Posted June 1st, 2008
They say “once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat”.
I know that’s true for the kids, maybe the parents also, only time will tell for this parent, but so far it looks that way.
I would like to reflect back on the last two and half years that I have been associated with Wildcat football, both as a parent of a player and someone who tried to add a little bit to the program by running the Plano Wildcats Quarterback Club website.
It goes by too fast, so if you are the parent of a player, enjoy everything you can about the “game” and everything associated with it. You are only one play or one practice away from seeing it end. More on this later.
When 2006 Quarterback Club President and good friend Carlos Cuevas said they needed someone to run the website I volunteered, or maybe Carlos volunteered me, I don’t really remember. However, once I took the role on I had a small problem. I knew nothing about running a website, dumb move.
Thanks to a good friend who did know, he helped me set up the software on the site which could be run by a “website dummy” (me) and in March of 2006 we launched the site “PlanoWildcatQBClub.com
As of this writing (June 1st, 2008) 1,184,840 hits and 212 posts later, the website moves on to bigger and better things.
What made it such a great experience? As with all things, it’s all the people you end up getting to know and those special people who are always doing all the work. Friendships and memories are made that will last well beyond Plano football, thank you!
The stadium doesn’t decorate itself, the donations don’t just roll in and those events like the barbeques, team dinners, golf tournaments, 7 on 7 organization and many other events don’t just magically unfold. Just ask the Cuevas’s (Rosie too), the Wooten’s, the Abeyta’s, the Huss’s, the Huechteman’s, Marv, the Everett’s, the Schattle’s, the Reese’s, the Coston’s, the Yerby’s, the Elbel’s, the Walker’s, the Burkhead’s, the McJunkin’s, the Talley’s, the Secor’s, Jim Basham, Mike Sigman, the Martin’s and too many more that I didn’t mention (my apologies) along with so many that are taking over this year who will put in countless and sometimes thankless hours to make their contributions to the program. Well done and thank you from all the fans and parents of Plano Football, both past, present and future.
I enjoyed watching “our kids” the last few years. Certainly a 13-2 record and going all the way to the semi-finals last year was part of that. But that was a “special group” of kids or should I say “young men”. Not just because of their record. They were fun to watch, and always exhibited good sportsmanship on and off the field. What more could you ask?
And many we have had the good fortune to watch for several years. I will always hold great memories of my son’s teammates; kids like Andrew, Nate, Brennan, Landen, Ryan (Holland), Rex, Blake, CJ, Greg, Noah, Carlos (Big Los), Chris (Mendenhall and Bolte), Kris, Kenny, Raphael, Wes (Big Nasty), Jonathan, Marcus, Michael (Sheffield and Daniel), Thomas, Pablo and Donovan. Some I had the pleasure to also watch during their couple years in the Texas Select Football League and many as they came up with our son through Vines HS and Wilson Middle School.
Not only the kids, but also their parents, who were so much fun to be around and to watch football with. And in some cases their grandparents. I don’t think there was anything better than listening to Blake McJunkins grandfather “Herb” during Vines HS games always yelling out encouragement to “our kids”. Small crowds and Herb’s booming voice made him a fixture of those kids seasons. And trust me, they all heard him, thanks Herb!
The Wildcats enjoyed a great season last year, but it wasn’t without its disappointments and heartache.
And the old saying, “life isn’t always fair”, still holds true. Enjoy every minute of your child’s experience in high school athletics and don’t take it for granted.
The ugly part of football is the injury part.
Pound for pound there was no one more competitive or who worked harder than #9 Andrew Huechteman. Andrew’s senior season was abruptly halted the first day of practice last fall when he was hurt with a season ending injury. But what did Andrew and his parents do, they continued to be at every practice and support their teammates and all those who support Plano Football. I don’t think anyone worked harder than Andrew’s mother Sarah and I know that it wasn’t any fun to see Andrew in street clothes for 15 games. Andrew was a special football player that we were unfairly robbed of watching play last season.
And of course that leads to another disappointment a little closer to home.
My lovely and wonderful wife, and Ryan’s mother Debra, never wanted our Ryan to play football. In large part because her husband has a couple of bad knees from his high school sports days.
After countless “discussions” and Ryan promising his mother to become an Eagle Scout, she relented the summer before his seventh grade. Fortunately she is not one to say “I told you so”, good thing!
When you are 900 miles away from home and you get a call on your cell phone on an October Tuesday at 4:30 PM (when your son should be at practice), you immediately know something is wrong. When your son tells you he heard his knee ”pop” and collapse you get a sick feeling in your stomach, because he’s heard the pop before with his first ACL rupture during his last football game as a Freshman. He knows and deep down inside you know you are probably done watching your son play football for Plano.
Your surgeon gives your son a choice; if there is no meniscus damage, they can clean the knee up and he can try and play with a brace in 2-3 weeks after the MCL sprain heals. Of course, he wants that to be the case. And when Ryan woke up from surgery in the recovery room, what’s the first thing he asks the anesthesiologist who is a personal friend? “Did they repair my ACL”? The answer that he didn’t want to hear was yes. He knows he’s done, but like Andrew, he stays a part of the team, enjoys the wins and sheds the tears in the Texas Stadium locker room after their “second season” and their last as a Wildcat.
But, they will always have their “teammates”!
And after months and months of rehab, you tear the same knee up again on a recruiting visit to a D1 school who wants you to play for them even after an abbreviated senior season, you know the man upstairs has different plans for you. But he will always be both an Eagle Scout and a Wildcat. We couldn’t be prouder.
And as with this website, Plano Football and the Quarterback Club, you not only move on but you let other more talented people take it to a higher level.
Plano Football has a lot to look forward to. You can already see it with the Quarterback Club’s outings, how refreshing! Well done Ann and David Talley and all those special people who are making it happen!
Those people not close to the inner workings of Plano Football will judge a head football coach by his wins and loses. Certainly coaches can and should be judged in part by this measurement.
Beyond the wins and loses comes another set of measurements that are probably more important.
Is he genuine? Does he have your child’s best interest in mind with his comments and actions? Will he encourage your child? Will he have the respect of his players, assistant coaches and the parents alike? Will he come up and say something encouraging to your child when less than 24 hours after a season ending surgery he comes out to the practice field to be with his teammates? Or will he be the only coach who ignores him? Will he partner with the Quarterback Club, or simply use it. Will he make practice interesting and competitive? Will he promote your child to colleges who are looking for kids to play at the next level? Will he return their phone calls? Will he pass on the recruiting mail to kids, or will it sit in his office for months? Will he listen to you when you speak, or will he not hear a word you said, but just go through the motions of making you think he is listening? When you hear current and past players talk about him will it be with disdain or with respect? Will he be demanding yet encouraging to your child? Will he make them a better person?
Plano football is lucky to have Jaydon McCullough as its new head coach. Regardless of when the first win comes, the program is now in very good hands!
And you can’t forget about the memories that will be preserved by the guys behind the cameras who have become a fixture of Plano Football; “Big Lou” and “Thad Fenton”. Along with being some of greatest people you will ever have a chance to know, they have always been there; spring scrimmages, 7 on 7 SQT’s, the heat and humidity of the State 7 on 7 tournaments and of course, game days. All in the name of capturing a moment in time for our kids that we can keep forever. Thank you Lou and Thad, you guys are special!
Now if Rex will just commit to play for my Huskers, everything will be just fine.
Always a Wildcat Fan,
#27’s father
Posted by admin on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 11:12 am