The Don Paul Stadium scoreboard following Ross’ victory over Springfield Friday night.
FREMONT – The work for Week 2 began Saturday morning.
Just hours after its 28-18 win over Springfield, the Ross football team reassembled to watch the game film of the previous night. While the victory was an important first step toward having a successful season, the Ross coaching staff implored the Little Giants not to feel too good about themselves.
“That was a concern us coaches had, moving forward, and we were able to address that Saturday with the kids when we watched film,” head coach Chad Long said. “(We said) ‘We were 3-7 last year. We have nothing to feel big or great about.’ Yes, we beat a good program, but our kids have been good and strong with the motto of week-to-week, day-to-day.”
The players themselves know the importance of not getting satisfied ahead of its Week 2 meeting at Sylvania Southview. Particularly given the number of mistakes they made a week ago, including 13 penalties for 125 yards.
“We’re feeling good. We won and we beat a good team, but we weren’t at our best,” senior receiver/defensive back Jerardo Eckford said. “I feel like the coaches do a good job of (reminding us). When we get too happy, they bring us down. It’s just one game. We have nine more games to go and, if we make the playoffs, we have even more.”
Cutting down on the penalties and the small mistakes are the point of emphasis for Ross this week. The Little Giants ran extra conditioning Monday as penance for their penalties last Friday. But Ross has other areas to work on as well.
Football head coach Chad Long
“Move our feet on the offensive line, make sure we’re picking up the right person,” Long said. “(Quarterback) Hayden (Lehmann) throwing the ball, holding it too long, throwing off his back foot, things like that.
“Defensively, getting lined up. There was a whole series they were moving the ball on us that we weren’t lined up correctly,” Long added. “They had a tight end, which was an extra lineman, and a wing that were free to just block down on our guys and it was frustrating.”
Despite to miscues, Long’s biggest take-away from last week’s victory was the resiliency he saw from his players. They didn’t allow the constant stream of whistles throw them off, nor did they panic when Springfield moved the ball or scored.
“Usually, the old Fremont kids would have bowed their heads and dropped down but this is a different group of kids who are fighting for all four quarters,” Long said. “To put up 28 points against a team like that and playing sloppy and having 125 yards in penalties, those are effort mistakes. I can’t fault them. It’s effort mistakes. It’s simple things.”