Injuries and missed chances cost Eagles the game
on October 3, 2010
Head Football coach Clyde Byrd made no effort to hide his frustration after the Kennedy Eagles lost a chance to seize the number one spot in their league this season. The high stakes game against Moreau Catholic ended somberly Saturday as Kennedy lost 27-20.
“It was a disappointment,” Byrd said Saturday as players quietly left the field. “We didn’t execute when we needed to and we made a lot of mistakes.”
Compounding the mistakes and the lackluster performance were roughly a half-dozen injuries, the most of any game so far this season.
“We’ve had some bang-ups: a hurt shoulder, a hurt ankle,” Byrd said. “But that’s not an excuse for us losing. This is football—players get injured all the time—it’s a part of the game.”
The real issue, Byrd said, was that the opposing team made good plays and the Eagles didn’t. “Sometimes our guys get a little lax when they have too much success,” he said. “It’s hard to turn that back off and on.”
Robert Mulder, number 2 for the Eagles, didn’t dispute Coach Byrd’s feedback. Mulder said he and his teammates weren’t focused in practice and could perform better.
“Coach always says when you’re playing slow and playing around in practice you’re gonna get injured in the game because you’re not taking it seriously,” Mulder said.
The Eagles face a tough challenge Friday when they play one of the top ranked teams in the league, St. Patrick-St. Vincent, from Vallejo.
“St. Pat’s is a tough team but we’re gonna’ take it to them,” Mulder said. “This week we’re gonna have a good practice and we’re gonna play hard and beat St. Pat’s next week.”
Highlights:
The Eagles are now 2-2. Victories: The Richmond Oilers and The El Cerrito Gauchos. Losses: The Hercules Titans and Moreau Catholic.
The next game:
Kennedy vs. St. Patrick-St. Vincent: Oct 8 at 7:30 (Vallejo)
Toughest 2010 Regular Season Opponents
Encinal (Alameda)
St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo)
St. Mary’s (Albany)
Source: maxpress/cbssports.
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