Monday, July 11, 2016

VIKES FINISH SEASON 16-1

On Friday 7/8/16 the Vikings ran the table and won all three pool games by an impressive 20 point per game average margin of victory. The first game against RR Cedar Ridge was tight in the first half but the Vikings pulled away to win 42-21. In game two the Vikes shut out the El Paso Eastlake team 28-0. The final game was against a very talented Houston Richmond Foster team and again the Vikes won going away this time by a 40-22 margin.


On Saturday though the Vikes did not play as crisply as a team in the first game of the Championship Bracket and fell to a good College Station team 39-27. After a slow start the Vikes took the lead back 27-26 but could not close the deal and finished the tournament 3-1. The 2016 State Tournament was won by the Woodlands 32-26 over Dickinson.


The season record of 16-1 was the highest winning percentage in program history at 94%. The Vikes beat 9 of 10 state qualifiers they played and did not lose a regular season game. Congratulations to everyone involved in the program for a very successful season.


Many thanks to our team parents (led by Shannon and Lysandra), sponsors and the Lamar football staff for the consistent support. Big kudos to the assistant coaches (Elias, Steve, Lawrence, Harrell, Julian, Chris, Barry, Spencer, Nic and Darrian) for all you work this season!

Saturday, July 2, 2016

POOL PAIRINGS FOR STATE TOURAMENT ANNOUNCED

The Vikes will open pool play on Field 4 at Veteran's Park in College Station next Friday July 8th at 1:00 pm. The schedule is:

1:00 pm LAMAR vs RR Vista Ridge
3:00 pm LAMAR  vs. El Paso Eastlake
5:00 pm LAMAR vs. Richmond


This is a very good pool and we will have to play at our best to advance to the Championship Bracket Play on Saturday.

A couple of interesting items to note-of the 13 state qualifying games we played this summer, 6 were against teams that eventually qualified for the State Tournament. We beat all 6 teams by an average margin (15 points) which is the same margin of victory in all 13 of our wins. That is a good sign that we "do not play up or down to our competition" but concentrate on playing to our ability. Over the last 4 years the average points per game by the eventual state champions was 41 ppg while allowing about 22 points per game. We are slightly under the 41 ppg offensively but right on the 22 ppg allowed as defensive  team. The message to our kids is that we need to continue "doing what we do" and good things could happen. There is a copy of the team itinerary attached under the PDF heading on the home page-follow along as we journey through our 19th consecutive state tournament!

Monday, June 20, 2016

20 MAN ROSTER FOR STATE ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to the following Viking 7 on 7 players for being selected to the traveling squad to the State Tournament (alphabetical by last name):

1. Bobby Brown
2. Dayton Dubs
3. Cameron Escobedo
4. Chance Fuller
5. Deshawn Gaddie
6. Kaden Hadawi
7. Red Huggins
8. Jaylen Jones
9. DeAndre League
10. Jalan McDonald
11. Trey Miller
12. Rashod Polk
13. Maxwell Premph
14. Ryan Reuland
15. Mathew Shaw
16. Lakendrick Simpson
17. Cade Tresch
18. Justin Thomas
19. Kolby Underwood
20. Devon Wright

VIKES FINISH THE REGULAR SEASON UNDEFEATED AT 13-0


With the State 7 on 7 tournament only a few weeks away we decided to try to replicate as much as possible the grueling two day event in College Station. To win a state 7 on 7 championship requires winning at least 2 games of 3 on Friday; then winning 5 in a row on Saturday. The heat and quality of competition takes a large physical and mental strain on the competitors from all teams. By putting ourselves through a similar process this past Friday (3 games) and Saturday (3games) in very hot conditions, gave us a good look at how the kids would react to the stress. The Vikes handled the test very well going 6-0 against very solid competition. Not only is this a test for the kids but the coaches and parents as well have to deal with the heat and the logistics (water/food/rides/tents/paperwork) of running a first class program. It was a challenge for everyone and they lived up to the test. We participated in 4 State Qualifying Tournaments over the past month and the Vikes won all 13 games without a loss.

We have now selected the 20 man roster for College Station and will spend the next 5 practices prior to departing for College Station working with these players as units. We will also get them some well deserved rest in this period. Most fans do not realize that the summer off season work-outs for football continue-it is not just 7 on 7 that demands of them in the summer. So getting their legs back prior to leaving for College Station is as important as the work we do on the field.   

I will blog again once the Pools have been announced and give you some feel for who we will be playing on Friday July 8th.  VFND!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

VIKES IN BACK TO BACK SQT'S THIS WEEKEND

This Friday and Saturday the Viking 7 on 7 team (8-0 for season) will play 6 pool games in a 24 hour period in two different road tournaments. This is in preparation for the State Tournament which is held over two days, in hot weather, against very good competition. The conditions will be similar this weekend.


After the two tournaments this week, in consultation with Coach DeLay we will finalize the 20 man roster for the State Tournament. I will report back how we fared next week. VFND!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

VIKINGS QUALIFY FOR RECORD 19TH YEAR IN A ROW!

The 2016 Lamar Viking 7 on 7 team joined the most exclusive club in Texas high school 7 on 7 Saturday as they qualified for the State 7 on 7 Championship for a record 19th consecutive time. The Vikes went 3-0 in pool play and then won the qualifying game to go to 4-0. To give you some idea of how long this streak has continued none of the players on the current team were alive when the streak started in 1998. The Vikes are the ONLY high school in Texas to have achieved this feat out of some 1350+ high schools.

Up next is the Southlake SQT. The Vikes will participate in Pool Play beginning at 1:00 pm at Southlake Carroll Sr. High. Directions and other information can be found under the "PDF" tab on the home page.

The State Championship will be held July 8-9 in College Station.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

FIRST QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND!

The Viking 7 on 7 team will travel to Justin NW High School early Saturday morning in quest of a record 18th consecutive qualification for the State Championship Tournament in July.

The kids had a good spring in regular football and we supplemented that with a handful of preseason 7 on 7 practices. This group works hard and is a reflection of the work put in on by Coach DeLay and his staff all year long. Now that the kids are "ours" we will step up putting in our packages that relate to the 7 on 7 game which along with their regular football packages gives us a good mix.

The tournament gets underway at 9:00 am Saturday. The pool play schedule is attached as a PDF along with directions to the tournament. Sam Thomas a former Viking football player is going to update our twitter feed so if you cannot make it out just check in periodically for updates. I will of course update the blog after we see how we fare in this first tournament.

Friday, March 4, 2016

2016 7 on 7 SEASON TO GET UNDERWAY THIS MONTH

The 2016 Lamar Varsity 7 on 7 team will begin efforts to qualify for a state record 19th consecutive trip to the State 7 on 7 Tournament with the first practice on Saturday March 26th.

We have sent in deposits for 6 State Qualifying Tournaments (SQT's) including our first ever back to back SQT's on consecutive days. This will allow us to mimic the 2 day state tournament and all that means in terms of playing a lot of games against good opponents with a short turn around. Although it costs more in terms of entry fees we believe using SQT's as a "high speed" practice against other teams benefits the kids more than another internal practice. Of course that all depends on how fast we actually get qualified as to how we treat each tournament in terms of who we actually take and how we approach the day.

I am please to announce that Lysandra Bell and Shannon Huggins have agreed to be our team volunteer coordinators this season. This is an important job and I know the rest of the parents and other friends of the program will help make sure the players have everything they need to compete.

I am also very pleased to announce that several of our long time sponsors are helping us in key areas most notably First Rate and DS Waters. Their financial and material contributions are essential to run the Lamar program in the manner consistent with our goals of best in State.

Finally, we are so fortunate to have our 2015 coaching staff returning intact for the 2016 season. Other than the two old guys (Jim and Steve) these young men were special players in the Lamar football and 7 on 7 programs and now serve as volunteer coaches. Steve has been with me a long time and if we need it done he finds the way. I promise you they are as good as any 7 on 7 staff in the State and we have a lot of fun doing it!

Jim Poynter: Head Coach
Steve Villareal: Assistant Head Coach/Operations
Elias Bahar: Offensive Coordinator
Lawrence Idiata: Defensive Coordinator
Harrell Hicks: Defense
Julian Steward: Defensive
Michael Poynter: Offense/State Tournament

 Be sure and thank them for their service when you have the opportunity!