This past weekend was definitely an emotional rollercoaster for the team. Friday night the Titans scratched and clawed their way back from a 15 point deficit with 7:00 to go in the game to win by 4. The guys showed alot of heart coming all the way back like they did. The easy thing to do would be to just say it wasn't our night or 'we'll get them next time' but when you have worked as hard as these players have, it is difficult to surrender. Great job Friday night!
Saturday night we probably felt what Benson did on Friday night. Having a 16 point lead in the 1st half, the Titans lost a tough one by 3 points. Give credit to Kearney for having the toughness to keep battling even when things looked bleak for them. This was a tough one to swallow. Hopefully we learned some valuable lessons with this game. We could make lots of excuses but it is important that what you accept in victory you must accept in defeat.
I saw a story about a year ago on ESPN that involved the famous boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. Atlas talked about what he called 'The Gray Room' for boxers, which is the moment of truth for a reeling boxer. The boxer has a choice: he can retreat to the darkness, surrendering to his opponent, or fight his way back to the light.
This can be used in any other sport or more importantly any part of life. When the tough teams enter 'The Gray Room', they know that in order to break through, they must make the choice to continue to battle, never surrendering to their opponent. They must have a voice inside their head that pushes them to new heights, breaking down any barriers that were previously in the way. Championship caliber teams have the ability to fight through adverse conditions on a consistent basis. We have done a good job with this all year, and continue to strive to reach this level on a consistent basis!! There are only a handful of teams that will improve the rest of the year. These are the teams that can successfully break through 'The Gray Room'!
We look forward to preparing for a very good Papillion-LaVista team on Saturday night. The players remain focused on the task at hand: striving to play hard, play smart, and play together!
"4 is to 1 as mental is to physcial" - John Wooden
-Coach Cooley
