A team’s season can turn around when they win an upset. Saturday’s overtime victory against No. 34 Salisbury Football was that moment. 6 St. John Fisher.
Sherman Wood, coach, wants the Sea Gulls to keep the win in their minds (2-2 overall and 1-0 in the Empire 8 Athletic Conference).
Salisbury Football
Wood stated Wednesday morning that overconfidence is something we need to be cautious about. “We had a great victory against Christopher Newport at their venue at night in front a packed house [in season opener Who won salisbury football. We felt great the next week [before losing to No. 4 Wesley, 43-5. It is our goal to increase confidence but not become too confident. We also need to respect the other teams we are playing, because it isn’t easy. It gave them another chance to win the conference championship. We now control our destiny and are 1-1 in the conference. We want that.
The victory over the Cardinals (3-1 and 2-1) was not only an indication that Salisbury Football is now in the race to win the league football graphic championship but also a change of pace for the current season. The team lost games to Wesley and Buffalo State after defeating Christopher Newport 41-32.
The Sea Gulls’ loss to Buffalo State was particularly troubling considering their 21-10 halftime lead. Wood and the players had to reflect on their mistakes.
Wood stated, “After that game it was a long journey home – 9 1/2 hour to be exact – and we had to do some soul-searching.” We had a Monday team meeting before the St. John Fisher match. Before I met with the team, there was a players-only meeting. It was one those moments where I felt like “You have to be kind to the guys.” Positive reinforcement is essential. They are still young. We opened the lines of communication, and we sat down together to discuss some issues.
“Then, I selected 10 men – one freshman and nine starters – and then we just sat down to have a heart-to heart. It is not clear if this discussion had any impact, but I do know that our children were fed up. They were embarrassed that they had let a game go by. … Finally, we get to Rochester and all I can say is that the players took control. We’ve had many great teams over the 16 years I’ve been here. I don’t think anything can beat the 2011 team that went to the quarterfinals and played the reigning national champions in [the University of] Wisconsin-Whitewater, but I’ve never experienced the energy from start to finish from our players in all of my years coaching football. I can’t explain it.”
