Learning to compete

If you did not make the trip to North Little Rock this past Friday you missed one heck of a game.  I was so proud of the way our kids competed.  We played as hard as I have seen us play.  NLR is a very talented team and one of the favorites to win the conference and we went toe to toe with them.  Unfortunately we were unable to hang on in the end but it was not for the lack of effort.  I think our kids learned Friday that they could play with anybody.  This team has come a long way in just a short time and we still have much room for improvement.  Our attitude is that we are going to get better each week.  I can see that happening and I look forward to the weeks to come.  This is a fun group to coach and if they continue to give great effort we will have the opportunity to win many games.  It will be nice to be home again this Friday and I hope everyone in Russellville comes out to watch us against Little Rock Central.  Go Cyclones!

Big Win

Sorry I haven't blogged since our win vs Alma.  It was a great game and a much needed win for our kids and our coaching staff.  It was a roller coaster of a game and I was completely exhausted after it was over.  I felt like I had played four quarters.  I was really proud of the way our kids played.  There were several moments during the game where we could have let it get away from us but because we kept playing hard we gave ourselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter.  That is what Cyclone football is all about.  Up next is a very good North Little Rock team.  Our goal each week is to improve from our last game.  Our conference is loaded with talented teams and NLR is just one of those.  We have had a good week of preparation and we look forward to the trip to NLR and playing a great football game.  I hope all Cyclone fans make the short trip down I 40 and give our kids tremendous support Friday night.  Go Cyclones!

Tough Start

Cyclone fans it has been a very tough start to the season so far.  We have played two very good football teams but the Cyclones have not played very good football.  We are much better than what we have shown the past two Friday nights.  This coaching staff is doing everything possible to get these kids in a situation they can be successful.  We have worked way too hard for this season to go as the last two weeks have gone.  This is a big week for this program and these kids and it is time to start playing better football.  We have shown signs but have yet to put anything together for a full game.  You can't win games against good football teams doing that.  We must be more consistent and do all the little things in order to get this turned around.  I want our kids to regain some confidence and believe in themselves.  If we can get these kids playing hard for each other great things can happen.  I know this, I will not rest until we get this thing fixed.  Go Cyclones!

Going to get better

I promise Cyclone fans it is going to get better.  I know the score did not reflect it but we were just a couple of plays away from making it a different game.  We missed some big opportunities that would have changed the momentum of the game.  We didn't and Morrilton took advantage of our mistakes.  They are a very talented team and will do well in their conference.  Our coaching staff has spent all weekend figuring out how to improve our football team.  We just need to gain some confidence and the only way to do that is play better and have more success on the field.  We have some playmakers on offense and some good players on defense that just need to make it happen of Friday night.  We are going to work our tails off this week to prepare for a very good Fayetteville Bulldog team.  I hope everyone gets a chance to follow us to Fayetteville.  Go Cyclones!

Game Week vs Devil Dogs

The season will kick off, as it usually does, with the Morrilton Devil Dogs coached by former Russellville assistant Cody McNabb.  Coach McNabb is an outstanding coach and he had the Devil Dogs finishing on a high note last year beating Siloam Springs.  He has one of the most talented players in the state at running back with Jamar Criswell.  He might be one of the best backs we will face all year.  They also have a big go-to receiver in Warren Leaphart.  Our defense will have its hands full trying to contain a very potent Devil Dog offense.  The best thing we can do is keep it away from them and that means we need to execute on offense and keep their offense on the sideline.  We have a really good senior running back ourselves in Kendall Bond and I look for him to have a great senior year.  If we can run the football effectively it will open up our offense to get the ball in the hands of our talented receivers.  It should be a very entertaining game and I hope all Cyclone fans plan to take the trip with us.  Go Cyclones!

Almost time for football

Hello Cyclone fans. This is my first blog on our new website and I wanted to tell people a little bit about our team. I am proud of the way our guys have worked over the offseason and the summer. It seems like we have been practicing forever and we still have over a week until our first game vs Morrilton. It was nice to be able to scrimmage someone else this past Tuesday. I enjoyed watching other kids from different schools play and it just proved what I have been saying for years that the River Valley has some of the best football in the state of Arkansas. I hope there is at least one conference champion, and even a state champion, out of one of our RV football teams. I was very impressed with Clarksville, Danville, and Dardanelle. I want to wish them all good luck this year. As for the Cyclones, I am excited to get this new year under way. Last year was a tough rebuilding year for us and, although we are still young, you are going to see a much improved football team. If we can continue to find the right pieces of the puzzle, I think we can put together a quality team. I will be blogging about some of our kids each week and I hope to give the readers a little more insight about our program. I can't wait until next week and I hope all Cyclone fans make the trip down I-40 to Morrilton to help support the Crimson Cyclones. The game starts at 7:00. Until next time, GO CYCLONES!