Eagle captains before the Union Co game.

Wow, final regular season game…where has this season gone. Its been an interesting season. Great wins, tough losses and all kinds of fun inbetween. But that’s football and that’s why we love it. It makes you better. It makes you challenge yourself, even as a fan. It makes you understand that hard work, preparation, dedication, and discipline are things worthy of your effort. It’s football and I love it.

Now we have the opportunity to take on a good Austin-East team. What’s on the line you ask? Well, for one its just a great chance to compete against a good team. Second, the playoff seeding is up for grabs. As it stands, 6-4 looks way better than 5-5 going into the playoffs. Plus it will determine our opponent. I don’t have enough space to explain the TSSAA playoffs. Click here and I’ll let them do that. But in a nutshell, winning gets us probably in as a 5 or 6 seed and possibility of going to Sullivan East. Losing probably gets us in as an 8 seed and back to Greeneville in the first round. All of this is contingent on what happens Friday night in all the games. So as always, lets get there early, be loud and let’s help our Eagles get a victory!

WAR EAGLE!

Here we are at our bye week. what’s that mean? For us, it means the season has flown by. For the team, it means a good week to rest, heal up, and get their minds right for the final couple of games. What else is going on? We got a great Homecoming win against Carter. It also gave us our first district win, which we needed. It also gave us fans a good warm, fuzzy, feeling.  Anyway, we are headed down the home stretch in the schedule. Two big district games await the Eagles, both on the road and winnable games. We head to old rival Union County first and then to Austin-East. I know I don’t have to say it, but lets see that Eagle spirit on the road.

We’ve got a great opportunity to qualify for the playoffs and need a couple wins to make that happen. The TSSAA has created such a quagmire in regards to the playoff selection. It actually gives me a headache. If you want to check it out, the TSSAA has a playoff page, check it out, it’s updated each Tuesday. Just a reminder that it changes each week and nothing will really be known until the regular season is over.

War Eagle!

Its been a while since I’ve written a blog post. Why? Several reasons but mainly cause I’ve been busy. But here we are halfway through the season and I can’t believe it.

Where has the time gone. The Eagles have played well at time and not so well at other times. That happens. But what we are seeing is growth as football players and young men. As much as we would like, no one wins at everything they do. You have to learn how to handle defeat and bad situations just as you have to know how to win with class. That doesn’t mean you have to like it, but you have to learn from the mistakes, find the positives, and prepare for your next challenge. With that said, the season still has a lot of promise. We have 5 opportunities to come out and played like champions. We have some great challenges ahead. Thats the beauty of football. It is a game that challenges every fiber of your being. Mentally, physically, emotionally this game demands everything you have. It requires you to work as an individual so that the team can succeed. It requires you to find the greatness within yourself while giving you mind and body to the team. Win or lose, the next 5 weeks will be about growth.

Lets continue to support our team and coaches and all those involved because we are Gibbs and we love our team!

As always, WAR EAGLE!

Overflowing with Eagle blue!

Eagle fans, can you believe we’re already into gameweek 3? I, for one, can not believe that we are heading into game three this week. Its flying by! Anyway, This week we venture on the road again for the 2 consecutive week going to Pigeon Forge to play the Tigers. This got me to thinking about away games. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of away games, but you have to go on the road sometime. You just can’t get around it.

You play 5 home games and you play 5 away games. But going on the road isn’t my favorite, but I’m beginning to like it as much as home games. Home games are fun because you’re home. You know where everything is. You have a routine. You feel comfortable. Road games are the unknown. Where to park. What is the field like? Where are the restrooms and concession stands? But I’m starting to really like road games because of the unknown. I’m starting to appreciate the process of getting the team to an away game and what it takes to keep the team mentally prepared when you have to ride a bus for an hour and get dressed in a cramped locker room.

What else do I like about away games? I love that our fans travel no matter what. In fact, I don’t think we’ve traveled to any school that’s had enough space for us. From my vantage point on the field, it always looks impressive when I look up to the stands and see it completely full and over flowing with Gibbs blue. Its amazing to think that we have the kind of fan that loves Gibbs football so much. And it’s not just parents, but it’s students and former players and families that travel. As a former Eagle and now the parent of an Eagle, it makes me so proud of my school.

As always, WAR EAGLE!

Eagles getting ready before the jamboree

The week we’ve all been waiting on is here. Gameweek. The week when preparation meets execution. The week where all the lifting and running are supposed to pay off. I can’t wait. I haven’t put on pads in a long time but I still get goosebumps and butterflies when I see the stadium full and the green grass all painted. I’ve been waiting on this week as long as anyone! How can you not be excited about this week? I mean this week give us the opportunity to participate in a great tradition. It gives us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in something that is bigger than us. I, for one, love it like nothing else. This is just Wednesday, but some of the fun starts tonight as the field gets prepped and painted, the stadium gets touched up, and the players are starting to realize what is before them. This is the last hard practice before the game. Getting the gameplan in place and finalized. Tomorrow is the walkthrough. A time to dot the I’s and cross the T’s before Friday. Whew…the hairs on my arms are standing just thinking about it.

As always, WAR EAGLE!

Well its almost time. Almost time to see if all the time spent lifting weights, running, studying film will pay off. We’ve seen the Eagles in a couple scrimmages and a number of practices. We’ve heard all the talk of the fans. Now its almost time to see it all pay off. That’s the exciting time. Scrimmages are fun. Practices are necessary but Friday nights is what its all about. Taking what the coaches have taught and drilled in your head and seeing it on the field in front of the home crowd and your family and friends. Thats what makes high school football so fun and exciting. Lets get ready for a fun and exciting season.

As always, WAR EAGLE!

Coach Wright and the O-line

Just weeks out from the 2011 season, I’m talking about expectations. Expectations of our team and coaches, expectations about our team, and expectations from fans. Expectations are what drive this time of year along with anticipation. It keeps coaches up at night and makes players anxious while giving fans something to talk about.

I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to be around the team, taking pics, talking to coaches and players and even as a booster and parent. I’ve heard what just about everyone has to say about the 2011 edition of Gibbs football. Now like everyone else I know we lost alot of outstanding talent. We had an exceptional year last season winning more games than ever before. We made it deep into the playoffs then we had ever before. We had a great year. But with that great year come expectations and that’s ok. Our players and coaches expect to be competitive. They expect to win, they expect to work hard, they expect to attain the goals set forth, they expect the be a great football team. That’s what I like. They expect to be great. Now you can’t just expect to be great, you have to work at it and the Eagles have been working hard. That’s what expectations do, they make you do what is necessary to meet that expectation.

Our opponents fans have expectations too. They expect us to fail. They say last season was a fluke. They say we won’t be any good this year. Those are their expectations of our team, coaches, fans, and community. Not that those expectations are real, but that is how we are perceived. So as fans we have to do what is necessary to defeat that expectation. We must be loud, loyal fans. We must make our homefield our advantage and when on the road take that advantage from their fans. We must be gracious in victory, hold our heads high in defeat, and know that we have given our all no matter the outcome. It’s refreshing to hear the optimism in our fans voices. To hear the anticipation of the season and what their expectations are. To hear that people are looking forward to the season with confidence in the team and players. Its a wave that keeps building and has been for the last few years. A wave that creates expectations. Not unrealistic ones, just expectations that haven’t surrounded the football program in years. Expectations that are good for the team, school, and community.

In closing as always, WAR EAGLE!

]]> http://gibbssports.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/expectations/feed/ 0 jjwsiv IMG_8015 http://gibbssports.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/eagle-football-is-in-the-air/ http://gibbssports.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/eagle-football-is-in-the-air/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:29:04 +0000 jjwsiv http://gibbssports.wordpress.com/?p=257 Continue reading →]]> Welcome to Gibbs football. Another season is upon us and if you are like me, you can not wait to see the Eagles take the field. 2010 was a historical season but this is a new year and the Eagles are looking to soar even higher. Just like years before, the coaches and players are getting prepped for the season, the booster club is working hard, and everyone is counting down the days till August 19.

The Eagles schedule has changed a bit and in the upcoming weeks I will be discussing the new opponents as well as our district opponents plus giving you some insight into the upcoming season. I will be highlighting our coaching staff and our players so stay tuned for all kinds of Eagle football news.

Don’t forget, you can stay up to date on Eagle football at our website, www.gibbseagles.net in addition to our other social media outlets.

Follow on Twitter @gibbssports, text gibbsfootball to 41411 for text updates, and go to the Eagles football Facebook page.

As always, WAR EAGLE!

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