I figured this line of thinking would be forthcoming on this thread.

 

For anybody who thinks Trinity's run to the title this year was fueled only by the "pride and tradition" of a bunch of nose-to-the-grindstone, hard-working, lunch-pail type kids who somehow rose above their 'poor talent level' to become something greater than the 'sum of their individual parts,' I would only say that this Trinity team had more "individual talent" than just about any high school team I've seen in 15 years of coaching.

 

(Similar, in fact, to those teams that had those 'bring-your-lunch-pail-guys' named Brohm, Phillips, McBroom, Whiting, Robey, etc, etc.)

 

The misleading thing about this year is that the great individual talent just happened NOT to be seniors. MANY from Trinity will be signing D-1 scholarships in the coming couple of years.

 

I agree that there is some very nice talent among the underclassmen, but I also believe that the very tough schedule Trinity played allowed those underclassmen to develop the poise and maturity they needed for a title run. When confronted with adversity during the playoffs they were able to overcome it and move through it. Some others might want to consider that when developing their schedules.

When confronted with adversity during the playoffs they were able to overcome it and move through it. Some others might want to consider that when developing their schedules.

What adversity did Trinity confront in the playoffs?

What adversity did Trinity confront in the playoffs?

 

Against X they were down 7-0 and it was 7-7 at the half. They didn't put away Ryle until late. Given the big turnaround from the first game a young team could have paniced against X. They put away a close game againstRyle on the road with a late surge.

Trinity won 5 playoff games by an average of 34 pts a game. The closet game being a 19 pt victory on the road at Ryle. They hardly broke a sweat.

Trinity won 5 playoff games by an average of 34 pts a game. The closet game being a 19 pt victory on the road at Ryle. They hardly broke a sweat.

 

 

I disagree. The game against X really tested their resilience. How many times over the years has X beaten Trinity by a considerable margin only to lose to them in the playoffs in a close one when the Rocks stepped it up? X started out the game against us the second time around looking like the script had just been reversed. They turned it into their kind of game. The test for the Rocks in that one was if they could step up and turn the game back in their favor.

 

Ask any Rock fan that was at the game we were nervous at halftime. The sudden collapse of X in the second half changed things dramatically. An X team without any semblance of a passing game suddenly down 2 scores will not be coming back, but if they hadn't fumbled that kickoff it could have stayed close.

Trintiy respects all of its opponents and knows it must give an honest effort against them.