Conor Casey, a fourth-year cornerback from Rapid City, will offer his unique perspective of the Chadron State College football team throughout the season.
Nov. 26, 2013
This is my final blog.
When we reported to camp in August nobody had any idea of what was to come. We had hopes, we had goals and we knew what we wanted, but knowing where we would be at the end of the season is something we couldn’t know.
As I write this, I’m sitting in my room, a week removed from the season ending. I can promise you it is not how my teammates or I envisioned it. The gut-twisting feeling has not subsided; watching other teams compete in the playoffs seems wrong. And now, I have to figure out how to spend my time without practice, film and meetings all day.
Looking back on the season, the three losses stick out much more than the eight wins. Why is that?
Well its simple really, in football, just like life, everything demands results. In football, a wide receiver is expected to have touchdowns and a linebacker is expected to have tackles. In life, whether you are a bag boy at Safeway or a heart surgeon at the Mayo Clinic you are expected to do your job to its highest potential. Many motivational speakers talk of “owning” your job or “leaving your mark” no matter what walk of life you’re taking; they talk of never giving up and faith through failure.
In a culture driven by results, I think it is normal no one ever talks of the journey or experience to those results. Sure they are discussed with reverie, but in the end the result always dominates our thought process.
Why?
When a football season ends, everyone judges a team’s success based on its results. This is indeed appropriate for analysts, fans, and anyone who can read above a sixth grade level. While the players, like myself, judge the season under the same light, we know that football serves as something more than a fun activity.
In 10 years when I am far-removed from this season, I will remember the results. That’s just the way I am. That’s just the way most athletes are quite honestly. It will be great to look back at the success. It will suck looking back to the losses. They will pop into our heads from time to time and will be recalled at gatherings with former teammates.
However, as we remember the results, we will also know what the journey to that result engrained in us. Waking up at six in the morning knowing that in an hour you will be throwing up from conditioning will make our 9-to-5 job seem like a blessing. The multi-tasking of a full college load, practice, weights, meetings, film, individual film (you get the point) will make raising kids seem like a breeze. The mental toughness that the chainsaw-equalizer-gassers in 100 degree heat forged in our brains will make sure we complete tasks to the very end. Knowing that in five years you have formed unshakeable bonds with over 100 other guys from all over the map will make life much easier as you have over 100 brothers who will always be there for you to lean on.
While we play this game for fun, it instills certain qualities in a man that makes them successful at life.
In the end, that is what football is all about.
It’s not always about the results. It’s about how you got there. It’s about whom you became. Win or lose, it is what you do with the experience that really matters. And nothing is ever real, until it’s experienced.
End of season Side Notes
Best teammate: Trelan Taylor. He probably had a frustrating beginning to the season but his positive outlook and leadership skills are something all of us learned from.
Most exciting trip: Playing West Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Playing in the best pro stadium in the United States was unbelievable.
Best food stop: Pig In Pig Out in Wichita, Kan., on the way to Texas.
Funniest teammate: Nathan Ross. I can’t even put into words the funny things he does on a daily basis. Interesting side note about Nate. His dad is the leading touchdown receiver at Wayne State and Nate has the most TD grabs at Chadron State. I guess this means if Nate has a son, he’ll have a great career at Peru State.
Best quotes
Jonn McLain while throwing to a receiver my freshman year: “I’ve seen better hands on a clock.”
Allan Schmaltz: “He’s slower than molasses in January.”
Final thoughts
I’d like to personally thank the seniors. You guys have always been the grade I looked up to, and I have formed great friendships with all of you. Thanks for showing me how to be a respectable man, a great friend and an Eagle.
Also I’d like to thank my editor, Alex Helmbrecht. He fixes all my blogs so they sound great, so you guys should probably thank him too because these wouldn’t be half as enjoyable if he wasn’t helping. Thanks boss!
Lastly I’d like to thank the readers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity, and if it weren’t for you guys I’d have no purpose! Again, thank you.
#17
Nov. 14, 2013
Senior Day was a success. We came out of the chutes ready to play and beat a much-improved Fort Lewis team 34-10.
It was a great way to send out our seniors on Elliott Field and I was happy to see smiles on all of their faces. Some of my best friends are seniors and so it is tough to think I won’t be playing with them next year. The memories they made are what we all hang onto and we should be grateful for that.
Colorado Mines is a tough opponent in many ways. When you combine its sheer intelligence (great engineering school), with a creative head coach like Bob Stitt, the scouting report for opposing teams gets a little thicker and more detailed. Not only are they a great team, but they also have a knack for playing Chadron State tough.
Over the past four seasons we have split with Colorado Mines 2-2. While we have won both games at Elliott Field, one was the snow bowl last year and the other was Glen Clinton’s miraculous last second kickoff return in 2010, we have never won in Golden. In 2009 we were defeated in overtime and in 2011 we lost 31-24.
Without a doubt, I have great respect for Colorado Mines and I’m not generating any bulletin board material. Its program is successful year in and year out. With that being said, I will openly admit that I “severely dislike” this team. I use the term “severely dislike” lightly because this is a public blog.
It is interesting when a player thinks about why he “hates” an opponent. My professor asked me in class the other day if I “hated” our upcoming opponent. As an almost knee-jerk reaction I, of course, replied yes. Then he asked me why and I was stuck thinking about why I actually said I did. Did I dislike them as people? I didn’t know them personally so that couldn’t be it. Were they bad people? Again, difficult to determine under the given circumstances.
Then I realized, I only hate them because they are in the way of something I want. Something that I work for year round and think I deserve, yet they stand in my path saying: “You don’t deserve this. I do.”
They pose a threat to my teammates and I because they believe they deserve what we believe to be ours.
With that being said, I will be brash and say that our dislike for Mines is a little different than what I described above. They indeed stand in our way; without a win on Saturday our chances of making the playoffs will be slim to none. However, Mines is the type of team that when you look at your schedule and see their name your gut turns a little. The hair on the back of your neck stiffens. They are type of the opponent for some indescribable reason you love to hate.
No, we do not hate them as people, but when they step on the field they aren’t people. They are our opponent and they seek to defeat us by any means necessary. In effect, this turns them into something you must hate. You can’t go out and de-cleat somebody you don’t despise. It is not possible.
The possibility exists our season could end in Golden following Saturday’s game. For as much I have a distaste for Mines, I loathe losing even more. On Saturday, something’s going to give.
Side Notes
At this point writing about Glen Clinton is a redundant process, but it is completely necessary in this instance since he is one of 28 players to be named a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate. I’m sure, you are aware of his football skill, but what you probably don’t know is that Glen Clinton is one of the best people I know off the field. I had the privilege of being his fall camp roommate as a freshman when we were both wide receivers. Although I spent most of my spare time playing StarCraft II (and catching some serious grief for it) I now look back and wish I had asked him a few more questions about college football. Who knows where his advice would have taken me!
Shout out to Tyler Wright as he got his first college interception as a senior on Senior Day. Although he doesn’t like eating meat off the field, he doesn’t mind a little pigskin when it comes to football. All jokes aside, I really respect your vegetarian diet. I honestly don’t know how you do it. I can’t go a day with out thinking about a big, juicy, 16 ounce … Well, never mind.
Speaking of good food I want to give a big shout out to “EJ’s BBQ.” If you haven’t been there yet I would highly recommend it. I’m eating one of the pulled pork sandwiches right now and figured I’d give him a little free advertising cause the man knows what he is doing. Holla!
#17
Shout out to my boy, Clint Sasse, for thowing up the bones. Cody Roes inspired him to do it back in 2011.
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Nov. 8, 2013
When your team is the favorite going into a game, you always get the best shot from the so-called “underdog.” This past Saturday we played a Western New Mexico team who had talent across the board and posed a dangerous threat to us earning our seventh win of the season.
After the first two series of the game we found ourselves down 7-0 and at halftime we owned a slim six-point lead. Western New Mexico was fighting us tooth and nail.
However, the second half was a different story.
The offense blew the scoreboard up and the defense limited the Mustangs to seven points. We walked away with a 59-17 victory and succeeded in taking another step forward. We were happy to get on the bus and travel back to “The Rock,” even though it was a long eighteen hour ride.
This Saturday is not only special for our team because it is simply the next game, but it’s the last chance for 15 seniors to play at Elliott Field. The field where they grew from an 18-year-old punk, to a 22-year-old man. The field where they learned the pain that comes with losing to a hated rival and the sweet bliss that winning in the final minute, on a kick return of all things, provides.
On this clean cut grass and dynamically painted field, they became Eagles.
“How did it get so late so soon?” - Dr. Seuss
Time is something you can’t escape. In every walk of life, the clock is always moving. Ticking away and dying down until it’s too late and you realize it has vanished. Our coaches tell us all the time and our parents try to make us understand, but we never comprehend it until all of our time is gone. As a freshman, you look ahead and think: “How the hell am I going to make it?” As a senior you ask: “Where did it all go?”
However fickle time is, we cannot do anything about it’s vanishing existence. The only thing a man can do is accomplish as much with that time as possible. Set your goals high and don’t stop running until the whistle blows.
Our seniors leave a mark that no man, organization or sanction can erase. This mark is not etched in the win-loss column and not printed in record books or programs. It doesn’t have to be, because the greatest achievements are never printed in ink or written on trophies. The greatest achievements are owned within.
The seniors probably won’t realize the affect they had on the kids watching and looking up to them every day as heroes. Those 15 men won’t hear the underclassmen thanking them for showing what hard work looks like and teaching them that nothing is ever given.
No, it is only earned.
The 15 seniors of the 2013 Chadron State football team earned everything they have. When they walk out Saturday before the game as a class to be recognized, they won’t need a reminder to understand why they’ve come this far. They only need to look at each other.
Side Notes
Huge shout out to my man Chris “Cowboy” Conroy, as he showed off his hit-stick ability by running over a linebacker on a QB dive. Who knew the young man with a receding hairline from Gordon could lower the boom.
Shout out to Alex Sleep as he got his first college game reps!
Shout out to Hank (Frank) Strauss for being able to get through practice with two left shoes.
Movies: It is coming down to the end of the season, so now we are into the stretch for our movie selection. We don’t get many new releases, so we watched “The Expendables,” “The Town,” “Zodiac,” “Salt,” “Magnum Force,” “Heavy Weights,” “The Other Guys,” “Hangover 3,” etc.
My personal favorite had to be “Heavy Weights.” I hadn’t seen it since I was younger, and it still is a gut-rolling comedy as a 22-year-old, in my opinion.
Food: On our way to New Mexico, our schedule got a little off and our dinner plans changed. We ended up stopping at Applebees in Sante Fe. Now, it was Halloween night so you can already imagine the costumes that were on display, but what made this meal even better was the karaoke that started during our meal. You could have called it dinner and a show, but what the team really wanted to see was Jake McCrary and Chris Conroy get on the singing stick kill for a duet of “Monster Mash.” To our disappointment, it never happened.
#17
Nov. 1, 2013
As a football player, not to mention a football fan, I know the game is all about preparation. Preparing during the week before a matchup on Saturday both physically and mentally is key. Something that isn’t talked about as much as the weekly preparation is the three hours of preparation before the game in the locker room.
The locker room is hallowed ground for a player. It’s sacred because in between those four walls a player transforms from a normal college student to a competitor.
A pregame routine is specific and unique to every player on our football team. We all have our different routines but a common thread throughout all of them is focusing on the game, which is the only basis of a pregame routine. When a player focuses, he is ready for anything while only thinking about the noon kickoff and what he is going to do on the field.
If you’ve ever been around any sporting event, you will always notice that nearly every athlete has headphones in. Have you ever wondered why that is? Now, I could rattle off to you how music has been statistically proven to help with working out and athletic events and blah blah blah, but I won’t because I am an athlete, and I can tell you without statistics why we listen to what we listen to.
With football being a comparatively violent sport you can imagine the mindset you have to get into before a game. As soon as that ball is kicked off, the destruction begins. You hit and get hit. You do things to people that would get you arrested on the street and the opponent is trying to do the same thing to you. So, with that being said lets take a peek into what some of your Chadron State Eagles listen to while preparing for a game.
Trelan Taylor, free safety
Type of music: All Types
“All types. It depends how much time we have before we hit the field. The more time I have the more I listen to slower, relaxing songs. The closer it gets to hitting the field the more I listen to fast tempos.”
Song before taking the field: “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO
Jonn McLain, quarterback
“I don’t listen to any because I find myself getting too jacked up and lose focus if I do. I do like the music they play out on the field though when we are warming up. I would hate it if there was complete silence out there.”
Glen Clinton, tailback
Type of music: Rap and Rock
“I listen to a combination of rap and some rock. It gets me into game mode.”
Song before taking the field: “Wild Boy” by MGK
Travis Reeves, wide reciever
Type of music: Mash-ups
“I listen to mash-ups before games, so I don’t have to switch the song all the time and they also get me focused and jacked up.”
Song before taking the field: “Sail” by AWOL Nation and “300 Violin Orchestra” by Jorge Quintero
Dylan Furrier, linebacker
Type of music: Hip Hop
Favorite artists before a game: Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Casey Veggies, ASAP Rocky, Danny Brown
“I only listen to hip hop before games. At our pregame meal I will usually listen to songs that I personally relate to and that really motivate me, but either way I have some sort of connection with them. Before I go out it is usually up-tempo songs that get me excited. No song in particular, just what I am feeling at the time.”
Zach Sandstrom, defensive tackle
Type of music: Rock
“Well, I like to listen to mostly AC/DC to get my mind right for the game. It gets me mentally focused.”
Song before taking the field: “Bad Company” by Bad Company
All positions approach a football game in different ways. Quarterbacks, like Jonn McLain, tend to lean more on absolute focus, so they find serenity in the silence of the locker room. Players like Glen Clinton and Dylan Furrier, guys who know they are going to get hit and unleash some punishment of their own, lean more toward music that is aggressive and hostile.
For me, my music is all over the place. When I wake up and go to breakfast, I like to listen to classical music to keep my mind loose and relaxed. Then I work my way up throughout the morning with some Kid Cudi and Chiddy Bang. Then, about an hour before we take the field I put on a playlist that contains Wale, Rick Ross, Kanye West, and Rage Against the Machine. Before we take the field I usually go with whatever I feel like that morning. For example this past Saturday it was “Blood on the Leaves” by Kanye West.
A football team is full of personalities. But it doesn’t matter if a guy listens to Mozart or heavy metal before a game. It doesn’t matter if they enjoy the silence of the locker room or their Dre Beats cranked loud enough to shatter eardrums. I know once those headphones come out, it’s game time and we’ll be ready for it.
Side Notes
Happy Halloween! Now, here's a peek inside the locker room:
Right before we take the field we kneel down in silence. Personally, I say a quick prayer for our team’s focus and health in the upcoming four hours.
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Here is a picture of the famous tape ball. I am not exactly sure when this started but it has been around since I started playing here. The ball is made of used tape that we take off after practice and/or games. I have no idea of its exact weight, but I can assure you if you attempt to pick it up you’ll be at the chiropractor within 24 hours. |
As an incoming freshman there are many different things you have to go through: Orientation, moving into your dorms and taking a photo ID. As an incoming football player, usually O-lineman and D-linemen, you have one more obligation to fulfill: You have to attempt the fat test. The picture above shows a bar perfectly situated in front of a wall. I will not go into ultimate detail on this one, but the object of the test is to see if the player can fit between the pole and the wall. Now, while this sounds kind of degrading and “meathead-ish,” I will tell you that it is done with the highest class and all dignity is maintained whether you get through or not. |
#17
Oct. 25, 2013
Last Saturday we had a successful outing against the Black Hills State Yellow Jackets and we won 43-13. The offense flexed its muscle as usual. One week after breaking multiple records in the passing game, they shattered the single game rushing record running for 495 yards. Glen Clinton carried the biggest load as he ran for a ludicrous 255 yards and the steady feet of the other members in the tailback stable (Michael Madkins, Cody Paul, and Robert Jackson) did the rest of the work.
Speaking from a defensive perspective, playing against our own offense on a Saturday afternoon would be a nightmare. Watching them go to work on our opponents week in and week out is truly a treat. In two consecutive weeks they have broken multiple school records through the air and on the ground. They play football in such a focused and professional manner. They’re masons; experts in their trade. Laying one brick at a time, yard-by-yard they march to the end zone. It’s a ballet of bruises and a symphony of chains moving. So it’s easy to see why I sometimes forget it’s still just a game.
As an athlete you sometimes forget why you participate in a college sport. At certain points, life gets so stressful and overbearing you sit there and ask yourself: “What the hell am I doing?”
For football players, Saturdays justify everything we do.
It makes the weights at 7 a.m. worth it. The hours of film study during the week count and the grueling practices are necessary.
Those four quarters on a Saturday that you get to enjoy with your teammates who go through the exact same thought process, is just plain fun.
My mother texted me earlier this week with the following quote from Bum Phillips: “Winning is only half of it, the other half is having fun.”
Getting caught up in a college sport like football is extremely easy, and it sometimes takes the simplest thing to bring you back to Earth. My mom did just that.
Winning is ultimately everything in sports. Every day, winning is drilled into your head. You’re supposed to win in weights, in drills, in the classroom and, of course, on Saturdays. It’s a concept drilled into your head to the point where it becomes a habit. However, winning becomes such a common word in an athlete’s vocabulary we forget where we’ve learned it.
We learned how to win on the playground after playing countless hours of 7-on-7 football in fourth grade. We learned it beating our best friends in a game of H-O-R-S-E on the rusty hoop the middle school refused to replace because of insufficient funds. We learned it by being the best wall ball player in our grade.
I learned how to win playing 1-on-1 in my shoveled driveway in the middle of January when it was 20 degrees with Brendan Goetzinger for hours on end.
More importantly, though, I learned how to have fun through competition. Elliott Field is my playground. Saturday is recess.
Side Notes
Huge shout out to the O-line for their dirty work on Saturday. They paved the way for our consistent tailbacks. The O-line never gets enough recognition but I have a lot of respect for what they do. Way to go, fatties!
Big shout out to Trelan Taylor on his returning performance. His seven tackles, interception, pass break up, and huge hit were a great reminder to his teammates to why he is one of the most respected safeties in the conference. As for Trelan’s huge hit, people were talking about how he separated the ball from the guy trying to catch it. From my perspective, I thought he separated the kid’s head from his own body. Seriously, one of the biggest hits I’ve ever seen. Lucky for the kid, he still has his head.
It was awesome having such a short trip for a road game. We only watched a couple movies and they were so terrible I don’t even remember them. Our postgame meal was at Barbacoa’s and our pregame meal was at Killian’s Tavern. Both establishments had great food but that’s to be expected from my home state of South Dakota.
Finally, I’m bummed out the Stinky Cat (Ethan Bauer) and I couldn’t stick around to catch the Peculiar Pretzelmen in Spearfish. Maybe next time…
Oct. 18, 2013
“You play to win the game.” – Herm Edwards
Losing sucks and I’m a sore loser.
In my opinion, I think everyone should hate losing because if you’re not upset after it happens than whatever you’re doing didn’t mean enough.
Losing is a humbling event that no one wants to go through. Being beaten brings you back to Earth and makes you realize everything doesn’t go your way all the time. It makes you realize just how to difficult it is to win. How tough it is to succeed.
For me, I’ve been blessed to be on great teams in my career. I’ve won so much since middle school in basketball, football and track. Winning became an afterthought. I always expect it. As an athlete, I think everyone who competes should believe he or she will win. The problem is, though, out of all those wins the only thing I remember are the losses.
I don’t remember the wins leading up to the four state football championships I played in, only the feeling of walking off of USD’s astroturf with a sick stomach four times. I didn’t want to take off my pads because I didn’t want it to end.
I don’t recall how I played in the 2010 state basketball tournament my senior year, only that we were up nine going into the fourth quarter and lost the title to the Madison Bulldogs, who magically sank 97 percent of its free throws. Needless to say, it’s the little things that stick out. Losing is a blemish that only you can see and it never goes away.
And, I will without a doubt remember the 2013 game with Pueblo for years to come.
The inevitable problem with sports is that someone has to lose. It’s the nature of competition, but at the same time that is why we play. You will surely take the risk of losing because winning just feels so damn good.
We went into last Saturday confident we would win. That didn’t happen. We gave up too many big plays and turned over the ball too much. It’s as simple as that. A boxer can only withstand so many body blows before he collapses. Pueblo delivered many, and we countered with our best, but in the end we gave them too many opportunities to knock us out.
In life it is easy to win when the cards are in your favor. The hard part is enduring when they are not. Enduring to see another day or opportunity; persisting through loss and standing up when you’ve hit the floor. Life has always been a game won by losers; losers who refuse to quit when they have lost everything. Losers who decide to give it one more try. Losers who try, fail and try again just because they want to succeed so badly.
Football is the same way. You play to win. When you don’t, you’re left on the floor with the victor triumphantly standing above you. The only option you have is to stand up and try again.
Saturday against Black Hills State we get the opportunity to stand up once more.
Side Notes
I’m sure most of you already know this but Jonn McLain can straight sling it. He broke four school records when he threw for 600 yards and completed 49 passes on Saturday. If you know him outside of football, you probably know him as the quiet kid who always tucks in his shirt when he goes to church on Sundays. Little do you know when he puts on his pads and laces up his cleats, the man becomes a giant killer. Trust me, he lights me up in practice weekly.
I also want to commend Glen Clinton. After Saturday’s game he became just the second player in school history to have more than 5,000 all-purpose yards. You might have heard of the other guy. He plays on Sundays.
I’m also looking forward to playing with Trelan Taylor again who will make his season-debut Saturday at Black Hills State. Road trips are going to be a lot more interesting now.
#17
Oct. 10, 2013
“Always wanted to play on Sundays.” – Joe McLain on Twitter
It’s every football players dream to play on Sunday and if they tell you otherwise they’re lying. Playing professional football is a dream, only played out in people’s heads. It’s a dream that’s full of “what if” and “could have” for most, and for a select few, a dream recognized through time and hard work.
On Sunday, Oct. 3 the Chadron State football team got the opportunity to play out that fantasy.
Minus the big paycheck, national TV coverage, and around 30,000 fans we took the field at noon with the same demeanor as we do on Saturday.
Excuses are not something well received around our football program. We didn’t look for an excuse in the swamped sideline (which Mike Madkins became quite familiar with), and we didn’t blame mistakes on our long boring Saturday stuck in houses without power. We executed in all phases. Offense scored on its first play and the defense achieved its first shutout since 2008.
The win was great; a complete victory that gave us a lot of confidence. But the real achievement came on Saturday with the redshirt freshman and coaches slaving away for nine hours on the field, so we could play on Sunday.
One of my professors even noted: “That is what a real program is all about.”
This weekend, Colorado State Pueblo comes to town at 5-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country.
As a football player you can’t ignore statistics and results. They are inevitable, and without a doubt always tell the story of a player, a team and ultimately a season.
Going into this weekend you could take a peek at Colorado State Pueblo’s statistics over the past few seasons, and they would be very telling. They have won the past two RMAC championships; are on a 25-game win streak within conference play; and have beaten Chadron four straight years.
I’ll be the first to admit, I love statistics. I’m a sports junkie and could read about statistics all day. I think they are telling to a team’s success and are a good tool to predicting an outcome.
However, as a player and sports fan I know that statistics cannot assess things that can’t be measured or scored. Let me give you a good example.
Our senior class has never beaten CSU-Pueblo.
Were you ever a bully? Or were you ever bullied? Well, being bullied has a strange impact on a kid. It creates a feeling inside that can’t be defined or explained. It is fueled by anger and aggressiveness towards the person who spits in your food or writes notes to your crush and only subsides when the problem is dealt with. I liken the feeling to a volcano, constantly building only to explode at the right time. Our seniors have had four years to let their volcano build. On Saturday it will erupt. Statistics aside, I think it will affect the game.
You can do the math and you can read the program about Pueblo’s recent successes. You can go online and see they are statistically great but when it comes down to it we still play a football game on Saturday. Four quarters. One ball. Eleven players on each sideline.
“When I fight someone I want to break his will. I want to take his manhood. I want to rip out his heart and show it to him.” – Mike Tyson
To me, the quote above explains football to a tee. You can have all the statistics; you can have all the numbers; but, when it comes down to it, it is all about your will.
You think other program’s redshirts, coaches, SID and president of the college would shovel over 500 tons of snow? That’s will.
Our town and campus was ravaged by the storm and every single person I’ve talked to this week wants to know what it’s going to take to beat Pueblo. That’s respect.
The students, my peers, are as enthused for this game as I’ve ever seen. That’s tradition.
On Saturday, when Pueblo comes to our town, our field and our campus, we’re going to show them what those three words mean. #RingTheBell
Side Notes
Huge shout out to everyone who helped shovel the snow, especially the redshirts. Not only do the redshirts get used as tackling dummies in practice, but they also serve as an excellent non-profit grounds crew.
Also special thanks to Helen’s Restaurant for serving up some of the best corned beef hash I’ve ever had. One of the benefits of not playing Saturday was it gave me time to enjoy breakfast.
It may have taken 35 Saturdays before Pierre Etchemendy got an interception but once he played on a Sunday he finally got one. Congrats, roomie.
Shout out to Mother Nature for allowing the team to watch college football for the first time all season.
Michael Madkins got dirty in two plays during Sunday's game.
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Here's what a bunch of barrels full of snow look like.
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Oct. 4, 2013
Winning is contagious and it’s a feeling that spreads throughout a team. Winning by a touchdown or by 30, the feeling remains the same. After preparing all week for a Saturday afternoon game, coaches and players alike are always ecstatic when it pays off with a victory.
Western State boasts one of the most unique home field advantages in all of college football. Its stadium is the highest elevated collegiate field. Opponents come to town with thoughts of how their lungs will adapt to the 7,000-plus feet of elevation. Here at Chadron, the coaches stress our conditioning. We sprint on and off the field; we sprint from drill to drill; our team sessions are always full speed and live. On the bus to Gunnison we were all curious if this conditioning would pay off.
Needless to say, it did. We prevailed through the conditions, their enthusiastic homecoming crowd and a much-improved Western ball club.
Travis Reeves got his “Glen Clinton” on after hurdling a defender on a well-executed tunnel screen. Antonio Thompson showed great utility collecting four tackles on kickoff coverage alone. Ryan Wood hauled in his first collegiate interception, and when it was all said and done, the Eagles won in convincing fashion, 35-13.
A complete team win. Another step toward our ultimate goal.
This week Adams State comes to town for our homecoming. Adams State always plays us tough. In fact, the last five games have come down to the wire and were decided in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies have athletes on both sides of the ball and bring a different, but effective, defensive scheme to the field. They are coming off a tough loss to CSU-Pueblo and are hungry to bounce back.
Playing at Chadron State one thing is inevitable: We always get our opponent’s best game. Every team has our game circled on their calendars for good reason. The players before us set the bar high through years of successful RMAC campaigns. Not just the well-known stars like Danny Woodhead, Kevin Homer and Don Beebe, but silent killers like James Belville, Tim Hiett, Paul Schweger and Joe McLain.
Saturday is supposed to be cold and snowy. So what? Whether it’s 75 degrees with a clear sky or 20 degrees with two feet of snow: Eagles still play.
Side Notes
Fans may notice as we walk into the stadium to the tune of “Bad Company” by Five Finger Death Punch that we are led by a single player carrying a sledgehammer. This sledgehammer represents a special teams award that players vote on every week and is given to the person who has an outstanding performance on special teams from the previous week. Coming into our game against Western State, special teams was our biggest focus all week because it had been something that lacked in production. With that being said, I want to give another huge shout out to Antonio Thompson who won the award for his great play last week. He showed great effort every play and was a key factor in our win.
Shout out to Kyle Vinich for showing us he isn’t just a paddy cake basketball player in a football uniform. Kyle took a hit and ended up with a bruised lung but played through it while spitting up blood throughout the game.
Also, a shout out to Danny O’Boyle for his first college TD and Ryan Wood for his first college interception.
Great trip for food. Palisades in Gunnison has some solid spaghetti!
#17
September 26, 2013
Family Day is something that brings a different meaning to a player’s mindset. Last weekend Chadron State College had the privilege of hosting families from all over and the football team had the opportunity to showcase its ability on the field. We did just that and after overcoming a rocky start, we defeated a tough Colorado Mesa squad, 30-24.
Family Day means different things for every player. For some, it’s a chance to honor their roots and play for the people who gave them their names. For others, it is a chance to show their mother or father why they are so busy at college and never have a chance to return texts or calls from home.
Speaking from personal experience, I have always looked forward to Family Day. I take a lot of pride in showing my family the sport I love and why I dedicate all of my spare time to it.
However, this Family Day was a first for me since it was the first that I spent without my father in attendance.
My dad, Kevin, died last December in a car accident near our ranch in Lyman County, South Dakota. Yes, he was my father, but he was also my role model, my best friend and we talked about sports constantly. Every time I had a bad practice, I called him. Each time Coach Jersey verbally ripped my face off, my dad was there to listen to me. To put it simply, football was the best way we connected.
He grew up on a ranch and was tough as nails. I grew up in the city and was soft as the pillow supporting my back right now. His life was defined by his work ethic, while I was still trying to understand what exactly work ethic was. We butted heads over whether I should spend my summer working on the ranch all day or spending it in Rapid City where I could work and get ready for football season. Because he let me stay in Rapid City (most of the time), I believe he is the reason I have the opportunity to play on Saturdays.
Every time we flip on the television to watch a college or NFL game we never take a second to think about how those players got there. Sure, they were born with talent, which they eventually turned into skills through hard work that enabled them to play America’s game. But behind each linebacker’s bone-crushing hit or a quarterback’s precise throw there is always a family. At some point in an athlete’s life, the family that raised them had to make certain sacrifices. Whether it was taking a few hours off work to get their child to and from a youth football practice, or spending money out of their hard earned paycheck to buy them a good pair of cleats, they are all sacrifices alike. For me, my father sacrificed time at home because he had to do my chores or hire an extra hand on the days I was not on the ranch.
On Family Day these sacrifices were finally recognized and rightly so.
I would be lying to you if I said I was looking forward to this year’s Family Day. As I walked with my mom, brother, sister, uncle and cousin, I fought back tears and tried to remember the first memory I had of football. The first thing that popped into my head was my dad throwing me a football for hours on end when I was younger, even though he had wrecked shoulders from knee boarding during his wild days. I just turned 22, and the first memory I could think of was of my dad and a football.
It’s strange when you think about the effect that a simple game can have on a person. For my father and me, football built a bridge between two people who had different interests in life but found something they could both take pride in.
After his death, I’m not planning on letting him down anytime soon.
Family isn’t a game. Whether it is the family you are born into, or the family you make through long hours on and off the field, they are always there for you. When you’re in a family, you’re in it together no matter what. Yes, sometimes you lose. I lost when my dad died, but at his funeral I was quickly reminded that my Eagle family had my back as all my teammates, my brothers, filed into the church for the service. To a man who loved Chadron State football so much it was the greatest honor for those players to recognize his life. It reminded me that with a family, you always win in the end. Win or lose, it all happens together.
As for me and my family, my teammates included, we plan on winning a hell of a lot more than losing.
September 19, 2013
Learning from losing is something necessary within sports. Swallowing the pain of defeat is not an easy task, but it is something that must be done within 24 hours of the loss. The 24-hour rule, if you will. As Clint Sasse puts it, referring to the dreaded film review of the game on Sundays: “Watch. Learn. Flush.”
West Texas A&M was just what we thought they’d be: one of the best Division II teams in the country.
We came out of the gates hot with Glen Clinton bursting up the middle for the opening score on the first play from scrimmage. Moments later Dillon Breinig recovered a fumble on defense and seconds later Nate Ross hauled in our second score. In the blink of an eye, we were up 21-0. At half, it was 24-6. It almost felt as if we held our breath the entire first half we were moving so fast and so well.
The second half was a different story.
We were outscored 28-7. Our lead slipped little by little until it was finally lost in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Momentum is a strange thing in sports. It’s not something you can see or touch, but something you can without a doubt sense and feel. It is a fickle friend to every football player and fan alike, swayed by the mistakes and successes made on the football field. We fought West Texas’ momentum the entire second half and we were unable to overcome it.
As I write this blog with my jaw clenched and my head still shaking, I am beginning to realize that losing is particularly difficult to write about as a player. However, I am a big believer in learning from a loss. In this particular game we learned many things. For instance, how important a single missed tackle is in a tight game or how huge of an impact the special teams unit can make.
Leaving the plush locker room of AT&T Stadium, I realized the most important lesson of all: Chadron State can play with anyone. Anywhere.
We may be a small school from a tiny town in Nebraska that nobody south of Scottsbluff has heard of, but when it comes down to 100 yards of grass and two field goal posts, football is football. Football is the same at Elliott field as it is at Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium. Football is something Chadron State does well. We pride ourselves on expecting to win every play, every down and every game. Last Thursday we were confident we would walk away victorious. Even though the end result was not what we expected, we realized what we are capable of.
West Texas A&M is a great team that will have great success this year. Yet, in order to prove they were a good team on national television, they had to defeat us. The kids from “where is that?” Nebraska. We showed they weren’t the only team who can play some football and they’re not the only team who will have great success this year.
This Saturday our real season starts: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Chadron State football team has not won a conference championship since 2008. The drought is something we are reminded of frequently, which I don’t mind at all. It’s good to know where you came from to know where you need to be.
Saturday our first step towards where we belong begins. Let’s show Mesa what Eagle Nation is all about.
Side Notes
Movies: Olympus Has Fallen, End of Watch, Shutter Island, Looper, The Program, 42, Gangster Squad
This was our second 14+ hour road trip so Mr. Movies is running out of new releases to entertain us with. Olympus Has Fallen was pretty decent if you like Gerard Butler. I’ve always enjoyed Shutter Island, but that might just because I enjoy Leonardo Decaprio (DeCRAPio to some) the Oscar-less wonder. The Program is a pretty typical football bus movie, but always entertaining.
Food: I would list out all of the places we went, but it would be a shame if I didn’t dedicate this single section to one restaurant. On our way to Dallas we stopped at a BBQ joint in Witchita Kansas called “Pig In Pig Out”. Go ahead and Google it, because it was one of the best BBQ experiences I have ever had. By far the best meal I have EVER had on a football trip. HUGE SHOUT OUT TO COACH STEIN FOR HOOKING US UP WITH THE GREAT MEAL (got you coach). If you have any question about the legitimacy of this place, observe the photo shot below.
Stadium/Dallas: Playing at AT&T Stadium with some of best friends was the opportunity of a lifetime. Even though we lost, I'll always remember playing there.
The food at Pig In, Pig Out is one of the best BBQ places I've ever eaten. The true test of a BBQ joint (for me) is its coleslaw and barbeque sauce. It's not that hard to produce good pulled pork and a nice rack of ribs, but the thing that sets PIPO is its homemade slaw.
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After our first walk through Wednesday, we took a peek at the Dallas Cowboys' Cheerleaders locker room. A few of the cheerleaders now follow Travis Reeves and Coach King on Twitter.
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Wednesday evening, the team visited Dealey Plaza, the site where JFK was assassinated. It was neat to visit such a historical landmark and I think everyone who was there enjoyed it. We also enjoyed our encounter with a Dallas man full of conspiracies, among other things. The picture to the left shows Pierre Etchemendy and our "tour guide" explaining the magic bullet.
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I don't think I need to say much about this. The stadium is unbelievable. Here's a view of the field before kickoff from the press box.
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September 10, 2013
“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” - Napoleon Hill
Fighting through pain and struggles alike is customary for a college football player. Adversity is a common foe in our every day battles. Last Thursday night was no different.
Penalties, missed assignments and untimely mistakes piled up throughout our game at Missouri Science and Technology. As players, it felt like we were drowning. We were facing a tough opponent on the road for the opening game of the season and playing sloppy wasn’t in our game plan.
However, we fought through the mess and found light at the other side of the tunnel, culminating in a game-winning TD, courtesy of cornerback Lane Haller’s quick interception and lengthy stride in overtime.
Facing tough opponents in season openers is something of a recent routine for Chadron State’s football program. In 2012 we opened with FCS power Montana State. In 2011 we faced a University of Mary squad from a premier D-II conference, the Northern Sun. Both games resulted in losses. Thanks to stout performances on defense by Dylan Furrier and Haller, and consistent connections between Jonn McLain and his receivers, we are starting this season 1-0.
This week we have the special opportunity to play in AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. If that doesn’t serve as enough motivation, the fact that we will be facing the team that ended our season last year has had us itching for more. West Texas A&M is the third-ranked team in D-II and the Buffs have explosive athletes on both sides of the ball. It will be without a doubt one of the stiffest challenges we will face all year.
The bitter taste of last season’s playoff loss has been looming in our mouths for some time. It’s a taste that can only be cleansed following a victory under Jerry Jones’ 11,000 square-foot Mitsubishi electric HDTV screen.
The key to victory on defense will be stopping West Texas A&M’s electric quarterback and stable of receivers. On offense, efficiency will be the answer to stymie the fast defense from Canyon, Texas.
With great effort and attention to detail, as the coaches like to say, victory is always possible.
In life, second opportunities are rare; it’s impossible to cure the mistakes, to live in the past. But it is possible to learn from them. I know we have.
This Thursday, we get our second chance. Chadron State football is coming to Dallas’ turf with a chance for retribution, but more importantly, a second shot. We won’t waste it.
Side Notes from Rolla, Missouri:
Movies: Django Unchained, True Romance, Miracle, Gridiron Gang, Flight, Killing Them Softly, The Call.
True Romance is probably not the title you expected to see on a football buses movie list but I would recommend it if you like Tarantino. I took a nice snooze as soon as Gridiron Gang came on, because I tend to look down upon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s cheese ball acting. The Call kept me awake from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the ride home, so I have to say it was a nice thriller.
Food: Valentino’s, Golden Corral, Sirloin Stockade, KFC, Subway.
Pretty standard trip as far as food goes. The normal buffet offers every flavor of chicken possible, which usually conjures up the image of Cousin Eddie in the film Vegas Vaction ordering some of the “yellah” at the buffet line.
Hank Strauss with our driver. Look closely and you can see the tire of the bus getting fixed.
August 30, 2013
When the clock shows zeroes and lines are formed to shake your opponent's hands, that’s when a player truly realizes why he has put in all his hard work.
As August approaches and summer dies down, every Chadron State football player knows what is coming. The final reps in the weight room are put in. The final 300-yard shuttle is run to prepare for the grueling conditioning test upon arrival. The duffle bag full of cleats, smelly gloves and padded girdles is zipped closed and thrown in the car. Football season has arrived.
Thursday we open the 2013 season in Rolla, Mo., against a team hungry to make a statement. Last year, the Miners didn’t make the playoffs, despite going 10-1 in the regular season. The 6:30 kickoff is approaching and the fine-tuning of our game plan is underway. Now that our muscles are familiar with every day practice and our blisters are calloused from breaking in new Nike cleats, we can focus strictly on what Missouri S&T does between the painted white lines.
Before we get to those white lines, though, a lot of things have to happen. One is preparation, which is the key to our program’s success. Our coaches preach it to us every day and lead by great example. The ridiculously meticulous film study our coaches go through every week to pick up something as simple as a right tackle’s elbow being on his thigh means a run through the C-gap, shows the level of dedication they have to the success of this program.
Since this is the opening game, the preparation has been different from a typical game week. The Miners return a few starters and have a brand new coaching staff, so they really could come out and use any type of offense or defense. We must be ready for all of it. Working hard at preparing is merely one of the things that makes a team great. Hopefully, on the bus ride home Thursday night, we will all realize why we work so hard at this game we have been playing since childhood.
Coming into my fourth fall camp, I cannot remember our team ever looking this crisp after 15 practices. With many veterans returning it is quite obvious that every player on the team spent his offseason preparing. Quarterback Jonn McLain’s reads are clean. Wide receiver Nathan Ross’ hands are steady, as always. The final whistle is the only thing that halts linebacker Bryant Miller’s non-stop motor. Sam Parker’s play at center is more reliable than your grandpa’s 20-year old monkey wrench.
It’s safe to say, the defense is ready to hit somebody other than the cardinal jersey opposite them. The offense is ready to score on somebody other than its locker mates.
It’s been said that nothing dies easier than tradition. That’s not the case with the Chadron State football program. As players, we don’t want to be dependent on the storied history of former Eagles. It’s our job to write our own. Thursday night we embrace our beginning.
#17
