SORSN: The Waves face a familiar opponent this week, the Harriman Blue Devils. It’s always hard to beat the same team twice and the Waves have proven this in recent years, losing in the playoffs to teams they had beaten in the regular season. From a coach’s point of view, what do you do differently, if anything, to prepare for a playoff game in which you are playing a team for a 2nd time?
Coach O’Toole: In the past we have had trouble keeping focus from the players but not this year the coaches and players all know that Harriman is a very good team and to win Midway needs to bring its A game. Also a packed house and some wild fence walkers could give us a big advantage.
SORSN: Your special teams were a man short last week against Grace Christian. Your big legged bigger/”give me the dang ball” receiver, Mark Childers, was in street clothes Friday night due to in-school issues. Will we have a full roster this week? How difficult is it to keep the team focused/eligible as you go in to the 12th week of the season?
Coach O’Toole: You would think that being the 2nd round of the state playoffs players would do anything to stay out of trouble but I guess Janikowski slipped up
SORSN: Is Steven Blasko about to make a push to become the teams leading receiver? Is he calling for the ball on every play?
Coach O’Toole: Yes he is. Blasko is a secret weapon that other teams have not seen. He is so secret that we don’t even know about him.
SORSN: What will become of Coach Jerry Walker’s tan now that we are in the playoffs and the temperature has dropped?
Coach O’Toole: Coach Walker has been getting a little pail looking and that comment was brought up by him in our weekly coaches meeting. Since then, he has demanded that he and Coach Gordon not have to share the tanning bed and he have it all to himself (refer back to Ryan Hargas’s interview)
I would also like to thank the parents for pre game meals this season and especially Tim, our new MAC president, for the cookout last week. The BBQ was great and the pie was wonderful.