An old coaching adage says you give your team 24 hours to celebrate a win or dwell on a loss and then its time to move on to the next opponent.
Please forgive those who don the red and blue of Apache Nation if their celebration seems to linger well into the next week. Some wins are bigger than others, but last week’s 42-41 victory over the Haynesville Golden Tornado helped to solidify the Apaches’ place in the LHSAA for years to come and is arguably the biggest win in program history.
As much as the Apaches would love more time to celebrate their latest conquest, a new week and a new set of challenges are on the horizon.
On Friday, the Lions of Plain Dealing will come to town trying to play spoiler to the Apaches Homecoming festivities. While small in numbers, the fight in the young Lion players looms large. Coach Christopher Wilson is in his second season as head coach of Plain Dealing and will bring in a scrappy bunch of 19 players that will be led by RB/DB Ardrevious Washington-Carper, QB/LB Braedan Sterling, and RB/DL Carnez Hillmon.
The Lions come in with a record of 2-4 after beating Magnolia School of Excellence and Ringgold. Their four losses came at the hands of Haynesville, North Caddo, Homer, and Booker T. Washington.
The Apache coaches have worked hard this week to focus their team on the task at hand, but Homecoming week tends to pull a player’s attention in many directions.
Helping to ease the Apache coaches’ minds will be the leadership of their two senior captains, Cale Hollis and Collin Gregg.
“Those two embody everything you want in a leader of your team. They show up every day with a great attitude and put in the work without an ounce of complaint. These two young men will without a doubt be great husbands, fathers, and citizens one day,” said Apache defensive coordinator James Thurman.
Collin Gregg will help to lead a strong defensive unit vs the Lions, that last week held the Tornado to just a single touchdown in the second half and a huge defensive stand late in the 4th quarter to secure the Apache victory.
Cale Hollis will utilize his blocking and receiving skills at TE to help an explosive Apache offense take advantage of a youthful Lion defense. Last week vs Haynesville, Hollis caught a key 2-point conversion to help his team erase a first half deficit.
If the Apaches can maintain their focus during a tumultuous week and limit the Lion’s big play potential, Glenbrook should move to 5-2 on their inaugural season in the LHSAA.
Game time is set for 7 p.m. Friday with Homecoming presentations taking place during pre-game.
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