Warrior Football Week 1

It was a great start to the football season with both the varsity and MS programs picking up wins. I was very pleased with the speed at which we played the game, our effort and how we hit. We certainly have things to work on and improve and most football teams make their biggest improvements between their first and second games.

Coach Gentry is a little sore but was ready to get back in the game. He was at our meeting and back to work Saturday morning.

Weekly Theme - Unity
Romans 15:5-6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

High School Week 1 Schedule

Monday, August 30-3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 31- 3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, September 1-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Half Shell) Pictures right after school in blue uniform
Thursday, September 2-3:45 to 5:15 PM (Half Shell) JV Game at Home against Northland at 6 PM*
Friday, September 3- Away Game against Northland Christian at 7:00 PM Bus leaves at 4:35

Middle School Week 1 Schedule
Monday, August 30-3:45 to 6:00 PM (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 31- 3:45 to 5:45 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, September 1-3:45 to 5:30 PM Pictures (Blue Game Uniform )
Thursday, September 2-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Full Pads)

Game Film for High School
We will watch game film as a team starting at 7 AM in the field house. Brazos Christian game film will be up on our website later today. Scout film for Northland has already been uploaded to the website for your son to watch.

Uniforms
I have had to pick up some nice uniforms off the floor and out of lockers the last two weeks. Please make sure your son is taking care of his responsibility to be a good steward of his uniform.

Team Pictures
We will take team pictures right after school on Wednesday. We will wear our home (blue) game uniform for the pictures. Once the pictures are done we will practice until 5:30. Because the MS does not have a game this week HS will go first. Pictures always take longer than expected but if they get done early they will practice until the regular end of practice at 5:30.

Labor Day Practice
We will have high school and middle school B team practice in the afternoon on Monday, September 1 starting at 3:45 like a regular after school practice. A team only players will have Monday off.

You Can Do One More

One of my favorite football traditions at Cypress Christian took place today. We push the team to the limit to see just what they are made of because I believe you can always do one more. Life will be much tougher than an individual football practice at some point for everyone of our players they will be at a point where they simply want to quit. It is my desire that they will be prepared for that day because they will have a mindset that no matter how tough things get they can stand on the rock of Christ Jesus and do one more. Players kept coming back to the line tonight committed to do one more time and time again until we as coaches finally walk the line and shake each players hand with words of encouragement about the season. We cannot control where we start but we can control how we finish and today was a great day to see us finish as a team. Today was the end of the beginning of the 2010 season. While we are all excited about what is in store it was also an emotional day as we close a chapter of our lives and look to the next.

Football Week 0

It is finally time to play a real game. I was very pleased with what I saw on Friday night in Fort Bend. We are really playing some great defense. Our offense is a little banged up in a few key spots but we are certainly ahead of last year and I am anticipating a great deal of improvement in the next few weeks. The MS will start out with a tough opponent but I would not have it any other way. They have made a lot of progress since the first scrimmage and they will continue to close the gap as the season goes along.

Weekly Theme - Sacrifice
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

High School Week 0 Schedule
Monday, August 23-3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 24- 3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 25-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Half Shell)
Thursday, August 26-3:45 to 5:15 PM (Half Shell)
Friday, August 27- Home Game against Brazos Christian at 7:30 PM

Brazos Christian JV Game
We will play Brazos Christian in a JV game but it will not be this Saturday. I am expecting the Westbury to cancel our JV game and if that is the case we will play Brazos Christian on 9/11 otherwise it will be later in the season.

Middle School Week 0 Schedule

Monday, August 23-3:45 to 6:00 PM (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 24- 3:45 to 5:45 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 25-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Half Shell)
Thursday, August 26-Game at Northland at 5:00 PM Bus will leave at 3:40

Football Parent Meeting
I have uploaded a new version of the parent handout with a few corrections to the website at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Parents.cfm. There are simply too many things that need to be updated every season.

Season tickets
If you have purchased season tickets they will be available at the gate on Friday. If you have not there is still time. www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Tickets1.cfm

Loving Your Teammate

We talk about love a lot as a football program and today I saw a great example. We want to love our teammates in order to make them better. We want them to be better football players, better students, better friends, better men and most importantly better Christians. Football is a game of hard hits and we have seen a lot in the past few weeks. When you play against your own teammates in practice you tend to let up and not play all out. Not hitting as hard as we can does not make our teammates better. We encourage our defense to make big hits in practice and last week I encourage our offense to thank them for it when they do. If our receivers learn to take big hits in practice they will make big plays on Friday and today we did just that. Troy Mason went across the middle, his brother put the ball right on him and Kyle Moon brought one tremendous hit. Troy caught the ball, jumped up, gave Kyle a high five and thanked him for a great hit. This happened two more times with the same players and by that time it was contagious. We made it a great day today and it was all related to two players loving each other enough to do the hard work of making each other better.

Football Week -1

I saw some good things at both the high school and middle school scrimmage. I believe that both teams are much further along than they were at this point last year. We are always looking to close the gap between our potentials and our performance and will continue to improve at all levels throughout the season.

Weekly Theme - Love
1 John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.”

High School Week -1 Schedule
Monday, August 16-3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads) (Parent meeting in the gym at 7:00)
Tuesday, August 17- 3:45 to 6:10 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 18-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Half Shell)
Thursday, August 19-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Half Shell) (Football parent meeting in the grandstand at 5:30)
Friday, August 20- Scrimmage at Fort bend Baptist at 7:00 PM (Bus leaves at 4:30)

Middle School Week -1 Schedule
Monday, August 16-3:45 to 6:00 PM (Full Pads) (Parent meeting in the gym at 7:00)
Tuesday, August 17- 3:45 to 6:00 PM (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 18-3:45 to 5:30 PM (Full Pads)
Thursday, August 19-3:45 to 6:00 PM (Full Pads) (Football parent meeting in the grandstand at 6:00)
Friday, August 20- 3:45 to 5:30 PM (Full Pads)-This will be the last Friday Practice for middle school.

School Wide Parent Meeting
This is a required meeting for any parent that will have a son or daughter participating in a sport at CCS during the 2010-2011 school year. The meeting will be from 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM on Monday, August 16 in the gym.

Football Parent Meeting
Thursday we will have a football parent meeting at 5:30 for HS and 6:00 for MS in the grandstand to go over some basic information about the season. Please plan to attend as this meeting is a great time to answer a lot of questions that are often asked of the coaches throughout the season. If you have not already had an opportunity to sign up for the various volunteer opportunities that we need help with throughout the season you will have another opportunity. We are only asking everyone to serve 3 times and many of the opportunities do not require you to miss any part of the game.

Away Game Travel
Football players do not go home after school on game days. Your son will be feed a meal after school and then we will load the bus and leave. It is our goal to arrive at least two hours before kickoff when playing a road game.

Season Tickets
We are getting close to selling out so order today at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Tickets1.cfm. Season tickets are good for all home games at any level. 10% of all season ticket sales go to the school benevolence fund and another 10% goes to the general athletic booster account so you are helping more than just football.

Practice Clothing
Our practice clothing really will be in this week. Your son will receive a pair of shorts and a shirt. They should wear this clothing for practice and team functions.

Warrior Football (HS and MS) - Week -2

We had a great first week of practice with the high school and we are much further along than we were at this point last year. It has been exciting to see players rise up to new challenges, excel at new positions, and come together as a team. I am sure your son is sore and tired but that is normal and will continue for another week or so before their body gets fully adjusted to football. The best thing to do for injuries is to put ice on them and have your son talk with Coach Van Pelt at practice.

Middle school football will start this week. We are looking forward to a great middle school season with 40 football players and the largest 8th grade class we have ever had. If you are new to football you may have a lot of questions and we will have a parent meeting during the first full week of school. I will be at the end of the middle school practice tomorrow and available to answer questions. They will wear cleats, shorts and t-shirts tomorrow along with their helmet.

Thank you for the great turnout at the kickoff party. Football is certainly about building community and we want to continue to build a great tradition around football at Cypress Christian. I hope you make plans to bring friends and family out every Friday night.

Weekly Theme - Building a Foundation
Psalms 18:2a “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
Matthew 16:18 “…on this rock I will build my church

High School Week -2 Schedule
Monday, August 9-3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)
Tuesday, August 10- 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)
Wednesday, August 11-3:30 to 5:30 pm (Full Pads)
Thursday, August 12-Scrimmage at 4:30 at home against Lutheran North
Friday, August 13- 4:00 to 5:30 pm (Helmet)
Saturday, August 14-8:00 to 10:00 am (Full Pads)

Middle School Week -2 Schedule
Monday, August 9-6:00 to 8:00 pm (Helmet)
Tuesday, August 10- 6:00 to 8:00 pm (Helmet)
Wednesday, August 11-3:30 to 5:30 pm (Helmet and Shoulder Pads)
Thursday, August 12-4:00 to 6:00 pm (Full Pads)
Friday, August 13- 4:00 to 5:30 pm (Full Pads)

Football Booster club
Season tickets, coaches shirts, replica jersey, team autographed football, annual dinner, car decals, media guide, highlight DVD, membership in the general booster club, other benefits and the satisfaction that you are helping the whole school as 10% of your gift goes to the school benevolence fund and another 10% goes to the general athletic booster account. To join today or for more details go to www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Football-Booster-Club.cfm

Season Tickets
We will sell a lot of season tickets at Blue and White night so reserve your seats today. It is possible that we could sell out, which would certainly be a nice problem to have. 10% of all season ticket sales go to the school benevolence fund and another 10% goes to the general athletic booster account so you are helping more than just football. www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Tickets1.cfm

Blue and White Night
The annual school kickoff party will be Friday night starting at 5:30 in the gym. You can purchase your dinner tickets at www.CypressChristian.org/Parents/Blue-and-White-Dinner-Reservation.cfm.

High school will simply be watching film at practice so your son can go straight from practice to the event. They are welcome to wear their new uniforms and will be introduced at the event. Middle school players will not have time to go home after practice. We are planning to issue them their uniform so that they can wear it. We have had to order more uniforms and they are not in yet so this may not be possible.

Practice Clothing
Our practice clothing should be in this week. Your son will receive a pair of shorts and a shirt. They should wear this clothing for practice and team functions.

HS Football Week -3

August is here and it is time for football. I could not be more excited about the next five months. This is week -3. Our first game will be played week 0 and I have no idea why we do it this way in Texas. The schedule for the first week and other important information follows. A date has not yet been determined but we will be having a football parent meeting at the end of one of the practices that will probably answer some questions you might have. It will probably be next week so if you have any questions prior to that do not hesitate to ask.

We come off the field from 5:30 to 6:00 each night to talk about one of our nine principles for building men. It would be good for your son to have a snack like trail mix at that time. They will get plenty of water and Gatorade throughout practice. It will be hot but we will take good care of them.

Weekly Theme
Purpose
Acts 17:26b “He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Week -3 Schedule
Monday, August 2-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Tuesday, August 3-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Wednesday, August 4-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Helmet Only)*
Thursday, August 5-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)^
Friday, August 6-8:00 to 10:00 am# and 3:30 to 7:00 pm (Full Pads)^
Saturday, August 7-8:00 to 10:00 am (Full Pads)

Practice Clothing (Your son should have cleats for all practices)
#This practice will be in the weight room and on the track so tennis shoes will be needed
*Your son needs shorts and t-shirt for Helmet Only practices. Our practice clothing will not be in until the following week.
^Your son should always have an extra pair of shorts in his locker as we will probably wear shorts for the 6 to 7 part of practice on Thursday and Friday.

Texans Practice
Next week we are planning to take the team to a Texans practice. This is optional but a great opportunity. As a staff we have been to several practices this year and have learned a lot of good things. We will take the bus from the school and will probably need to leave at about 7 am. We will return back to school at about lunch time. There will not be morning practices next week. When all the details are set I will send out more information.

Kickoff party
The football kickoff party will be held in the stadium at CCS on Saturday, August 7 at 6 pm. It will be a bring your own pizza pot luck. If you do not want to pick up your favorite pizza on the way you can bring $10 per family and we will order from Gattis when everyone arrives. The kickoff party is a great time to meet coaches, players and parents. We will introduce players and talk briefly about the season.

There are many volunteers that are needed to make football possible on Friday nights. If everyone takes a turn that amount of work is pretty limited and rarely do you miss any of the action. More information about the volunteer opportunities and signup sheets will be available at the kickoff party.

Forms
Your son will need 4 forms filled out and turned into the Cindy Wilhite. I would like to have all of these turned in by the first practice. See the website at www.CypressChristian.org/Athletics/Forms.cfm for more details.

Support the Football Program
Season ticket, football booster club and sponsorship information is available at www.CypressChristian.org/Football/Support.cfm