Beyond the Gridiron:

By Keynon Janicke

The Joys of High School Football

To my family and loved ones: Thank you for all that you have done for me. Without your love and support throughout the years, I have no idea where I would be today. I love you.

To my teammates: It was one helluva ride, men… It’s something I will never forget. Thank you for all of the memories along the way. You guys made my career possible.

To Coach Diduch & Co.:Thank you for always pushing me to be the best I could be. You have helped shape me into the man I am today, and without you, I don’t know what path I would be going down right now. Thank you for inspiring me.

To Anyone Who Helped Me Along the Way:Without you guys, my book would not have been possible. No matter what you have done for me, thank you… I greatly appreciate it.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: My Story… 3

Chapter 2: Being a Team Player… 11

Chapter 3: Achieving a Goal… 19

Chapter 4: Becoming a Coach

o Part I… 20

o Part II… 27

Chapter 5: Applying Football to Life… 32

Chapter 6: Does It Really Matter?... 39

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Chapter 1:My Story

What is my story? Record breaking running back? All-state player? State

championship? If you look my name up in old newspaper articles, I can almost guarantee

you that you won’t see my name too often. I was never the star athlete. I was never the

one racking up rushing yards and scoring touchdowns… Even though I did score two

receiving touchdowns my senior year. In my opinion, I was just the average high school

football player. I had to work hard for everything I achieved due to my smaller stature

and disadvantage against bigger, stronger, and faster athletes. During my senior year of

high school, I was a captain of the football team and earned honorable mention all-

conference at the tight end position. Along with all of my teammates, I contributed to our

team’s success during a deep playoff run. Doesn’t it sound like I was a big stud? I know I

wasn’t the best player on the team, and I am completely happy about that.

My name is Keynon Janicke. I am a proud alumni of Forreston High School

where I participated in football and wrestling. Forreston, a small town in the northwestern

corner of Illinois, consists of 1500 people. That’s what the signs coming into town say

anyway, but I doubt the number is that high. Currently, I am attending the University of

Dubuque to earn a degree in education. One day, I aspire to be a high school English

teacher and a head coach for a varsity football team.

You’re probably thinking, “Why the hell is this guy writing a book about high

school football? What could he possibly know?” Even though I am at a very early stage

in my life, half of it has been spent playing and studying the game of football. I don’t

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know everything about the game, and I have a lot more to learn. That’s what drives me

every single day to improve my weaknesses and to increase my skills and knowledge

from the day before.

My football career started in 2003 when I was nine years old. One day, my father

came up to my brother and me and asked if we wanted to start playing football. Even

though I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I remember screaming, “Yeah!”

While I may have regretted my choice at first, I believe it was one of the best decisions of

my life.

I was a left guard and defensive tackle for the Blackhawk Warriors. I picked the

number 8 because I was a huge Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan at the time. He was a big upcoming

NASCAR driver at the time that raced the number 8 Budweiser car. I made it through the

year, but I absolutely hated it. I hated going to practice. I hated being in the hot sun. Plus,

I didn’t know what I was doing. I couldn’t tackle, run fast, or do anything that resembled

athleticism. My brother seemed to be a natural at it. He had always been an athletic

person, and he still is to this day.

I decided to come back out for football the next year. Progressively, I started

getting better and better. I finally made the A team like my brother did the previous year.

I had unenthusiastically been on the B team. After the year ended, we finished with a 4-4

record. We weren’t the best team in our league, but my hard work and effort didn’t go

unnoticed as I was awarded the Offensive Lineman of the Year at the end of the year

banquet. This concluded my time with the Warriors because the very next year, I made

the huge leap to middle school. Just like that, I was a Forreston Cardinal.

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In middle school, I started to mature into a decent football player. From sixth

grade to eighth grade, I started every game at middle linebacker. In eighth grade, our

team impressively went undefeated and only allowed six points all season. I knew after

the season ended, that this was going to be a very athletic and physical team when we

reached high school. However, it took a couple years for us to fully develop.

My freshman and sophomore seasons are years I usually like to forget about. I

was mainly a defensive player my freshman year. I didn’t make it to the end of the year

because I was forced to sit out the last three games. I had been handed the ball during a

fresh-soph game against Ashton-Franklin Center. During the play, I failed to even make

it back to the line of scrimmage. Due to my linemen’s insufficient blocking, I was hit

right away. Someone tackled me high, another low. In the end, I received a broken ankle

and an eventful ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

Even though I rarely came off the field sophomore year, it was worse than my

freshman year. During this time in Forreston, our program was going through a

transitional period. We didn’t have the strongest teams like previous years; this is why

most of the sophomores were moved up to varsity. We were a young team, and that’s a

big reason why the varsity team struggled. The sophomore team wasn’t any better. After

several of my friends were moved up to the varsity team, we were left with around seven

sophomores. The rest were freshmen. Let’s just say that we struggled that year as well.

In 2010, which was my junior year, we made huge strides for our program. With a

team that was led by only five seniors, we managed to make our way back into the

playoffs with a 6-3 record. Our playoff run didn’t last as long as we would have liked it

to as we were defeated by the eventual state champions. This was the very last time I was

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able to play side by side with brother,

Kyle. Like all brothers, we have had

our differences in the past, but I can

honestly say playing football with him

was one of the best experiences of my

life. No matter where he is or what he

is doing, I will forever be proud of him

and his admired achievements.

Finally. It was the moment my teammates and I had been waiting for since we

started playing together in sixth grade. The 2011 season that was led by nine seniors

including myself was one for the record books. As a player, it was one of the most

exciting seasons I have ever been a part of, yet it was a disheartening one as well.

We knew we had a special team. We had the talent and athleticism that could

have led us straight to a state championship. After a nine game season, we finished with

an 8-1 record. We were also co-conference champions for the first time since 2004. We

knew we could make it to Champaign, the location of the state title game; we just had to

put it all together for a deep playoff run. Little by little, we started putting the pieces

together. Our team started playing the best football it had played all year. Going into the

third round of playoffs, we were riding high and feeling confident about ourselves.

Nobody could stop us… Until someone finally did.

November 12, 2011. That was the last football game I ever played. Am I still

bitter about it? You’re damn right I am. I haven’t gotten over it, and I don’t know if I

ever will. Going into the Quarterfinal game, we had a slight advantage over the Dakota

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Me and my brother, Kyle. What I would do to go back to this…

Indians. Not only did we beat them by twenty-five points in second week of the season,

we were the higher playoff seed.

I don’t remember much from the game. Hell, I own the game film, and I have

only watched it once. It gave me a headache just watching it, so I decided not to watch it

for a while. I do know the game started off well for us. We forced a turnover early and

scored the first touchdown. After that, it turned into a defensive battle that didn’t go our

way.

“What the hell is going on right now?” This was my exact thought while the

remaining seconds were ticking off the clock. “This shouldn’t be happening right now.

We are better than these pricks.”

Final score: Forreston-9, Dakota- 16. They were the better team that day, and they

proved it. They outplayed us, and we failed to capitalize on our opportunities. They

ultimately went on to win a state title. One day, I will accept the outcome of that game,

and I will put it behind me. However, today is not that day.

After football was over, I quickly transferred to my next sport. The wrestling

season went just as fast as the football one. Before I knew it, I was walking across the

stage at graduation. Where did the time go?

I had a small college football stint after high school. I decided to play football at

the University of Dubuque, which I am still currently attending. I went there to play

fullback. It was hard at first. New team. New people. It was something I had to get used

to, but I was getting along alright. The first two weeks of training camp went by, and I

had worked myself up to the fourth fullback position out of nine. After knowing this, I

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started building a little more confidence and getting increasingly more comfortable.

Then, just like that, it was all over again.

Following the first day after training camp, I was taking reps on the scout kickoff

team. I had already taken a couple of reps, so I was feeling pretty good during this

particular session. I also wasn’t getting hit too hard by upperclassmen, and that was

always a good sign. During my last rep of practice, I was running down the field while

closing down my gap. In turn, I was doing my best to close down on the ball, so the kick

returner didn’t have any open lanes to run. As I made a move inside an opposing player, I

instantly felt a POP.

I saw it. I felt it. I even heard it. Suddenly, my left knee had entirely given out

from under me. The trainers didn’t think it was too bad of an injury at first, and I thought

they were right. Minutes after being carried off the field by two teammates, I was

walking fine and lightly jogging on the sideline. After further evaluation the next day,

one of the head athletic trainers explained to me that the severity of this injury might be

more that what they intentionally thought. Therefore, we made appointments for me to

get a MRI and X-ray.

For some reason, it took about a week to get an appointment in. I still haven’t

figured out why it took so damn long. The results from my test took a couple of days to

come in, but I knew what they were before they even told me. A cut I had made a

thousand times over my athletic career resulted in a complete ACL tear.

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Prior to coming to and playing for Dubuque, I decided that I was going to stop

playing football if I in anyway got significantly injured. While it was very hard for me, I

knew I had to stay true to my decision. I knew I was making the best decision for my

health and physical well-being. After ten years of playing the game I fell in love with, I

decided it was the appropriate time to hang up my cleats and transition into the next part

of my life.

That’s my story. It’s probably not as

interesting as you hoped it would be, but that’s

how it is. I wasn’t a player who “put the team on

his back” or scored all the touchdowns. I was the

player who fulfilled his duties on the field, so

someone else could be in the spotlight. I was

almost a collegiate athlete! Do I regret that? Of

course not. I believe because of the positions I

played and how hard I worked during my

football seasons, it shaped me into the man I am

today. Just because I wasn’t the star, I shouldn’t be misjudged as someone who doesn’t

know football. Like I said, I still have a lot to learn. Nevertheless, from my own

experiences, I believe this game can have a greater effect on the teenagers who

participate than people imagine.

With all that being said, why am I writing this book? What am I trying to prove?

Being a part of my high school football team was one of the greatest things that ever

happened to me. In addition to building lifelong bonds with people I now call my

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Last First Game Ever. First Game Senior Year vs. Galena Pirates.

brothers, I truly believe this game has the capability of optimistically impacting teenagers

who play. Through all the weight room sessions, meetings, practices, walk-through’s, and

games, this game can be beneficial to players as it helps them build character and develop

traits that are essential for the adult world. Small town high school football did this for

me, and I have faith that it can do it for other people as well.

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Chapter 2:Being a Team Player

So… What exactly does it mean to be a team player? Being a practice dummy for

the starters? Doing everything the coach tells you to do? While these things could be the

actions of a team player to a certain extent, it happens to mean so much more than that.

Anyone can be looked at as a team player, but it takes a special player to actually be one.

Whether it’s the third string freshman lineman or the starting varsity running back, they

have the potential of being the ultimate teammate.

In my own personal opinion, I believe a team player is someone that is willing to

do whatever is asked of them in order for the team to succeed.

You probably recognize the boldness applied to the world “team.” That is because

it is the most important aspect of that statement. Being a team player is not and never

should be about one individual. It’s about the team has a unit. By making the

commitment to be the best teammate you can be, you are ultimately making a promise to

your team that you will fulfill each one of your duties no matter what they may be.

Yes, you can be the athlete who runs the fastest or hits the hardest, but what are

you doing besides that? Not only should you perform to the best of your abilities on

Friday nights, you should be eager to push your teammates to their full potential as well.

Whether it’s pushing them harder in a drill or merely giving them a small pep talk during

a time that they are struggling, simply supporting the teammates you go to battle with can

go a long way.

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Considering this was the type of player I was in high school, I am relatively aware

of what it takes to be one. Especially since I was one who converted positions for other

players to be showcased on local news stations and admired among members of the

community, I believe I have the right to claim my persona as a team player.

Converted positions? What is this guy talking about? Even though I was a running

back and linebacker throughout middle school and high school, my coach and I decided

playing tight end would be the best fit for me and the team during my senior year. I was

apprehensive about the move at first. For anyone that is familiar with the conference

Forreston plays in, it is not full of teams that utilize the passing attack. Ultimately, this

means that I would be blocking throughout the majority of games. I would be a glorified

lineman. This is how my coach and I described it. To add onto that, I had never even

played the position before.

Although I questioned the new position, I quickly came to accept my coach’s

decision and started thinking of ways to become the best tight end I could be. People find

it hard to understand why I would do this. I was a ball carrier. I had the glory of stiff

arming people to the turf and racing for the end zone. Like I said in Chapter 1, “I was the

player who fulfilled his duties on the field, so someone else could be in the spotlight.” I

would have greatly enjoyed being a running back and carrying the football like I was

used to, but I was meant for different things. While I wasn’t in the limelight, I was still an

essential part of the team.

While I could ramble on about my experiences and how I became a team player, I

decided to reach out to former high school athletes that I had the privilege of playing with

and against to get a little more depth on what being a team player entails.

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One of the first people I decided to contact is a close personal friend of mine.

Even though I only had to walk down the hallway of our apartment to speak with him, I

was truly fortunate to have the opportunity to discuss football with him. I’m also honored

to call this man a best friend.

The man I’m referring to his former Forreston Cardinal Tanner Bronkema. During

our senior season, I had the unique experience of playing next to Tanner on the offense

and defensive side of the ball. While he

stood out as a three sport athlete in high

school, it was and still is amazing to see

what Tanner can accomplish.

Wearing the number 76 on his back,

Tanner was a pivotal part of our 2011 team

as he went on to be named a first team-all

state defensive and offensive lineman.

Currently, he attends the University of

Dubuque where he is still playing the game

that he loves. This upcoming season looks to be a promising one for Tanner as he plans

on becoming an offensive starter in his junior year.

I decided to contact Tanner because he continues to be a student of the game.

Also, his passion for the game is still alive, and that has been apparent through his

decision to play at the collegian level.

Because of his experience and knowledge, I was interested in knowing what being

a team player meant to him. For some reason, I was expecting an exposing answer that

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My “little” sidekick, Tanner Bronkema.

would reveal the secret formula of being the perfect teammate. I believe Tanner’s stellar

athletic ability clouded my judgment and made me believe that he had an undisclosed

method on how to be a team player. His thoughts on a team player turned out to be clear

cut and to the point.

Likewise to my personal beliefs, Tanner Bronkema believes team players are

members of a team, good or bad, who carry out their specific, designed roles to make the

team the best it can be.

On top of executing your

responsibilities, he

explained that team

players have the unique

ability of putting the team

before yourself. If you are

unable to do so, you will

eventually become an agitating distraction for you fellow teammates and coaches.

He further made clear that players who don’t receive an abundance of playing

time can be team players as well. Even though they may not see the field as much, they

are the guys getting starters ready for games. They are the ones who face the starting

offense and defense during practice. These guys show their passion for football just by

practicing as hard as they can and cheering on their teammates under the lights.

Essentially, Tanner believes players who aren’t in the spotlight are just as

important as those who are. Without the practice players and athletes of this nature, you

wouldn’t have the teammates running for touchdowns or making the thunderous tackles.

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I would have been in a lot of trouble if I didn’t have #76 by my side.

Therefore, you shouldn’t count anyone out based on their athletic ability. No matter who

it is, when someone decides to participate and go out for the football team, they have a

significant role on the team.

Throughout our interview, Tanner continually stressed key points in being a team

player. I couldn’t help but agree with what he said. Because I am good friends with him

and had the chance of playing right next to him during high school, I believe I can

validate that Tanner exemplifies everything it takes to be a team player. Even though

Tanner was one of the big name guys on our football team, he did what he could to

motivate other players and lead us to victory. With that being said, Tanner always did

what he could to get us win. Push. Scratch. Crawl. Whatever it took, he was doing it

because he cared about our team and everyone on it.

Now, if Tanner Bronkema was the person I played with, who was the person I

played against? As I was trying to find someone else to interview and talk football with, I

thought back to my playing days. Who sticks out in mind? I didn’t want to interview

another former teammate of mine because I wanted to reach out to someone with

different perspectives and experiences. Keeping this in mind, I thought of players on

teams I had played against. While many names came to mind, only one stuck

significantly. That is the reason why I decided to contact this person and get his input on

the matter.

While our teams may be humongous rivals, I still went forth and decided to

contact former Dakota Indian Jake Apple. Amongst the players in our conference during

the 2011 season, Jake is someone that

stands head and shoulder above the

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rest, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to get a hold of. In seventh grade, Jake started

his football career at Dakota High School in Dakota, Illinois. Like Forreston, Dakota is

another small town in the northwestern corner of Illinois. Over the next several years, this

is where Jake developed into a very mature, athletic football player. During his time on

the varsity football team, Jake earned numerous awards and accomplishments such

unanimous first team all-conference running back. Not only did he do this is senior year,

he was able to do it the year before as well.

More importantly, Jake was an essential part of their team as they raced past

teams in their impressive playoff run. Two weeks after defeating us, Jake was able to

conclude his time with the Dakota Indians with a state championship. During the Class

1A State Championship game against

the Tuscola Warriors, Jake rushed for

373 yards, which became a new state

title game record. That record still

presently stands.

Fast forward a couple years, Jake is

now attending the Aurora University

where he still plays football. He

continues to find success on the field as he recently rushed for one thousand and twenty-

five yards and was named first team all-conference running back. This was only the

seventh time in Aurora’s history that a running back had over a thousand yards on the

ground. In his own words, “This is my greatest football achievement to date because

being successful in college is a lot harder to do.”

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With that being said, why did I choose to interview Jake Apple? Yes, it’s obvious

that he has tremendous abilities when it comes to playing football, but the point of this

section is to show why being a team player is essential within a team atmosphere. Well,

along with being an amazing athlete, I believe Jake demonstrates traits of a team player.

Like I did with Tanner, I asked Jake, “What does being a team player mean to

you?” He responded, “The team aspect in football is like no other sport because you must

believe in ten other guys on the field to be successful.” He went on to explain that

football is a special sport because it doesn’t revolve around one single player or a couple

players. It’s about the whole team, and if no one is willing to work together, then there

are no true team players.

With all that being said, I think these two have validated how vital team players

are to a team atmosphere. Without these

types of athletes, it’s almost impossible to be successful and achieve the goals the team

has set for itself. Because at the end of the day, there’s only one ultimate goal a team is

trying to reach.

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Jake races for a touchdown vs. Lakeland College.

Chapter 3:Achieving a Goal

Due to the length of this semester and amount of research I obtained, I wasn’t able

to quite piece this chapter together. While I did have various information, I believe it

wasn’t enough to make it a full chapter. If I had enough resources, I would utilize this

chapter to talk about how everyone on a team comes together day in and day out to

achieve one goal: winning a state championship. After putting all of those hours in the

weight room, at practice, in meetings, it’s all for the ultimate prize. Once I described

what the experience was like to either win state or come up short, I would start to

transition into how essential the coach’s role, and that’s where my next chapter will start

off.

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Chapter 4: Becoming a Coach

Part I

For me personally at this point in my life, I am in a transitional period. With all of

the wear and tear my body has endured throughout the years, I am definitely not as agile

and flexible as I used to be. Instead of practicing and training every day, I struggle to find

time to get a workout in or even little physical activity. Because of my clustered

schedule, I am constantly running around from class to work to home and so much more.

I know the nights under the lights are behind me, and I accept that completely. It’s

accurate to say I’m not as athletic as I once one, and that’s definitely obvious considering

the only real exercise I get is occasionally playing pick-up basketball with my friends.

However, this transitional period is something all athletes go through. No matter what,

there always comes a day where you have to stop playing. For some people, it’s easy for

them to realize when their time is up. For others, it’s the most difficult decision of their

life. Look at someone like Brett Favre. He had one helluva time deciding whether he was

staying or going.

With all that said, what can one do after their career comes to a finish? Does it

just become a forgotten memory and thrown to the waste side? What if this game has

influenced you so greatly that you can’t just simply walk away from it?

In my case, I knew I couldn’t play anymore. I just couldn’t it. After experiencing

the situation that I did with the severity of my injury, my heart and mind were not in the

appropriate place in order for me to keep playing. I knew if I couldn’t be all in, then I

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couldn’t be in at all. I respected the game too much to let my efforts and emotions tarnish

everything it stands for. However, football wasn’t something I couldn’t just walk away

from. Football was my life for over ten years. How do you overlook something like that?

I don’t want to appear as someone who is holding onto his glory days as long as

he can because that’s not what it’s about. I’m not the guy sitting at the end of the bar

every night reminiscing about the past. Outside of football, I have many more hopes and

desires that I want to attend to. I want to one day raise a family with a woman I am

absolutely in love with. I want to be able to make as many memories as I did with my

own family. I want to be able to look back on my life a hundred years from now and

realize that my life was meaningful and purposeful.

However, football will still be something that remains with me. Through all of the

plays I ran and hits I took, this game loved me just as much as I loved it. If something or

someone can affect you at this level of magnitude, there should be no reason to walk

away.

Because I cannot be the player I once was, I have decided to use this transitional

period to start my quest in becoming a football coach. Even though I would have never

seen myself becoming a football coach two years ago, I am completely proud of my

decision to pursue this dream. Along with influencing students in my future classroom,

this gives me the opportunity to be a role model for players and impact their lives as well.

As a coach, you must be able to encourage and motivate your team players along

with all of your athletes in any way possible. Considering I have been on numerous types

of football teams, I have experienced many different coaching styles and how coaches

have adapted and accommodated for the different personalities on a team. Some have

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been good; some have been subpar. Some have been exceptionally terrible while others

have been absolutely amazing to me.

Throughout this particular journey, I have relied on my former coaches for

guidance as they have provided me with knowledgeable tips and insight. Becoming a

coach and actually being one may sound like a breeze, but it can be a lot more

challenging than you realize. As I continually volunteer my time and effort to my

hometown school as well as schools in the Dubuque area, I am constantly finding ways to

improve myself as a coach.

For instance, over the summer of 2013, I spent over two hundred volunteer hours

at Forreston High School working with players and athletes in the weight room and at

practice. Throughout this experience, I had the profitable pleasure of being mentored by

my former head coach. Even though my coaching life has just begun, I feel as though I’m

heading in the right direction.

You may have noticed that I keep mentioning former coaches who I refer to as

extraordinary or significant role models in my life. During my time as a Forreston

Cardinal, I was blessed with the best coaching staff a player could ask for. The coaches

we had went above and beyond to be not only the best coach they could be, but the best

person they could be as well. These men did whatever they could to be there for us and

supports us in any way they could.

One man that stands out head and shoulder above any coach I have ever had is

Dennis Diduch Jr., a.k.a. Denny Diduch. For the sake of this book, I will refer to him as

Coach Diduch because I know he doesn’t necessarily enjoy being called Dennis. Since I

have known him, Coach Diduch has had one of the biggest impacts of my life. Because I

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remain so close with him and his family, I reached out to him regarding this book. He

was more than willing to help me and give me helpful advice on becoming a coach.

Outside of football and school, Coach Diduch is married with four kids (who I

always enjoy babysitting). His wife, Jessie, is someone I am equally close with. In high

school, she was always there for me whenever I needed her to be. She also wrote letters

for my friend Adam and me

each week to inspire and

motivate us before each

game. I still have all the

letters she gave me in a very

safe place because I always

enjoy reading them from

time to time. They will

always be something I hold

close to my heart.

After a much decorated football career at Maine South High School, Coach

Diduch went on to play cornerback for two years at Illinois Wesleyan University. Earning

a degree in history with an education minor in 1998, he quickly found a job out of college

at Forreston High School where he is still at today. Currently, he teaches civics and world

history, and he is the head coach of the varsity football team.

After taking over the program six years ago, Coach Diduch has compiled a record

of 41 wins and 21 loses, which includes four straight playoff appearances. When he was

named the head coach in 2008, this happened to be my freshman year of high school.

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Graduation Day. Coach Diduch, Me, Jessie, and Adam.

Luckily, I was able to have him throughout high school. During my senior year, he led us

to our first conference championship since 2004 and a quarterfinal appearance in the

playoffs. The following year, he led the Cardinals back to the quarterfinals. During the

course of his tenure, Coach Diduch has showed incredible drive and work ethic when it

comes to working with these young adults. Because I know him personally and what he is

all about, I believe it’s only a short matter of time before he turns his quarterfinal

appearances into state championship seasons.

As I interviewed Coach Diduch, I wanted to gain answers that would be beneficial

to me as well as others who are trying to become a head coach. Bearing in mind his ten

plus years of experience and our close relationship, I knew his responses and tips would

be more than adequate.

One of the first questions I asked Coach Diduch was, “What does being a head

coach and being in charge of a program mean to you?” He explained that being there for

the kids is the one of the most important aspects of coaching. “We are all in it because we

liked the coaches that we had. We are passing something down like a father-son type

experience.” Ultimately, throughout the season, you want to give the players the best

experience possible. Even though winning is nice, teenagers and kids play football

because it’s fun and something that they enjoy.

At a head coaching standpoint, Coach Diduch believes one of his main objectives

is to give the senior football players lasting memories. It’s important that they go out with

a season that will remember and have fond memories of regardless of their talent level

because it’s their last one ever with all of their closest childhood friends and peers. In

most cases, the seniors are the ones who have put in the most time and effort over their

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last four years. With all the blood, sweat, tears, success, and failures, they deserve to be

rewarded in some type of way. While a season may not go in your favor, the moments

you share with each other can be worthwhile.

Another key idea Coach Diduch brought to my attention was building a

community-like atmosphere within your team. After asking him how he gets his players

to buy into the football program and the concepts it has established, he initially

elaborated on the importance of the weight room and why it’s essential for the players to

invest in themselves physical and mentally. In the weight room, kids can become stronger

and faster and improve other areas of their abilities. However, Coach Diduch also said

that the weight room has the capability of creating a community.

For example, away from the football field, the weight room is another place for

teammates and coaches to interact, but in a different way. Instead of going over game

plans and techniques, this is a place where more interaction can occur because you can

see everyone on the team in the weight room. When you’re out at practice, you don’t

always get to see everyone because each player plays different positions. Firstly, older

kids are able to be positive role models for the younger ones. Whether it’s giving them

tips about a certain lift or leading them through stretching, they are able to help out the

younger athletes. Then, as more people start seeing success in the weight room, it tends to

generate a positive feeling throughout the team. When a positive feelings are being

produced, it can lead to a team’s success in many different ways on and off the field.

Throughout our conversation together, Coach Diduch was able to provide me with

very detailed, resourceful answers that would help me and others if they were pursuing a

head coaching position. If I had the ability to, I would publish all of the points we talked

24

about, but that would be pretty hard to do so considering I can talk to him for hours on

end about anything and everything.

I think that in itself

goes to show how much

Coach Diduch means to me

not only as a former coach,

but as a person. Now that

I’m out of high school and

going to college, I refer to

him as a very close friend.

No matter what the situation

is, I’m positive I can go to him

and that he will help and support me in any way that he can. At the end of the day, that’s

what coaching is all about. Not only is it about being there for your athletes for the four

years they’re in high school, it’s about motivating them to be something more. I could

never thank Coach Diduch enough for everything he has done for me over the years. He

is the biggest reason why I am getting into teaching and coaching. I want to have an

effect on students and players like he has with me. Regardless of where I end up in my

life, I will continue to have nothing but love for him and his entire family.

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One of my favorite pictures… I can’t wait to have a headset of my own.

Part II

You may be wondering why I split this chapter into two different sections. Well,

there a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, because Coach Diduch has been so grateful to

me and continues to be a supporting mentor as I’m even writing this, I wanted to dedicate

a part of my book towards him. In Part I, I was able to do just that. Furthermore, I wanted

to utilize this sector to discuss a different aspect of coaching from a different perspective.

Likewise to the team player breakdown in Chapter 2, I wanted to gain two

different outlooks on coaching as well. Therefore, while I thought of another coach to

interview, a possible candidate quickly came to mind, and I contacted him as quickly as I

possibly could.

Once he graduated from Stockton High School, Ric Arand decided to attend

Loras College. Likewise to myself, he arrived as an accounting major, but quickly

changed his major when he realized that wasn’t what he wanted to pursue. After earning

his education degree in 1989, he went to graduate school at Indiana University where he

earned his master’s degree in just one, short year. Since 1990, Ric Arand has been the

middle school physical education teacher at Lena-Winslow High School, just fifteen

minutes away from his alma mater high school.

So what? Why am I interviewing this guy? Throughout my time in high school,

Coach Arand was one of the most successful coaches in the state of Illinois. Since

becoming head coach, he has been leading his team year in and year out to deep play off

runs. In the last seventeen years, he has led his football team to fifteen straight playoff

appearances including numerous conference championships. Remember how I said our

2010 playoff run didn’t last as long as we would have liked? It was Coach Arand’s Lena-

26

Winslow Panthers that defeated us in the

first round and went on to win a state

championship. Just a few years later in 2013,

even though the regular season had been

quite rocky at times, he led the Panthers to

another state title.

With all that being said, why

wouldn’t I want to interview this coach? He

has had an immense amount of experience in

the last twenty three years, and it’s obvious

that he has been successful as a football coach. In some way or another, I knew talking to

Coach Arand would be beneficial for me and that it would help me grow as a coach.

Before I spoke with Coach Arand, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew of

him because we had played against each other before, but we didn’t actually know each

other. I didn’t know if it would go smoothly, if it would be awkward, or whatever the

case may be. After meeting with him, it turned out to be a great experience on my end,

and I’m grateful that he took time out his day just to speak with me.

After looking over my notes from my interview with him compared to Coach

Diduch’s, it was an interesting contrast. When I look over the first interview, Coach

Diduch gave me more advice on coaching from a team aspect. In other words, as a coach,

he talked about how I can make the team better and create a better environment. On the

other hand, Coach Arand gave me coaching advice with an individual viewpoint. By this,

I mean he gave me advice that was more for personal use rather than tips on how to

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Ric Arand, right, after his first state championship victory. November 2010.

manage a team. Don’t get me wrong. Both coaches helped me out remarkably with their

diverse answers, and I’m positive I can gain from their insight.

After realizing that the coaches I had met up with gave me differing views on the

same subject, it made me excited to review over our interviews to see what kind of things

they said about the same thing. While some of their remarks remained similar, others

differed in an unique way. For example, one of the questions I asked Coach Arand was,

“What are your offseasons like?”

When I asked Coach Arand this, I somewhat expected him to talk about how he

prepares for the upcoming football season and what his plans are to keep getting better as

a team such as Coach Diduch did. However, I believe the continuous success he has been

having clouded my perception of him, which is similar to my scenario with Tanner

Bronkema in Chapter 2 when I thought he possessed a secret formula of being the

ultimate team player. Coach Arand emphasized how he doesn’t live, sleep, breath

football. He said to me in our interview, “It’s a big part of my life, but it’s not my life.”

Like anyone else, he enjoys spending time with his family and getting away from things

when he has the time to.

I thought this point was important to highlight because it’s one of the best pieces

of advice he gave me. Even though I’m talking about how great the game of football is in

this book, it shouldn’t be a hundred percent your life. When you’re a coach, you should

always make sure you have time to spend with your family because at the end of the day,

they are the most significant people in your life. Sometimes, you have to allow yourself

to take your mind off of football even during the season. If you constantly try to be a

coach and watch game film and study opponents every chance you get, it will consume

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you. The essence of this message is to have a life outside of football. Football can be a

wondrous things, but you have to be available to other things. If you don’t, it can drive

you off the edge.

In addition to this, another matter he gave details about was the small town aspect.

In small towns such

as Forreston and

Lena, there isn’t a lot

of things going on.

There are no major

events or happenings

that really take

place, so all eyes are on the high school level sports… especially football. In Lena, Coach

Arand said it’s a pride thing for Panther fans. People of a small town take pride in their

local high school and do what they can to support the team. Coach Arand said, “People

put Friday nights and Saturday afternoons on their calendar in the fall.” Football games

are important to a small town because it has the capability of uniting the town as one.

When a team like Lena-Winslow Panthers make a deep playoff run or win state, fans are

coming out to watch the games and cheer on their hometown.

On the flip side, while uniting a town can be a monumental experience, it can turn

unpleasant in a hurry. Let’s say you have a couple of dominant season. You’re a coach

like Ric Arand, and you just won your second state championship in four years. Do

expectations change? Are you expected to win state every single year? In a small town

atmosphere, this is exactly the case. After being so successful, it bring so much joy and

29

Forreston vs. Lena-Winslow… Our only regular season loss. 2011.

happiness to a small town that they want to experience it as much as they can. When they

aren’t able to after a bad season or even a bad game, it creates a sour feeling among many

of the fans. Another piece advice Coach Arand gave me was to have thick skin

concerning these fans. The criticism about not being the greatest coach or things you’re

doing wrong will be nothing compared to what your loved ones hear when they’re sitting

in the stands on game days. By keeping your composure in situations like this, you are

able to maintain a respectable and humble reputation.

In my opinion, it was awesome having the opportunity of sitting down and talking

with a coach like Coach Arand. While it’s apparent that he’s a flourishing coach when it

comes to his win-loss record, it’s also easy to see what kind of impact he has on his

players and the town of Lena through his positive philosophies and viewpoints. While I

will take his advice on being my own original self when it comes to coaching, I will make

use of the ideas he provide me with.

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Chapter 5:Applying Football to Life

You have learned about myself and my athletic background. You have seen what

it takes to become a team player and the ultimate student of the game. Afterwards, I

explained some helpful tips on how to further your football career into coaching. So,

where the hell did I explain how football helps build character? You’re right. I didn’t, but

I have a reason for it.

In order to save what I believe the best chapter for last (or close to last), I decided

to discuss the other main points in my topic first. I wanted to leave this chapter at the end,

so when you’re finished reading this book, this chapter will have more of a lasting

impression on you. I could have written it in after my background information in Chapter

1, but then what? Would you have remembered it after reading thirty plus more pages? I

personally don’t think so.

In football, there are many things kids can acquire by playing. Through all the

game film, workout sessions, practices, and games, it’s unbelievable to think about the

amount of traits athletes can significantly develop. While there are so many to choose

from, I thought to myself which ones are the most vital when it comes to personal growth

and development. Consequently, I decided to classify the characterisitcs into three

categories: preparation, accountability, and work ethic.

For many things in life, preparation is an essential tool. Whether you are

completing a task for work or picking your kids up from school, you must always be

prepared for the situation you’re dealing with. Anything can happen that throws a wrench

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in your plans. Maybe, you get a flat tire when you’re going to pick your children up.

Maybe, the computer system is down at work, so you can’t finish your project on time.

No matter what the case is, you must be prepared to handle these certain situations, and

football gives the young adults the chance to obtain type of skills.

In football, one way players learn preparation skills is through organization. All

throughout the week, teams plan and strategize against their opponents to give them the

best possible chances to win. By being organized, you are more prepared for the game.

For games, certain things you have to organize are different assignments for various

plays. When you’re considering the plays of a playbook, players always have different

tasks depending on what they play is. One play they could be blocking, and another, they

could be going down field on a pass route. By organizing the plays in your mind and

having them in your playbook in a structured manner, it can be greatly beneficial as

you’re preparing against a tough opponent.

Another way football improves preparation is by hard work through teamwork.

As a team, players must be

willing and able to come

together and work

relentlessly to perfect their

techniques and abilities. At

the end of the day, each

player on the team should

be seeing eye to eye. By giving

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Teamwork at its finest.

your best efforts with their teammates, football players will be acquiring skills necessary

to prepare in environments and situations that deal with teamwork.

For example, if you have an ordinary office job, one day, your boss might decide

to pair you up with someone to complete a task/s. For no reason at all, he just decides to

do that because he simply can, and he wants it done now. As an employee, you must be

able to work with other people and get along with; otherwise, you probably won’t be

working there too much longer. During our interview, Ric Arand explained to me that

teamwork is important with anything. Especially if you want to win a state title,

teammates have to be able to prepare together and accomplish goals together. If you fail

to do so, little success will be found.

Something that I believed to go hand in hand with preparation is accountability. In

the game of football, once you are appropriately prepared, you are greatly held

accountable for your role on the team. Usually, your coaches assign your role for a

specific game or even a practice. That can be anything ranging from what position you’re

playing to what type of situations you will be playing to how you will be playing a

position.

Trust is a key factor when dealing with accountability. By continuously doing

what’s asked of you and fulfilling your obligations, it builds the trust your coaches and

teammates have for you. It shows your team that you are someone they can rely on to

always do the right things. Then, when your coach is looking for someone to come up

with a big play, you are someone he can have confidence in. Likewise to someone if they

are in a work environment, if they are always doing what’s asked of them, it may stick

33

out to your boss that you’re a responsible person. This can lead to thing such as valuable

references by your supervisor or even promotions.

Another way players are able to develop their accountability skills is through their

levels of resiliency and discipline. While certain players are equipped with outstanding

athleticism, no athlete can ever be perfect one hundred percent of the time. Mistakes will

be made during games and practices, and that’s expected. Mistakes allow players to grow

and learn from them. However, it’s important to limit the amount of mistakes you make.

So, when you do have a couple of bad plays in a row or maybe a bad game, it gives

players the chance to show how resilient and self-controlled they are.

For example, let’s say Jake Apple missed a couple of tackles during a Friday

night game. He’s becoming more and more frustrated as he keeps missing or is too slow

to the punch. The beauty of football is that there is always more than one play. Yes, you

may get beat a couple of times; however, during the next play, you can easily bounce

back and get back on track with your mechanics and techniques. Even though Jake may

be getting flustered, he has the chance of buckling down and making a tackle on the very

next game. In our interview, he said football “…has taught (him) to never give up and

that hard work does pay off.”

A concept like this can easily be transferred to a real life situation. Let’s say

instead of being in a work situation, you keep forgetting important dates on the calendar

for family events. First, you forget your son’s parent-teacher conference. Then, you

accidentally miss a lunch date you had scheduled with your wife. If you played football,

you can use this game to your advantage by utilizing your resiliency skills. As you take

responsibility for missing each event, you can bounce back and prove to your family that

34

you’re still trustworthy by taking a more attentive approach to make reminders for

yourself. This way, you will be able to make future events and happenings and show your

family that you are a responsible husband and father.

The last category I decided to emphasis was work ethic. In all aspects of your life,

working hard and being the best person you can be should be something you consistently

strive for. Whether it’s at work, at home, or just in society as a whole, I believe a work

ethic is something in which you should be proud of. In my opinion, football is a sport

which can help develop your work ethic into one you can be honored with.

By enhancing your work ethic, one thing football gives players experience with is

commitment. When a young adult makes the decision to participate in football at the high

school level, they are making a commitment not only to themselves, but their teammates,

coaches, and entire program as well. With all of the things that are involved in playing,

it’s obvious that you’re commitment level needs to be high. If you’re not able to give full

dedication to your team, then you are most likely in the wrong sport. Football is team

sport, and in order to be successful, each player needs to be able to work at the same

level.

Therefore, by going through all the practices, workout sessions, games, etc.,

you’re proving your dedication to the game and how valuable it is to yourself. In the

future, when you have a family of your own and an actual job, you can use the skills you

acquired to commit your entire efforts towards your home life and work place. This can

be a significant factor when people have to decide whether or not they can trust you. By

showing that you’re a committed person, you’re demonstrating that you’re a hard worker

as well.

35

In addition, by testing out your mental toughness and courage, it can lead to

stronger, well-round work ethic. In the game of football, you have to be mentally tough.

During each play of entire game, you’re being pushed, hit, scratched, and so much more.

It can be a painful game. Therefore, you must be willing to exemplify your braveness in

the “line of battle.”

In Coach Diduch’s eyes, he explained in our interview that if we didn’t have high

school football, there wouldn’t be anything else that challengers young men’s manhood.

In each play of a game, your pride is on the line. You either win the battle, or you don’t.

Then, you throw in all of the criticism from fans, local newspapers, and more if a team

messes up in a way. Football gives players the opportunity to show how mentally strong

they are. In turn, they can respond to their critics by coming out each Friday night and

playing with their hearts on the line. A situation like this can come in handy in the future

whether you go onto college or enter the work force. If a professor is constantly nagging

you or a boss is regularly on your ass, your mental toughness can persevere as you

continue to be the best person you can be.

To add onto my points about courage, you must be brave in order to play football.

You have to be courageous enough to keep getting hit and then getting back up to play

another down. You have to be brave enough to hit someone back as well to give your

team the best chance of winning. In my own example, I was smaller than every opponent

I stack up against. I was a 5’7, 160 lbs. tight end going up against at least 6’3, 225 lbs.

36

defensive lineman. You bet your ass I was scared. I thought I was going to get pummeled

every single play, but I didn’t. I proved how gutsy I truly was by constantly fighting back

and fulfilling my roles on the team.

Personally, I know this trait is transferable to the real world. Every day, people

face things that they are scared of. People are scared of losing their job, becoming sick,

losing a love one, and so much more. Something a lot of people are extremely afraid of is

change. Generally, nobody tends to enjoy change because they don’t know what the

consequences of it will be. In life, you have to be willing to take chances. If you don’t,

you will ultimately be stuck in your little bubble for your entire life without any chance

of interacting with new, wonderful people and making experiences of a lifetime. Football

gives kids the necessary mindset to take risks. Yes, they’re going to fall down and fail at

some point or another, but who doesn’t? Football teaches these teenagers that they can

keep getting hit with conflict and adversity, but remain strong by pushing through. At the

end of the day, I believe football builds so much courage in players that it can influence

them to make change and make the world a better place.

37

First Round of Playoffs vs. Chicago- Hales Fransiscan… Biggest opponents I have ever faced. October 2011.

Chapter 6:Does It Really Matter?

If you have made it this far, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read

my book and seeing what I had to say. No matter how you feel towards the points I have

presented, I still respect and appreciate you for taking the time out of your day.

Throughout this book, I gave my best efforts to demonstrate how important

football can be. While my methods and approaches may have been a little unorthodox, I

hope my readers are able to connect to the chapters at some type of level.

After playing football for over half of my life, it has grown on me tremendously. I

believe that’s evident in my decision to write this book. It’s one of the greatest sports to

participate it in, and there’s many reasons for that.

Once kids reach the high school level, football has the capability of affecting

players in extraordinary ways. On top of

equipping athletes with characteristic traits

that are exchangeable for the adult world, it

gives them lasting memories with their

friends and teammates.

At the end of the day, football does

matter. It’s so much more than just a game

for everyone involved. It’s not always about

winning and losing. Sometimes, it can become

a lifestyle beyond the gridiron, and that’s what makes it worthwhile.

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Here’s to all the memories I will continue to make through football… I can’t wait!