, though. James Jones has been hiking the ball to Danny Parra since the eighth grade.
“Yeah, we were really down last season,†Parra said. “Folks might have gotten used to poor performance the last couple years and we want to show them we have improved.â€
Jones agreed.
“But our confidence level is headed in the right direction. I feel it,†Jones said.
Hodson was happy to hear those comments. “Danny and James are my best players right now, both showing leadership, competitiveness and toughness. We’re going to need that,†Hodson said.
He added that tailbacks Rob Knight, Rob Boenish and Paul Salens will all be sharing time on the field.
“And don’t be surprised to see tight end Tyler Kinser catching the ball,†he added.
The coach said that South Whidbey’s demotion from 3A to 2A status won’t be a big factor this year.
“Except for Coupeville, we’ll be facing all the usual suspects,†he said.
At 7 p.m. on Friday, the team visits Lakewood, one of those “usual suspects,†for the season’s first league outing.
