2012 The Year of Destiny

2012 The Year of Destiny: Time to go back to work!

I think each day, each week, each month, and of course each year brings new and exciting challenges and expectations. The 2012 Eagle Football year is no exception. We have entered in to a new Conference, with many of our old friends from Tennessee, that will give us opportunities for success that we have not had before. We are attempting to build a new 11-man conference which will include teams that we have been playing from Indianapolis and Cincinnati, that again, we lend its' self for our success.

2012 promises to be an outstanding year in many regards. It looks very good for the success of our Senior and Junior teams, in that we have already had an influx of coaches and players show interest in those two teams. Locally, there is a new league which has formed that shows promise of sound structure and motivation in the 9 - 14 age group which will lend itself to our needs.

Spring Football begins on March 19th, and already we have many new faces at the younger ages that want to come out and take a look at what we offer. All in all I visualize Eagle Football becoming a platform for God's plan as it spreads beyond my expectations in 2012.

I can't wait to watch it all happen!

A Season To Remember

Eagle Football 2011,
was a season to remember, for many reasons. We, the players themselves, the coaching staff, and myself and the players and parents came together like never before and met challenges head-on. The players went from two-a-days, where they worked on football skills, (but also fed the people in need, helped mentor kids at a football camp, and washed cars for a church), to regular season with hopes and aspirations of success.
Together, the players worked hard, to get in shape, to hone skills, and to reach a point where team would be gained and individual would be lost. They were successful!
Through a season that witnessed "not so many wins" but many victories on and off of the field, our fans saw hard play, companionship, and a dedication to one another that showed the greatest of our players. Players, as well as the team, went through trials and tribulation but over-came the not so bright moments to stand tall and witness the greatness of what we achieved.
Together, with God's help, we withstood personal strive, family disorder, relationship testers, sicknesses and emotional soul seeking. Together, with God leading the way, we stood tall!
God has blessed us! He has blessed us as individuals and as a team and a program. God stands in front of us as a protector, as a mentor, as a leader, as a guide, and as our Father!
He told me this year, in a passing moment of fasting and searching, that it is our time to plant the seeds and He will choose the season for the blooming.
You know what? I believe Him.
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!

The Foundation of Which We Stand

My photo
A multi-sport star at Covington high school, in Covington, Tennessee. He attended college at Murray State University, led the Racers in pass receptions during the 1976, 1977, and 1978 campaigns and earned Small School All-American honors as a Senior in 1978. Spent some time in the CFL and NFL and then began coaching in 1983. Began High School coaching at Henderson County High School in 1987, came to Louisville in 1990 and coached at PRP, from 91 - 93, at DuPont Manual from 94 - 01, at Doss High School from 02 - 04 and took the Head Coaching position at Evangel Christian School at the start of the school year in 2005. Dave Thomas’ commitment at Evangel Christian School (and now with the Eagle Football Program) is to raise young males up to a point where Christ may use them for His glory and honor. The football program that is God driven, in to the future, is built on a foundation of hard work, discipline, and Christian values, with an emphasis on service to others. “Our young men become leaders through commitment and dedication and I am very proud to be associated with each and every one of them.”

The Eagle Philosophy

Eagle Football 2012

Mission Statement: We will influence young men and women in Christ like ways, by using athletics as our vehicle, so that together we may build strong Christians, a strong educational system, and a strong Christian based community.

1. Build individual and program character.

2. Encourage players, parents, and staff to create positive goal oriented values and philosophies.

3. Develop student-athlete relationships.

4. Create within the program a sense of growth of all involved personnel.

5. Teach personal conviction and a high work ethic.

6. Lead members to understanding the scope of a purpose driven life.

7. Promotion of Pride, Team, and School and Community Spirit

8. Instill a Vision of success.

1. Build individual and program character

This program is and will continue to be built on the idea that character is acting in the appropriate way when no one else is watching. In other words, if we can learn and can teach every one in the program to be accountable for themselves, the team, the school, and Jesus Christ we as a program will be a success. The first thing we must teach and learn is, if everyone involved does what they are suppose to do, not only will everything be done in a wonderful manner but everyone will establish within themselves a pride and a honor for the commitment to all of the people involved in that commitment.

It goes without saying that every person involved has been introduced to a varying set of rules and ideas on the best way to live ones life. Within the understanding of this fact, it is necessary that we establish our team rules, that will predicate our team character.

We must also manifest the idea that this commitment to character be carried over to each and every persons own individual lives.

These ideas are manufactured by;

a. the common sharing of team tasks

b. team study hall

c. team dress codes

d. team discipline and action expectations

e. team practice schedules

f. team calendars

g. team itinerary

2. Encourage players, parents, and staff to create positive goal oriented values and philosophies.

We will schedule team and parent meetings so that every member of the program will have the opportunity to be an influence in the program.

Parents are invited to contribute to the goal setting, goal seeking, and goal reaching process. This is established through the scheduled meetings and through the ongoing student-athlete functions. The seniors are invited to participate in a one-on–one goal setting meeting between the player, their parents, and Coach Thomas.

Each player will establish annual goals and they will be evaluated as the student-athlete progresses through school and the program.

3. Develop student-athlete relationships.

The goal for all students should be to be successful. I think that one common thread runs through all adults. That would be that sometimes in life we need help. Our goal is to help students to learn how to be successful through gaining help in the team.

By teaching a student that the team consists of teachers, parents, coaches, and other classmates, we as a program can help the student-athlete gain understanding that help at being successful is all around them. Many times students do not thing that seeking help is a good thing but by sharing stories, gaining confidence, and by involving the students themselves in the process we can help them become the best they can be on and off of the field.

Through the organization of groups, visitation of colleges, and public service time we will insure each and every student has an opportunity to develop meaningful, positive relationships.

Do it Right the First Time.......Every Time!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Eagles 23, Tri-Cities 0


                    Eagles versus Tri-Cities Christian School
                                                October 15, 2011
From the Eastern Tennessee Appalachian Mountain foothills came the Tri-City Golden Eagles hoping to improve on their winning ways against our own Eagle football team.  The game that ensued between these two teams would rival the game played in the previous year when the Golden Eagles won in dramatic style while scoring a late 4th quarter touchdown that secured their 12 point win.  On this day the Hometown Eagles would try to take control early, with the running game, and then finish it off in the fourth quarter.  The Tri-Cities team took the kick-off and control of the game by the lack of offense produced by both teams.  Our Eagles drove the ball several times but the many number of penalties (65 yards) and mistakes, both offensively and defensively kept the visiting team in the game.  The Golden Eagles held the ball for 9:00 minutes of the opening quarter but the Eagles stiffened as the visitors grew close to the goal line, on two separate occasions, and the quarter ended all tied up at zero-zero.  
     The second quarter was when the Eagles began their own control of the ball and with a methodical twelve play drive the home team took the lead with just 5:25 left in the first half, 6 – 0.  The visiting Golden Eagles ran the kick-off back to the 35 yard line and began their own drive, attempting to score before halftime.  They were on the move, 7 plays into the drive, when, with less than 1:00 to go, in the half, Jonas Griffith intercepted a pass and took it down the sidelines for a 90 yard “pick six”, and the Eagles took a lead into half-time, 12  - 0.  During the intermission the home team made some offensive and defensive adjustments and in the second half it paid dividends.  The Eagles received the kick-off to start the third quarter and controlled the ball 10 of the 12 minutes, but mistakes kept them from finding the end zone.  Gerry Griffith tackled the Golden Eagle quarterback in the end zone for a safety, on a very athletic play, and the third quarter ended with the Eagles in control of the game (and the score), 14 – 0.  The fourth quarter saw more dominance by the hometown bunch as they controlled the ball, on two separate drives, for 11:45 of the 12:00 minutes in the fourth quarter.  Ory Yates and the Offensive Line took control and scored one last time with 7:25 on the clock to finish out the scoring with a final score of 22 – 0.
      Ory Yates led all runners with 136 yards on 20 carries and a Touchdown while the Defense stood tall, in crucial situations, and held the opponents to 24 total yards rushing and 34 total yards passing.
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Eagles 16, Southside Crimson Knights 28


Eagles vs Southside Crimson Knights
Eagle Field, Louisville

            The Southside Crimson Knights, are out of Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Southside bunch after a two hour drive brought it to the Eagles.  They opened up the game running the “old fashioned” flying wing “T” formation from the late 1940’s and it pushed across (4) four Touchdowns with its’ mere muscle in numbers strategy.  In a game that was pretty even throughout the contest the Knights gained 351 yards and threw the ball twice, while the Eagles gained 275 yards and threw the ball three times. 
            The Crimson Knights gained the advantage when they scored halfway through the first quarter on a 12 yard run around right end.  Early in the second quarter the Eagles responded by mounting their own drive of 9 plays and 72 yards for the score that tied the game at 8 all.
            In the third quarter the Knights again scored to take the lead atb16 – 8, but the Eagles came back again, early in the forth quarter to tie it at 16 a piece.  In the fourth quarter, the home team wore down and the “muscle” of the flying “T” proved to be the difference as the Knights scored twice and the game ended in a 28 – 16 defeat for the Eagles.
            C.J. Roberts had one of those great games a kid (or a coach) will never forget by running for 121 yards on 15 carries and creating havoc on Defense with 6 solo tackles, 7 assisted tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, and a pass knock down.  Tim Miller contributed with 53 yards on 11 carries, and Jonas Griffith had 86 yards on 13 carries.  Gerry Griffith and Zach McClanahan also had great defensive games.
            The players really played hard, and many things worked very well, but in the end fatigue and mistakes proved to be the difference.  Great job Eagles!
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Eagles 0 Gamble Montessori 18

Eagles at Gamble Montessori
Cincinnati, Ohio

            The Eagles traveled to Cincinnati on Saturday to play the Black and Green Gamble Montessari team that had good size and speed.  Gamble featured a defensive line with defensive ends that stand 270 and 260 with a nose tackle that weighs in at 290.  The Gamble Montessori team also had athletes in many of their skilled positions and posed a tough match-up for our Eagles.  Much the same as the Landmark Christian game we controlled the first quarter, but as soon as we got the ball we gave it right back on a quarterback-center exchange fumble.  But with the short field, (starting from our 24 yard line), Gamble punched it in the endzone and took a 6 – 0 lead.  We drove the ball down to the other end of the field, after the kick-off, but then, after controlling the line of scrimmage we had another fumble.  The game went back and forth for the rest of the half and ended at half-time 6 – 0.
            In the second half we failed to change our mistake riddled ways and had a total of 6 fumbles and 145 penalty yards (for the game).  The penalties and the turnovers made it impossible to get anything going on offense and it kept our backs against the wall defensively.  Gamble mounted a drive late in the third quarter and made the score 12 – 0, and then ended the scoring with under 3:00 minutes left to go in the game when Josh Lykins threw a desperation ball that was picked off and returned 76 yards for a Touchdown.  The Final Score was Gamble Montessari 18 and our Eagles 0.
            So; after scoring 41 points in our first game and 16 in our second game we have gone two games without any points scored.  What concerns most fans of the Eagles are the mistakes.  The coaches also think that the players are playing at a great level of intensity and focus but there are to many mistakes being made. 
As we prepare for the Southside Crimson Knights the focus is “back to basics” and getting back to doing what we do best; run the ball.  An emphasis has also been placed on plays that can get us first downs in third down situations.  Come support your Eagles as we take on the Crimson Knights from the south side of Indianapolis, at home, on Saturday, September 24th, at 6:00pm.
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