Another time out to point out

Last Friday night’s game between the Christopher and Monte Vista Christian football teams had the makings of a playoff collision. The hype preceded the 48-minute affair, and the play on the field validated the build up – a 20-18 victory for MVC, sealed with a touchdown with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated and at the same time knock the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Some have contended that CHS received a bum deal in the penalty department. And after further review, the objections were justified in some cases and addressed the appropriate way, which I will get to in a second.

But looking at it from an objective perspective, of the 19 penalties, CHS was flagged 12 times, three of those of the unsportsmanlike variety. That’s three infractions delegated after the whistle. Self-inflicted wounds, if you will. Take those away and it’s nine to seven penalty-wise.

Some argue the officials missed chances to toss the yellow hankie. Of course they did, but it went both ways. There were definitely a couple cringe-worthy penalties, but so it goes.

A day after I posted the game story on our website, I received a scathing email from a MVC parent accusing the Cougars of being bullies and “so maybe instead of saying what a great team Christopher has you should point out that maybe they have been winning because of bullying, yelling, and empty threats they spew and throw the entire game. I would be embarrassed to have my child play for a coaching staff that does not punish such behavior.” 

That I don’t agree with. The letter is off base, but did raise a point when it comes to the most significant issue in all of this: The after-the-whistle calls.

Mikey Pirnik, a charismatic, head down, fully charged linebacker for the Cougars who is second in the league with 58 tackles, was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike offenses and subsequently ejected from the game, which means an automatic one-game suspension. However, that was appealed by CHS principal John Perales and athletic director Darren Yafai. The appeal was heard and granted after it was determined that there was substance to the Cougars’ arguments that at least one of the flags was unwarranted. Pirnik is back in (he will sit out the first quarter), but not without warning and a word of caution from Perales and Yafai addressed to the entire team at practice Wednesday. The message, essentially, play hard, play with emotion, but have class while doing so, and do not let circumstances beyond their control dictate and influence behavior on the field. The cooler head prevails in the end, so to speak.

“It’s my responsibility,” head coach Tim Pierleoni said at practice. “I take ownership of this program. We are going to work on that and take care of it.”

The Cougars are not a dirty team. What I see is a physical team three years in the making with a chip on its shoulder. The Cougars were bruised and battered in 2010, but not this year. And there is quite a disparity between the Cougars of 2010 and now – perhaps shocking to some.

In a nutshell, CHS linebacker Patrick Mank said it best after Friday’s game, basically stating that penalties (and the officials) are a part of the game and that it ultimately comes down to execution. MVC converted three first downs in crucial spots on its game-winning drive. CHS didn’t make the stops.

The Cougars and Pierleoni aren’t making any excuses. They have been too busy working out solutions to the problems and preparing for tonight’s homecoming against North County.

On a side note: There is a huge game brewing for Nov. 10. The second running of the Severance Bowl – Gilroy High vs. Christopher High on the gridiron. Through six games, the Mustangs are 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Tri-County Athletic League. The Cougars are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Monterey Bay League. Neither side will mention the crosstown grudge match yet, but guaranteed it’s a motivating factor that will carry each team through a difficult final four-game stretch to that November evening.

– Went out to Anchorpoint Christian’s football practice for an hour Monday. Head coach KC Adams and assistant Marlowe Brinson were running the players – all 13 of them – through the ringer. Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning.

Adams has done more with less for the past five years, leading the Warriors to four league titles in that span, and on the verge of another. His hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to coaching motivates and convinces players that they can be the best no matter if they are playing the sport for the first time or have been since diaper days.

Adams himself says it isn’t easy, but the end results are what he wants people to notice – his players included. The work put yields the final product. Adams implores his players to pass the test every time.

– Kind of weird seeing a 5-1 record next to the San Francisco 49ers name. It’s equally as surprising to see 4-2 scribed along side the Oakland Raiders. What’s even more amazing is that the Niners should be 6-0 and the Raiders 5-1 – both relinquished second-half leads earlier in the season.

A lot of the success thus far has to be credited to the head coaches, Jim Harbaugh (Niners), Hue Jackson (Raiders.) Both men are passionate, dedicated and fiery. Plus, their schemes are working. As far as the Niners are concerned, any coach who is capable of turning Alex Smith into a middle-of-the-pack NFL quarterback is a genius.

Harbaugh’s leaping handshake into Jim Schwartz after San Francisco’s 25-19 come-from-behind victory over the previously unbeaten Detroit Lions is a classic. It was hilarious, arrogant and uplifting all at once. No harm, no foul. The Niners’ quick turnaround under Harbaugh is pleasantly shocking. 

– The World Series begins Wednesday in St. Louis between the Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.

The Cardinals, skippered by former Oakland A’s manager Tony LaRussa, trailed in the National League Wild Card race by 10 games with about a month left in the season but caught fire and rode the momentum to the October Classic. Texas, meanwhile, led by another Oakland coach, Ron Washington, returns to the Series for the second straight season. The Rangers, of course, lost to the Giants in five games in 2010. October baseball is hard to beat and I think the Rangers will be as well. Texas in six games.