Warriors vs. Covenant

Wow. I wish I had more positive things to say about our game against Covenant this past Friday, but I really had to search my heart. This is the biggest school we have played this season. Covenant has as many students in their high school as Skipstone has in our entire student body. They were big, fast, strong and a very disciplined team. Number 7 is a talent, the most talented player we have faced all season and I have no doubt that we will likely see him on Saturday afternoons in the coming years. I have played against guys like this, many years ago… back in dark ages as my kids would say, and I can only say this, I always considered it a privilege to witness exceptional talent as there was always something to be learned from sharing the field with exceptional players.

Early on in my high school career I remember playing against Suncoast High School. They had a player that was probably the best I have ever seen, up close and personal. His name was Anthony Carter (AC) and, well, the game was memorable, to say the least. As I recall, he touched the ball six times and scored six touchdowns and ended up with some ridiculous numbers like 350 combined yards for the night. It did not matter how or what he did, he was a pure athlete. If memory serves, his scores came on a punt return, kick off return, a reverse and three receptions. He was simply spectacular. He went on to play for the Michigan Wolverines and then on to the Minnesota Vikings. While I remember snippets of his televised highlights, I will never forget that Friday night under the lights in South Florida. It was like watching a grown man play with boys. Amazing. One of the thoughts I took away from that night was, no matter who we played from here on out, we would never face another AC, well, at least not that season. I also decided that if there was another AC out there, I wanted to be ready. I was inspired. It made me push myself harder in practice and push harder during game time.

Friday night’s game brought back some of those memories. Overall, Covenant was an excellent team and I will keep my opinions of the coaching to myself… We will suffice to say that there were many, many opinions from friends and family and while I agree with most of it, this is football. So, I am not saddened by the performance of number 7, as I think he is probably just like I was, he just wants to play football (put me in coach, I’m ready to play…), so quite the contrary, he was exciting to watch. Now this is not to say that I was not cheering and coaching our boys to put a lick on him, but once you face a player of that caliber, well, it really puts the rest of your opponents in perspective. It did for me and it is my hope that it will do the same for our Warriors.

We had an awesome week leading up to the game and then we had a terrible week leading up to the game too. Satan was very busy last week. Lot’s of things going on, battles and distractions and lots of stuff in and away from school. It was like Satan was making a big push because he knows the Lord is pouring out His blessings on our school. We received phone calls and had meetings with coaches from other schools all trying to give us information so we might beat Covenant. We even had game film. The Warrior coaching staff began to develop very high expectations for Friday’s game, especially coming off our best game yet with FCA. We also had the privilege of tapping the talents and experience of Anthony Mitchell, a retired NFL defensive back. Anthony played for the Baltimore Ravens when they won Superbowl 35. He went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinati Bengals. He loves working with kids and I think he really caught the Skipstone bug.

I asked Anthony to come out and help our defensive backs understand the finer points of covering the pass. He came out Tuesday, spent an hour and a half with the Warriors and then showed up Wednesday and Thursday. Then he came to the game too. He knows stuff about football. Lots of stuff. He shared his talents and knowledge with our Warriors. And we were all inspired. It was another one of those awesome God moments at Skipstone.

I was dreaming of a Facing the Giants moment. I don’t remember praying for victory, but I do remember praying for focus and strength and some other things, well maybe I prayed for victory, no I’m sure I did and I also prayed for humility. I am pretty sure I did not pray to be humbled 70 to 0. It is interesting how our Lord works on things like that, isn’t it? I prayed for humility and I received a lesson in humility, or maybe I should say, a lesson in how not to be humble. And this is the really, really significant part of my Friday night. Coach Eric and I were discussing the outcome of the game afterward and he said to me in so many words, if you are all about winning and would ever do that to another team, please tell me now so that I can walk away, because I will never be a part of such a debacle. Prayer answered. The truth is, if I ever have a moment like last Friday, on the winning side, I hope someone kicks me square in the rump. And there was another amazing side effect from this lesson, or, in reflection, it is possible that the entire lesson was not even directed at us but at some others in the crowd.

Many of our friends attend our games. They love the atmosphere and everything that is Skipstone. Two of my friends coach my younger son, Kaden, in a local recreation league. They had a game Saturday morning against an opponent that is, well, maybe a bit like our Warriors – small in numbers, new, and lacking experience. They have not won a game yet this season, as a matter of fact, they have not scored a point this season. Now my friends and I have discussed game plans and figured out what we were going to do for Saturday's game. This was an opportunity for several of the Locust Grove Cowboys to do things they do not normally get to do in a game. Run the ball, catch the ball, kick the ball and play different positions. Everyone was really looking forward to the game. And then there were my friends, these two coaches, at our game Friday night. And they started changing their game plan. It became not about our Cowboys, but about ALL the kids. What can we do so they (the other team) can have the opportunity to score a touchdown? Or complete a pass? Or run the ball? It was awesome! And I think our little Cowboys sensed what was going on and they had more fun that game than any other time in recent memory. That was little league ball at it’s best. Unfortunately, the other team did not score, but they did do much better and had some successes in the other aspects of the game.

Friday night was one of those teaching moments. What is amazing to me is how it touched people beyond our small community. That the lesson was taken beyond Skipstone, and then applied, with great success I might add. Something else I took away from Friday night was maybe the most significant revelation for me, as a coach, for the season. These young men, our Skipstone Warriors, have huge, ginormous hearts. They will not quit, no matter what the odds. We also learned that our Warriors are full of integrity. They played and acted with integrity all night, even when they had every reason not to. I don’t know if these are learned traits or not. I’m just not that smart. What I believe is that the philosophy and the Christ centered values of Skipstone builds a solid foundation for all of our students and athletes. We are so blessed to have so many young men and women and boys and girls with such important attributes.

Some might say I tend to live and breathe football more than the average person, and that may be true. I love football and I love sharing the game with kids. Coach Eric and Coach Jonathan and Coach Eric E., they are all the same way. And when you work with the players day in and day out, grinding on the fundamentals and techniques and all the mental aspects of the sport and then, one of them has that moment, when it all clicks and the light comes on and you can see it in his eyes, and then he executes perfectly, well, it is absolutely awesome. And we have had a bunch of those moments this year. The really amazing thing about Skipstone is we are allowed to go even further with the teaching. Because we are committed 100% to the Skipstone ministry.

The athletic program at Skipstone is really an extension of the Skipstone ministry. It is an opportunity to spend more time talking and learning about our Lord and Savior. Friday night is a perfect example. There are lessons there. And at Skipstone, we get to talk about them and learn to apply them to life. Athletics provides tons of opportunities to teach about life and Jesus Christ. And for the Warrior coaching staff, our focus is to teach our players to be Christ like, not just on Friday nights, but all day, every day.

We have two games left this season. One more home game this Friday. I believe both are winnable games for us, but then I believe that all our games are winnable. We have the best fans on the planet and I hope that all of you just keep being you. Loving and encouraging and down right crazy about our Warriors. I am amazed every week at your support. Thank you for that. And I cannot say enough about the Skipstone administration. We are so fortunate. So, look out Cross Pointe. The Warriors are coming!

Fight on,

Coach Cupp