SORSN: With the team opening the season with a win at Wartburg and playing Harriman till the very end, were you as surprised by the outcome last Friday as the fans were? What was the locker room like after the game?
Jack: Not as much surprised as disappointed, we beat ourselves. Well, it was quiet but I think the team is starting to wake up to the fact that we have to do our jobs to win games.
SORSN: An old coaches philosophy is ‘you play like you practice’. How were the practices last week? Were there any indications, based on practices, that things were a little “off”?
Jack: The practices were executed good but the team mesh isn’t there yet, and we aren’t playing with enough aggression. No, we just need some aggression “Big Hits”, in practice.
SORSN: The running game had better success last week than against Harriman. Do you think of this as a sign of things beginning to improve on the ground?
Jack: Yeah, the holes are growing and the running back are improving tremendously. The biggest thing is YAC(Yards after Contact).
SORSN: A loss is just a loss….any great team or player will tell you that you have to move on and focus on the next game. This week is the classic rural public school vs. suburban private school. What’s the attitude of the team when preparing for teams such as the khaki slacks of Grace?
Jack: Well, I’m not going to lie. Grace is probably the most hated team at Midway right now. So I’m hopping that the aggression level will grow.
SORSN: We are 3 weeks into the season and have yet to hear the ‘SOR’ chant from the sidelines or fans. To quote one fence walker, “the only time I hear SOR chanted is right as they run out. Then you can almost hear the crickets after that.” In your opinion, has the lack of enthusiasm from the sidelines and crowd been a factor in the last 2 games? How important is that “12th” man atmosphere? Whose responsibility is it to start the SOR chant and do they need to be reminded of how vital it is?
Jack: It really is very important. I don’t know what happened to the Midway stands this year but when you hear them out there yelling it is a huge boost and the sidelines need to get in the game too and get the crowd pumped up.
SORSN: Tell us Jack, do you have any pre-game rituals? Superstitions?
Jack: I pray, write a bible verse on my shoe and get ready to be mean out there.
SORSN: What’s the deal with ‘I before E’? And why does ‘C’ get special treatment?
Jack: I’m not really sure about that one, but I guess its just one of those things like why is the sky blue?