Vanguard School Panthers' Football

As we here at Vanguard prepare to leave for spring break, I would just like to remind everyone that spring football is around the corner. May 1st is when we will officially start spring ball which will culminate with a spring game versus All Saints. The time of that game is still TBD. We have some very exciting things going on in the program. We have several players participationg in other sports. Offensive tackle Kevin Garza, QB Spencer Tergliafera, and receiver Austin Shields all participated in basketball. The team was runner up in the district tournament and advanced to the regionals where they finally fell. We have several players involved in track and field and weightlifting. The business will definitely pick up following the break as there are several meets slated for the week following the break.

we will also have our first team fundraiser:

The First Annual Panther Football Bench-A-Thon!

Details on the event will follow very soon but we are trying to raise money which will be used to fund the purchase of travel uniforms and other apparel. We will also be raising money to pay for meals during our preseason camp which takes place before school is officially open.

Stay tuned! Big things are happening........

GO PANTHERS!

We traveled to Tampa for a showdown with Cambridge Christian and after a sloppy game that saw us turn the ball over far too man times we walked away with a 42-0 loss. Turnovers were definitely the weakness of our team on Friday night. We were not ready for the sloppy conditions and it cost us. We were able to move the ball on the Lancers but every drive either ended or was stalled on a ball handling miscue (Ints, Fumbles, drops, etc.).

Defensively we were able to hold Cambridge to 12 points in three quarters but the 30 point lead they amassed in the first quarter was impossible ofr us to overcome.

IMPROVEMENT can be seen even if the scoreboard doesn't reflect it. We continue to improve on the offensive line with our blocking schemes and we are progressing inot more complex things. This is a great thing for us going forward because all of our linemen except one are underclassmen so it will benefit them as they progress together.

The receiving corp has come a long way and even though our passing numbers are low they have been doing a better job blocking on the perimeter and I know they will continue to do so. Defensively our backfield is getting better technically, and the results are less big plays through the air! We are improving on our tackling but we need to pay more strict attention to it!

we are playing for improvement right now and as we improve we will be able to keep these games tight and pull one off down the stretch.

Stay tuned....

GO PANTHERS

Despite a good week of practice we were not able to get off of the losing streak. Admiral Farragut was just an athletically better team. We played hard and we were able to move the ball but we were not able to do it consistently. Special mention goes to Spencer Tergliafera who battled all evening and broke away for the squads only score of the night. He also anchored the team on defense. Mateo Connors also has his best game of the year even though he did not catch a touchdown pass. He made two receptions and rushed the ball two times. he also played well at corner (even though his technique needs a little work). He also punted the ball in the face of lots of pressure the entire game. His improvement is evident. Kevin Garza and Eric crofut did a good job blocking all evening and both played well on the defensive side of the ball. Bryant Godfrey has his first pass break-up of the year and Ronnie Hughes filled in at QB and picked up a big first down for us. the defense had a red zone stand at the end of the second quarter when it was evident that Farragut wanted to punch another score in with their first team before half time and that's something to build on. It seems we have one of those every game. We need to string a few of those together and we can get out of the loss column.

We are still learning what it takes to compete at the district level. It is a trial by fire but one that we welocome with open arms. We will try to right the ship down in Tampa on Friday against Cambridge Christian School.

A continued thanks to all of you who follow on twitter and come to the games. You continued support will be need now and as we go further with trying to build a program not just have a football team. we love you and thank you all.

GO PANTHERS!

 I was concerned coming off of the first big loss of the year that our focus might not be in the right place. But i have been pleasantly surprised at how well practices have gone this week. The guys have been more focussed and we have had better attendance. I know that this will help us inan effort to be better prepared for a very tough opponent this Friday. i hope that you will join us for the game!

Go Panthers

Although our guys played hard this past Friday, we were outmanned and outmatched against Santa Fe 49-8. As always I am proud of how our guys continued to fight but disappointed in our execution. We really have to pay attention to details and look to get better. I have no doubt that we have the ability to get better technically. It's something we coaches have to keep hammering home and something that our players must really take pride in. The road does not get any easier as we have to preppare for a very athletic Admiral Farragut team. I am looking forward to a good week of practice and and focus as we try to get back to .500 on Friday at home. I hope you are able to join us!

Today we prepare for our contest versus Santa Fe and as we quickly approach the midway point of the season I have noticed things worth mentioning.

    We have ran into some bumps along the way. A couple of bounces here and there and we could have been 4-0 instead we are solid at 2-2 but "what if?" right!

    I have been impressed by our players fight and never say quit attitude. There were several times in the past three games that we could have caved but we continued to fight hard and had a chance to win at the end.

    Guys are getting better! Even though we won our first two games and lost our next two, I truly feel as if our players are getting better individually. Our mission now is to take those increase individual skills and translate that to the team game.

    we have a long way to go! I see lots of potential in these guys and what they can accomplish together but it is a process that is not completed over night but I can't wait to what the completed product will resemble.

We're still in it! Tonight represents our first district game of the season which means we still have an opportunity to dream big. I have no doubt that we can compete if properly motivated! It's up to us to make it happen by sticking together as a team and having each others back.

Your continued prayers and support is essential to the success of this program. Santa Fe will represent our toughest competition to date and we will be up to the task, battle hard, and let the chips fall where they may! We are so thankful for all we have been granted this far and I invite you to continue the journey with us!

See you tonight or I hope you are following on Twitter.

GO PANTHERS!

It was an admirable effort put up by the Squad yesterday unfortunately we ran out of time and bodies against First Academy last night and fell 30-22. The game was a great testament to how far we have come but an indicator of how far we have to go.

We made many plays on offense. Mateo Connors caught his first touchdown pass of the season. Spencer Tergliafera ran for a 91-yard touchdown run. The longest in this schools history. Ronnie Hughes had a couple of big offensive plays and Dontwae Coleman and Ernest Hampton both ran the ball hard in the second half to keep us in the game. A couple of our guys were injured in the game and we found ourselves scrambling to fill positions. The guys did the best they could but we were ultimately unable to stop them enough times on defense and we made some big mistakes on offense that cost us in the end.

I cannot say enough how proud I am of our players’ effort and we will continue to get better at executing and tackling. We begin district play next week against Santa Fe, which will be an extremely tough opponent. There are no gimmes from here on out if we don't play well we will lose. I am anxious to see us take it up a level and invite you to come along for the ride.

Thank you to all of the parents, teachers, staff, and students that continue to support and help out Panther Football we appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Go Panthers

we had our first loss last night when we traveled 3 hours to play Peniel Baptist Academy! It was a hard fought 36-18 loss were there was several times when a bounce here and there would have dramatically changed the score. I was very proud of the way our players (15 strong) hung in and kept battling against a team that had everything going their way. I believe that this team learned more from that loss yesterday than the two previous wins. While I don't necessarily agree or believe in moral victories; I think this was a great learning experience and will make us a better team going forward. Our guys played their hearts out and that's the first step to building a great program is a team that plays hard. 

Our guys played hard tonight and was able to beat a very game Florida School for the Deaf team. We forced several turnovers and eventually wore them down for a hard fought 14-10 victory. I am so proud of these guys tonight was a night filled with a lot of adversity. We were missing a few players and others were definitely not at 100%. There was a significant effort on the part of these young men to perservere through all obstacles. Once again I couldn't be prouder of the work done!

As we begin the school year tomorrow, I wanted to take the opportunity to send my heartfelt thanks out to all the faculty, staff, administration, and parents who fed our young men during the camp this year. we would not be able to do anything without your generosity! I hope you will continue to support Panther football in the future. THANK YOU ONCE AGIN FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP AND DONATIONS! Our first home game is this Thursday. Hopefully you will join us or at least follow us on twitter. we promise to get better and better with the tweets as we continue on but what an exciting thing to see people genuinely interested in knowing what's going on with this program.

Go Panthers!