Big Game Week

Grandson GRICE wearing our colors: 

I apologize for not keeping up with my blog like I should, and I really have no excuse other than I have been very busy doing double duty between football and my regular job.  Most of you know that I have expanded the family business with a brand new showroom, and business has really taken off.  Throw in rehab for my knee injury, and my days are pretty full.  Normally, I am in my office by 7:30 am, work until 1:30 or so, then drive to Vero Beach for football practice.  After we practice, I am usually back in my office working until 8 or 10 pm every night.  Most evenings  I come home and watch game video for at least an hour or two.  I generally go to bed at 1-2am and then start over the next day.  I don't have much time to write.  This is a shame because I enjoy writing and people tell me that I am pretty good at it....but I enjoy being on the field with my buddies and the kids even more. Hey, a man has to have priorities.  

Gale Sayers (Hall of fame running back for the Chicago bears) once wrote a book called: 'I am Third'  In this book he explained that in his life, God was 1st, Family was 2nd, and He was 3rd.  I read that book when I was just a kid, but I have never forgotten his message.  Unfortunately, it seems like my life was never quite arranged in that order.  For me, I often put football near the top of my list....even ahead of my family.  I regret that sometimes.  Kristin and Michael were raised on the football field for most of their life, and I often tried to mix football in with family time.  One year, we went to South Bend, Indiana to the Notre Dame campus for a family vacation just so I could walk around the campus and take it all in.  We never really had time for normal vacations because football practice dominated most summers and fall for us.  I would be out to dinner with the family (and not really be there) because I would be drawing football plays on the dinner napkins, or lining up defenses with the salt and pepper shakers, ketchup bottles, A-1 sauce, and sugar packets  on the table before dinner arrived.  I was obsessed with being a great coach and having a great football team.  It consumed me...and still does consume me at times.  Now days, my son-in-law Joey (who is a youth football coach...and my ex-QB) will call and talk offensive football with me.  I love these conversations because this is exactly how I got started coaching some 30 years ago myself.  My friend Dahna told me she is glad I am coaching again because it brings me back to my "Happy Place"  Maybe she is right...I am pretty happy at Vero Beach High School.  

To be honest, I try not to write too many details about Vero Beach Football at all anymore.  I have even quit mentioning our team in my Twitter and Instagram accounts,  for I certainly do not want my words to end up on a bulletin board in an opponents locker room (this does happen believe it or not) especially since most coaches know I am now coaching at VBHS.  I will sum this season up like this.  Right now we are 7-0 and ranked 2nd or 3rd (depending on the source)  in the 8A football polls in Florida...which is the largest classification in this state.  We are among the state leaders in scoring offense, and our defense is a considered to be one of the best as well. Our opponents have all played well, and we hope that we will continue to be competitive on the field for the next few games.  We will certainly do our best to make this happen.  

This week we line up against out arch-rival Ft. Pierce Central.  The winner of this game will probably win the district.  The Cobra's have a fine football team loaded with talent and size.  Of course, I am very nervous about this game, and I feel the upset stomach starting already.  We are coming off a bye-week, so our kids should be pretty healthy and rested for this big game.  I am looking forward to practice tomorrow and seeing how Coach J refocuses this team after the few days off.  A bye week is a blessing and a curse at the same time.  It will be our job to get the kids back on track and prepare them for the biggest game of this season.  Oh man....now I am getting sick again!   I hope we can be competitive.....but I sort of like our chances of doing so.  

We wrap up the season with an away game at Sebastian River High School (SRHS)...my old home school for 16 years.  I am really looking forward to this game.  SRHS has been playing pretty well from what I understand,  and I am hearing they want a piece of us.  I just hope that SRHS will show us some mercy and remember that this is just a game....is winning really that important?  Maybe we can field a decent team for them to play on their own home field.  I sure hope so.  

Later,

GZ