You want the kids to stay focused during a long bus ride, you want the other team to play hard, and you want your team to play the best they can.

We had a couple of kids make some poor decisions.

Until our kids start believing in the potential they have, that's exactly what it will be - just potential, ... We're getting some good individual efforts from a handful of guys but we're not getting it from a lot of others. Everyone, including us coaches, expected big things from this bunch. But if the players don't realize the opportunity they have, we might end up being just another better-than-average Hilliard football team that wins seven games or so.

(Reed) is a guy that all he wants to do is play defense, ... Even when we're running our first-team offense against our scout team defense at practice, he wants to be out there. He just never quits. He has played with confidence the first one-and-a-half games, which makes him that much better. Our defense as a whole needs to gain that type of confidence.

The way that this school is able to get kids to play at championship levels speaks volumes about the area and the type of kids that go to the school. Anybody can say they want to do it, but it takes pride, dedication and the will to work to actually get it done. And these kids believe in getting the job done.

One thing is for sure, our kids aren't taking the chance to play for granted any more. Based on what they've seen and heard in the last week, being able to play this game means something to them.