Hey Palm Harbor players — it’s Sept. 15, not Nov. 15. Or Dec. 15.
You haven’t even played a league game yet. You think losing to a neighbor is the end of the world? You’d better get your heads straight before homecoming next week. You ran into an undefeated, well-coached team.
So be it. It’s not coach speak to say this: NEXT.
As of now? You need to be massive fans of Osceola, St. Petersburg, Sunlake, and Tarpon Springs. Focus your anger on the next six teams on your schedule, then when the game is over? You’re their biggest fans.
You’re not out of JACKSQUAT for 2023 (and trust me, I wanted to drop some four-letter words here — I know you’ve seen/used them). But there are too many eyeballs on this. NOTHING is settled as of Sept. 15. Ever. Never has been.
Some historical context:
If you like NFL football? Look up the 1985 Chicago Bears. The greatest pro football team that ever happened. They were steamrolling opponents for several months. But on a random early December Monday night? The Bears came to Miami and lost. They were humbled. And it woke them up.
You were humbled tonight.
You want an example closer to home?: How about the Palm Harbor girls soccer team in 2018-19 who won the state title? Well, they were undefeated coming in — but lost a fluke district game, then came back to beat the same team less than 10 days later and go on to win the state championship and finish nationally ranked.
Your hopes of setting the bar higher in Palm Harbor football are still intact. But like your coaches are telling you tonight?: You guys are too damned good to rack up the penalties we saw tonight. You guys are extremely intelligent and intangible football is why you guys look good going into a Friday night battle.
If you want to represent Palm Harbor U. football and Pinellas County as a whole? You … can … do that. If you want to be playing around Thanksgiving? You can still do that.
The coaches aren’t lying to you. Focus tonight went from being pissed off about not getting that trophy to handling Countryside at homecoming next week. Cherish the memories of homecoming, they’re important — but balance that with understanding that it’s important next Friday night that you all have jobs to do. If you really want to celebrate homecoming and make it really fun for that crowd?
You know what to do. And then? You move on to the next task.
Tonight? As I type this? It’s almost already tomorrow. It just doesn’t matter — and again, no sir, it doesn’t knock you out of any kind of postseason situation. That’s all ahead of you.
PHU — you control your own destiny. That didn’t end tonight. Nothing ended tonight.
Chins up.
