Week 4: Logan @ Jonathan Alder

[TRENCHFOOT]

going to be a nice night for football. mid 60's by kick off. LETS GO CHIEFS!!

[loganlocos]

I believe they called that team "Mel's Mighty Mites" if I recall correctly. Laid the foundation for a VERY good decade of Logan football. The '63 team led by OSU-bound Robbie Johnson ran roughshod over the league, the '64 team was unbeaten, and '65 team was very good despite heavy losses from the year before and a sophomore Fullback (who was outstanding.)

I would guess the team you coached at Logan was probably the '67 team, which is still, IMO, the best team ever at LHS that did NOT win a league title losing to Meigs in the first year after they consolidated from Pomeroy, Middleport, and Rutland.

And agree 1000000% regarding "playing kids with names" - I hear that at every school and every community I've been in. I think it's true about 0% of the time. Doesn't mean Logan doesn't have its issues, but I don't believe that's one.

And Paladin, you are right about playing a system and Logan has found a system on offense and the results show that. They are limited at QB but have been able to get their best kids the ball. Would like to see a few of the athletes on the outside get a few more touches, and think that will get easier against slower teams the 2nd half of the season.

Logan MUST get better. Results recently should be, and IMO are, unacceptable. Its no good blaming talent alone, coaching alone, schedule alone, etc.

It is a group issue. The program is not strong. The right formula is needed to get it back on track, hopefully Logan is getting closer to that formula.

[loganlocos]

Also, the 2003 Chiefs (class of 2004) had only 8 seniors their senior year and went 6-4 with losses to DeSales and Westerville South in the non-league part of the sched. I don't think the '03 and '12 teams are that different in the talent department. ('03 certainly stronger, but not overwhelmingly IMO).

The 1999 team has 9 seniors. Won the SEOAL title and made the first playoff appearance in 12 years finishing 9-2. Granted, they had 2 of the best classes in school history behind them.

Cut out the mistakes, don't give things away (penalty yardage, turnovers, special teams), and this team can win games. But they don't have much margin for error. They have to EXECUTE in every phase and on every play. They aren't good enough for mistakes, period.

[1987chieftains]

GO CHIEFS!!

[Chiefs_65]

I believe they called that team "Mel's Mighty Mites" if I recall correctly. Laid the foundation for a VERY good decade of Logan football. The '63 team led by OSU-bound Robbie Johnson ran roughshod over the league, the '64 team was unbeaten, and '65 team was very good despite heavy losses from the year before and a sophomore Fullback (who was outstanding.)

I would guess the team you coached at Logan was probably the '67 team, which is still, IMO, the best team ever at LHS that did NOT win a league title losing to Meigs in the first year after they consolidated from Pomeroy, Middleport, and Rutland.

And agree 1000000% regarding "playing kids with names" - I hear that at every school and every community I've been in. I think it's true about 0% of the time. Doesn't mean Logan doesn't have its issues, but I don't believe that's one.

And Paladin, you are right about playing a system and Logan has found a system on offense and the results show that. They are limited at QB but have been able to get their best kids the ball. Would like to see a few of the athletes on the outside get a few more touches, and think that will get easier against slower teams the 2nd half of the season.

Logan MUST get better. Results recently should be, and IMO are, unacceptable. Its no good blaming talent alone, coaching alone, schedule alone, etc.

It is a group issue. The program is not strong. The right formula is needed to get it back on track, hopefully Logan is getting closer to that formula.

'64 team was a team with no weaknesses...Most points scored, least given up...best bunch of kids...

[noreply66]

I agree the 64 team was the best

[noreply66]

28/00 Alder??????????

[javagt]

After 3 Q's
Jonathan Alder 35
Logan 0

[noreply66]

After 3 Q's
Jonathan Alder 35
Logan 0

Come Back Time

[javagt]

Jackson / Athens game must be good

[TRENCHFOOT]

I agree the 64 team was the best

the 77 team was a well oiled machine also. gasser,hallet.armstrong,tucker,mckinley,dalton. just to name a few.

[jottings]

Final score?

[LHS 72]

We are developing a curture of losing, We all understand Jonathan Alder is a good team but!

Jonathan Alder 35

Logan 0

[questionmark]

As an Athens Fan, Former Bulldog Player and Coach I will say this...

Keep your heads up. Nobody likes losing. I have been part of both sides of the argument...winniing and losing...

My football coaches took a bunch of kids, that had not be a part of Winning Football games in High School and lead them to some great years of Football. He had been around for the Great Days of Athens Football as an assistant (pre-90's) and began his head Coaching in (2001). His first year, he had a Senior Class of 19 that was extremly skilled athletes, and had a history of winning from youth-middle. But the 1990's and early 2000's were very difficult for Athens Football on Friday Nights for the High school team. Our program was in shambles and we were the bottom feeders. As the saying goes, Winning Breeds Winning...well it works the opposite way as well, Losing Breeds Losing. What happened in 2001 was that a group of Men came together as Coaches and remained Athens coaches from 2001-2004. What also happened was that a group of players who had been winners at the various levels were determined to put in the effort and time to WIN on Friday Nights. We didn't set the world on fire, but we got our program back to respectability. We competed for League Championship and Play-Off spots in 2002 & 2003. We got the young kids who were watching behind us interested in Football again. Unfortuntely, after our Head Coach took a new job and the staff left with him, a new coach came in and tried to run a system our kids could not run and the result was 3 years of frustration and losing. A change was made, and the school brought in a person familiar to the program (Coached on the 2001-03 staff as well as year before), played for the Bulldogs and was dedicated to bring Athens Football back to respectability. The teams started to wins some games and more kids came out for the team. With more kids came battles for positions that lead to kids improving to try and earn playing time. The community was once again behind the program and interest in the program is at an all-time high right now (look at the Tornado that ripped the Stadium into pieces that lead to our new state of the art playing field.)

A program is only as good as it want to be. You need coaches who build chemistry and know how to use their athletes. You need players who buy into the system and who want to put in the time and effort to become winners. You need community support, nothing is better than seeing posters of your team around town and then seeing the stands filled with supporters. All of that is easy when you are winning all the time. But it is very hard when you have been floored and have to climb your way back up. It Take steps, and time.

I know that Logan will figure this out. When I think of Football, I think of Logan and the program I competed against as a player. I wanted a program like that for me and my teammates and It made us want to beat them even more. (Unfortnately my class never did).

I leave you guys on here with this. If you think 3 years of struggles is bad, try having a DECADE of this feeling.
High School football is a 2-way street. You need Coaches who are committed and players who are committed.

[dazed&confused]

I think most Logan fans thought this or something like this would happen last night. No big surprise. Now it's on to N-Y. Hard to believe just three years removed from undefeated seasons that a game against N-Y would be one of the most important must-win games in recent memory.