It's not where you start, it's where you finish...

Before I start this blog post...I want you to take a look at this helmet.  Are you good?  You see it?  Good...This helmet represents more to a few than most, but those who recognize it realize that it represents a ton of #HEART.

I realize that I may be coming off as a "homer" because I wore it, but the fact of the matter is, it represents alot more to me than most (although every fan of this helmet feels the same).  This helmet represents hard work, dedication and preparation.

This helmet has won Chips (Championships) in 3, count'm, THREE different DECADES.  The 80's, 90's and the 00's (and thanks to Urbana it won a few less, but hey, who's counting...).  The point is, that anything less than #1 is not accepted.

In 1995, the Linganore football team won 9 out of 10 regular season games.  The ONE game it lost, it lost by ONE point (I know, a loss is a loss, but we HAVE to put that loss in perspective).  Out of the 8 teams that made the 2A Playoffs, Linganore was the 7 seed...SEVEN!

That didn't matter to this team.  It knew that regardless of how it started or how people "viewed" it, it had to produce in crunch time to produce results.  Without a home game in the Playoffs, it won every single game.  Resulting in ANOTHER Championship.

Linganore went on the road to play 2 other teams (one which they had already beaten) on their way to a State Title.

I say that, to say this...It doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you finish.  The end product is only as good as the amount of hard work you put in.  This team went through it's ups and downs and came up smelling the roses.

Times get hard, but you have to be HARDER...The bumps and bruises you receive in life should give you the determination to keep striving for your goals 100%.  If you stay down every time you get knocked down, you'll NEVER achieve your goals.

So set your goals, go hard and follow you #HEART!

H.E.A.R.T Series, Part Two: My Linganore Offensive Line

If you have ever built anything, you know that your foundation is the base for which every other item is placed upon.  The middle.  The center.  The lifeline.  Without it, you could probably move forward, but more than likely, your structure is going to falter.  In the middle of your body is your spine (prime example).  Without a functional spine, NOTHING in your body will work.  If you break the spine, there is a good chance you are going to expire (nice word for die).

When I think of the spine on a football team, the obvious choice is the offensive line.  Before I dive into this, I want to acknowledge that it is the Offensive Line that is basically the only position in football where stats take a backseat to penalties.  The only time spectators truly realize that linemen exist is when there is yellow laundry (flags) on the field.  This isn't right.  Linemen are the only position that hit someone on EVERY...SINGLE...PLAY (re-read that, and then watch a game and tell me I'm wrong).

In my opinion, I played on one of the most dominate teams in Maryland in the 90's.  The success we had would have been nothing if it wasn't for our Offensive Line.  Andy Dills, Mike Kies, Dan Zebroski, John Rucker and Ryan Caldwell were the foundation for a team that could run ALL DAY LONG.  These guys paved the way for an 1800+ yard starting TB, 700+ yard starting FB and a 800+ yard 3rd down back.  Oh...and a 12-1 record on our way to a State Championship.

All five of these guys sacrificed their bodies for the sake of the team and usually didn't get their names in the paper unless they played defense.  These guys were the soul, H.E.A.R.T and backbone of our team.  Every lineman is, they usually just don't get the credit but normally get all the blame.  I can't express how important the line is to any team, none the less MY team.  So the next time you see a Lineman, don't look at him like he's not important...because he's the backbone of the team.  Every single play is decided by the line and they deserve more respect than they get.

You build around your core...and the core of any football team is its Offensive Line.  Fortunately enough for us (Linganore H.S. 12-1, State Champs), our core was studly.  Hopefully yours is too.  But if it isn't, be thankful for your Linemen, without them NOTHING would happen.