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This week’s Q&A Fitch’s Phil Annarella
Austintown Fitch stands seventh in the Division I, Region 1 computer ratings on the strength of a 7-1 record. The Falcons are trying to get back into the playoffs as they did in 2010, when they also captured a Federal League championship.
This season coach Phil Annarella and the Falcons are doing something neither has done previously, playing an independent schedule. The lone loss came in week seven, 34-14, at Massillon.
Q. Is the team about where you thought it would be after eight weeks, both record-wise and overall development?
A. I honestly don’t think any coach can answer that, can give you a specific answer. You never know for sure how your kids will play together. I know we were looking forward to coaching this group because they are a group of coachable young men. But team chemistry comes into play and there is the injury factor, which comes into play particularly in high school football. Certainly we’ve had our share of those, unfortunately. But I think we have maximized what we get out of each kid and they are playing hard for us. I guess to answer that question, we are satisfied with where we are at right now.
Q. How has the progress been throughout the season — have there been any surprises?
A. We’ve had young kids step up, particularly in the backfield. We have a couple of sophomores who have played extremely well at running back, particularly Darrin Hall, when Tyreese Anderson and Billy Aaron were injured. In some other areas where guys are banged up we are waiting to see the progress there in a couple of sophomores. We take the “next man up” mentality, when someone goes down the next man has to be ready. The guys have been giving it their all and are doing their best to fill the roles.
Q. Having made the playoffs in 2010 and then not in 2011, plus not having a league title to play for, did you talk to the kids about the playoffs at the start of the season?
A. Absolutely, one thing the guys always know is I am honest, sometimes brutally honest. Of course we talked about that. Not having a league, our only kind of reward is the playoffs, beyond the satisfaction of just playing well. We didn’t have any idea we were that caliber team at the start of the year and we’ve always taken one game at a time. At the start Harding was our only thought, then Akron Hoban and through the schedule, and now Lake. We approached it with that mentality that we would have a shot if we focused on the game at hand. I honestly believe the players bought in and handled it that way. Even last week, in a big rout, we stayed fairly focused knowing our opponent was not a huge challenge. Our approach was to get better, to worry about us. They did that and I was pleased with the way they handled that.
Q. How did the kids react to their first loss, two weeks ago to Massillon?
A. I have always said this in all my years of coaching that the kids are more resilient than the adults. They get over things a little quicker than the coaches. They knew they hadn’t played well, not to take anything away from Massillon, they played well. But our kids knew we didn’t play to the best of our ability. I think they came back refocused and had a fairly good week of practice.
Q. What were some of the challenges of playing an independent schedule, especially concerning unfamiliar opponents?
A. It is basically out of our control once the season starts, we just play week to week and play as hard as we can. I commend Rob Conklin, he and I worked closely to piece the schedule together. It may not be the best, some may like it and some may not, but we did what we could at the time. That’s the way it is as an independent, we have to live with it and adapt. The unfamiliarity works both ways and makes it a little tougher on the coaches. In the Federal League we knew our opponents, we knew what they were going to do and they knew us. This year was uncharted territory. We didn’t know how a team would defend us or attack us, and likewise for them. It made things a little more challenging for the coaches through the season.
Q. What challenges are presented by this week’s opponent, Lake?
A. Lake is Lake. Coach (Jeff) Durbin does a great job over there. They have a proud program, they are the only Division II team in the Federal League. They are struggling through a tough time, they are playing most everyone a tight game but they are coming up on the short end. But they battle and fight, they are very well coached and fundamentally sound. It would make their season to come in here and knock us off so we better be ready to play today.