ChiefSmoke

We had our first day of spring football today and it was a very good start. For the first time, I am not coaching a position. I will continue to call the offense. But, with Trosper, my son, on the way as a QB, I don't need to be his position coach. And, we have a highly qualified, former college QB and former HS head coach on staff in Graham Heasley who is doing a great job with that position. Practice flowed much smoother without me worrying about coaching the QBs. It also freed me up to interact with all positions, coaches, and kids. I really liked that part the best. When I coached the QBs, I didn't have that opportunity. Our incoming freshmen are not allowed to practice with us, but we let them wear sweats and watch. When we can make a coach available, we send them as a group with that coach. Today our incoming frosh were able to run the ropes, use the tackling ring, work on a base block on the 2-man sled, do footwork with bags, work tackling with the tackling dummy, and get some basic installation done in our passing game. When we worked punt protection, we pulled our starting QB and four receivers to work some of our basic routes. Ball placement is a major point of emphasis for this spring. And, it is not just on the QB. Our route running must improve and become more consistent. Our protection must improve as well. Coach Brian Rowland, our LB coach and DC continues to be more creative in his use of tackling rings. He did some really good stuff with those today during the LB read period. We transitioned to defensive fundamentals after punt protection. After initial fundamental work, we pulled our kicker, QB and Free Safety. Our kicker worked PAT & kickoff with his square toe shoe. He will try it out this spring and we will decide what to do going forward. Our Free Safety is a Mr. Basketball candidate for next season. Our QB is also a very talented basketball player. These guys just completed their basketball season this past Tuesday in the region finals. They got no break between football and basketball season. I really appreciate them being there today. When I pulled them after some basic defensive fundamental reps in the secondary, they had more time to work on routes together. They have to be on the same page. That timing will help them and help our team. I told them today, I know you both have a bunch of options and could be doing other things. I will never waste your time. That is the difference in coaching today's football player, especially the good athletes. We can't waste their time. We can't waste the talented guy's time. But, we can't waste the time of the incoming freshmen. We can't waste any player's time. We have to be creative & organized when we coach. The faster the tempo the better. We have to keep our guys engaged. If we don't, they have other choices competing for their time. In the old days, alot of guys played football because that is what was expected and we just did it. There are still places where that is the culture. But, those cultures also know what quality coaching/practice look like. Being a good football coach requires more these days. I saw a bunch of good assistant football coaches today, keeping kids engaged, and using their time in a constructive & positive way. I will be the first to admit that we have alot of room for improvement and a long way to go. But, I like the direction we are going. Photos at: Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: Stealing Reps, Utilzing Quality Coaches, 21st century reality

If you catch these young ladies at school during lunch, they are all doing their school work in tough classes and maintaining a high GPA. This team is made up of high character kids. Congratulations to this team and their outstanding coach, Chris Souder! :thumb:

We will begin our spring practice on Monday (3/13). We can adjust from day to day, but every practice schedule is completed and reviewed by our staff before we begin. All offensive period & some scout offensive scripts are done ahead of time as well. The planning ahead makes sure that we get everything covered and we don't leave anything out. Our first two days are almost exclusively individual/fundamental work by position and special teams. The 3rd day we will go 11 on 11 scrimmage. Regardless of how many days we go, the first scrimmage is usually rough and ugly. I like to get that done and start building on the mistakes/corrections ASAP. We have good video to help us get started on what needs to be addressed. We will practice from 3:30-5:30 Monday through Thursday this week, Monday through Wednesday the following week. We will practice Friday morning, 9 am - 11 am because there is no school that day (3/17). Our spring scrimmage will be on Thursday, 3/23 at 3:30 pm. We are cutting it to 9 days instead of 10 because our track guys need to get back to practice on the 24th, with a meet on the 25th. Spring practice is the time that our guys will get the most live reps. It is an important time for us. But, we also want our guys to run track. It helps them in football, we have a great track program/coach, and this is their time to be a kid. Any HS coach that wants to visit a practice is welcome to attend. If you see something that will make us better, that helps us. If you want to come by practice, email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us. Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: Spring Practice 2

1- Scott County 1- Bowling Green 1- Scott 1- PCC 1-Elliott County 1-Cooper 1-Ballard 1- Hopkinsville 2- Scott County 2- PCC 2- Cooper 2- Hopkinsville 3-Scott County 3- Cooper 5- Cooper TB- 125

We all know how important assistant coaches are to a HS football program. Here is a clinic specifically for assistants. It will be short and very inexpensive. Please share this with your staff. THIS IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Yesterday in church, I saw Coach Phil Morse who was the Defensive Coordinator at Centre College for Coach McDaniel back in the mid 80s. 30 years ago, I was in a Sunday School class with Phil, my dad, and Steele Harmon. I learned alot about Jesus and coaching football. Coach Morse always said there were 4 types of coaches: High (intensity) Positive Low Positive High Negative Low Negative He always said High Positive is best. Low negative is the worst. Of all the coaches I have been around, Chuck Smith(Boyle County) was the most intense & Dale Mueller (Highlands) was the most positive. I don't know anyone that enjoys being around negative people. Kids, athletes, etc. are drawn to positive people. They want to be around them. You can have high standards AND be positive! Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: High Positive

Congratulations to the senior Lady Royals on outstanding careers in HS. Many of them were wonderful students in my World Civ class. I am very proud of them!!

Great job Coach Souder and Lady Titans. Congratulations!!

I don't know the details, but it is my understanding the staff is largely assembled and ready to hit the ground running.

Yes. Tremendous coach. Good luck Coach Hilton!

Mercer 54, Boyle 38 at the half.

I enjoyed hearing Coach Mark Peach speak at Carpenter's Christian Church this morning. He did a great job. He suggested that he and I sing together, but I declined and we spared the congregation. There would have been weeping and gnashing of teeth on that one! :laugh:

We were in a tough spot in mid - October... no coach. Coach Young, his staff, and these kids have done a great job. I am glad these guys will coach my youngest son and our community is fortunate to have them leading our basketball program. Go Titans!

I like to plan for everything(Bill Walsh influence).... even "what to do if I am getting ready to get fired." In September of 2012, we had lost 7 games in a row(going back to 2011), and #7 was the ugliest of all. John Combs was a sophomore and I began to be concerned that I was not going to be able to be his coach all through high school because we were performing so poorly. So, the thought went through my mind, "If I am about to get fired, how am I going out and how do I want to be remembered?" This is what I came up with: 1- I wanted the kids to say that I never blamed them for the losses. 2- I wanted my players to say that I was positive and believed in them until the very last day. 3- I wanted them to say I worked like a dog to help them be the best they could be until the day I was fired. When I would walk into the lockerroom after loss #7, I focused on being the coach that made all of those things happen. It helped me know what I needed to do. The Wednesday morning after loss #7 (we practiced at 6:25 am before school every Wednesday) our water system was not working, the humidity was near 100 %, and, according to John Combs, we ran at least 100 grass drills that practice. It was rough. But, one thing about it, if you continue to do things right and hold your kids accountable, the only ones left after a 7 game losing streak are great kids who are tougher than nails. All the weak ones have jumped ship. We finally ended the streak at 7 with a win over Harrison County. We played our tails off at Highlands the next week, but we were in over our heads. After that, we WON seven games in a row, won our district championship, and reached the state quarterfinals! Then, in 2013, those guys became the first team in school history to go 12-0 and made it to the state quarterfinals again. We got things turned around because we had great kids and assistant coaches. There is no substitute for surrounding yourself with great people. But, I could have derailed their success with a poor attitude. I was glad that I had prepared to get fired. It made me a better coach. One of my favorite books is Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. In telling about his survival in a Nazi concentration camp, Frankl makes it clear that no circumstance can ever take away our ability to choose our attitude and to serve others. No one, no circumstance, can deny that freedom that we all possess. The next time you are in a tough spot, think about how you want to handle it and how you want to be remembered. Be that person. Who knows.... it may turn out alot better than you think! Photos included at: Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: My plan for getting fired

Congratulations to Coach Buddy Biggs and the Royals! Little known fact.... Coach Biggs has a state championship FOOTBALL ring from his days coaching at Beechwood. In addition to being a good friend, he is an outstanding coach and a WINNER.

I have not seen Bracken, and will admit I am biased. But, I am hoping the adversity of this season has made the Royals one cohesive, tough, & unified team. Throw in the tradition and hopefully that gets them a W. Go Royals!

Coach Hall was my next door neighbor in Maysville. I really miss him. It would be great to see him zipping down the street again on his moped!

Go Royals!

Being in the building is better because it allows the footballs staff to build relationships with the kids and faculty. You make a good point on schools following through on their promises. For it to be a good situation, the AD, Principal & Superintendent need to be on the same page and willing to make happen the things a new coach believes are needed for the program to be successful. To my knowledge, Coach McCreary is still at Bell County. I met him this season and wish him the best.

ABC News' Jonathan Karl: Free press is a big part of what makes America great Video - ABC News I thought this was very well done. As an old history teacher, I especially appreciate this insight. Freedom of the press is very important and President Trump is not the first president to battle the press. But, he has more weapons at his disposal to battle the press than the presidents that Karl makes reference to in this talk.

1- Some schools make it a priority to get coaches/teachers in the building, others do not. 2- Some schools fund football significantly better than others. 3- Some schools have in school weights, some do not. 4- Some schools prioritize facilities, others do not. In my opinion, those are the four things that matter the most that schools will handle differently.

There was a nice article on Chris this week in the Lexington Herald Leader. Our recruit night is tonight. Chris continues to excel on the basketball floor and he is a better person than he is shooter... which is saying alot.

I had a bunch of those girls in World Civ. Wonderful young ladies and strong students. Congrats on 4 great years and best of luck the rest of the way!

Congratulations # 14!

That will not happen.