Extra on FHS Football Column

I would like to add a bit of explanation to the latter portion of my column on the challenges that the Farmington football program faces.

Near the end I stated that the youth and junior high programs must get better. The word "better" is ambiguous and deserved a bit more explanation.

By "better," I meant that if the varsity football team wants to become a top, competitive program, the feeder programs in Farmington need to find a way (against difficult odds) to generate more resources and interest in the sport from a structural standpoint.

For instance, Tibbetts Middle School's football equipment and resources are not up to par. I have talked to a few people this year involved with the program that lament the lack of equipment available.

I've talked football with the coach, and he seems competent from my brief 10-minute conversation, but I would not classify the program as top-notch right now. That's not a reflection on the coach. If Bill Belichick coached the Raiders this year, the Raiders would still need to get better. That wouldn't mean that Belichick is a bad coach, but there are larger cultural problems in place that will take time to change.

The baseball team, which I included for its comparative success, does a good job with this. Young baseball players in Farmington have plenty of chances for growth, and coaching is part of that, but the infrastructure is perhaps a bigger part.

A young football player in Farmington may or may not have a sled to push, a new uniform, or a considerable group of teammates to compete against. A young baseball player would.

Therefore, football is at a disadvantage, because many of the athletes are drawn to baseball at a young age.

It was not meant as a commentary on coaches that I do not know. That would've been clearer had I spent another paragraph or two expanding my explanation, which I meant as a bit of an aside or secondary comment about the difficulties football faces from a cultural standpoint in Farmington and how that ultimately affects the varsity team.

Stay true and keep pounding,
Christopher