Keith7
09-16-2004, 04:11 PM
Gainesville faces Rabbits in rematch of 2003 playoff game
By DARIN ALLRED
Register Sports Editor
Gainesville Leopards head football coach Jeff Cordell had to do something Friday that he has never had to do before. He had to talk to his team after they had lost a game.
The Leopards went 15-0 in Cordell's first season as head coach and won their first game this season. But last Friday in Decatur, a veteran Eagles squad took advantage of an inexperienced Leopard defense in a 58-23 Decatur win.
For Cordell and his coaching staff, talking to the team after a loss and consoling them a bit wasn't a fun experience.
"What I've said the whole time since I became head coach is that this is not about Coach Cordell and my won-loss record or how I feel before a game or after a game," the GHS coach said. "Obviously it has been a long time since the Gainesville Leopards football team has lost a football game. Counting scrimmages, it has been 18 or 19 weeks since we have been in that situation. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We took a loss and a pretty good one, but we're not going to panic. That's one thing we pride ourselves on the past couple of years is we don't panic in tough situations."
Cordell went on to say what he told the team both right after the loss and the next day before film sessions.
"As a staff, we talked to them and told them there are lots of things we have to get corrected, but there were a lot of good things we did in that game," he said. "The score was not really indicative of how we played. Decatur is a great ballclub. They are a lot better than we are. Can we get to Decatur's level? Yes I believe we can get there. Right now we're not at that level. But after we looked at film, we realized that we were four or five plays away from that being a close game or us winning. We're looking at it from a positive standpoint because there were a lot of positives in there.
"We've had a great week of practice," Cordell continued. "Our kids have responded well. You never know how a team is going to respond. As a head coach, I can't sit there and pout about us getting our tails kicked because that will carry over to our kids. We have confidence in our kids and that will never change. We've challenged the kids this week to get better and they have."
One of the groups that probably needed the most cheering-up was the Leopard defense, which gave up over 500 yards of offense to Decatur. But that defense includes only two seniors and 10 new starters from last year. So how will that group respond to their first taste of adversity?
"Only time will tell," Cordell said. "Obviously you can't simulate a game situation in practice. The looks that you get in practice are not the looks that you are going to get on Friday nights. How they respond will be determined Friday night against the Forney Jackrabbits. But one thing we have always preached here is you cannot dwell in the past. You're going to get beat, you're going to miss a tackle, you're going to bust a play offensively, but you can't dwell on that. You have to get ready for the next down or next series or whatever it may be.
"People may not have noticed this the other night because of the score, but our kids didn't give up," Cordell added. "The way they kept fighting says a lot about the character of our team. We are a young ballclub. Everybody knows that. Defensively last year we only gave up 8 points a game on average, but we've got 10 starters out there right now who didn't start for us last year. When you are inexperienced like that, you have to play good teams to make you better and sometimes your chances of losing are greater. But our kids are resilient. Our intensity at practice has picked up and our kids have responded well. That is what I'm excited about. I'm ready to get out there on the field Friday night and see how we rebound."
The Leopards won't have time to feel sorry for themselves. They will host Class 4A Forney this Friday in a rematch of last season's 3A state quarterfinal playoff game, a 24-21 win by Gainesville. In their first season in 4A, Forney is 0-3 but their losses have come to Aledo, Sulphur Springs and Denison.
"The one thing we talked about with our kids on Saturday after our film session was that one of the things they (Forney) has working for them is the revenge factor," Cordell said. "They are going to try and avenge a loss that knocked them out of the playoffs last year and home and packing and getting ready for basketball as opposed to us going on and getting to play for a state championship. So our kids know that. They are 0-3, but Forney has played a very tough schedule. They are going to be primed and ready to go on Friday night."
Forney is not the same team they were in 2003, but neither are the Leopards. The Rabbits will still be big up front, but won't have the gamebreakers they did last year.
They lost some great talent including their quarterback and tailback. I don't think they quite have the speed they had last year," Cordell stated. "They are still a very talented and disciplined group, but they are young like we are. Coach (Kevin) Rush is battling some of the same things we're going through like trying to find the correct positions for kids to play where they can be successful. These non-district schedules are a learning process. What you want to do is improve each week and get ready for your district play. Just because you lose a game here doesn't mean you can't accomplish the things you want to accomplish. Coach Rush has that same philosophy. But you can throw the won-loss records out the door because you have two ballclubs looking to get back in the win column. It should be an exciting ballgame on Friday night."
LEOPARD NOTES: While the Leopards had their 16-game winning streak snapped last week at Decatur, they still have a streak going. The Leopards have won 14-straight games at Leeper Stadium dating back to 2001. Their last loss came on Sept. 7, 2001 against Vernon (14-3) ... GHS senior tailback Terrius Purvey only played limited snaps against Decatur because of the after-effects of being sick during the week. He suffered from dehydration and cramps during the game, according to Leopard head coach Jeff Cordell. This week, Purvey only went through half of Monday's practice and was held out of Tuesday's practice all together. But he is expected to be at full speed on Friday ... The 404 passing yards allowed by the GHS defense in their game with Decatur last week was 122 yards more than the Leopards allowed in any game last year. The most passing yards allowed in 2003 was 282 by Abilene Wylie in the state semifinals. Decatur faces Abilene Wylie Sept. 25 in a non-district game.
By DARIN ALLRED
Register Sports Editor
Gainesville Leopards head football coach Jeff Cordell had to do something Friday that he has never had to do before. He had to talk to his team after they had lost a game.
The Leopards went 15-0 in Cordell's first season as head coach and won their first game this season. But last Friday in Decatur, a veteran Eagles squad took advantage of an inexperienced Leopard defense in a 58-23 Decatur win.
For Cordell and his coaching staff, talking to the team after a loss and consoling them a bit wasn't a fun experience.
"What I've said the whole time since I became head coach is that this is not about Coach Cordell and my won-loss record or how I feel before a game or after a game," the GHS coach said. "Obviously it has been a long time since the Gainesville Leopards football team has lost a football game. Counting scrimmages, it has been 18 or 19 weeks since we have been in that situation. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We took a loss and a pretty good one, but we're not going to panic. That's one thing we pride ourselves on the past couple of years is we don't panic in tough situations."
Cordell went on to say what he told the team both right after the loss and the next day before film sessions.
"As a staff, we talked to them and told them there are lots of things we have to get corrected, but there were a lot of good things we did in that game," he said. "The score was not really indicative of how we played. Decatur is a great ballclub. They are a lot better than we are. Can we get to Decatur's level? Yes I believe we can get there. Right now we're not at that level. But after we looked at film, we realized that we were four or five plays away from that being a close game or us winning. We're looking at it from a positive standpoint because there were a lot of positives in there.
"We've had a great week of practice," Cordell continued. "Our kids have responded well. You never know how a team is going to respond. As a head coach, I can't sit there and pout about us getting our tails kicked because that will carry over to our kids. We have confidence in our kids and that will never change. We've challenged the kids this week to get better and they have."
One of the groups that probably needed the most cheering-up was the Leopard defense, which gave up over 500 yards of offense to Decatur. But that defense includes only two seniors and 10 new starters from last year. So how will that group respond to their first taste of adversity?
"Only time will tell," Cordell said. "Obviously you can't simulate a game situation in practice. The looks that you get in practice are not the looks that you are going to get on Friday nights. How they respond will be determined Friday night against the Forney Jackrabbits. But one thing we have always preached here is you cannot dwell in the past. You're going to get beat, you're going to miss a tackle, you're going to bust a play offensively, but you can't dwell on that. You have to get ready for the next down or next series or whatever it may be.
"People may not have noticed this the other night because of the score, but our kids didn't give up," Cordell added. "The way they kept fighting says a lot about the character of our team. We are a young ballclub. Everybody knows that. Defensively last year we only gave up 8 points a game on average, but we've got 10 starters out there right now who didn't start for us last year. When you are inexperienced like that, you have to play good teams to make you better and sometimes your chances of losing are greater. But our kids are resilient. Our intensity at practice has picked up and our kids have responded well. That is what I'm excited about. I'm ready to get out there on the field Friday night and see how we rebound."
The Leopards won't have time to feel sorry for themselves. They will host Class 4A Forney this Friday in a rematch of last season's 3A state quarterfinal playoff game, a 24-21 win by Gainesville. In their first season in 4A, Forney is 0-3 but their losses have come to Aledo, Sulphur Springs and Denison.
"The one thing we talked about with our kids on Saturday after our film session was that one of the things they (Forney) has working for them is the revenge factor," Cordell said. "They are going to try and avenge a loss that knocked them out of the playoffs last year and home and packing and getting ready for basketball as opposed to us going on and getting to play for a state championship. So our kids know that. They are 0-3, but Forney has played a very tough schedule. They are going to be primed and ready to go on Friday night."
Forney is not the same team they were in 2003, but neither are the Leopards. The Rabbits will still be big up front, but won't have the gamebreakers they did last year.
They lost some great talent including their quarterback and tailback. I don't think they quite have the speed they had last year," Cordell stated. "They are still a very talented and disciplined group, but they are young like we are. Coach (Kevin) Rush is battling some of the same things we're going through like trying to find the correct positions for kids to play where they can be successful. These non-district schedules are a learning process. What you want to do is improve each week and get ready for your district play. Just because you lose a game here doesn't mean you can't accomplish the things you want to accomplish. Coach Rush has that same philosophy. But you can throw the won-loss records out the door because you have two ballclubs looking to get back in the win column. It should be an exciting ballgame on Friday night."
LEOPARD NOTES: While the Leopards had their 16-game winning streak snapped last week at Decatur, they still have a streak going. The Leopards have won 14-straight games at Leeper Stadium dating back to 2001. Their last loss came on Sept. 7, 2001 against Vernon (14-3) ... GHS senior tailback Terrius Purvey only played limited snaps against Decatur because of the after-effects of being sick during the week. He suffered from dehydration and cramps during the game, according to Leopard head coach Jeff Cordell. This week, Purvey only went through half of Monday's practice and was held out of Tuesday's practice all together. But he is expected to be at full speed on Friday ... The 404 passing yards allowed by the GHS defense in their game with Decatur last week was 122 yards more than the Leopards allowed in any game last year. The most passing yards allowed in 2003 was 282 by Abilene Wylie in the state semifinals. Decatur faces Abilene Wylie Sept. 25 in a non-district game.