Round Four of the State Playoffs

GREETINGS FROM THE DEN OF THE 12th MAN:

What can I say... a formidable opponent? Yes they were. 
We had them by 21 at the half but you could tell that they were not done. 
In the second half, they responded to the opportunity presented by the 
penalties and put points on the board. That is exactly what you would 
expect an undefeated team to do in the Quarter Finals. However, 
as Coach Sanders said to the team in a whispering voice in the locker room 
after the game, "they ain't 12-0 no more! We closed it out and that is that! 
Go Tigers!!!  Kudos and shout outs to Elementary, Jr. High, High School, 
Band, Cheer leaders, Coaches, Players, Faculty, Staff and The 12th Man! 
The decorations approaching our school were awesome as were the signs
around the field. The campus was clean too so let's keep it going because 
we ain't done yet!  What next?   We are home against the Cordova Blue 
Devils who serves 260 9th - 12th grade students. Their location is 40 miles
west of Birmingham in Walker County.  The school was established in 1940 
and over the years has exemplified a tradition of excellence in academics, 
as well as extracurricular activities. They boast about two football state 
championships (1963, 1995), three girl's softball state championships 
(1994, 1995, 1997), two state cheer leading championships (1998, 1999),
and an award winning Blue Devil band. In 1999, the cheerleaders also 
won the Southeast Regional Championship and competed at nationals in 
Disney World.   What do I have to say about all of this?  Nothing. This is 
not to belittle their achievements or disrespect them in any way but we 
all have traditions. And oh by the way, my arch rivals in high school were 
the Blue Devils! That should let you know how I feel about Blue Devils or 
any kind of devil. Pardon me, I digress...  The "Blue Devils" are undefeated
in region play (another undefeated team) and lost only one game on the 
road to 5A Hartselle 13-22. In common opponents, 
Trinity beat Gordo 37-13 and Cordova beat Gordo 41-26. 
These scores don't tell you a lot and more importantly in the semi-finals, 
as Coach Suber says, "everybody is good at this level". Personally, I like 
Good, Better and Best which is jargon from my Business Development 
Management days at Microsoft with respect to how you evaluate products
This morning there are 60 teams fishing in the cool waters of the Alabama
 streams and rivers. Some may even be deep sea fishing for Red Snapper 
off the Gulf. So, there are but 4 teams remaining and the next game will 
determine who is the Best Team in the north and south. The match ups 
are: Cordova from Region 4 vs. LUVERNE from Region 1 and Piedmont 
from Region 5 vs. LEEDS from Region 5. The home team is in caps. 
Rankings are no longer relevant at this point so don't waste time on that.
Our team should enjoy today because tomorrow is the first day of the rest
of the season! Be mindful of the fact that at this level, sleep and rest is very
important! Nutrition and proper diet is important! Being where you are 
supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing and being 
accountable for your actions is key to success this point forward. These 
things will give the team who does them the edge over the others. 
It takes discipline to prevail! Remind the players of this and that the holiday
does not excuse not doing these things. This is not the time to celebrate 
anything. We expected to be here as it is our tradition! We have to prove 
that we are the Best team in the state so let's stay focused and get after 
it! Go Tigers! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!  Happy Thanksgiving!  Bob Williams