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Football Blog, News, and Notes |
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Saturday,
Nov 5th, 2011 @ 10:30am
What Do The 2011 Playoffs Hold For
The Northern Region? |
Well, the
2011 regular season is in the history books and final
standings are posted as teams enter post-season play. Because of McQueen's earlier
loss to the Reed Raiders, they failed to capture a share
of the League title but still have ample opportunity to
battle back in the playoffs and force a rematch against
Reed for the Northern Regional Championship. The
Lancers' by-week allowed them time to heal and
prepare for a first round matchup against Manogue ... a
team they defeated just 2 weeks ago but who shouldn't be
taken for granted ... so the Lancers
will have to remain focused and disciplined.
Meanwhile, a few teams fought to the last minute Friday
evening for their chance to enter the playoffs.
After the final shake-down here are next weeks matchups
for Round 1:
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Host
Team |
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Visiting
Team |
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(#1)
Reed Raiders |
-vs- |
(#8)
Spanish Springs Cougars |
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(#2)
Carson Senators |
-vs- |
(#7)
Damonte Ranch Mustangs |
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(#3)
McQueen Lancers |
-vs- |
(#6)
Bishop Manogue Miners |
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(#4)
Reno Huskies |
-vs- |
(#5)
Douglas Tigers |
My
Thoughts and Prognostications:
Reed
certainly has the appearance of being unstoppable this
season in the North. Their powerful running game,
paired with an unequalled aerial assault, is proving too
much for local teams to overcome. Only Carson and
possibly McQueen stand a realistic chance of upsetting
the Raiders at this point.
Top-seeded teams Reed, Carson, and McQueen should all be expected
to win, with the only possible upset in my opinion being
the Huskies/Tigers matchup. On paper - Reno should
win, but Douglas has been much stronger offensively
against six mutual opponents. And Reno enters the
playoffs losing the last three in a row ... not exactly
a confidence builder. The key will lay within
Douglas' defense which has allowed too many holes for
opponents throughout the season. If Reno finds and
exploits those Tiger weaknesses, they'll move to the
second round as well. I have no dog in this fight,
but having an equal measure of respect for both Coaches
I can't resist rooting for the occasional upset.
Carson is
finally providing a strong presence in the North and
gaining recognition for their accomplishments. And
it's about time!!! They've long been the largest
high school in the Region with the greatest pool of
athletes to draw from, so they should've been fielding
strong teams for many years, but a seeming lack of
interest in football and certain local pressures have
kept the Senators languishing far too long. They
have some tremendous talent this season, and McQueen
should relish the opportunity to challenge them in Round
2 of the playoffs (assuming each wins their Round 1
matchups).
Conversely - while the NIAA can't foresee who the
best teams will be each year, it seems that patterns of
winning establish themselves over years for each team
... and none of the anticipated contenders should be
allowed to march through a season without playing other
top contenders. It provides biased standings and
often results in a "shared" league title, which brings
less satisfaction to all winners. In this case -
Carson's toughest game of the year (statistically) was
against neighboring Douglas, a team that ended up in
fifth place as Carson roared through their schedule. I'm not saying Carson isn't
deserving of a shared crown - they've been exciting and
dynamic this year! Rather - my point is that the NIAA should be more successful at eliminating this
incredible volume of "by-weeks" affecting
every team, and produce more matchups throughout the
season. If that requires a rules change, or moving
a team between 3A/4A then consider it. Each team
is given a 10-week regular season, but all Northern
squads waste 2 of those sitting and watching others!
That's unfortunate. |
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Monday,
Oct 31st, 2011 @ 6:42pm
LancerFan's Final Season. |
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The LancerFan
site was created for McQueen football athletes (and their families)
to capture and celebrate their outstanding efforts on the
field. We're just a mom
and dad that began this site in 2000 when our
own son was in McQueen football, and
twelve seasons later we continue posting information and
game images out of the passion we gained for Lancer
Football. It's been
hugely rewarding, but unfortunately everything has
a shelf-life so this will be my final year taking images and
running the LancerFan website for
your use.
Some of our
accomplishments:
- U.S.
Serviceman stationed at bases around the world such as
West Germany, Japan, and the Middle East have accessed
LancerFan every season to check in on sons and
nephews, while remembering a small taste of home from
their foreign locations.
- Each
of the last 3 years we've
provided over 200,000 page downloads in a single
month. That's not just "hits", but actual
page
openings by visitors.
- We've
kept LancerFan free and available to all, without
advertising or subscription. Sure - we might
have been able to make some money from it, but that
went against our principles for why the site was
developed in the first place.
- We've
captured more than 132,000 images of Lancer Pride from
the field, displaying the vast majority online for you
to share without cost as desired.
- Our
photos have appeared in social networks, newspapers,
media websites, game programs, and school yearbooks on
behalf of the Lancers.
- We've
produced one of the finest prep football sites in the
West dedicated to a single team.
- We're
Google's and Yahoo's first listing for "McQueen
Football", in recognition of the traffic and content
we produce at LancerFan.com.
Recently,
while waiting to board an airplane, I was approached by
the Mother of a McQueen athlete. I was surprised
she even recognized me from taking photographs on the sidelines. But she was so
gracious and shared how her son had been killed just a
few months following his Senior football season, and that
the pictures she downloaded from LancerFan were
her last images of him and a great source of pride
to her family showing him charge the field in Lancer blue.
Her willingness to share such a painful and sensitive
memory touched me.
Most of
all, it's been such a privilege and pleasure to know these
many fine athletes that have come through McQueen's
ranks over twelve years. Some of them have moved
on to successful college and NFL football careers, while
others will go on to change the world in ways I can't
yet imagine. I've been fortunate to be a small
part of, or more appropriately, a scribe to their
youthful accomplishments and am thankful Karen and I
have been able to give something back. My thanks
to the principals, athletic directors, and coaches at
McQueen
for allowing me access to the sidelines in order to tout their
teams online. I've worked hard to stay out
of the way, and not impact the players while photographing
... my only failure occurring years ago when a flash was
fired into the face of a receiver just as the ball
approached. That drew the coach's wrath (and I
haven't used flash on the sidelines since - LOL).
So what
does the future hold for LancerFan? Well - we're in
discussions with the Booster Club regarding how
LancerFan might continue under their direction, or
possibly have the domain turned over to the school for
their athletic department to maintain. But I'll
be stepping out at this point and allowing others to
keep the tradition alive. Thank you, readers, for
tuning in from time to time and supporting our efforts.
We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Go Lancers!!!
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Sunday,
Oct 30st, 2011 @ 10:18 am
Updates Available - At Last !!! |
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Many of you
noticed we've gone a few weeks without fresh game images
or scoring updates. Well LancerFan was out of town
several weekends in a row but now we're back in town and
have finally caught up to post everything we have
available. So visit our gallery for recent images
from the Reno and Galena games, then check out the
latest scores and standings. Final standings will
determine post-season playoffs this Friday night, but it
looks like the Lancers will open up with at least one
more home game! |
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Monday,
Oct 22nd, 2011 @ 10:18 am
Game Scheduling Changes SNAFU
LancerFan!
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The NIAA
game schedule distributed prior to the 2011 football
season listed McQueen's game versus Bishop Manogue set
for Saturday - Oct. 22nd however a subsequent change was
issued but escaped LancerFan's notice.
Unfortunately those of you who were planning on a warm,
sunny, afternoon game will discover you missed the games
which took place Friday evening instead. This even
caught me unaware as I waited patiently (this morning)
until time to drive over to Bishop Manogue School's
beautiful facility only to be shocked when the McQueen /
Manogue score appeared on the sports page of local
papers today. Dang!
I'm
disappointed to have missed this matchup between two
outstanding football squads, and as a result I won't
have images available from it to view on LancerFan.
Instead, this week's gallery will feature the McQueen /
Galena game from last week. Be sure to drop in
that area of the site to view the many faces of Lancer
pride!
My
apologies to all readers that relied on this (previously
official) game schedule. I'm frustrated that the change was neither
caught during late season edits or pointed out to us by
faithful readers, but sometimes that's how it goes.
Sorry to all ...
Jason
Stoll, Editor |
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Monday,
Oct 3rd, 2011 @ 8:42 pm
Forty-Four Hearts ... One Mind! |
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The McQueen Lancers have
forty-four rostered athletes on
their 2011 football squad.
Forty-four hearts providing life and oxygen to respective parts.
Forty-four hearts working on
seemingly different tasks.
Could this just be organized chaos?
No
- Far from it!
Championship teams in every sport seem to have
something in common.
They play with a single goal in mind.
Each athlete contributing his own efforts and
skills selflessly so that the greater goal of winning
can be reached for the team.
Forty-four hearts beating with one purpose!
Every
football team in our region is full of gifted athletes. Players who can soar
high in the air, produce
incredible bursts of speed, break seemingly impervious
lines, or read the field instantaneously and make just the right
decision.
But while an individual’s physical gifts can
separate elite athletes from mediocre ones, they don’t
guarantee championships for their team in and of
themselves.
After all - those gifts can be nurtured or
squandered by their owner as we’ve seen time and again at
every sports level.
Player’s
that seek their own glory at the sacrifice of a team’s
success end up driving the team further away from the
very goal they seek.
No - what separates a championship team from the
normal squad is its ability, or inability, to play
together as one cohesive unit with a single purpose.
Forty-four hearts
working towards one goal!
As a photographer - I’ve
stood on various sidelines and heard squabbles among other teams
and their athletes each year.
Complaints by running backs that they don't get
enough carries … Quarterbacks grumbling that their
passing isn’t getting featured enough … and irritated lineman
pointing blame at each other for missed tackles ... even arguing
and swearing within their own huddles.
Sadly I’ve also witnessed coaches that merely yell
for more intensity
from their kids, then shake their heads and curse, not
yet realizing within themselves that its all about
teaching and coaching while building their athlete's
confidence, even during the games! All
these negative attributes work to a team’s detriment and
prevent it from finding greatness.
McQueen’s football program, led by head coach
Jim Snelling, suffers from none of these ailments!
He and his crew understand that having been capable
athletes themselves a few years back doesn’t
automatically make them good coaches today.
They realize they'll have to work as hard at the discipline of coaching
as their athletes work at the discipline of football.
Coaching is, at its core, the ability to teach
others how to make the moves and understand the process
involved, show them how to analyze factors effecting
an athlete's choice on the field, then allow their athlete to step forward and execute
based upon that teaching.
Through discipline and “team-first” ideals,
McQueen produces a consistency
among its athletes and teams each year that’s become
the envy of many. And within this selfless team environment
embraced by the Lancers, individual athletes still shine in
their
accomplishments, while sharing even greater respect
among team mates.
There
are numerous debates
about who will win the Regional and State Championships
this year, but it won’t necessarily be
the season's highest-scoring team, or the team that experiences a
momentary "hot streak". Instead - it will be the
group that finds its identity as a
team.
The team that selfishly hands the ball round
as needed, explodes together to a higher level when
required, and has players who embrace their role within
the team
that will flourish and succeed.
It’s a mantra shouted silently by
each McQueen athlete as they prepare for every battle:
Forty Four Hearts – One Mind! |
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Tuesday,
Sept 20th, 2011 @ 7:58 pm
McQueen
Defense Rallies to the Challenges! |
McQueen's Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, Jim
Snelling, realizes that offense wins games but
defense wins championships ... and few teams are
able to muster the steel-clad defense McQueen brings
to the field year after year.
Each season the Lancer defense relishes the prospect
of holding their opponents to perfect shutouts with
minimal yardage gains. Over the last few years
McQueen has recorded a number of such games,
to produce an enviable statistic that has now passed
on to this, and future Lancers with the challenge to
either meet or exceed them. Who'd have thought, with
the level of scrutiny over this squad's size and
relative inexperience, we'd be entering our fourth
game of the season with a solid position in the
polls and statistics? My guess is Jim Snelling for
one!!!
There’s a pride throughout McQueen’s defense borne
from the knowledge that they represent a long
winning tradition … of understanding that if an
opponent doesn't score on you, they can't win … of
feeling the countless hours spent in weight rooms
laced heavy with the scent of iron and sweat … and
of the responsibility placed on their shoulders to
hold opponents in check. Determined young men, led
by determined coaches who teach them intricacies of
football seldom understood by those of us on the
sidelines or sitting in bleachers.
These laughing, affable, good-natured men change as
their McQueen helmets are donned. Gone are the
guffaws and kidding-around usually seen in the
school hallways. Absent is the light-heartedness
known by their family and teachers, leaving a
distinctly different impression on whichever
opponent is positioned before them ... opponents
that have been warned by their coaches the Lancers
are “physical”. Lancers that play through
pain or discomfort, ignoring screams from their
joints and giving EVERYTHING they have for 48 ticks
of the clock … because they understand, like Coach
Snelling, that defense wins Championships. |
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Sunday,
Sept 18th, 2011 @ 2:58 pm
McQueen Lancers Squeak Past
Damonte Ranch |
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The Lancers visited Damonte Ranch this week having
no idea of the challenges they were about to face
for the evening. Damonte Ranch, being Washoe
County’s newest 4A high school, has a relatively
young football program and although they’ve made
great strides and improvements each year under Coach
Tony Amantia … it’s an unfortunate reality that some
opponents may still take them for granted and look
beyond the Mustangs. I suggest those teams rethink
that notion.
Football is an intricate game
of inches and seconds. Sometimes that’s not
apparent to people in the stands, but on every ball
hike there’s a violent explosion of intensity within
each man for a few brief seconds as the linemen use
every ounce of energy they have … pushing and
bending their opponent in a chosen direction while
the ball handler digs his feet into the turf and
launches himself forward faster than he’s ever run
in order to gain just a few more feet. A handful of
extra inches. Sometimes that little spin move, the
extra half-step taken as opponents drag him
downward, or the reach of his outstretched arm can
mean the difference between success and handing the
ball over to his opponent. Teammates come from
behind and add their brute force to his back,
propelling him forward to gain another 6, 8, or 12
more inches against a stack of opponents pushing
just as hard to halt them. And once it’s over … as
these young men lift themselves from the turf with
lungs gasping for oxygen and muscles cramping,
thirst and aches vying for attention, they
immediately take their stance again to repeat the
process over and over, 120 times or so, in order to
determine the game’s outcome and to declare their
football supremacy! The great football coach Vince
Lombardi once said so eloquently in his signature,
brusque style:
“There’s only one way to succeed in anything, and
that is to give it everything. The difference
between a successful person and others is not a lack
of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in
a lack of will ...”
The Lancers had the will within them on this night
and at the closing moments they eeked out a narrow
win having traded leads with the Mustangs throughout
the match. But McQueen turned out to be their own
worst enemy as execution errors and mental mistakes
compounded to keep Damonte on the cusp of defeating
the Lancers for the first time in their school’s
history. As a longtime fan of Lancer Football I
stay focused on the positive aspects and efforts of
the team but was hugely dismayed to watch the
cascade of issues appear in this game for McQueen
such as ball snaps sailing yards beyond the kicker’s
reach … passes thrown on the run from a back foot …
opposing linebackers allowed free lanes directly
into the McQueen backfield … and a number of other faux pas that
appeared throughout the evening. It was only by
sheer will, determination, and experience that the
Lancers walked away victorious but they’ll need to
add crisp execution to their mix in order to remain
successful throughout the season. |
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Monday,
Sept. 12, 2011 @ 5:50 pm
Be Sure to Check Out LancerFan's
New "PowerSnap" Feature! |
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LancerFan is introducing our PowerSnap summary that
provides insights into a team's strengths,
weaknesses, and productivity statistics for everyone
in the Northern 4A Region - a LancerFan exclusive!
Find out who's strong on the ground ... who's aerial
assault is most effective ... the one's most likely
to attempt a 2-point conversion ... and which
kicking game provides the most help to their team.
You'll find it all here by clicking "PowerSnap" from
the Quick link Menu on the left of your screen!
(Acrobat Reader required)
Get Adobe Reader
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Saturday,
Sept 12th, 2011 @ 5:10 pm
LancerFan Milestone Repeated -
200,000 Pages / Month |
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the month of September our little ole' LancerFan
site has once again exceeded 200,000 page downloads,
and we still have a week left in the month!
It's been so rewarding to provide images of the
Lancer athletes, cheer, band and spectators for
McQueen fans and friends to enjoy ... allowing
distant family members to see their "kids" from afar
when they can't participate in the Friday-night
experience themselves. While the majority of
our visitors hail from throughout the United States,
we've also hosted guests from Sweden, Canada,
Australia and Great Britain as well as military
family members from around the world.
Thanks for making LancerFan so popular!!! |
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Wednesday,
Sept 12th, 2011 @ 5:10 pm
How We Pick Our Featured Image For
Page 1 |
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One of
the most difficult but enjoyable tasks is selecting
a
featured photo for our front page each week.
Some wonder how we select our website cover-shot and
who can appear there? Well,
I'd like to say it's the key playmaker ... or the
winning touchdown, block, tackle, etc. of the game,
but the fact is we have to sort through hundreds of images
each Saturday then choose from those successful
pictures that best interpret
McQueen football action or capture a memorable moment for the
evening.
First
I toss out the ones that are out-of-focus (believe
me - with the speed of McQueen's athletes there's quite a few). Then I set aside
those that are unflattering or embarrassing for some
reason. Finally, I eliminate
those remaining "flops" that coulda-woulda-shoulda been great,
such as when a referee jumps in front of me just
as my shutter clicks ... or that great action
shot I was anxious to review, but now realize it
was nearly 100 yards away and is
impossible to make out in my tiny
image. You get the idea. And
sometimes the perfect shot of the night is just pure
luck, while other times it's careful planning and
execution.
Anyway - after
all our filtering, the
remaining images are typically posted in the online photo
gallery. We take great care to not only capture
play-action from the game, but also the surrounding
fans, activities, and excitement that make up the
entire McQueen's
Friday Night experience! We hope we're succeeding
and that families enjoy the images. Then my final task is
to review the action shots that remain and pick a
fresh, exiting view of Lancer football. It could be
anyone, and throughout the season I like to
take turns highlighting defense, offense, and special
teams, so YOU could be next!!! Some
athletes or cheerleaders may not have seen
themselves online much yet for the reasons listed
above, but we'll keep trying throughout the season! |
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Sunday, August 15, 2010 @ 8:42 am
It Requires Tough Love To Become A Champion
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Daybreak wakes the morning sky above Reno and falls
early upon McQueen's weight room. Outside the air is
crisp and fresh, but as you enter the training room
you hear the familiar clank of iron on steel.
The pungent scents of metal and perspiration drift
past you, and the eyes of young men flare with
strain as they force their bodies against the
unyielding pull of gravity. A groan is
muttered somewhere in the crowd. Amidst the
thuds, clunks and scuffling shoes you hear words of
encouragement whispered among the ranks, willing
each other on. But there's something else
lingering in the air here. It's an intensity
and determination that produces energy you can feel.
Some call it "Lancer Pride" ... others call it
discipline. But whatever the title - it's a
regimen and mentality that's proven itself through
many seasons, producing results both on and off the
field for the athletes of McQueen High.
It includes "tough love" from trainers and coaches,
where the athletes are pushed to excel, driven
to surpass previous attempts, and never allowed to
relax their effort. It's a mental
determination embraced by the athletes as they
strive to exceed the accomplishments of those who've
passed through this room before them. That attitude
has become the backbone of McQueen's football
program, and though some casual observers may think
it harsh at times - the lessons learned here create
teamwork, an unwillingness to quit, and an ability
to overcome incredible pressure. Lessons that
will benefit these Lancer athletes not only under
challenges of Friday nights, but throughout their
lives.
The Lancers take on an increasingly capable group of
competitors each year and will experience the
culmination of all those intense weight-room hours as they
explode into action each Friday night.
Whether its their speed, powerful running game, the
capable hands of their receivers, or the blue wall of
steel taking position on the line ... the McQueen
Lancers know what it takes to produce consistent
results week after week. And their particular
style of tough love will break the silence of dawn
once again the morning after. |
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