Kings Football » Coach Olds Corner

Although the heading sounds like the title of a boring book, Friday’s opening was anything but boring! As this year’s seniors would walk down the hill into the stadium, I am quite sure their stomachs were about at the top of their throats. As the dust settled at the end of the first half, the score showed things all knotted up at 14-14. The first half highlights included Sophomore Nick Collado returning a kickoff 90 yards for his first touchdown as a Kings Varsity football player while sophomore middle linebacker Austin Copeland had a hit on Lebanon’s running back just before the half they sent him to the sidelines for help from their medical team.

After getting beat 45-17 a year ago by the visitors, the coaches felt like our team had much more to give. And they were right. In the second half, the defense started to play like they had shown in the pre season holding Lebanon to only one score the second half with that coming off of a turnover. The offensive staff felt similar to that of the defensive staff. In the first half, the Knights offense only got 14 snaps. However, in the second half that amount would more than triple while scoring 3 more times. Junior running back Jamire Westbrook piled up 171 yards on the ground along with a spectacular TD catch from Jensen Gebhardt measuring 41 yards. Westbrook and Senior Ben Bennett ran behind a young offensive line that totaled over 40 knockdowns with sophomore guard Kennedy Cook claiming 12.

This week, a much improved and veteran Milford team will test the young Knights even more. Once again the players will post practice goals to work on this week in hopes of continuing to improve upon what they already have established!

See you on the field,

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

For only the second time in my 12 year tenure as head football coach, I found our team playing a game that had no playoff implications. So in going into this game, as a staff, we had to make sure the players had to play “for something”. When you are in the playoffs, you never know when your last game will be for sure until it is over. You are also most likely to end your season with a loss. But on this particular night, we controlled our outcome along with having an “extra” emphasis on winning!

The first factor was that while we had negotiated what many would consider a less than successful season as we stood at 2 & 7, we had the opportunity to send the seniors out on a winning note. But on this particular senior night, visiting Walnut Hills also had something to play for-a chance to post a winning season for the first time in many, many seasons by winning their 6^th game of the season. The other factor for the players that with this win, it would be a personal mile stone as it would prove to be my 100^th win in my 12 season career as Head Coach at Kings.

As the game unfolded, it looked very similar to the many games we had had earlier in the year. And usual, we were on the losing side by the smallest of margins. In the previous week, we lost a heartbreaker to rival Little Miami in an overtime battle that could have easily gone the other way. And two weeks prior to that, we would lose to eventual league champ and city champ Turpin at homecoming by a score of 14-7 while also letting the chance for an upset slip threw our fingers.

With less than a minute to go on this special night, Walnut Hills was staring at a winning record square in the face from out 9 yard line and with a fresh set of downs to reach pay dirt! On their first play, they made it to the 5 yard line. On second down and third downs, our defense stood firm negating both tries. And on fourth and goal, their last attempt resulted in a forced fumble by their elusive QB and a recovery by Senior Trey Knecht. The only thing left for the home team was to execute two “victory snap” formations and to run the clock down to zero.

Over the next 15 minutes, I experienced many ranges of emotions-many that still seem awfully blurry! But the best memory was watching our players run toward me and begin to get in line to personally congratulate me one at a time in order to exchange a handshake and a hug. It will be these moments that will not be forgotten. The sincerity in their eyes was unmistakable. It was another “reinforcing moment” for me that I am in the right business. And this business is not necessarily the “winning games” but rather the business of “winning kids”.

As adults, I think we all know that the opportunity to really learn about people and ourselves occurs through difficult and challenging moments in our lives regardless if it is an athletic contest or perhaps with a personal issue. Without question, I learned more about myself through this season. I will not go into great detail because they are very personal but I will share that I am motivated more now than ever to continue to help young boys develop to into men. And if not men, at least better people!

Thanks for your faithfulness in the program and in me!

See you on the field (next year!),

GO KNIGHTS!!!

Coach Olds

Friday night was the culminating event of a fun and exciting week as we prepared our team for battle against local river Little Miami. This year marked the inaugural presentation on the “Battle for the Paddle” rotating trophy. This rivalry game marks its 45^th season with a dead even record, 21-21-2! The Knights have not lost to the Panthers since 1995. But on this night, on their senior night, the Knights win streak would be stopped in an overtime thriller that left no real high school football fan disappointed.

Senior Quarterback Kyle Cook showed why he is the overall passing leader in all of Cincinnati. But when it really counted, he made plays with his legs and the young Kings defense could not contain him.

After watching this game on Sunday morning, it quickly registered in my mind that regardless what we did Friday night, it was just not meant to be for us to come out on top. We did not lose the game on this night, Little Miami simply won it. But as I sat on the bench after the game counting the missed opportunities, I did not come to this same conclusion. I was hurting mostly for our seniors who left it all on the field Friday night. All of our players from the seniors down to the freshman on our roster got full exposure of just what this game means and how well you have to play in order to come out on top.

This Friday, only 50% of the seniors across the state of Ohio get to play their last high school football game in their home stadium. This is important and I am hoping that by the time Friday comes around, these seniors realize that their high school careers are coming to a close. I am also hoping that the underclassmen give them a great send off via a “Champion’s Effort”!

See you at the game!

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

What has been one of the strangest seasons I have ever been involved with has now reached a new level of “strange”. Last evening, the visiting Knights played on a Sunday evening on the campus of Wilmington College against the Wilmington Hurricanes. Because we battled several cases of the flu throughout the week, the game was moved to Sunday to allow our team to get healthy and to have the ability to practice. Friday and Saturday were our only two days of practice as a team.

It ended up being a beautiful evening for football weather wise but the environment that you usually associate with “Friday Night” football was lacking to say the least. It was Wilmington’s Homecoming so we expected a somewhat loud and hostile crowd. Much to my surprise, the home team was very lacking in these areas. As a result, it seemed that the Hurricanes team would follow suit. Their lack of enthusiasm was evident to our entire staff and we were hoping it would carry over to their play. On the other hand, our players were coming off a very hard fought contest to Turpin and going into this game knowing we were good enough to upset the home team. But as the game unfolded, we were the team that seem to lack the emotion and crisp play that we all saw last week.

Without question, Wilmington has a very nice team with some very talented players. They out-played us in every phase of the game. As the first half ended, we finally showed some life and the fire we saw last week against Turpin had finally resurfaced. We went into the half down 14-7. However it was short lived. To open the second half, the Canes returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. From this point forward, the rest of the night seemed to be in slow motion for us.

At many points throughout the game, it simply felt like a scrimmage game. But today is Monday and we have no time sulk or to feel sorry for ourselves. In just five days we will be traveling to Little Miami to face one of the most explosive offenses in the conference. But one thing I do know,  is our guys will be ready to play again on Friday night! The environment at Panther Stadium will be filled with electricity and both crowds will be into this contest!

See you at the game!

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

One of the coolest things I have realized about coaching is the association that I have with these young people throughout their football experiences.   At the time, certain players will be forever linked to some of my most enjoyable experiences as a coach.

 This past Friday night was a very unique opportunity to create an incredible memory not only for the players and coaches, but for the entire community and its alumni as well. This past Friday was Homecoming as well as our second annual Kings Football Alumni gathering! What else is required to create the “perfect storm” for creating such a memory are two good football teams. We hosted the number 1 rated team in Cincinnati and ranked #2 in the AP poll in league rival undefeated Turpin. On the other hand, we went into this game a significant underdog with a record of 2-4 and only 4 healthy seniors. But on this night, records didn’t seem to matter.

 The young Knights walked into the locker room at the half with a 7-0 lead. The visitors would not score until late in the 3^rd quarter and then their go ahead score happened in the beginning of the 4^th quarter. We attempted what the Bengals seem to do on a regular basis in our last drive of the game. We had 4 chances to score from the red zone at the end of the game but fell short as timed expired.

 Even in defeat, the players gave our community much to be proud about. They gave great effort and showed tremendous heart through the contest. Turpin has a very veteran team starting 10 seniors on defense and 5 on offense. The improvement that our team has shown throughout the course of the season has been very apparent and very encouraging. With three games remaining, the Knights will need to continue to play very well as all three teams are very capable of beating us, especially if we do not play up to current standards.

 Any fans left at the end of the Homecoming left being very proud of the effort given on this rain-soaked night. And although the opportunity for creating a “great” memory slipped through our fingers, there is no doubt memories of some degree were created!

 See you at the game!

Coach Olds

Last Friday night we started our “New Season” with a convincing win over Amelia, 45-0. Offensively we seem to have taken what they gave us. Amelia forced us to pass the ball in order to beat them, so we did exactly that! The run game was affective but we did not produce the numbers we had anticipated. This past week was one filled with enthusiasm as the players and coaches anticipated the start of FAVC play. Each and every practice was upbeat while the players worked hard daily. This week will be much of the same thing.

 This week is homecoming week. Turpin will be a stiff challenge as they are the #3 ranked team in all of Ohio and the #1 ranked team in Cincinnati in divisions 2-6. Their offense is without question the strength of their team. They have 4 very talented “skill players” that can hurt you at any given point. The Spartan defense and kicking games are very solid as well.

 This year, the FAVC Cardinal seems to be more balanced than ever with Turpin clearly being the class of the league. The remaining teams on our schedule, Wilmington, Little Miami, and Walnut Hills, looked to be very even and very competitive! The first half of the season’s schedule has hopefully prepared us for the remaining games. As coaches, it is fun to watch the players improve and grow in confidence. This has happened across the board with all of our players.

 Friday night will be a great evening of not only football, but we look forward to visiting with our Alumni Football players as they enjoy the catered social in the north end zone prior to the game. I am quite sure they will be exchanging their favorite “war stories” while getting caught up on all of the current events at Kings Local.

 See you at the game!

 Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

When football fans read the box score from Friday night’s game, it hardly describes what exactly transpired. Caring a 2 game losing streak, the young Knights looked the #3 ranked D2 team in all Ohio right in the eye and accepted the challenge at hand. In the week prior to this game, the Warriors defeated the #1 ranked D3 team in Ohio in Bishop Watterson out of Columbus.

The entire week our challenge to the players has been, “this is your last chance to get better in preparation for our Conference opener”. But more importantly, this game would measure many more things not tracked or documented. This game measured pride, effort, and most importantly, heart!  Winton Woods’ offense was powerful. Easily the best we have seen to date. Their defense was to be almost as stingy as their offense was dangerous. But on the night, the first half was nothing short of a shootout. When the half ended, it would read Winton Woods 5 TDs and Kings 3 TDs. Suddenly, our lockeroom at the half was buzzing with coaches making even more offensive adjustments. The look in the player’s eyes was one I have been waiting on all season! Their look could be described as a combination of fun and confidence!

What coaches and players have been working toward over the last 5 weeks finally showed signs of life! The Warriors were visibly upset as the visitors scored more times in the first half than any team they have faced this season. Although we were outscored on the night, the confidence gained by the players on this damp evening could be seen on their faces throughout the course of this contest! As stated in last week’s “Coaches Corner”, it was made clear the amount of challenge this years’ schedule presented. But the effort demonstrated Friday night simply proves that the players and coaches put their best foot forward in games 1-5 and look to put all of our efforts and heart into defending the 2008 conference title when we welcome Amelia to the Castle for their last encounter with Kings as they move to a new conference in 2010.

See you at the game!

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

It was decided on during our winter meetings as a staff that our team “motto” would be, “DIG IN”. This was derived from information regarding our upcoming schedule combined with trying to replace 21 starters and 27 seniors with a senior class of what now appears to be 5 “healthy” seniors. Given the experience of my staff, I am completely confident that the plan devised will not doubt have a profound and positive effect on the future of Kings Football. Make no mistake; we are trying to win games now! The most critical piece to the puzzle is that we as a staff have the right kids in right places to ensure that “meaningful” learning occurs. In other words, if we have to switch a player from one position to another after the season (which may happen), that his experience would not be as valuable had he not been switched. We also look at depth at positions. If we have 5 “mike backers”, we would move guys so that they too will get on the field quicker to help us as well as provide them with a chance to contribute.

Without question it has been fun over the past 11 years experiencing one of the highest winning percentages in Division 2 in all of Ohio. The one problem with that is that teams are not exactly beating down your door to play you. In fact, many times we have to choose between taking a “bye” and playing a larger team. I know of a school that chooses the later on a regular basis. In my opinion, the amount of time spent practicing compared to how much game time you get is severely disproportionate as it currently stands. I cannot bring myself or this program to that same point! Our guys deserve to play 10 games regardless.

The silver lining of all this is that we play one of the toughest pre-conference D2 schedules in Southwest Ohio. This has paid dividends in the past and we’ll make sure it does this same thing in the future. Convincing 27 seniors of this was much easier to do than it will be convincing 21 starters made up of 5 freshman and 6 sophomores.

So my advice to all, “DIG IN & STAY THE COURSE”!

See you on the field!

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

This weeks’ title seems appropriate as it is indicative of the 2009 varsity Football

Team. Without question, the continuous goal of “getting better at something” is

 getting accomplished through each contest. However, want you don’t want to see is a

 let down is basic football skills such as ball security and tackling. Poor tackling and

 five turnovers will get almost any team beat no matter the opponent!

Harrison’s team was a more experienced team and as their coach stated in the local

paper, “our 18 year old players took advantage of their 15 year old players”. As the

coach of the young team, I need to very careful as does all of my staff that reffering to

out team as “young” does not turn into a “crutch”. At times Friday, the educated

Football fan could clearly see the potential this team has. As crazy as this may sound,

I was much more please with our overall effort this past week in our loss than with

our win last week vs. Talawanda. Don’t get me wrong, I love to win more than anyone

alive. I told the players this one Saturday. But this statement can be interpreted in the

wrong way if I am not careful. I will make sure it received as I intended to be!

 Loveland brings in a team with more firepower than Harrison did-no question! But

this is one of those weeks that make high school sports exciting! This is our biggest

rival and anyone who follows sports knows exactly what this means! We were clearly

the better team a year ago when we met last-at least on paper! The only problem with

that was that Loveland evidently did not read the same paper. Coach Marlatt of

Loveland was quoted in the paper as saying, “this win over Kings is my best since I

have been coaching at Loveland” with their upset win in 2008.

 This week, without question, the tables will be turned. Lets’ hope our players don’t

read that same paper!

See you on the field!

Coach Olds

GO KNIGHTS!!!

WKNG Barrett Cohen interviews Coach Andy Olds on his return to the team and the Knights progress over the first two weeks.   Listen to Coach’s interview on  WKNG Radio.

And click on Tom Ramstetter’s article on Cincinnati.com Knights Olds feels like new again