It has been 20 years since Gary Gaines used “Mojo” to lead his Panthers to a championship.  No, not the Carolina Panthers.  You see, this is much more important than the NFL.  After an 11 year vacation in the college ranks,  Coach Gaines is back in the big league at Odessa Permian High School in Odessa, TX preparing to write another chapter in the storied book of Panther football.

Unfortunately, for those who endure dangerously hot summer football practices, it is hard to know just how high their temperature gets.  The problems are compounded  in the hotter climates, such as the southeast, with soaring humidity and temperatures nearing 100.  There are warning signs of heat stroke that coaches and trainers look for such as confusion, dizziness, headaches and nausea, but it is often too late to prevent serious heat related illnesses and worse, death.  Fortunately, help is on the way.

Lead has been determined to cause cancer, damage to male and female reproductive systems, and birth defects in developing fetuses.  It also gives field turf a natural green hue that makes it look like green grass.

What is the A-11 offense?

The A-11 offense takes advantage of the scrimmage kick formation rules and makes every offensive player on the field a potential receiver.  Yes, EVERY PLAYER.  In order to execute the offense, all players jersey numbers must fall between 1-49 or 80-99 (all numbers for eligible receivers) and have two “quarterbacks” lined up 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage with no one under center.  In the scrimmage kick formation,  interior linemen are granted an exception from having to wear normally required jersey numbers 50 through 79 and become potentially eligible receivers.   The exception was intended to allow a team’s deep snapper not to have to switch to a lineman’s jersey if he was a back or an end.   Although the rules were designed to facilitate the kicking process, it was just a matter of time before someone figured out they could use this formation as the basis of an offense that could potentially change the “flavor” of the game.

I know this is from 1994 and most fans have seen it.  But it is such a miraculous ending that it is worth revisiting.  Plano East was down 24 points to John Tyler with just 3:03 left.  Losing 41 – 17 late in the 4th quarter, you would think the coaches would just milk the clock and go home.  But that is not what happened.

As young men across this country are finishing final exams and making plans for the summer, many are getting ready to attend various football camps.  After all, nothing says SUMMER FUN like waking early and donning football pads to go sweat in the 90 degree heat to improve your football skills!  But such is our mania for football…..

The stress and distractions from staying on the right path are tough on young men these days.  Throw in academic rigors and a spot on the football team and the potential for a freshman meltdown is just around the corner.