Follow-Up on Prep-Landon
TFBO2F High School Insider Jeff Nelson--or TFBO2FHSI, for short--filed this follow-up from Georgetown Prep's 9-8, four-overtime victory over Landon on Friday.
Endurance Test
A few Georgetown Prep players credited their ability to win a 64-minute game with the same thing: Their unusual tradition of running sprints post-game, win or lose.
"Usually we run after games, so that really helps all the time," junior Brian Casey said. "Coaches know we have to dig down deep, so that's why we run after every single game."
Senior D Mike Flanagan said the team typically runs 10-12 sprints of 20 yards, regardless of a game's outcome.
Coach Kevin Giblin explained the genesis of his team's post-game sprints.
"We've been doing it for about six or seven years and there's a reason why we do it. It's because we play Tuesdays and Fridays and we take Saturdays off, so five or six years ago, we were like, 'Geez, it's so hard to get in shape.' You can't run them the day before the game, because you've got the game."So we were watching a soccer game and we watched a team run. They called it a warm-down. So we started doing it. And so we run some sprints after games because that's really the only time we can run them.
The Lonely Circle
With each passing overtime, the pressure increased for every player, especially the goalies.
Landon senior C.T. Fisher explained what it was like for him.
"As a goalie and a defense, you just wait for that next shot," he said. "Hopefully you'll make that next save and get out. And I'm sure for the offense, they're trying to get that next shot and make sure it drops. And after that not happening 10, 15 times, going back and forth, it's unbelievable how much the intensity builds."
Taking One for the Team
Landon senior Mike Grossman scored four goals, the third of which wouldn't have happened without junior David Mann.
With under a minute to play in the second quarter, Grossman was having trouble shaking a Georgetown Prep defender. So Mann stepped forward and set a screen. He got leveled, but Grossman got free and scored on a left-handed shot.
Mann is no stranger to taking hits, though. He was a second-team All-Met ice hockey player in the winter.
By Christian Swezey |
April 27, 2008; 8:40 AM ET
| Category:
High Schools
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