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http://nationalhsfootball.com/2014/01/anchorage-south-coach-john-lewis-says-his-team-will-not-be-intimidated-by-texas-team-in-out-of-state-showdown/
Trip to Texas will not overwhelm Anchorage South
John Lewis knows the perception.
When it was announced that his Anchorage (Alaska) South football team was set to travel to Stephenville (Texas) High on Labor Day Weekend he knew no one outside of his locker room would be giving his team a chance to win.
South returns 18 of 22 starters in 2014.
BOB HALLINEN — Anchorage Daily News
He said that he is fine with that because the trip is about much more than the final tally on the scoreboard.
“Listen, they are from Texas and they have a rich history, honestly they should beat us,†Lewis said. “That isn’t the only thing that matters, who wins and who loses, it is one game and our team can take so much from this trip that it is a tremendous opportunity for us. Our goal is a state title and if we are in a game with them then that will show our guys there is no one in our state that can compete with us. That mentality will help us for the rest of the season.
“We wanted this game because it gets us to Texas — to see the best football in the country. Our bottom line is that we could stay in our state and be a stagnant program or we can push ourselves forward and try to be better.â€
South has been traveling each of the last three seasons to California while other programs in Alaska have gone to Hawaii; some to Washington.
This will be the first time any team has gone to Texas.
The game is part of a partnership between Lewis and Brian Hercules of Hercules Sports Marketing. One that Lewis said has made his program better as a whole.
“I had gone to coaching clinics and was blown away by guys who were coaching junior high ball in Texas and I told Brian that we wanted to play down there,†Lewis said. “I came back and told my staff that being a coach isn’t a hobby, it has to be a way of life. That is how it is in Texas and if we want to become the premier team in the state we need to treat it that way.â€
There is a surprising passion for football in Anchorage.
Nearly three decades ago an oil-boom brought a lot of workers from the Lone Star State to the Alaskan frontier and according to Lewis the product on the field has been improving since.
The chance to go to Texas has been met with amazing, immediate excitement.
“When the news came out today I had kids telling me they were going to quit wrestling and quit basketball to start working out for the season,†Lewis said. “Obviously I told them that was not going to happen and there was plenty of time to prepare but it is great to have that carrot out there to make everyone work harder.â€
South returns nine starters on both sides of the football but will need to replace its quarterback before it makes the trip.
Anchorage South will head to Texas.
The Wolverines are a run-first team and will rotate through multiple players toting the football. Justice Augafa will be the lead back and Jacob Hoover will likely be second to get carries among the eight players expected to contribute at running back. Alain Devoe as a 6-foot-1 target on the outside who also returns as after leading the team in receptions last season.
Lewis said that the return of Nick Settle from injury will be a key to the teams success. Settle had 190 total yards in the first game of the season — including a kickoff return for a score, screen for a touchdown, and toss-sweep that also got in the endzone — before a horsecollar tackle resulted in a broken bone in his foot.
The program finished with a 5-4 record in 2013 with two losses by a combined four points. It won a 2012 Large School state title as well as the same title in 2006 with an undefeated record.
Since Lewis took over the team he has been consistently trying to improve the mental strength of his players. He has limited his home games to play on the road in hostile environments and has added a more rigorous offseason workout program as well as making a push for players to be faster, while maintaining endurance.
“I heard time and time again at clinics that the game is as much mental as physical,†Lewis said. “I’ll admit we are behind in coaching in Alaska but there is a group of us trying to make that up by going to clinics, and that was a takeaway for me. We needed to be more mentally tough as well as improve physically.
“The fear factor won’t be there when we get to Texas and I think that has to do with us going to California. We are more prepared for what is coming.â€
What is coming is a Stephenville program that has won at least 10 games in eight of the last 10 seasons and has not won fewer than eight in any of the last decade.
It also has the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
Lewis said he didn’t know about Jarrett Stidham when he took the game.
“Ha, no,†he said. “I suppose that is what we get. It has been our luck in these out-of-state games to have to go against a player like that.â€
Against Auburn (Cali.) Placer the South team had to account for five-star defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes in a 65-40 loss during the 2011 season. The following season he had to gameplan against five-star athlete Su’a Cravens and Murrieta (Cali.) Vista Murrieta.
Both started for Pac-12 teams UCLA and USC, respectively, this season.
Jarrett Stidham/247Sports profile.
Stidham is ranked No. 78 overall in the earliest version of the Top247 on 247Sports and will test the South defense.
Lewis thinks that his team will be ready, no matter the opponent.
“We were in both of those games and we are hoping to be saying that same thing about this one,†he said. “The Vista game was 14-0 nearing halftime and then we threw two pick-sixes and it was totally different.
“Both of those games opened our eyes. There were more kids on the Vista Murrieta junior varsity team than our roster. And the band at both places had kids bigger than we had suiting up but if you are afraid of the competition it is already over.â€
South is one of the largest schools in Alaska and has an enrollment of 1730 while Stephenville is a relatively smaller school in Texas with an enrollment of 1039. However, Alaska rules limit the South roster to just 48 players.
While depth may be an issue Lewis said that heat will not be.
The average high for Aug. 29 in Anchorage is 67 while the average high in Stephenville is 92.
“We played Placer and it was 112 and we played Murrieta at 102, so I don’t think that will be as big of a factor,†Lewis said. “Three years ago I probably would have panicked but we will be ready.
“It is harder to play in 19-degree weather with 30 mile-an-hour winds like we did in the state finals than the heat. Kids adjust and we have seen it before.â€
Lewis was steadfast in his belief that his team will be unflappable.
The climate, different rules, and perceptions be damned.
“We know their kids will be well coached and we know they have tremendous ability but they won’t win the game by getting off the bus,†he said. “We respect every opponent we play and they need to do the same because we are going there to battle them.â€
Trip to Texas will not overwhelm Anchorage South
John Lewis knows the perception.
When it was announced that his Anchorage (Alaska) South football team was set to travel to Stephenville (Texas) High on Labor Day Weekend he knew no one outside of his locker room would be giving his team a chance to win.
BOB HALLINEN — Anchorage Daily News
He said that he is fine with that because the trip is about much more than the final tally on the scoreboard.
“Listen, they are from Texas and they have a rich history, honestly they should beat us,†Lewis said. “That isn’t the only thing that matters, who wins and who loses, it is one game and our team can take so much from this trip that it is a tremendous opportunity for us. Our goal is a state title and if we are in a game with them then that will show our guys there is no one in our state that can compete with us. That mentality will help us for the rest of the season.
“We wanted this game because it gets us to Texas — to see the best football in the country. Our bottom line is that we could stay in our state and be a stagnant program or we can push ourselves forward and try to be better.â€
South has been traveling each of the last three seasons to California while other programs in Alaska have gone to Hawaii; some to Washington.
This will be the first time any team has gone to Texas.
The game is part of a partnership between Lewis and Brian Hercules of Hercules Sports Marketing. One that Lewis said has made his program better as a whole.
“I had gone to coaching clinics and was blown away by guys who were coaching junior high ball in Texas and I told Brian that we wanted to play down there,†Lewis said. “I came back and told my staff that being a coach isn’t a hobby, it has to be a way of life. That is how it is in Texas and if we want to become the premier team in the state we need to treat it that way.â€
There is a surprising passion for football in Anchorage.
Nearly three decades ago an oil-boom brought a lot of workers from the Lone Star State to the Alaskan frontier and according to Lewis the product on the field has been improving since.
The chance to go to Texas has been met with amazing, immediate excitement.
“When the news came out today I had kids telling me they were going to quit wrestling and quit basketball to start working out for the season,†Lewis said. “Obviously I told them that was not going to happen and there was plenty of time to prepare but it is great to have that carrot out there to make everyone work harder.â€
South returns nine starters on both sides of the football but will need to replace its quarterback before it makes the trip.
The Wolverines are a run-first team and will rotate through multiple players toting the football. Justice Augafa will be the lead back and Jacob Hoover will likely be second to get carries among the eight players expected to contribute at running back. Alain Devoe as a 6-foot-1 target on the outside who also returns as after leading the team in receptions last season.
Lewis said that the return of Nick Settle from injury will be a key to the teams success. Settle had 190 total yards in the first game of the season — including a kickoff return for a score, screen for a touchdown, and toss-sweep that also got in the endzone — before a horsecollar tackle resulted in a broken bone in his foot.
The program finished with a 5-4 record in 2013 with two losses by a combined four points. It won a 2012 Large School state title as well as the same title in 2006 with an undefeated record.
Since Lewis took over the team he has been consistently trying to improve the mental strength of his players. He has limited his home games to play on the road in hostile environments and has added a more rigorous offseason workout program as well as making a push for players to be faster, while maintaining endurance.
“I heard time and time again at clinics that the game is as much mental as physical,†Lewis said. “I’ll admit we are behind in coaching in Alaska but there is a group of us trying to make that up by going to clinics, and that was a takeaway for me. We needed to be more mentally tough as well as improve physically.
“The fear factor won’t be there when we get to Texas and I think that has to do with us going to California. We are more prepared for what is coming.â€
What is coming is a Stephenville program that has won at least 10 games in eight of the last 10 seasons and has not won fewer than eight in any of the last decade.
It also has the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
Lewis said he didn’t know about Jarrett Stidham when he took the game.
“Ha, no,†he said. “I suppose that is what we get. It has been our luck in these out-of-state games to have to go against a player like that.â€
Against Auburn (Cali.) Placer the South team had to account for five-star defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes in a 65-40 loss during the 2011 season. The following season he had to gameplan against five-star athlete Su’a Cravens and Murrieta (Cali.) Vista Murrieta.
Both started for Pac-12 teams UCLA and USC, respectively, this season.
Stidham is ranked No. 78 overall in the earliest version of the Top247 on 247Sports and will test the South defense.
Lewis thinks that his team will be ready, no matter the opponent.
“We were in both of those games and we are hoping to be saying that same thing about this one,†he said. “The Vista game was 14-0 nearing halftime and then we threw two pick-sixes and it was totally different.
“Both of those games opened our eyes. There were more kids on the Vista Murrieta junior varsity team than our roster. And the band at both places had kids bigger than we had suiting up but if you are afraid of the competition it is already over.â€
South is one of the largest schools in Alaska and has an enrollment of 1730 while Stephenville is a relatively smaller school in Texas with an enrollment of 1039. However, Alaska rules limit the South roster to just 48 players.
While depth may be an issue Lewis said that heat will not be.
The average high for Aug. 29 in Anchorage is 67 while the average high in Stephenville is 92.
“We played Placer and it was 112 and we played Murrieta at 102, so I don’t think that will be as big of a factor,†Lewis said. “Three years ago I probably would have panicked but we will be ready.
“It is harder to play in 19-degree weather with 30 mile-an-hour winds like we did in the state finals than the heat. Kids adjust and we have seen it before.â€
Lewis was steadfast in his belief that his team will be unflappable.
The climate, different rules, and perceptions be damned.
“We know their kids will be well coached and we know they have tremendous ability but they won’t win the game by getting off the bus,†he said. “We respect every opponent we play and they need to do the same because we are going there to battle them.â€
