texbuzz

Me and my son have a tradition.  This time of year, at the end of the game, we don't leave until all the players are off the field.  We stand and wait out of respect, and we cry.  We started doing this years ago when my oldest was at Crosby.  At the end of season and playoff games, there is always a couple players that stay on the grass as long as the can.  For most of these young men, they will never put on a helmet again.  We watched young men refuse to leave, push their teammates away, trying desperately to grasp the moment like they are trying to hold on to castles in the sand.
Its a big moment, some of the things we love and the journeys we take come to an end.  The tide will rise, and the waves of time will reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
There are precious things in this life that will come to an end, and many times, when and how it will end is not your choice.  
I hear ya, "its just football".  But I would ask you to take a moment, after the band stops playing and the scoreboard is turned off, stand up and look.  Life in all its splendor and tragedy is unfolding before you.  
It's more than just football.

Me and my son have a tradition.  This time of year, at the end of the game, we don't leave until all the players are off the field.  We stand and wait out of respect, and we cry.  We started doing this years ago when my oldest was at Crosby.  At the end of season and playoff games, there is always a couple players that stay on the grass as long as the can.  For most of these young men, they will never put on a helmet again.  We watched young men refuse to leave, push their teammates away, trying desperately to grasp the moment like they are trying to hold on to castles in the sand.
Its a big moment, some of the things we love and the journeys we take come to an end.  The tide will rise, and the waves of time will reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
There are precious things in this life that will come to an end, and many times, when and how it will end is not your choice.  
I hear ya, "its just football".  But I would ask you to take a moment, after the band stops playing and the scoreboard is turned off, stand up and look.  Life in all its splendor and tragedy is unfolding before you.  
It's more than just football.

Me and my son have a tradition.  This time of year, at the end of the game, we don't leave until all the players are off the field.  We stand and wait out of respect, and we cry.  We started doing this years ago when my oldest was at Crosby.  At the end of season and playoff games, there is always a couple players that stay on the grass as long as the can.  For most of these young men, they will never put on a helmet again.  We watched young men refuse to leave, push their teammates away, trying desperately to grasp the moment like they are trying to hold on to castles in the sand.
Its a big moment, some of the things we love and the journeys we take come to an end.  The tide will rise, and the waves of time will reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
There are precious things in this life that will come to an end, and many times, when and how it will end is not your choice.  
I hear ya, "its just football".  But I would ask you to take a moment, after the band stops playing and the scoreboard is turned off, stand up and look.  Life in all its splendor and tragedy is unfolding before you.  
It's more than just football.

Me and my son have a tradition.  This time of year, at the end of the game, we don't leave until all the players are off the field.  We stand and wait out of respect, and we cry.  We started doing this years ago when my oldest was at Crosby.  At the end of season and playoff games, there is always a couple players that stay on the grass as long as the can.  For most of these young men, they will never put on a helmet again.  We watched young men refuse to leave, push their teammates away, trying desperately to grasp the moment like they are trying to hold on to castles in the sand.
Its a big moment, some of the things we love and the journeys we take come to an end.  The tide will rise, and the waves of time will reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
There are precious things in this life that will come to an end, and many times, when and how it will end is not your choice.  
I hear ya, "its just football".  But I would ask you to take a moment, after the band stops playing and the scoreboard is turned off, stand up and look.  Life in all its splendor and tragedy is unfolding before you.  
It's more than just football.

OMG I remember that day when both of my boys walked off Huffman field for the very last time! Its another chapter in your book! Enjoy the moment and take it all in. We want our kids to get to this level so fast and then we blink and its over. I cant lie........I am teary eyed right now and my oldest graduated 8 years ago! My youngest last year! Ugh grown men do cry!

Good luck to your son tonight. Our senior night is next week against y’all. Wish it didn’t have to end. 

Indeed, wishing Lumberton well tonight. Stop their running game and you will have a shot.

Thanks, he’s really stepped it up the last two games. 2 interceptions, punt block, recovery and touchdown. Hoping for a big night but I’ll just be happy with a W. Go Pirates! 🏴‍☠️ 

It's very hard to coach from the stands! I should be fired by now! 😉

Huffman Freshmen 38
Vidor Freshmen 8

We sat in front of another group of parents last week.  Great family, great kid.  His Dad was loud through the first half (everybody seemed amped for Splendora).  I mean really loud.  I think he ran out of steam in the second half.
I looked at my wife when he was coaching the D-Line from up high.  Said, "Man, he's loud".  She just stared back at me.  You know the look.
I think I was just jealous we finally found someone as loud as me.  😁
 
I peaked at a freshman game in New Caney, it was 0-8 against us in the fourth quarter.  New Caney was backed up to their 10 yard line or so with 3-4 minutes left.  There was no play clock and the New Caney coach knew the refs weren't watching the time between plays.  Lots of parents (maybe 10-15 in the visitor stands) were yelling "DELAY OF GAME, DELAY OF GAME" hoping the refs would listen.  NC ran a running play for a couple yards and clock was running.
My voice carries pretty good.  Its not deep but I can project very loudly without sounding like I am screaming.  I called out the time when they blew the play dead.  Loud.  Every 10 seconds I was yelling "THATS 10 SECONDS!" , "THATS 20 SECONDS!" , "30 SECONDS SINCE THE LAST PLAY", you get the picture.  
Finally, the refs throw the flag, delay of game.  NC ends up punting.  Son's team scores as clock winds down.  Converts the 2pt to tie the game.
I asked my son later "Did you hear me yelling at the end?"  He said "Yeah, Coach asked me if that was my Dad."  
"Well, did he say anything else?"
Son said "Naw, Coach said just tell him thanks."
Obviously, I am the reason they tied that game.  

And not to hijack the thread, I just wanted Vidor to know that Huffman has a secret weapon.  Usually disguised as a fat, middle aged man eating nachos in the stands.

I see this comment every year.  I almost never see it happen.  Especially this late in the season.  
And I am convinced it is true.  Not every team has a RB or QB that can just muscle the ball in from 5 yards out.  But every team has a DT or LB that is a little too big for RB and a little too small to dominate at their position.  Teach or coach them to fall forward and this seems like a no brainer.
Coaching from the stands is hard but we are never wrong!!  😁😁

We sat in front of another group of parents last week.  Great family, great kid.  His Dad was loud through the first half (everybody seemed amped for Splendora).  I mean really loud.  I think he ran out of steam in the second half.
I looked at my wife when he was coaching the D-Line from up high.  Said, "Man, he's loud".  She just stared back at me.  You know the look.
I think I was just jealous we finally found someone as loud as me.  😁
 
I peaked at a freshman game in New Caney, it was 0-8 against us in the fourth quarter.  New Caney was backed up to their 10 yard line or so with 3-4 minutes left.  There was no play clock and the New Caney coach knew the refs weren't watching the time between plays.  Lots of parents (maybe 10-15 in the visitor stands) were yelling "DELAY OF GAME, DELAY OF GAME" hoping the refs would listen.  NC ran a running play for a couple yards and clock was running.
My voice carries pretty good.  Its not deep but I can project very loudly without sounding like I am screaming.  I called out the time when they blew the play dead.  Loud.  Every 10 seconds I was yelling "THATS 10 SECONDS!" , "THATS 20 SECONDS!" , "30 SECONDS SINCE THE LAST PLAY", you get the picture.  
Finally, the refs throw the flag, delay of game.  NC ends up punting.  Son's team scores as clock winds down.  Converts the 2pt to tie the game.
I asked my son later "Did you hear me yelling at the end?"  He said "Yeah, Coach asked me if that was my Dad."  
"Well, did he say anything else?"
Son said "Naw, Coach said just tell him thanks."
Obviously, I am the reason they tied that game.  

I had no choice there, we went to church with the Coach.  I made it a point to never discuss football with him at church.  He may have brought it up if I went overboard though.  

Hey man! That's a good story. Nothing wrong with supporting your team and your son. As long as you keep it PG of course! LOL

And not to hijack the thread, I just wanted Vidor to know that Huffman has a secret weapon.  Usually disguised as a fat, middle aged man eating nachos in the stands.

I see this comment every year.  I almost never see it happen.  Especially this late in the season.  
And I am convinced it is true.  Not every team has a RB or QB that can just muscle the ball in from 5 yards out.  But every team has a DT or LB that is a little too big for RB and a little too small to dominate at their position.  Teach or coach them to fall forward and this seems like a no brainer.
Coaching from the stands is hard but we are never wrong!!  😁😁

A player playing both ways?   Does the UIL approve that?   Isn’t there a rule against that?   Holy Moly, who knew.   😂😂

Current QB is a Jr.  New kid is a Jr.
This offense is almost all Jrs and one So.
I'm not sure how he will be played but the current QB plays safety until they get a good lead.  The new kid plays safety also.  Even if he is just OK, it will give some depth at a two demanding positions.
After this game I am going to write one of those overly long posts about the development of the offense and some wrinkles I have seen develop in the last couple weeks.  

I am sure it is drilled to these RB's but it seems like the players that do this scrambling are imagining a 3 foot bubble around the defender that if they enter that bubble, they will get tackled. 
Have you seen the tackling out there?
The best RB's that seem to hit the hole and fly are always brushing past arm tackles and whiffs.  Run at 'em and then brush past them!
Vidor seemed to always have kids that ran at the defense.  If you were a bad tackling team, they could run all over you.  

That's what I am being told also. I looked at some film on hudl and he looks pretty good. Maybe an opportunity to move Thomas back to receiver and improve a bit offensively. I'll be interested to see how Mac handles it. 

I started a new thread, let me see if I can close it.  Here was my thread starter over there.
I spend too much time looking at this stuff.  If you don't want to read it all here is a summary.
Summary - 
Huffman offense is getting better and executing well. The defense is good and the numbers support that. Special teams has been special. This team wins the turnover battle and doesn't commit a lot of penalties Huffman 35  Vidor 17  - Vidor can't score fast enough.  Huffman 35  Livingston 28 - my guess is as good as yours. Huffman repeats as District Champion. The Long Post  
I try hard to look at the stats and data when I am guessing upcoming games.  Well aware that there is more involved than historical information to determine who wins what, I have tasted crow before, and I am sure I will get a taste of that bitter meal in the future.  But this is what I see from a Huffman fan perspective.
With 2 games left in the season, the district pecking order is starting to take shape.  Livingston (3-0) sits at the top with a little better Points For (91) and Points Allowed (35).  Huffman (3-0) is right behind them PF - 85, PA-38.  Splendora, Vidor, and LCM follow with 1-2 district records.
Offense - Huffman has left points on the table.  The defense has bailed them out but there has been some improvement on execution in the last couple games that should continue.  Huffman started a DT/LB at center for the LCM game and it hurt their ability to move the ball.  Still able to make it work and win.  Missing a key skill player (injury) for the Splendora game made it difficult to move the ball.  Still got the win.  There was 2 offensive adjustments made in the second half that Splendora just couldn't answer.  A healthy offense that has figured out what they can, and can't do, shouldn't have any problems putting points on the board for these last 2 games.  
Defense - The Huffman defense is 70% of the success of this season.  They play fast, track the ball well, tackle well, and create turnovers.  No team has been able to break off long runs consistently to get into a rhythm.  Offenses are getting frustrated and taking risks.  Needville and Lumberton are the only teams that were able to score in the first half against this defense.  Huffman averages 2 points given up for the first half of games.  That is significant.
Special Teams - Well, kicking has been sporadic.  I think they are on their second kicker.  Coverage has been excellent.  What has really been impressive is the punting.  Huffman punts a line drive, consistently, that is hard to field and takes a Huffman bounce.  It seems lucky, but in 7 games it has backed teams up consistently.  With the defensive battle of the Navasota game, I am convinced the punter made a huge difference.  This is a strength for this team.  
Turnovers/Penalties - Is it luck?  Huffman seems to recover 3-4 fumbles a game, and 1-2 interceptions.  That is staggering.  Five turnovers against Splendora.  Huffman may lose a couple and an interception every other game but the differential is staggering.  I lean towards TO's being more about luck but good teams usually have some good luck.  
I never miss the chance to quote somebody here (or Friday Football app) "I have never not been disappointed by the officials."  The calls this year seem to favor Huffman.  I would like to say its the opponent making mistakes and feeling some pressure but I wouldn't bank on it.  Huffman plays pretty clean football.
Huffman @ Vidor - This is actually the game I am most excited about.  I love Vidor's offensive scheme and I love the aggression Vidor always seems to play with.  I have only seen some film this year of Vidor, not the games.  What I see (and hope happens) is a stingy defense holding Vidor to 7-10 (they average 12 in the first half) points in the first half while methodically putting 21 on the board.  Huffman adjusts well during the half and should put this one away 35-17.  Vidor averages 9 points in the second half of games and the lone TD against Livingston was a punt block and recover in the endzone for a TD.  
Livingston @ Huffman - Well, lets use the same metrics.  Livingston averages 17.5 points in the first half of games.  That's best in district.  Huffman allows 2.  So this is one of those numbers that kinda goes in the wash.  Won't know until they line up and play the first half.  
Livingston allows 8.8 points in the second half of games.  Huffman scores 16 points per game in the second half.  That favors Huffman over Livingston for the second half.  
It is at this point, I can be convinced that all these numbers don't really mean much.  Rearward facing bias is certainly in play and few things are more biased than fans in the stands at high school football games.  
I predict a 35-28 victory for Huffman.  Based on gut feel at this moment.
Cheers!

22-7 huffman wins. 
 
they did open it up in the second half a little. Splendora scored on a Hail Mary to make it 14-7. The onside kick bounced, HH kid jumped up, snagged it and ran in a TD to make it 20-7. 2pt conversion run and its 22-7. Splendora was done with 1:42 left in game. 
 
Huffman put a lid on the best RB in the district and played with their big dogs up front.  Played big when it mattered.