VIKINGS DO IT AGAIN! QUALIFY FOR THE 22ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR!

Almost a year to the day after the serious injury to our teammate and fellow Viking Brett Green, the Vikes returned to LD Bell HS and qualified for a state record 22nd consecutive time.

The Vikings went 4-0 and seemed to get stronger as the day went on. The wind was blowing 15-20 mph out of the SE and was gusting higher at times. In spite of that, QB Jack Dawson through the ball very accurately all day including some pin point deep shots for TD's.

Defensively the Vikings were dominant particularly in the first half of games. In 4 games the Vikings allowed 0, 0, 13, 13 points for a total of just 6.5 points per half. This puts a lot of pressure on the opponents to play "catch up" and throw deeper or more risky throws in the 2nd half in order to try to score more quickly or at all. Overall the Viking allowed 20 points per game while the Viking offense was good for 38 points per game. That is an 18 point (3 score) differential which shows the Vikes really were finishing games over the course of the day. Braxton Thomas and Harrison Griffith each had 2 interceptions and James Douglas had one.

Offensively we were equally effective. While the deep throws mentioned above were impressive to watch, it is our play mixture that is keeping other defenses off balance. We have a great TE who knows how to get open and catches everything; speed and great hands at the slot and running back positions and two of the very best wide receivers in the area. When you combine that with a 3 year starter at QB you have a versatile offense that can be explosive or play "slow ball" to eat up the clock as needed. We converted 19/22 extra points which is good but we strive for 100% in that area because we know that deep in the state tournament that is sometimes the difference.

We do not have a tournament this weekend which is great; we need a couple of intensive practices to smooth out some areas and get better in others. While I love tournament play, our chances of real success in College Station goes up if we have several weeks of solid practices including the remaining 3 tournaments as "high speed practices" to be as ready as we can be to compete for a state 7 on 7 title.

I will talk more about the upcoming state tournament and the historical perspective of qualifying 22 years in a row later this week. Congratulations to the 2019 Vikings; their families; coaches and everyone associated with this program. You are indeed part of something special. VFND!

VIKINGS GO 3-1 ON SATURDAY IN THE GRAPEVINE SQT

The Vikings traveled to Colleyville HS Saturday and battled to a 3-0 record in pool play in games shortened to try to get the tournament in before the forecasted heavy rain moved in to the area.

The pool games were shortened to one 30 minute segment with no half time. This meant that every offensive possession was vital to come away with points and likewise 1-2 stops on defense would put the other team in a bind. Here is a summary of pool play:

Game      Opponent                              Points Scored          Points Allowed
1           Richardson Berkner                 42                             30
2           Colleyville Heritage                21                               6
3           Mesquite Poteet                       21                               7


About mid-way through game 3 all teams were forced inside due to strong storms to finish play. In the state qualifying round, we faced a good Midlothian team that was also 3-0 in their pool. Both teams scouted one another earlier as it was apparent we were the best team in each of our respective pools. The format went back to 2-20 minute halves for the qualifying game and Midlothian got the ball first. Lamar fell behind 13-0 but came back to tie the game at 20-20 at half time. In a back and forth game that saw both teams score 3 times in the second half, the Vikes came up just short 42-40.

The Vikings are now 5-2 in play through two tournaments. The level of play on both sides of the ball is very good and the effort is excellent. The job now is to "finish" each tournament with a win so we get qualified. This Saturday we travel to Bedford for a state qualifying tournament and I will report on how we fared next week!
Coach Poynter

VIKINGS SHOW WELL AT FRISCO SQT

In spite of missing several key players due to track and injury, the Viking 7 on 7 team got off to a really good start last Saturday. The Vikes went 2-1 in pool play, averaging 38 points per game on offense while allowing 25 ppg to the opponents. In game 2 we started slowly only scoring 14 points in the first half even though we got the ball first to start the game. The Vikes responded in the 2nd half and came back to take the lead with less than 3 minutes left in the game. Only a "last play of the game" 2-point conversion by Cypress Bridgeland (Houston area) kept the Vikings out of the qualifying round game. Bridgeland won the qualifying round game against Frisco 34-26 to advance to the State 7 on 7 Championship tournament later in the season.

Two things I really like about this Frisco early season state qualifier. #1 we are usually missing 3-6 of our fastest players as it is track season. This gives us coaches a chance to evaluate some of our younger players under tournament conditions to see who may be ready to help at the varsity level as we get into the meat of the season in about a month. #2 I love that the kids get to see the Dallas Cowboys world class facility and make a "road trip" that requires them to be at Lamar by 6 am. For the most part we got what we wanted out of the trip except of course qualifying!

Having coached at this level now for 17+ seasons I would say this season's team is as talented as any we have had in recent memory. We have experience returning on both sides of  the ball, size, speed and athleticism. If we all put in the work in practice and stay healthy we should have a chance to be very competitive this season. Right now most teams including Lamar are in spring football so we only have two 7 on 7 practices prior to our next SQT on 5/18 at Grapevine HS. We have probably qualified at this particular SQT more than any other through the years.