Fighting Through Adversity

For most high school football teams, they are fortunate enough to fill an entire freshman, JV and varsity team with players.  They are able to let these young men get their feet wet at the freshman level, then slowly ease into the speed of the game at the junior varsity level.  Once they reach the varsity level, they are use to the speed, play calling and aggression of the game.  The Comets haven't had that luxury this year.  They've had to combine the freshman, JV and varsity teams in order to make a full roster at the varsity level.  Injuries and the low numbers for kids to come out and join the team have forced the Comets to unite at all levels of the football program. To most, this may seem as a ridiculous thing to do, but when you love football as much as these boys do, you'd do anything to keep this program strong and thriving.

A big reason why the spirits of the underclassmen have been able to flourish is because of the leading abilities that the captains possess.  I spoke with senior captain, Jacob Monaghan about some of the struggles and benefits with having a young football team.  Monaghan said, "It can be hard sometimes, but the freshman and sophomores are willing to learn.  They'll come up to me with questions and guidance and I'm more than happy to help them."  Jacob has only been playing with this team for two years, but he has made his presence known and is a great captain to look up to.  Junior captain, Karlos Moiser had a similar answer.  He said, "The young kids have had some trouble adjusting, but they are putting in the work.  When something needs to be done, they step up to the plate and do it."  Karlos was in similar shoes when he was on varsity last year.  As a sophomore, he had to play some quarterback and played almost every play on defense. As an underclassman last year, he knew it would be tough, but when his number was called, he came through.  Patrick Porter is another senior captain on the team.  At the moment, Porter is battling an MCL sprain and has kept him on the bench for a couple weeks.  That hasn't stopped him from instilling confidence on the team.  Porter still shows up to practice every day and when the Comets were down last Friday, he was keeping everyone's head in the game and boosting the morale of the players.  When I asked him what it's like being a captain for the Comets he said, "I love it.  It does come with a lot of responsibility though.  These underclassmen look up to us and we need to lead by example."  The fourth and final captain of the team is Jason Beckner.  Jason is a junior and has done a lot for the team.  He's been able to make big plays during games and not only get the players involved, but the entire Coleman crowd as well!  When I asked Jason how the team has been responding after a rough start to the season he said, "They've had some tough times, but they know that we're only a play or two away from taking over a game.  Whenever I see one of the players hang their heads, I do my best to keep them going and fighting for us."  All of these young men are not only captains.  They are lifelong friends, teammates and role models.

The captains meeting at the 50-yard line for the coin toss before the Carson City game.

This great leadership and focus has brought all of these athletes together.  They've all been asked to make sacrifices for the team and have been willing to do so.  When you have captains like this to look up to, it almost makes it easier to want to fight and be apart of something like this.  That drive and determination that is instilled within all of the players will be great for the remainder of the season and future Comet Football.  The coaches have had to adjust accordingly to all of these changes and they've done a tremendous job.  Bringing all of these players together to fight the fight is a beautiful thing to watch.  They bless us with that beauty every Friday night when they put those helmets on and lace up those cleats.  So keep pounding boys and remember to always play Comet Fast!

Comets Fall Short to the Eagles 18-34

The Comets put in some serious time this past week to prepare for the Eagles.  Every practice they showed dedication and intensity.  They brought that same intensity with them on Friday night.  Each player for the Comets had a determined look in their eyes before the game.  You could see that they wanted this win and they wanted it bad.  The captains did a great job at igniting the fire within every one of those young athletes.  So, come game time, you better believe that these young men were ready to go to war.

The Comets bursting through the banner to get the game started!

The first quarter, the Comets came out playing "Comet Fast!"  Within the first few plays on defense, one of the Junior captains for Coleman, Karlos Moiser, ran down the Carson City quarterback and put him in the ground to force a fourth down.  The offense seemed to move pretty well, but had a few penalties that made it difficult to keep the drive alive.  However, that didn't stop the ferocity on defense!  The linebackers and the secondary seemed to be flying around and making phenomenal plays left and right!  The other Junior captain, Jason Beckner, read the quarterback's eyes perfectly and brought down the interception!  The offense moved the ball at will the ensuing drive and punched in the one yard quarterback sneak by Karlos Moiser.  The intensity carried over throughout the second quarter when Senior defensive lineman, Tristan Templeman sacked the quarterback for a huge loss!  They finally started to feel their groove on offense when Sophomore quarterback, Spencer Pnacek started dropping dimes in the secondary!  As a sophomore, Spencer was making throws most veteran quarterbacks are unable to make.  He was able to keep his composer in the pocket and find open receivers all over the field.  Halfway through the second quarter, he found Truman Webb for a ten yard curl, which Webb made a few jukes that would make Barry Sanders proud.  Webb made a couple defenders look ridiculous and took it to the house for a 56-yard touchdown!  Carson City would answer back on the next drive, but the defense never gave up.  Jacob Adams is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line and he proved that when he wrapped up the Eagles running back and forced the fumble!  The Comets would go into halftime trailing 12-14

The third quarter got off to a slow start.  The Comets seemed to have trouble finding their rhythm coming out of the half, but that didn't stop them from playing their hearts out.  You could see that they might have been down, but they weren't out.  Pnacek The Playmaker proved that in the fourth quarter when he found captain Jason Beckner for an 83-yard touchdown!  The touchdown drew the crowd and the players back into the game! Pnacek would complete another pass for 56-yards on the next drive.  Late in the fourth, when the game seemed to be out of reach, you saw that each player still wanted to play.  They all wanted to prove that they are better than what their record shows.  Each and every one of those young athletes played with resilience.  Although the Comets didn't come away with a victory, they can still hold their heads high because they all know that they put everything they had on that field.  

The Coleman Comets will be in Breckenridge this Friday to take on the Huskies and are looking to deal them their first loss of the season.  Be sure to come out and support your Comets! 

33 hours till Game Day!! The (0-3) Coleman Comets look to bounce back from a loss last week by taking on the (2-1) Carson City Crystal Eagles at home tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

Both Coleman and Carson City will bring variations of the spread and power run offense. The outcome will come down to who can take care of the football and who can stop the running game. Come out to Coleman high school tomorrow night to watch the captains Moiser Karlos, Jason Becker, Jacob Managhan, and Patrick Porter lead the Coleman Comets to their first victory of the 2016 season!!

Coleman Comets Football 2016

This is the unofficial blog page for Coleman Comets Football! We will be following the Comets over the course of the season and keeping all of the friends, family and fans up to date on everything Comets Football related!  We are also starting social media pages for the Comets such as, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram! Be sure to like and follow us! We would like to spread the word about the accomplishments and the goals that the 2016 Comets have and wish to achieve. The authors of this blog will be working closely with the coaches, community and players to give the fans inside access and a more personal experience with the football program!