Scoop27
09-01-2015, 12:56 PM
From The Victoria Advocate
BAY CITY - Lupe Florez's Facebook page blew up during the weekend.
The first-year Bay City athletic director and head football coach had 300 friend requests after the Blackcats' 17-10 season-opening win over Columbus.
The magnitude of the win was not lost on Florez, who was the offensive coordinator at Class 3A, Division I state champion Cameron Yoe last season.
Bay City had lost 15 straight games dating back to the 2013 season, and had not won a season-opener since 2004.
"Somebody told me it was like a curse or a black cloud hanging over Bay City and the other night it was just lifted," Florez said. "It kind of puts a lot of pressure on you, but it's needed pressure."
Bay City's win over Columbus came in front of a near-capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Fans were lined up to buy tickets before the game.
"It was like a movie," said senior defensive lineman Leonard Eaton. "I haven't ever seen anything like that. Everybody really believed in us and stayed the whole game. Last season, we couldn't even get like a row."
Florez might have been the only person who wasn't swept up in an atmosphere that used to be commonplace for the Blackcats, who have made six state final appearances and won two state championships.
"I was focused on the game most of the time," he said. "At some point - probably in the fourth quarter - I turned around and I went, 'Holy cow.' The bleachers were full and I'm kind of used to that because that's what we used to have from where I came from. It was just neat seeing it here."
Bay City equaled its win total of the last three seasons by coming from behind twice against Columbus before scoring the winning touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Darryl Florez to Archeleous Gaskin late in the fourth quarter.
"The main thing that coach Florez stressed when he came was unity," Gaskin said. "You could see that Friday night. The coaches told us when a brother breaks, you've got to help him. That was a good play by coach Florez. Everybody did what they were supposed to do. Darrell made a good throw and I was able to finish and I just thank God for it."
Lupe Florez and his staff worked hard during the offseason to change the culture of a program that hasn't had a winning season or been to the playoffs since 2007.
"The first thing we did is provide structure," he said. "We came in with a plan. These kids know every day where to be and exactly what to do. We started holding them accountable. If they miss a practice, they owe us.
"But the biggest thing we've done is we've shown the kids we care for them. We hug our kids. If our kids are having a bad day, we're going to put our arms around them. I think if you ask any of those kids they'll tell you that they truly believe we care for them. It goes back to that old phrase, 'they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' We believe that as a staff."
Florez doesn't want his team to be satisfied with one win and hopes the momentum will continue in Friday night's game against Houston Kinkaid.
"Our expectation is to turn this place around and we're thinking quick flip," he said. "It's exciting to win that first one, but as soon as we were done with that we moved on. One thing about winning programs is it's expected that you win. When you're in that tough fourth quarter and you know that everybody in the community expects you to win, it's a little bit easier not to quit."
The Blackcats are excited about the opportunity to move forward.
"You can't let the past get to you," Gaskin said. "We can't let that win get to us. We've got to keep working harder every week. I thank God for all the coaches coming to take time. They really showed us love, and that's all we really needed and now we're ready to work hard."
BAY CITY - Lupe Florez's Facebook page blew up during the weekend.
The first-year Bay City athletic director and head football coach had 300 friend requests after the Blackcats' 17-10 season-opening win over Columbus.
The magnitude of the win was not lost on Florez, who was the offensive coordinator at Class 3A, Division I state champion Cameron Yoe last season.
Bay City had lost 15 straight games dating back to the 2013 season, and had not won a season-opener since 2004.
"Somebody told me it was like a curse or a black cloud hanging over Bay City and the other night it was just lifted," Florez said. "It kind of puts a lot of pressure on you, but it's needed pressure."
Bay City's win over Columbus came in front of a near-capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Fans were lined up to buy tickets before the game.
"It was like a movie," said senior defensive lineman Leonard Eaton. "I haven't ever seen anything like that. Everybody really believed in us and stayed the whole game. Last season, we couldn't even get like a row."
Florez might have been the only person who wasn't swept up in an atmosphere that used to be commonplace for the Blackcats, who have made six state final appearances and won two state championships.
"I was focused on the game most of the time," he said. "At some point - probably in the fourth quarter - I turned around and I went, 'Holy cow.' The bleachers were full and I'm kind of used to that because that's what we used to have from where I came from. It was just neat seeing it here."
Bay City equaled its win total of the last three seasons by coming from behind twice against Columbus before scoring the winning touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Darryl Florez to Archeleous Gaskin late in the fourth quarter.
"The main thing that coach Florez stressed when he came was unity," Gaskin said. "You could see that Friday night. The coaches told us when a brother breaks, you've got to help him. That was a good play by coach Florez. Everybody did what they were supposed to do. Darrell made a good throw and I was able to finish and I just thank God for it."
Lupe Florez and his staff worked hard during the offseason to change the culture of a program that hasn't had a winning season or been to the playoffs since 2007.
"The first thing we did is provide structure," he said. "We came in with a plan. These kids know every day where to be and exactly what to do. We started holding them accountable. If they miss a practice, they owe us.
"But the biggest thing we've done is we've shown the kids we care for them. We hug our kids. If our kids are having a bad day, we're going to put our arms around them. I think if you ask any of those kids they'll tell you that they truly believe we care for them. It goes back to that old phrase, 'they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' We believe that as a staff."
Florez doesn't want his team to be satisfied with one win and hopes the momentum will continue in Friday night's game against Houston Kinkaid.
"Our expectation is to turn this place around and we're thinking quick flip," he said. "It's exciting to win that first one, but as soon as we were done with that we moved on. One thing about winning programs is it's expected that you win. When you're in that tough fourth quarter and you know that everybody in the community expects you to win, it's a little bit easier not to quit."
The Blackcats are excited about the opportunity to move forward.
"You can't let the past get to you," Gaskin said. "We can't let that win get to us. We've got to keep working harder every week. I thank God for all the coaches coming to take time. They really showed us love, and that's all we really needed and now we're ready to work hard."