Saturday Dad ReadsWeek of May 10

Welcome to this week’s edition! Here’s what we’ve got lined up:

• 📕 This week’s selection: When the Game Stands Tall by Neil Hayes

• 🧔 Author Bio: Neil Hayes

• 💣️ Dad’s Knowledge Bombs: PA Football - Notable High Schools and Famous Alums

• 🌌 This week’s Dad Rant: Longing for a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Summary

Review

Although I’ve recently started going back to church, I don’t consider myself to be a particularly religious person unless we’re talking about football. In that case, my choice of church is a concrete and steel edifice in State College, Pennsylvania. My high altar is section EF of that edifice called Beaver Stadium and my chosen sacraments are an assortment of smoked meats and alcoholic beverages consumed pre-game. James Franklin is my high priest and Drew Allar serves as his acolyte. I absolutely love Penn State football and by that same token, give me any book about football and I’ll consume it readily.

If you know ball, then you’ve definitely heard of the De La Salle High School Spartans football team, hailing from Concord, California. To continue the “church of football” metaphor, Catholic school notwithstanding, if their was a College of Cardinals in football, Coach Bob Ladouceur would be among those in line to be the next pope.

Where Neil Hayes absolutely excels in this book is in how he captures the true spirit of the De La Salle program. Sure, the narratives of the historical rise of De La Salle and its “Streak” and the inside narrative of the team’s 2002 season are compelling and as highly readable as anything John Feinstein has written (in fact, I would go so far as to say that this narrative is as well done as that of Feinstein’s Season on the Brink with the Indiana Hoosiers, albeit the Catholic high school version with far less f-bombs and colorful language). However, the book goes beyond this reportage to illustrate the power of coaching and team culture.

Although it may seem cliché, Coach Ladouceur uses football as a tool for teaching his players about life. In doing so, he gets them to buy into a culture and system where hard work and sacrifice are the norm, not the exception; a culture and system where work ethic, grit, and determination trump talent. On many occasions, De La Salle teams have played against those who were bigger, faster, more talented on both sides of the ball, and all around better athletes. De La Salle didn’t just beat those teams. They systematically dismantled them and demoralized them (see their epic games against powerhouses such as Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei). Coach Ladouceur and his assistants take mediocre to good athletes and turn them into football players.

Also, where Hayes excels as a sports journalist is how he captures a shift within the De La Salle program during its historic winning streak of 151 consecutive wins. By the time the 2002 season season dawns, the joy of winning seems to have left the program. There is no longer elation after close wins. Rather, there is more relief at having not lost. Players like Maurice Jones Drew (who would go on to star in the NFL) put up huge numbers in games, only to leave the field with a sigh of relief at being able to leave the field with another win and not be shamed with the burden of being the team that lost the “Streak.” Players and coaches alike loved the game, but dreaded the mental wear and tear that came with keeping their streak intact each week.

Overall, I loved this one. I love these types of “behind the scenes” narratives in a football program and there were points where I was ready to run through a brick wall for Coach Ladouceur. It truly is a testament to how the power of coaching and team culture are the greatest “x-factors” for a team and Neil Hayes has nailed it.

Saturday Dad Reads Rating: ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ - Send the kids to grandmas and call off work. You’re not going to be able to put this one down. Make a whole pot and settle in for the long haul!

Author Spotlight

Dad’s Knowledge Bomb

Accompanying De La Salle’s unprecedented success came the inevitable accusations of cheating and the “sour grapes” complaints of “It’s just not fair” and “They get all the good players” from coaches on the De La Salle schedule. In fact, my favorite quote in the book came from an opposing coach when asked by a reporter for his thoughts on De La Salle: “Fuck them. Write that.,” the coach quipped.

In light of this I thought it would be apropos to explore some high school teams from my own frame of reference who have, at some point, had coaches say something similar about them based on the level of talent they possessed at the given time and/or their consistent success. As a note, all of these teams hail from either central or western PA.

Southern Columbia High School: The Tigers played in the same conference as my high school alma mater and routinely treated our team like the doormat it was at that time. We would routinely lose by at least 50+ points. Located in the coal mining region of central PA, Southern Columbia produced class after class of big, strong, gritty football players and their dominance over football in that region remains to this day. I would argue that coach Jim Roth is the PA version of Bob Ladouceur, compiling a 499-68-2 record. Like the De La Salle Spartans, the Tigers simply don’t lose, winning a record 7 straight state titles from 2017-2023. Notable alum(s) who played in the NFL: Henry Hynoski

Woodland Hills High School: The Wolverines, hailing from just outside of Pittsburgh are an absolute powerhouse that routinely sends players to the DI ranks and beyond. Although they have never won a PA state championship, as of 2010, Woody High, as it is known locally, had produced 6 NFL talents, the most of any high school in the US. Notable alum(s) who played in the NFL: Jason Taylor, Rob Gronkowski, Steve Breaston and Miles Sanders.

Penn Hills High School: The Indians, whose district borders that of aforementioned Woodland Hills, are perennial contenders in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League. The Penn Hills/Woodland Hills game is usually a slugfest where the record books get thrown away. Most recently, Penn Hills won the PA 5A State Championship in 2018. Notable alum(s) who played in the NFL: Aaron Donald, Bill Fralic

Aliquippa High School: The Quips emulate the town they hail from. Tough, hard nosed and gritty, Aliquippa has been a program on the rise as the town its based in has been on the decline. For a great look into the rise of Aliquippa football and the fall of its namesake steel town, check out S.L. Price’s Playing Through the Whistle for an unbelievable football and sociological story. Recently, Aliquippa, being forced by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to play in an upper division against schools with higher enrollments, appealed their classification status, but lost. Look for the Quips to continue to dominate against all comers. Notable alum(s) who played in the NFL: Darelle Revis, Mike Ditka, and Ty Law

Dad Rant: Longing for a Galaxy Far, Far Away

If there is one movie I wish I could wipe from my memory and watch again fresh for the first time, it would undoubtedly be Star Wars: A New Hope. I remember seeing the VHS case on the shelf at my uncle’s house as a kid and remember asking him what it was and if we could watch it. He was only too happy to oblige and my impressionable young self was hooked from the first note of the John Williams score. That spawned a life long love, bordering on obsession (that has since died down in adulthood) with all things Star Wars. I devoured books, played the video games, bought toys and watched the original movies again and again. I could tell you whether Han or Greedo shot first if you’d listen. I could tell you how they made the lightsaber noises (waving a microphone in front of a TV screen with static on it). I could tell you my opinions on obscure characters like Jekk Porkins and Biggs Darklighter.

That all being said, on May 4, “Star Wars Day” I picked up a Star Wars book and began to read. Somewhere along the way I never finished Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy, so my selection was the final installment: Champions of the Force. As I read it, those old feelings of nostalgia crept back over me and my mind began to drift to this highly controversial topic: “What the hell was Disney thinking when they made the final Star Wars trilogy?”

Apparently, you love it or you hate. I have to admit that as of now, I have no opinion. I’ve never seen any of the final trilogy. I refuse to and have boycotted them since their release. In my mind, they don’t exist. In that vein, I like to think about what could’ve been and frankly, Disney didn’t need to create any new material. It was all already there for the taking. A few examples of Star Wars literature that could’ve made great book to screen adaptations.

1. The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton - Take this book and turn it into a 1 season series. Diplomacy, a love story, and the witches of Dathomir would make this completely watchable.

2. The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn: Grand Admiral Thrawn might be my favorite Star Wars villain ever. Each book in this trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command) could’ve been a movie.

3. The Jedi Academy Trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson: Again, each book could be a standalone movie. Luke Skywalker rebuilding the Jedi order on Yavin 4 (Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice, Champions of the Force).

4. Rogue Squadron: Although allegedly in the making for a series, Wedge Antilles as a main character in the same vein as Masters of the Air? Chef’s kiss. (Full disclosure, I’ve only read the first four in the series: Rogue Squadron, Wedge’s Gamble, The Krytos Trap, and The Bacta War)

Again, I’ve not seen the Disney Star Wars trilogy and I don’t intend to. Ever. There’s no way that anything Disney produces can be better than any of the four options above and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.