SVHS Football: Trojans coaches try to teach playoff atmosphere

YERMO • Andy Campbell asked his Silver Valley High School team if anyone had played in a meaningful game at the end of practice on Monday

Almost no hands went up. One or two players might have shrugged their shoulders.

The Trojans football coach elevated Friday’s game against St. Genevieve to that level. Campbell is calling it a game that carries the weight of an early playoff matchup.

The Trojans lost at St. Genevieve 44-19 last season and have anticipated the 2008 matchup ever since.

“This is a game that we all circled on the calendar coming into this season as a game we were all going to prepare for and be ready to play,” Campbell said. “With that being said, it’s a very meaningful game and very meaningful
opportunity for all of us. It’s kind of one of those put up or shutup games.”

Both teams enter the game ranked, with the Valiants coming in one spot ahead of Silver Valley as the No. 9 team in the Northeast Division. St. Genevieve picked up its first loss of the season last week against Malibu 38-21 while Silver Valley dominated Sherman Indian 48-8.

The Silver Valley coaching staff tried to teach their team about the unique atmosphere of big-time games this week, but teaching the Trojans how to respond to a hyped-up, pressure-packed environment is like teaching an Eskimo about the summer heat in Yermo. Words don’t do justice. It’s about experience.

“When you get to a program that doesn’t know winning, you have to define it,” Campbell said. “That’s what we are trying to do out here — define intensity and define winning. It’s slowly trying to take off.”

During the post-practice speech Monday, Assistant Coach Paul Bourke brought up the fall of several college football powers over the weekend as an example for his players. He made examples of Oregon State beating No. 1 ranked Southern California, Florida
losing at home to Mississippi and Alabama dropping Georiga.

“I also want them to think mentally how those teams must have been thinking,” Bourke said. “How they mentally approached it, having the confidence to know they could knock off a top team.”

Campbell has increased the intensity in practice and spent time talking to his players about how to approach games like this.

“When it’s game time, it’s game time,” senior running back Mike Medeguari said. “No matter who you are in any sport, when it’s game time you have that extra momentum, that extra strength, that extra speed. If we practice with just little bit more intensity at practice, the games are going to be easier.”

By playing in that type of game in October, Campbell said he’s hoping to prepare his team for similar games later in the season.

The school is starting to pick up the new concept. Medeguari, who is coming off a 242-yard performance against Sherman Indian, said more classmates asked about St. Genevieve this week. He said he believes the Trojans are 97 percent to their A game.

By even being involved in a big game the Trojans know they’ve done something right.

“Silver Valley plays a decent team, they talk about how they are going to blow us out, but it’s different this year,” senior lineman Joseph Pitre said. “They are giving us some credit for what we do.”