La Plata's New Attitude Draws a Crowd
The sky's the limit now that the La Plata football team has an increase in players. "We're getting into some longevity," said Coach Chris Davidson.
(By Joel Richardson -- The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The first day of practice, Aug. 15, and already La Plata had a dilemma. The program had 138 players and just 108 helmets and shoulder pads. But when you consider the situation Coach Chris Davidson inherited when he took over in 2004, this wasn't such a bad problem.
The Warriors finished the 2003 season suiting up 23 players for their final home game, and it had become apparent to Athletic Director Cliff Nagle that upon hiring a new coach, the first order of business would center on renewing interest in the program. The victories would come later.
With that first item checked off the list, the Warriors have reason for optimism after amassing seven wins over the past two seasons.
The number of players gives the coaches flexibility and a greater talent pool to draw from, while the players find themselves in competition for spots where there previously hadn't.
"When we started out it was almost a joke," senior Tyler Shymansky said. "It was more about having fun. Now it's about getting work done, and it's still fun because you can see the results."
The increased participation is due largely to a grassroots recruiting campaign on the part of the coaches -- scouring the hallways in search of talent -- and a strong working relationship with the town's youth football program. Future success, though, falls heavily on the players, and whether they can turn this into a self-sustaining mechanism.
"As a program we're getting into some longevity where we can say to every class, 'Your success is predicated on the class behind you because they're going to fill in the gaps that you don't have,' " Davidson said. "That's a great motivation for our kids to speak highly of the program and get kids to come out."
