| Discipline Is The Difference |
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| The Blitz - Team News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Brandon A. Odoi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 17 September 2009 19:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Over the past 20 years the Scott Lake Youth Football prorgam has build a tradition of success. This year's Scott Lake 135 lb carry on that tradition and comes in at #2 in this week's Blitz Top 100 Ranking.
As the sun sets on another day in Miami Gardens, 32 young men are aligned in five rows in white tees and black pants stretching in Scott Park. With helmets only, this Friday night practice under the lights is the final preparation for one of the most highly anticipated games of the season for the Scott Lake Vikings 135 lb team.
“Let’s go!” That cadence from Vikings Head Coach Buddy Bailey launches his team into their warm up routine.
The team captains take over. “Vikings Jumping Jacks, everybody ready?” “Yes sir.” “Exercise.” “V-I-K-I-N-G-S.”
Just down the street less than 20 blocks south on NW 22nd Ave, their adversaries, the Bunche Park Cowboys, are also practicing. These two teams are staunch rivals in the South Florida Youth Football League’s (SFYFL) National South Division. Many of the coaches played high school ball together and the kids attend the same schools. They’ll meet at the end of the week in a highly anticipated match up.
Over the past 20 years in South Florida, the Scott Lake Youth Football program has been building a reputation of success. The optimist club has produced talented football players that have gone on to play college and professional football. NFL brothers Santana and Sinorice Moss are both former Vikings. Another notable alumnus is current Miami Hurricanes linebacker, Sean Spence, who was a freshman All-American last year. His little brother, Shermarke Spence, is a linebacker and running back for the 135 lb. Scott Lake team.
And the highly vaunted lure of great Scott Lake teams of the past is often recounted week after week on the sidelines of games as alumni and fans reflect on past successes of the Vikings, proudly wearing the maroon, white and black.
At the 135 lb. weight class, Scott Lake returns as Super Bowl Champions under the leadership of Coach Bailey. “Buddy’s Boyz,” as his teams have been known in the past, are hard nosed and ultra competitive. That’s why Coach Bailey boasts six championships in past ten years at the same age group and weight class equivalent. Five of those were with the Miami Lakes Jaguars (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006) and last year’s Scott Lake team in 2008. From that championship team, 10 players returned this year.
The respect that Coach Bailey garners along the sidelines prior too and after games speaks to the success his teams have had on the field and this year’s Scott Lake 135 lb. squad is no different.
As practice moves along, the warm ups continue with players all exercising in unison. Then, a disturbance occurs.
“Hey, what are you doing?” coach questions.
Bailey yells at late arriving player who runs through the middle of the warm up lines. “Come here!” It’s the starting center Antonio Fletcher. Fletcher jogs over in front of the coach and begins to try to explain breaking discipline by cutting through and not going to the back of the lines. “You know you gotta see me after practice, right?” The maroon helmet on Fletcher’s head drops as his heart sinks.
For breaking team rules, players on Coach Bailey’s team have to run extra laps and do exhausting up-down drills that train the body for physical contact. This team excels because they practice strict discipline in all aspects of play and preparation for games. No detail is too small.
Standout running back William Eailand, better known as Will-Will says he’s played for other coaches on other teams and the difference between them is clear. “These coaches are different. The other coaches if you talk back to them, they don’t care.” If you talk back to Coach Buddy, you have to pay.”
Back at practice, the fences at Scott Park are lined with parents and fans watching the players work out. Occasionally someone will yell out instructions to a player or encourage them by screaming “Come on yall.” The anticipation of the weekend’s game against Bunche Park is evident by their excitement.
Coach Buddy feels his team’s concentration may be loosening so he calls the entire team into a huddle near the east goalpost.
“What do I always tell you before the game?” he screams. “Focus,” the team shouts back. “Yall stand more to lose than they do,” he says. “They don’t have anything to lose!”
Losing is not something Scott Lake’s 135 lb. team has done much of. To date, they have not lost a game all season and do not plan on doing so. “Anything less than the Super Bowl is unacceptable,” says Coach Tony Graden. “That’s the team motto.”
And it’s those winning ways that attracts even more talent to the team and their highly regarded head coach.
Aisha Scott’s son, Kwasim West is the team’s starting wide receiver. Last year her son played in Miramar. But this year he’s a Viking. “A friend recommended that he try Scott Lake. I don’t know much about football. He said that’s where he wanted to play so that’s where I took him.” Kwasim, known as West to teammates, says he knew what he could do at Miramar, but just wanted a higher level of competition. The difference at Scott Lake, he says, is “better players, better discipline, and better coaches.”
Coach Bailey agrees. “Kids want to win. They see someone going to all these Super Bowls and they notice.”
The tradition continues.
Winning is infectious and the more Scott Lake wins, the better they become. “We thrive on discipline and toughness, and a whole lotta swagger,” Coach Bernard Woods explains. That’s what separates this 135 lb. squad from the rest of the league.
Another distinguishing factor is the organization of the team. Coach Bailey along with Assistant Head Coach Kirk Thomas have been together throughout all of the championship runs giving their teams consistency. Bailey directs the offense, Thomas manages the defense.
Also consider the help this team receives from other experienced coaches like Diallo “Dino” Johnson, current Norland High Head Junior Varsity coach and Coach Jack Arroyo, both former Miami Gardens Charger Optimist coaches. Coach Arroyo works with the Offensive line and more importantly, he keeps statistics during the games.
“At halftime, I inform the coaches on what plays are working and how many yards each offensive play is netting each time.” What Coach Arroyo does is a necessity for college and pro teams, but a luxury on this level.
On the field, the tempo begins to pick up after the team conference about focus. Friday practices are usually devoted to special teams. The field goal unit begins lining up to practice kicks. “My mother [is old] and can kick further than that,” Coach Thomas yells out after the first attempt fails horribly. The execution is just not there and the coaches feel they need to provide extra motivation.
“Yall want to start running?”
Suddenly, the kicker, Darius Morrow who is known as Wing Man sends five straight kicks through the uprights. This team responds to their coaches. They’re ready to face Bunche Park.
When asked individually what makes their team so successful, every coach responds with one word: Discipline. “Getting kids to do what they need to do,” is how Coach Bailey defines the word. It also doesn’t hurt that they scrimmage against the 160 lb Scott Lake team, an excellent team in their own right.
The Vikings’ practices are well organized; players are focused and if they are not, coaches quickly correct them. And the coaches do not temper their words; these young men are treated like adults and are held responsible for what they do on the field. But that is not where the discipline ends. “We look good on the field but it’s a lot off the field that we deal with. Kids respecting their parents, doing their homework and so much else,” Coach Bailey adds.
Academics are an important part of the discipline he teaches. Players on his team have to present their grades regularly. “If your report card is bad, you can’t play at all,” says Krondis Larry (Coco), one of the dynamic stable of running backs for the Vikings.
Additionally, regular practice attendance is mandatory. “If you miss a practice, you sit out for a quarter. If you miss two practices, you miss and entire game,” Bailey says.
“Discipline will beat talent all day.” And for this 135 lb. team, they are blessed with both, making them one of the strongest teams in the SFYFL.
Game Highlights Section
The highly anticipated 135 lb. game pitting the Scott Lake Vikings against the Bunche Park Cowboys was moved from Saturday to Sunday afternoon because of a disturbance across the street from the field. On Sunday afternoon, Scott Lake immediately jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter behind their strong ground game and quarterback play from Alonzo Fanakos. Fanakos completed 5 of 8 passes for 112 yards and threw for one touchdown to wideout Kwasim West.
Four different running backs scored for the Vikings potent rushing attack. Demetrius Lucas, Krondis Larry and Ka’ Darrius Roach all notched one score on the ground and tailback William Eiland reached the pay dirt twice for two touchdowns.
The final score was 38-0. Scott Lake beat their rival Bunche Park with little resistance on the Cowboys home field. Afterwards, Coach Bailey felt good about his team’s performance and their prospects for having a great season. “It’s going to be tough to beat us.”
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please check this teams credentials - they don't need any help from The Blitz
they beat bunche park because all of their players did not play if they
yall got beat stop hatin
So wheres everybody "AT" Scott Lake Dykes 135lb Super Team got