Chiefs Suffer First Loss of The Season
The Chiefs football team took on the Tiospa Zina Eagles on (9-15-23) at Agency Village, SD. Unfortunately, the Eagles were flying high that day as they carried away our mighty Chiefs 36-0. The Eagles dive bombed us and grabbed us with their powerful talons, inflicting a vice-like grip. They flew off carrying three freshmen AND coach Sjuts. The Eagles used their large hooked beaks to tear into our boys and inflict pain and damage. But as always - we know our boys will bounce back.
Score By Quarters:
Score | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | T |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Eagles | 22 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 36 |
Coach's Corner wiff MATT -
J-Squad: Well coach, let’s just rip off the bandaid- Your thoughts on the loss to TZ?
Coach Matt: I don’t think it was as bad as the score reflects. We hung tough, our defense gave up points, but we didn’t back down. We had to make some changes on the fly, but we adjusted well. Offensively, we struggled up front and to make plays. We’re young and we have some players who are inexperienced and so, while I hate losing, it’s a good learning experience. It forces us as coaches to re-examine some things and focus on what we need to improve on and the players use it as motivation and decide what they need to get better at. The sun rose on Sunday, we’re still a great football team and we will continue getting better.
J-Squad: Can you pinpoint the reason for our lack of offensive production?
Coach Matt: I don’t think it was one thing specifically. I think there were several things that hurt us. I think maybe we were nervous playing against some grown men but that is going to happen. Football might be the toughest sport on Earth to play. You won’t always be the biggest, fastest, strongest, or best player on the field, but you can’t let that affect how you act or how hard you work. There is no reason to ever think you can’t do something in life. If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen or get better trying.
J-Squad: You have been known throughout the league for making great halftime adjustments. The defense really put the clamps on in the 2nd half. Can you let us in on what you told the boys at the break?
Coach Matt: At the half, I told the guys they have to step up and play tough, not scared. Stop worrying about how big they are, they weren’t faster than we were. We changed some positions up and had some of our best coverage players step in at backer to make plays at the line, try and neutralize their motion/read run plays, and to cover the TEs off the line. It’s not like they ripped off 60 or 80 yd TD plays. We made them grind it out, we made them waste clock, and play slower than they’re used to. I was proud of our defense and how tough those guys played. Jonny Walker was playing like a madman out there and Rylon and JuJu were locking guys down. They did much better than they thought.
J-Squad: Tell us a little about your next opponent. What are the keys to bouncing back?
Coach Matt: Flandreau hasn’t played a lot of football over the past few years. After watching some film, they play tough and they have some bigger bodies. We tell the guys to take it one game at a time, we’ve had experiences where players think, “it’s just *insert team*, no big deal”, where we’ve been upset by teams we should have taken care of. Bouncing back will take everyone’s best efforts, attitudes, and teamwork. We can’t afford to have players not show up or act like they’re “too good” to play this game.
J-Squad: Your thoughts on a Saturday night lights game?
Coach Matt: It’s different and it will be interesting. I think the attendance will be better than that Colorado nonsense out West. Rylon Grant looks more natural in his cowboy hat than “Neon Deion”.
J-Squad: Is a hotdog a sandwich? Why or why not?
Coach Matt: I know the dictionary might disagree, but I don’t think a hot dog is a sandwich. The hot dog bun is what makes the difference, in my opinion. Now, I’ve had hot dogs on sliced bread, tortillas, in my eggs. I’ve had sandwiches where I used hot dog buns instead of bread or rolls. I’ve also cut hot dogs in half to make them into a sandwich filling. I’ve made ALL sorts of sandwiches in creative ways and I’ve made some wild style hot dogs. To me, like Kevin Garnett said, “Anything is possible” when it comes to food. Always remember to add hot sauce and some cheese.
Wow! A special thanks to the Ol’ Ball Coach for spilling his guts to us! It takes a MAN to do that. And coach Huds is nothing but! Now for something new - Players Perspective!
Players Perspectives on Bouncing Back This Week!
The boys will be in action on Saturday (9/23) vs. Flandreau. The game is in Flandreau and is slated to start at 6:00 PM. Be there or be square! Or watch it online!