Friday, November 6, 2009

TAVERNIER --When the Coral Shores High football team plays its final game of the season tonight against Archbishop Carroll it will be filled with emotions, but most of those feelings will be upbeat and positive, with the thoughts of what might come in the future.

The Hurricanes enter the game without a victory this year, but simply the tests that the team has faced this season has senior team captain Dylan Mats saying it is an experience that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.

"To be honest it has been the hardest challenge that me and the rest of the seniors or actually anyone on the team has taken on," said Mats. "Coming in week in and week out as the underdog, with everyone telling us to quit and everyone asking us why we are even out there was tough, but it comes down to that we just love football. We just kept wanting to get out there and give it our all."

However, with a strong group of seniors dressing in the green and gold for the final time tonight, the senior lineman says the passion to go out and play hard one final time has the entire squad motived to leave it all on the field.

"It just kind of came into realization that (tonight) is the last day," said Mats. "It has been pretty emotional, but it has also gotten us pretty psyched up for the game."

Part of the reason, Mats says, is that he believes it is because where the team started this season and what he hopes to see for the 'Canes (0-9, 0-4 District 8-2B) in the future.

"When we first showed up at practice and there was only 14 guys and a week later the coach was telling us that there was no team, that was by far the most devastating thing that happened to me this season, because I can't imaging life without it," said Mats, who hopes to play football at the Coast Guard Academy next season.

"It was about rebuilding our program, that's what this year was about. I take a lot of pride in knowing I was the first step for that," continued Mats, "because it's really in my opinion that we have the best coaching staff and in a few years our team is not going to be any joke. That's really what I played for. I can't let the younger guys get down because we are down by a couple of points and hopefully they will strive to go to the next level. "

First-year coach Kelly Clark says he understands the emotions his team has expressed going into tonight's matchup against Carroll (2-6, 0-4 District 8-2B), especially since it was the seniors who really helped keep things going throughout the season.

"These guys really stuck it out and circled the wagons and got after it," Clark said about his graduating players. "For them, being the cornerstone of hopefully building us into a good program, that's something all the underclassmen understand and appreciate."

But for Mats, it comes back to the same thing each week, that no matter how out-numbered the 'Canes were, they just simply give it their all.

"I know that every single person will play their hearts out and that's all the coaches ever ask of us," said Mats. "The truth is we lack size, experience and speed. And in this kind of game that really puts you back. But as long as we all go out and play hard and we try our best to win, I'll be fine with that."

If the 'Canes are to leave it all on the field they will have to do it without starting running back George Bravo, who was declared academically ineligible. Starting in his place will be Kyle Hargis, who has already toted the ball several times this season and is aware of the offensive system.

"That really throws a kink in your plans and what you have been practicing all week," Clark said about the loss of Bravo. "We had to scramble a bit, but we'll be fine."

No matter the outcome and what might be the team's legacy of a winless season, the coach says he believes the lessons all the players learned will take them a long way.

"It's a lot more to this game than winning or losing," said Clark. "Winning makes it a lot more enjoyable, obviously, but there is a lot more to it than that and I think the kids did get a positive experience out of it, at least that's what I hope anyway.

"Winning the race is simply getting up each time you fall. Obviously, we've had a lot of cases where we fell this year, but they have continually gotten back up. This game is exactly that, another opportunity to get back up, come out and play the best we can play."

Mats says he knows how much effort has been left on the field this season and he's proud of his teammates, despite what miught have been said by outsiders.

"The community might be pushing and asking why we aren't winning and stuff like that, but the community isn't there everyday and don't see how hard we all work," said Mats. "It's not like we go against a Gulliver and just say, 'Oh, here's another loss.' We give everything we have to try to win."

Kelly says his seniors have been have been a real blessing this season and hopes they are the building blocks for the future and wants them all to leave the field tonight with their heads held high.

"I'm incredibly proud of this team," said Clark. "Especially these seniors. That group has more heart, more guts and more character than people realize and a lot more than kids that should be out there. I'll always be grateful for the fact that they stuck it out and worked their tails off all season long. It does speak volumes about them. The fact they were able to go through a season like we had and yet the still showed up all year long."

jwcooke@keysnews.com