Conroe football head coach expects young varsity athletes to play to their own talent

CONROE, Texas - With football season nearing, Conroe Today sat down with the head coaches of the local area CISD football teams to reflect about last year's season and talk about goals for the 2015 season. See what the Conroe High School Varsity Football head coach, Robert Walker, had to say:

Q: Can you give a brief recap on your team’s 2014 football season?

A: Last year we were 3-7. We played anywhere from 10 to 12 sophomores every game. Every junior we had on the team last year had zero varsity experience the year before, so we were a very young football team. It felt like we were in a lot of games where we could win them, but as young teams will, we lost our focus late in the game. We were able to snag defeat from the jaws of victory. We’re looking for big things this year because we have eight kids back on both sides of the ball that have all played a lot of football. Last year was a very young year for us at Conroe High School.

Q: What were the team’s greatest strengths last year?

A: Our kids played hard throughout the game. They learned that it’s a 48 minute game. There never was any let down in what they did. We just got beat. Their confidence was there, and the greatest thing was that we were able to come right back the next week and have great practices to get ready for the game. We were in every ball game. It really was a neat season to go 3-7 and yet having a feeling that you were a lot better. I know as a head coach I left not satisfied with the win-loss, but left thinking, “Wow. We were a lot better than our record showed,” and every kid felt that way too. I think the strength was confidence from last year, and it will build into this year.

Q: What needs to improve in order for your team to harness a successful season?

A: Our sophomores that are now juniors have got to gel quick and be ready to play. Right now we’re looking at four to five sophomores on the varsity, whereas last year we had 15 to 16. Those kids are up there because they’re players. They’ve got to pick it up, come on and really catch on quick. Just how quick we can gel and cut out the youthful mistakes, even though we’ll still be a very young football team — a team full of juniors — we’re very experienced. That experience has to shine through for us, not our youthfulness and not our age. They’re older than their chronological age in football. They’ve played a lot of football at the highest level.

Q: Is it difficult for the team to adjust to no longer having last year’s starting seniors?

A: It’s always tough when you lose a senior. They’ve been playing football since the 7th grade, so their playing experience and their leadership, you always miss those, so it’s going to be difficult. Anytime that you lose one senior, you lose a starter for you, it’s always difficult to lose those kids. Yes, it will be difficult for us to overcome, but we feel like we have good players taking their place as well. They just have less experience.

Q: How would you describe the talent of the athletes who are starting their first year on varsity?

A: The four or five sophomores that we’ll have on their first year on varsity are very talented or they would here. We feel like our talent here at Conroe High School is as good as anybody’s in the district. It’s just that we’ve got to play to the level of our talent — not the level of other people’s talent, but to the level of our talent each and every single play. If we do that, this is going to be a great year for Conroe High School.

Q: Where do you think your team’s strengths lie this year?

A: I think our strengths lie in experience, first and foremost. I think our strengths lie in speed. I think we’re as fast as anybody in the district. I think that our strengths lie in size. We’re bigger than we have been in Conroe in the positions we need to be big in, like offensive line. Since I’ve been here, this is only my third year, but looking back at teams prior to us, we’re bigger than those teams were over the past five or six years. I think that’s three of our main strengths, but experience has to be the first thing that you look at, because we are experienced from top to bottom at the varsity level. Just listing the starters, we’re double than what everybody else has. That lends to being a good football team. We’ve got, like I said earlier, to playtime level of our talent each and every play.

Q: What have y’all been doing to prepare for the season?

A: They’ve been working their tails off. We started our commitment camp on June 29, and today is the final day of it. UIL lets us go six consecutive weeks through there, and we always choose to go right before two-a-days start, which we call football camp. So we already had our morning session and we had right at 80 kids, and we’ll have our evening session this afternoon, and we’ll have between 50 to 80 kids there as well. They have worked their tails off. It has been without a doubt the best summer program that we’ve had since being at Conroe. That’s another reason to have optimism and excitement.

Q: Can you describe your team using only one word?

A: Family. For us that stands for, “Forget about me, I love you.”

Q: What is rewarding about being this team’s coach?

A: I can answer that by saying what’s rewarding about being a coach period. This year will be my 36th year to be a coach. I’ve coached high school and college football. Just to see growth from young men to men to somehow know that you were apart of that, and just to see the smile on their faces, watch them compete and do well — that’s what it’s about.

Q: What mindset do you want your team to maintain throughout the season?

A: Compete. I want them to know to compete. By competing I mean play to the level of our talent — not to the talent of the team we’re playing — but our talent. I think the worst phrase in sports today is, “I’m going to bring my A-game.” That is the worst phrase in sports, because why would you bring any other game? Tiger Woods said that and everybody thought it was the greatest thing, and I’d say that’s the sorriest thing I’ve heard come out of anybody’s mouth. Why would you play any other way? Bring your A-game. Play to your talent everyday, and we’ll have a very productive, very football team this year if we do that.