Gearing up for the 2008 Season

It's hard to believe nine months have passed since the St. Mary's Saints closed out the 2007 season with that dramatic victory over EDS and hoisted the CSRA Private Middle School League championship trophy at Diamond Lakes.

But here we are ready to crank it up again for another season, and as fast as the time has flied since our championship season, the offseason couldn't go by quickly enough.

None of us who were part of that 2007 team will ever forget that season, but now is the time of year when we have to put that season in the past and get back to work. The 2008 Saints will be a much different ballclub. We won't have the same type of experienced leadership that we had with the 2007 team, as this year's Saints will be significantly younger and, most likely, not as deep as last year.

There is a lot of work to be done, and it all begins next week with tryouts, with our first on-the-field workout set for Tuesday, February 5. I am excited about the group of returning 8th graders who gained invaluable experience last year and finally learned what it was like to taste a championship at the middle school level.

But in order to have a chance to repeat in 2008, it will take an even more special effort and sense of commitment and dedication than last year's club.

Over the past few months, many have asked how the 2008 Saints will look and how we will compare to last year's championship team. Usually, my answer is that it's all up to the players. I truly believe we have enough talent to compete for another championship. But talent will only take us so far, as other teams in our league, including EDS and Augusta Christian, will probably look better than us talent-wise on paper.

Last year's team was one of the hardest working, dedicated bunches I've ever been associated with. But this year, we will have to work even harder.

Along with the retunring players, there promises to be a good group of newcomers with potential to help us, but these younger players will be making a big jump from little league to middle school ball. At times, you will be overmatched. But with hard work and total commitment to our program, I guarantee we will be a championship contender by the end of the season.

Every spot on our roster and every spot in the starting lineup is WIDE OPEN. Be ready to showcase your skills and prove you are willing to be a great teammate once tryouts begin, and don't let up until the last out of the season is in the books come April.

I hope every young man who comes out for our team this spring will be ready to pay the price. I hope our returning players realize they have to earn a spot on the roster and earn a job in the starting lineup, regardless of what they did for us in 2007. And I hope our young newcomers will be ready to be humbled as they jump to the bigger field and start facing much better competition for the first time in their lives.

If you all pay the price, starting on Tuesday, I promise that good things will happen.

Good luck and be prepared to work hard.