Latest / The Craig Way Show / Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders previews State Championship game against Southlake Carroll

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Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders previews State Championship game against Southlake Carroll · The Craig Way Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you what that is so aproposed because
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the Vandergridt Vipers have led on throughout these playoffs and
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: now they're ready to make their second UIL sixth A
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  Speaker 1: Division two state championship game appearance in the past three years,
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  Speaker 1: and we're thrilled to have our good friend, the head
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  Speaker 1: coach of the Vipers, Drew Sanders, join us on the hotline.
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  Speaker 1: I would ask you how you doing, but I know
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  Speaker 1: you're doing pretty well, aren't you.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Yes, doing very well, very excited about getting to
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  Speaker 2: play at and T.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's cool.
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  Speaker 1: And we'll get into some breakdown and talking about south
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Lake Carroll and all that stuff in a minute here.
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  Speaker 1: But I'm curious to get from you because you always
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  Speaker 1: put this in its proper context, the path that your
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: team has taken, not just through the playoffs, but through
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: the regular season, going all the way back to the
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  Speaker 1: early season games, and what this particular group has done
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  Speaker 1: to exemplify what you and your coaching staff and talking
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: about Viper tradition and everything to reach this point, going
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  Speaker 1: all the way back to early in the season.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's a I think it's a tremendous journey.
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  Speaker 2: We had such a young group to start the to
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  Speaker 2: start the season, it was eight starters replaced on offense,
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  Speaker 2: seven on defense, And so you just think about how
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  Speaker 2: much work that is and and how we had to
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  Speaker 2: come from, you know, just just a whole new group.
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  Speaker 3: We had lost a Cedar Park.
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  Speaker 2: Which was tough to take, and but it was just
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  Speaker 2: all of our growing pains that we had to kind
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  Speaker 2: of figure out. And of course new quarterback, and he's
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: played and played tremendous but got better and better, and
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  Speaker 2: we made some changes on defense and and after the
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  Speaker 2: Stony Point game, we kind of, you know, shout everybody
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  Speaker 2: down from from from then on, made.
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  Speaker 3: A couple of changes there.
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  Speaker 2: So it's been fun to see a group go from
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  Speaker 2: you know, zero experience to here we are playing for
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  Speaker 2: a state.
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  Speaker 3: Championship, do you see?
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  Speaker 1: And the reason why I say this is because I've
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  Speaker 1: I've had a ton of conference calls with coaches whose
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  Speaker 1: teams are in the state championships since I'm doing six
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  Speaker 1: of the twelve games, and and there was a one
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  Speaker 1: common threat I hear is that if there was an
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  Speaker 1: early season issue that the players, and of course I
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  Speaker 1: always hear coaches say the best teams are player player led,
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  Speaker 1: I guess, and they talked about that. For example, I'm
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  Speaker 1: doing this two a game tomorrow night between Munster and Shiner.
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  Speaker 1: Munster started two and two and Shiner started zero to three.
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  Speaker 1: Now they played tough teams and and and Cedar Park
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  Speaker 1: was a quality opponent going into the playoffs. But but
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  Speaker 1: when you get a setback, I guess, is when it
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  Speaker 1: kind of reveals some things about your group. But and
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  Speaker 1: what did you learn about your guys as it went forward,
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  Speaker 1: even after the loss to Cedar Park.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it was fun to see us trying to figure
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  Speaker 2: out who we were, even though you never want to lose.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, it's it's great having undefeated seasons
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  Speaker 2: every year, right, but you know, you've got to be
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  Speaker 2: able to go through some struggle. And I thought that
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  Speaker 2: the guys number one listened better to us. You know,
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  Speaker 2: anytime that kind of stuff happens, they start looking back
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  Speaker 2: towards their coaches, you know, And.
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  Speaker 3: So that was that was exactly what they did.
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  Speaker 2: Instead of fighting or getting upset, they just you know,
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  Speaker 2: kind of was like, well, what do we need to do?
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  Speaker 2: And then they also led within themselves and kind of
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  Speaker 2: figured out, you know, who they were, so I thought
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  Speaker 2: that it was good to see our growth. And the
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  Speaker 2: next week after that, you know, we had to battle
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  Speaker 2: to beat Stony Point, which you know may surprise a
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  Speaker 2: lot of people if you go back and look at
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  Speaker 2: that score, but that's just kind of where we were
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  Speaker 2: and figuring out who we were and could we be
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  Speaker 2: good and could we handle adversity, and our guys leadership
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  Speaker 2: through that was was really good.
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  Speaker 1: Too, did you You and the coaching staff, like say,
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  Speaker 1: even after the Stony game, got with one another and
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  Speaker 1: and and we don't know exactly where this group is
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  Speaker 1: going to go, but we're gonna we're gonna have to
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  Speaker 1: trust that they'll they'll figure out what we want them
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  Speaker 1: to do. I mean, what what was the what was
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  Speaker 1: the self avow because I've heard you talk about that
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  Speaker 1: before with your coaches before. What was that like for
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  Speaker 1: you during those early weeks of the season.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, you know, every good staff is just
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  Speaker 2: going to just take what they have each week and
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  Speaker 2: and and not be afraid to make changes or whatever else.
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  Speaker 2: And I've got a tremendous staff and most of a
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  Speaker 2: lot of them have been with me, especially the defensive side, been.
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  Speaker 3: With me for a while. And I think you know that.
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  Speaker 2: But coach Mauser got his first said coaching job last offseason.
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  Speaker 3: So the offensive.
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  Speaker 2: Guys were we're all new, and but they were open
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  Speaker 2: to also critiquing.
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  Speaker 3: Themselves and what we needed to do better.
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  Speaker 2: And and so I think every good staff is is
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  Speaker 2: open to that. And and we're no different, you know.
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  Speaker 2: And so but sometimes when you lose, it gives you
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  Speaker 2: the I guess the guts are the action you need
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  Speaker 2: to go. All right, we've got to make this change here,
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  Speaker 2: this change here, change here. And that's kind of what
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  Speaker 2: we did on some of that.
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  Speaker 1: The reason why I asked this is because of the
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  Speaker 1: changes that you made, and the attitude of the guys
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  Speaker 1: clearly pays off down the road. When in a state
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  Speaker 1: semifinal game, you're down ten points to a team that
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  Speaker 1: was a state finals a year ago, a team that
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  Speaker 1: the computer thing said should win by ten, and you're
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  Speaker 1: down ten, and that's where I guess guys have to
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  Speaker 1: dig deep a little bit. What did you see from
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  Speaker 1: your guys when you're down twenty four to fourteen the
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  Speaker 1: Summer Creek last Saturday night?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we started out fourteen nothing before that,
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  Speaker 2: you know?
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  Speaker 3: True? Yeah, And so it was.
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  Speaker 2: I said to the TVs TV cameras after it was like,
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  Speaker 2: you know, this is kind of where we figure out
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  Speaker 2: that do we have that true viper spirit where we're
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  Speaker 2: not going to quit. And there's been so many times
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  Speaker 2: in the last sixteen years i've been head coach here
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  Speaker 2: that we've been down, or we've we've had we've had
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  Speaker 2: a setback, and our guys just keep playing hard. That's
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  Speaker 2: one of our hallmarks is to fall mark. And so
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  Speaker 2: we just tell them, hey, no matter what, you're just
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  Speaker 2: gonna play as hard as you can. You're gonna play
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  Speaker 2: through it, and you're gona play through all that momentum
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  Speaker 2: switch and try to figure if we can get it
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  Speaker 2: switched back right.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what happened with in a couple of.
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  Speaker 2: Those times where we were able to get We got
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  Speaker 2: down fourteen nothing and then we return a kick and
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  Speaker 2: then we get a fumble the next possession, and then
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  Speaker 2: all of a sudden, we're like, okay, it's fourteen fourteen,
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  Speaker 2: and and so and and they and they knew heading
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  Speaker 2: into this it is a state semifinal. So we're not
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  Speaker 2: playing some you know, flappy team, you know, and so
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  Speaker 2: you know we're gonna have to battle. We're gonna have
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  Speaker 2: to we're gonna have to work for this. And at
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  Speaker 2: some point, it's probably during that twenty four to fourteen section,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the defense was huddled up. I think they
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  Speaker 2: maybe as a quarter break or something or time out,
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  Speaker 2: and I said, guys, if you want to make a
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  Speaker 2: state championship game, we've got to figure out how we're
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  Speaker 2: gonna fix this, this and this. And they were, you know,
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  Speaker 2: like all year and they're so ready to do whatever
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  Speaker 2: we ask. And so that's that's that's kind of fun,
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  Speaker 2: you know, in fact, that's really fun when you can
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  Speaker 2: see guys improving even through the game and trying to
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  Speaker 2: make changes.
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  Speaker 3: No doubt about it.
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  Speaker 1: Visiting with Drew Sanders, head coach of the Vander Griff
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  Speaker 1: Viper's here on the Craigway Show. All right, you mentioned
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  Speaker 1: your quarterback. Tell us about the growth of Miles today.
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  Speaker 1: He since you had a brand new starter and a
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  Speaker 1: junior at that stepping into the role.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a bit since we had a junior
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  Speaker 2: since Braiden Buchannan, since we had a junior start for
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  Speaker 2: us at quarterback, and we know how that turned out
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  Speaker 2: with Brayden and he you know, led us our first
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  Speaker 2: state championship game and now playing at Baylor and by
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  Speaker 2: the way, doing really well at Baylor on the baseball team.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, for for us, we had faith in Miles.
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  Speaker 2: We saw what he did. He led our JV on
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  Speaker 2: a sophomore to a tenano season, but it wasn't like
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  Speaker 2: a regular even though that's great. It was a teno
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  Speaker 2: season where it was just like absolute domination, and so
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  Speaker 2: that was you know, we felt like he could take
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  Speaker 2: over the reins.
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  Speaker 3: Was a good leader.
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  Speaker 2: And then we started with dripping Springs where he played
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  Speaker 2: really well out of the box, and and then he's
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  Speaker 2: just continued to get better and better. And of course,
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  Speaker 2: like any new player, he's got to improve it. Some
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  Speaker 2: things he had to he had to do better in
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  Speaker 2: certain areas, but he so coachable and just kept getting better.
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  Speaker 2: And then this last week was probably his best performance
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  Speaker 2: of the entire year. I think he threw it for
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  Speaker 2: over three hundred a couple of touchdowns.
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  Speaker 3: And I don't know if you you know.
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  Speaker 2: You're pretty up on every team in Texas, but I
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  Speaker 2: mean their front yeah, they're therefore d linemen were I'm
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: not exaggerating when I say they were they were big dudes, man,
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  Speaker 2: they were they were some dogs. And you know, for
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  Speaker 2: him to stand in there and be able to make
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  Speaker 2: throws all day, I mean, it was an impressive performance.
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  Speaker 1: And then of course, if we've seen anything out of
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  Speaker 1: the past of success on the football field, uh for
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  Speaker 1: the Vipers, it's been also through the run game. And
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  Speaker 1: how about the you sine your running back Brendanfornia and
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  Speaker 1: what he's given you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, Brendan has just been he you know,
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  Speaker 2: we we had a rough time earlier in the year
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  Speaker 2: where we we were down about three or four running backs.
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  Speaker 2: We all had ankle's brains. It was the wildest thing ever.
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  Speaker 2: But it's been so good to have him back and
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  Speaker 2: and he man, he just is playing so good right
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  Speaker 2: now and doing doing what what he needs to do.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, he's a senior, he's a captain, and so
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  Speaker 2: we expect him to, you know, to kind of carry
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  Speaker 2: us at times, and he's doing that. He's running tough,
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  Speaker 2: he's running low, he's he's running through tackles and and
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  Speaker 2: and his performance, his performance and all the games have
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: been good. But against Harlan, it was really really impressive.
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  Speaker 2: Against steel Man, he played really well against Steel also,
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  Speaker 2: and so we're we're really proud of him and proud
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  Speaker 2: of his growth and expecting great things in the state game.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: I'm interested in your thoughts in your exis amination of
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: South Lake, Carrol, because there are those who would say,
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  Speaker 1: and I don't know how vastly different is, but there
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  Speaker 1: are those who say they're operating differently now because they
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  Speaker 1: lost two running backs. Clearly, good ones need one running backs,
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  Speaker 1: and yet they continue to find a way and doing
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  Speaker 1: it as Riley Dodge likes to do and has done
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  Speaker 1: in the past a lot through the air.
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  Speaker 3: But what's your bridge?
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  Speaker 1: You notice mark differences in what you see from Carol
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  Speaker 1: since they've lost the two running backs with their offense
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  Speaker 1: to what they're doing now.
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  Speaker 2: No, you know they're probably running a quarterback more.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: But other than that, no, not not much. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: they like to run the zone, they like to throw it,
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  Speaker 2: like you said, and they have three to four amazing receivers.
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  Speaker 2: But if anybody's watched them, they would see how big
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: strong their O line is, and so you know, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: it definitely helps to jump start the run game when
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: you have an O line that looks like theirs.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I get the feeling you're feeling that that one
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  Speaker 1: of the keys to this thing, one of the things
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  Speaker 1: that turn it is that trench play between your D
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: line and their O line.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I mean, you know, you know, this game
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  Speaker 2: is about blocking and tackling, and so we we've got
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  Speaker 2: to be able to not get knocked back and uh,
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: and that's that's a tall order. I mean, they're they're very,
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  Speaker 2: very good, and we think we think.
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  Speaker 3: We're strong up front too.
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  Speaker 2: But it's that is going to be one of the
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  Speaker 2: big matchups on Saturday.
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  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 1: Visiting here for a few more minutes here with Drew Sanders,
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  Speaker 1: head coach of the Vandergrid Vipers. Was there much to
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: be learned from the experience two years ago of going
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: into at.
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  Speaker 3: And T Stadium.
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  Speaker 1: I mean it was it was quite a ball game
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: into the fourth quarter and then De Sota pulled away.
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  Speaker 1: But but outside of that, the whole deal, the the
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: the awe factor. This that the walking in to get
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: used to u a routine and clock and all of
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: those things in the run up to the game itself
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  Speaker 1: were those things that now two years later, are are
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  Speaker 1: proving valuable to you and the staff. You as you
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: lay this out, for for the for this plan, for
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: this Saturday.
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  Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, for sure, every every single thing is
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: better this year than the last time. You know, from
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: understanding where we are going a hotel, simple like that,
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: what are we doing Friday night? Now we're saying, hey,
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: remember when we did We're doing that again. The only starter,
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: you know, really was in with our nose tackle, who's
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: just had a tremendous senior year. But other than that,
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: all those guys were either backups or they were on
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: the playoff team, and so they all have been an
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: AT and D. They've stood on the sideline, you know,
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: they've done all They've.
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  Speaker 3: Done all that.
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  Speaker 2: So I do think it takes a little bit of
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: the wow factor out, even though it's still going to
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: be a beautiful facility and all that stuff.
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  Speaker 3: But I think all of that.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: Factors into your comfortability as you come into something that
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: you know people are trying and it is a big thing.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: But sometimes people will follow in the traps of like
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: making it a huge thing, like you know, oh my gosh,
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: you've got to do this, you got to That's where
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: people miss up. I think, I think you've just got
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: to go treat it like a regular game, and so
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: that I think that helps, routine helps that you know
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: for sure.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: He's Drew Sanders, head coach of the Vandergrit Vipers. They
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: play Saturday afternoon at three o'clock.
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  Speaker 3: Listen.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: If you're sending home to watch the Texan, you can
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: flip back and forth. You can do that, or you
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: can just watch with the Vandergrid telecas and just listen
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: to our radio broadcast. However that works, you know, something
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: like that, Drew, we wish you the best. I wish
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: you could be there to call it, and I wish
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: you all the best and uh and uh, well we'll
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: look forward to uh hopefully a big effort and in
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: a great outcome against Southly Caro.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: I appreciate you taking the time today.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: Thanks, Thanks, Thanks Greg.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: You bet that's Drew Sanders, head coach of the Vandergrid Vipers.
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: We have more coming up when we continue on Sports
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Radio EM thirteen under the Zone in the iHeartRadio app