[Music] it's time once again to interview a coach on the sports couch show brought to you by People's National Bank serving you with locations throughout Southern Illinois member FDIC and Equal Housing lender and by mber and tile company when you need tile work or real estate closings or contract for deed work mour and Title Company during week two of the high school football season M ver and Rams were at home take on the Carbon Hill terriers in the first South 7 conference game of the year and Carbondale came in scored first but the Rams were able to block the extra point which might have sparked the Rams a little bit because then they went on and run and scored 17 unanswered points go into the locker room at halftime up 17 to six and hold on for a big 31 to 20 Victory and with us is head coach danan Mings of the Rams and Coach when you and I were sitting here on the couch last week preview in the Carbondale game there was two things that you talked about that you're most concerned with you know could you contain their athletic quarterback Woolly and could you hold your own against their huge offensive line and uh I don't know I would say uh mission accomplished yeah I I do I think we did both of those things and and you know we may have snuck up on them a little bit you know I I think that uh we won't do that to anybody the rest of the year you know we we sort of used our one get out of jail free card with this one but uh but we did we We snuck up on them we were prepared we had a good game plan and the kids executed it and we knew the keys you know we had to do this and we had to do that and if we couldn't then we weren't going to win you know so uh everybody played through the game plan and do what they were supposed to do and it turned out to be uh a big win for us a big Conference win a big first win of the Season uh a lot of big things happened for us yeah not only did the defense Step Up and Hold carbel to 20 points but uh and I think you got two sacks on their quarterback in fact but uh the offense too I mean you rush for over 400 yards and and and that's huge yeah it was and we we were close to 500 yards on the night you know so anytime that you do that and you score 30 points you should win the football game you know but our defense did pick up and step up um you know had we gotten off the field the week before I think the score would have been somewhat similar uh we just weren't ready for that stage at that moment and and the kids grew up a lot you know and we had a little bit of Soul search and and uh uh and between week one and week two you're supposed to show your biggest Improvement and I and I think that we did especially on the defensive side so we we felt pretty good and and you know Rose came up with a couple big sacks on the quarterback and we kept him contained and which which was my fear you know had he gotten out and got going um it could have got us and he showed it you know he had two or three long touchdown passes but the one right before the half that they got a penalty on that was a deep ball yeah you know I mean so he had all the talent but but we really uh um kept him contained as much as we could and I thought we did a pretty good job big field goal in that first half by Truman carine yeah and and you know if we get in those situ we're going to kick every time you know I mean it's just something it it's I I don't know that you can ever say it's an automatic point point but it's pretty close you know when we're at 30 yards I mean he may be able to kick that with his other foot you know I mean but but honestly I mean because of soccer background he probably can but uh but no we're we're going to try to get those scores and we're not going to try to leave points on the field you know whereas sometimes I think last year maybe the you know not the year before but last year I think we we went for it a couple times and in some situations where maybe we could have kicked you know we came away with no points you know anytime that you can put points on the board you know crooked numbers are always good yeah going into week three sitting here one and one overall one and0 in the South 7 conference Marian's coming to town this week we'll get to them in just a moment but sitting here watching practice with you today coach I see a lot of uh fine-tuning going on you're working on fine-tuning a lot of things it it is I mean we you know we we everything's in you know everything is in you just we have got to work to become as perfect as we can and and knowing that we're never going to achieve it you know but but it's the it's that effort to just keep getting better at the little things the the little fundamental things reteaching a skill that you taught maybe in the summer that you have to come back and retach where they oh now they understand what you what you're talking about so um it is we're just we're just you know trying to do the best we can you know to stay as healthy as we can and and uh you know that that's basically what we're doing just trying to stay healthy Mari and Wildcats come to town and it's no secret maran's Been a Good Foot football team for several years now and and they're going to come back with some good guys again this year so that's going to be a pivotal game in the schedule this week it's good to be playing it here at home at Ken Hunt Stadium what concerns you the most about the wild cats as they come to town well we've got two films on them I cannot I mean obviously everybody makes mistakes but they play as close to mistake-free football as you can get they are assignment sound you know they do their jobs the best of their abilities and and they just there's no glaring mistakes they just don't make any they don't miss blocks you know they don't miss Cuts they they they run where they're supposed to they block how they're supposed to um they do a really good job of just the fundamentals on both sides of the ball you know defensively they're going to come and strike you and they're going to hit you in the kneecaps and you know they're they're going to do those types of things but you know offensively they just play as close to mistake free football as you can get mhm yeah that's definitely a concern uh we understand carry is back in some cacity down there I'm not sure what all he's doing down there but he's he's got his his hand in it somehow well I would assume that it has something to do with the offense you know I would assume it has something to do with the offense you know I mean car's a great football coach and and and he's done his time and now you know he sort of strikes me as like what coach panach did for me you know whenever I first got hired back in 2000 you know here and and you know the sort of the legend he could have walked away you know and he could have sort of left things you know to to our own devices but you know Brad stuck around and he really helped us establish the football program again and helped you know just just be in that sounding board and somebody to listen to somebody's been there and done that and and I think that's where carry becomes incredibly valuable now I don't know if he's calling the plays I don't know exactly what he's doing but if he's doing that same sort of role that coach pankos did for me uh that's a good thing for Mar yeah well you know we're talking sitting here talking about the varsity game but uh you know I I noticed a moment ago here in practice I saw you working with the JV guys of course they lost last night um to Carbondale 14 nothing and I saw you working with a lot of the JV guys tonight particularly working on blocking schemes and footwork and things like that to uh to try to um you know help them get along better and so it's not just about working with the varsity guys it's working with the young guys too well I mean your future it it would be nice if I was just responsible for for one thing but I I feel like I'm responsible for football in Mount buron you know I I really do whether it's the Junior League guys that need help or or whether it's me going down and and spending time during varsity practice to go down there and help the Freshman with their blocking schemes you know I think that that's that's it's my responsibility and if we're not getting it done on the lower levels there's a reason you know and and most of the time it's just uncertainty with kids you know especially young ones maybe that haven't never played before so I was just going down and trying to get them a little bit more confident in the things that we're asking them to do and and and making them feel a little bit more comfortable and where they can ask me questions you know because it's always and this this shouldn't be but it's always secondhand information you know from from the you know from the assistant coaches and stuff like that but but when the head coach sort of steps down it's like you know there's no secondhand or no loss of uh in nothing's lost in interpretation here this is what I want this is how I want you to do it so do it this way and and they were receptive you know and and they got better today you know in my opinion they got better today and you know just watching what we're doing up here Varsity wise you know varsity's getting better every time but we just make so many mistakes you know I mean and and that that's been our Focus this week uh you know last week was you got to have some heart yeah you know you you got to play tough and and and you got to fight somebody a little bit well this week we're hoping that lesson carries over you know and now we've got to become as sound as we possibly can can become in our schemes and our execution uh on the varsity level well I noticed you were double digit turnovers again last week and that and that's something you got to get back down into the single digits penalties yeah penalties I said penalties yeah yeah turnovers penalties yeah uh yeah you don't win if you're dou dig be double digit turnovers yeah penalties yeah and and we were you know and and it was uh I I don't think they were as aggreg just as the ones the week before you know the the ones that that just make you want to bang your head against the wall although after the first drive about right before carale scored that first I called the timeout and I went out and I had sort of a discussion with our defense and uh you know it's a private conversation but I'm sure anybody in Jefferson County probably heard it you know I'm pretty positive that that everybody on the field in in Jefferson County may have heard my private conversation but uh but they responded you know and we we just have to do better we had four penalties in the first drive yeah you know so I had to try to you know put a bandaid on it somehow and it worked to an extent well there was four times at least four times in the game that Carbondale went for it on fourth down and the Rams stopped them yeah yeah they were 0 for five in the game on Fourth Downs that's great and we were I think we were three for four or four for five on Fourth downs and and the previous week M they were uh three for three on Fourth downs and we were 0 for whatever many on for see that's huge that's huge it it it's everything you get off the field you know and you turn field position you know so um we we did a pretty good job you know as a whole and I can say that because we won M you know but if I said you know we're good now no we're not you know we're not still got work to do we we have a lot of work to do and we're we're trying to get that done and and uh we're we're getting better you know but but every day we hope to get better at something yeah all right again it's Maran Wildcats here at Ken Hunt Stadium been so Rams this weekend everybody come on out and watch it going to be a big game where your gashes you know you know if I have to give some advice I think Isabella is coming to visit or whoever she is this time could be that's right those storms have more personalities than I don't know but yeah yeah we might have some rain that's where the turf's going to come in handy it is we we won't notice it down here you'll notice it in the stairs but bring umbrell that doesn't mean don't come that means bring umbrellas but come so because it really does matter yeah coach appreciate the visit you got it thank you [Music]