Goblin

I know this day and age what i'm about to say may not be popular - BUT - I just dont feel it's the salaries or the facilities - Now dont get me wrong i coached for over 40 yrs -- and would not begrudge any coach getting a big payday. But more credit needs to be given to the communities and the parents -- Newton has little - Wos has little - but everything is functional -- its the community that supports the kids and the coaches- they believe in the programs and stand behind the people running the programs. both these programs have long teeth like Cuero -- they have been competitive for decades. You throw big salaries out there you get people coming in that dont understand the culture of these places- take their money and have a little success and haul their a--- out of there. People like T and WT just want fair pay for a days work. and for you to be proud of their efforts - not everyone has to agree with every decision but dont try to drag the program down when you dont agree. The majority of the people in these types of communities are just that they lived thru these programs and have an abundance of pride in them

I believe it’s in the mid 30’s on players. But here is the kicker, we only had the same amount when I played and teams even before me and we were 2.5 times the size school they are now. WOS always carries a small roster on varsity for 2 reasons. 1. Only the best get to wear the Silver helmet unless you are a Senior(no little johnnie syndrome at WOS, parents stay out of it) 2. Many, and I mean Many players can’t take the grueling practices and off season and quit or transfer. WOS demands mental toughness just as much or more than physical toughness. Going back to #1....we were all groomed from when we were even 4 or 5 years old of what it would take to wear the flying WOS on our helmets. It was accepted by the parents and also the kids that understood the fraternity of being a Mustang football player.A.K.A., you knew what to expect 10 years before you even showed up in the stands for that first two a day practice as a Freshman. There is a sign in the fieldhouse that is there for a reason and the EXACT example of this....”Those who remain, will be champions” not just on the field, but in life also......From my personal experience, how many high schools make kickers actually practice with the defense and are thought the same way as a linebacker or DB? I only was able to practice my craft during the offensive period. That is why I had no issues tackling and loved to lay people out when I had the chance, and I did it multiple times in my 4 years there. I wore #18 because I was also a strong safety(even though I didn’t play that position, but could if needed) we were all coached the same no matter our “regular” position. WOS football is a mind set, a way of life, not just a slogan.....

Coach Thompson needs a salary comparable to that of Scott Surratt's. The Carthage coach makes roughly 125K a year. IMO, there's no reason Coach Thompson shouldn't make something comparable.

I agree with a lot of this, but not all. WOS doesn’t just “have” athletes. They are molded and trained through years of participating in fantastic offseason programs and good coaching. Having parents that don’t sue the coaches for making Junior do bear crawls is a bonus, too. 
I firmly believe that when you lose the years between a good pee wee program and a solid varsity high school program, you can’t get them back. 

I'll take the Stangs 31-14. If WO-S can limit PG from getting loose on big runs, this game could get 2016 Navarro-ish

That gives PG opponents a winning percentage of .539 and WO-S opponents .583. 
If you take out the losses to PG and WO-S out of those records: the opponents records are 95-66 for PG (.590) and 84-47 (.640) for WO-S. 
Either way, the argument from the PG crowd that they have played a "tougher schedule" than WO-S fails miserably when a calculator is put to the numbers.

Given the PG crowd has crowed so much about WO-S' strength of schedule, so I found this number in the DCTF preview very telling:
Strength of schedule:
Combined record of Pleasant Grove opponents: 75-74
Combined record of West Orange-Stark opponents: 82-66

The newness of this experience is causing their fans' heads to swell beyond reason. They would be wise to study their opponent and not assume WO-S is like every other team in front of them. Our fans have been there and experienced a loss before, so we can't take anything for granted. Our players are certainly preparing for them with total focus. It's like bootcamp lockdown for the Mustang team this week. Coach Thompson will not let our players lose focus.  

Haven’t seen PG , don’t really need to. I hear the noise, same noise we’ve heard for years. We’ve come out on top of some really well coached teams, even with the errors and penalty’s. The only thing that can stop this train is itself. We play an error free game Friday , no doubt about bringing home the 3-peat. So bring it PG.

Sounds like this PG bunch is a Kennedale all over again.  Durn good team, but they can be beat.  I think WOS has a Big advantage having been in this spot the last 3 years.  I look for a close, low scoring game, with Mustangs on top.

I think we got a full tank!

 
Isn't that what they said last week when we played Wimberley?  Salado? Madisonville? Mexia?  Remember when they were gonna shock the world? It is the same as last year and....well... the year before.
This team has seen the spread, the Wing T, the Slot T and just about every other variation in between.  They have faced defensive juggernauts, special teams juggernauts, offensive juggernauts (are at least so we were told) and every other juggernaut in between.  40 straight times they said it. 40 straight times they went away saying "What did we do wrong?"
And with the 2017 version, they don't have the explosiveness of the last couple of years, the Chain Gang can be bent a little, but this team may be more mentally tough than the first two versions.  They can, as we have seen, take a punch to the mouth, get back up and punch back.
Who knows, they may get the fatal blow to this streak next Friday, but me, I steeled myself to that possibility for the last 2 1/2 years.
But somehow, I don't think that will happen then, either.
 

This matchup right here is what makes coach t an absolute genius for scheduling the kennedale game! Both huge, both fast, and same offense! Oh by the way, same results ;)! 

I’m pretty sure we do.  We faced Kennedale and survived. We can do the same against PG. Plus, it’ll be their first time in a game at this level so there will be nerves and jitters involved which WO-S most definitely won’t have. 

PG ran speed sweep(their favorite play) on Graham all night. I just don't see the chain gang giving up many yards rushing. The chain gang is one helluva defense; that being said PG has a pretty solid defense as well...looking for WOS to come out on top of a very low scoring game.

I am very proud of this team.  I am sure the players have heard plenty of comparisons to last years team and have had that shadow looming over them.  However, just like last years team, this team is undefeated going into the title game.  IF they win they will be undefeated just like last years team, and that state champion ring will look just as shiny as the one from 2016.  As a fan I am thrilled but I couldn’t be happier for this team.

All of the people who get on here and spew about stats and why their team should win or will win need to step back and take a look at what WOS is doing. They are making SETX Sports history. WHat a team. What a town. What a program. What a great group of kids. WHAT A GREAT SET OF COACHES. Way to go WOS. This Indian is so very proud of you guys.

If Pleasant Grove wins that’s yet another Wing-T we get to face.  This game is for the title IMO.

If Pleasant Grove wins that’s yet another Wing-T we get to face.  This game is for the title IMO.

If Pleasant Grove wins that’s yet another Wing-T we get to face.  This game is for the title IMO.

WOS is over 80% in the wins category, coach Thompson has been there for all but a few years of the 40 years the school has existed. There have been many good coach’s along the way . A few of the players have come back to coach as well . They know the system and what it takes to be successful at a high level.
Coach T cares about these kids and they feel it. He gets the right athelete s in the right positions. That’s why it seems they just keep reloading .

Yep

Just an outsider reading the thread.........but there seems to be a lot of discontent among some of the WOS faithful. I actually find that very interesting. The reason I say that is what I saw in my hometown was the same thing. The more we won........the more it was no longer good enough. I was always on that win and advance thought. Many in Gilmer think if we ain't winning by 60 the sky is falling. Just my thoughts for what they are worth.......and that's usually not much.

Thanks! Fairfield beat Salado in OT this year so should be a good game.

Way to go Bellville and what Goblin said.