Panthers laying the foundation, 'not packing it in'

By Rex Kirts

The 2010 Panther football team, the first to experience Kirk Kennedy's coaching, is laying the foundation for the future of the program. And some of those bricks are heavy.
Going into Friday's game at Pike, the Panthers are 1-5 and facing three rugged tests in the regular season stretch run.
The record is not up to Panther standards nor what the players expected. Several players who would have started did not come out, and others who would have started or contributed either quit after the start of practice or were told to turn in their uniforms early.
But, Kennedy said, the survivors are hanging in there pretty well. Practices and attitude have improved.
In the midst of all the turmoil, Kennedy said he is not losing them.
"THEY ARE GENUINELY interested in working hard and getting better," he said. "They're not packing it in or counting the days."
Practices this week were businesslike but spirited.
"We've picked up the pace," Kennedy said. "We eliminated some of the warmups and achieved a faster start to practice. The players did that (do what the coaches wanted). It all came together pretty nicely. The atmosphere wasn't like a 1-5 team that's packing it in."
Kennedy believes future Panthers will benefit from this team's struggles.
"What we're establishing this year is the foundation for the future," he said. "Down the road it's going to be a lot easier to be part of this football team than it is now.
"These kids are going through the hard times, with no reward on the scoreboard. These kids are learning a lot - they're just not award of it yet now. For some of these kids this may be as tough as it gets."
GUIDED BY A COACH who is strong-minded and forceful - and who was a big winner at Lowell before taking the South job - the Panthers are learning to take control of the things they have control over.
"They're all the things we've talked about since the start. They haven't changed," Kennedy said. "The scoreboard is irrelevan . . . do the best we can . . . do the right thing. It's a daily struggle to be our best.
"If we can just rise above the mistakes . . . the problems are mental, which leads to physical."
Practice this week emphasized pace and temp, two words Kennedy preaches every day.
"We've tried to liven things up, getting them excited, getting them motivated," he said.
The practice week for Pike began in the darkness at 6 a.m. Saturday, following a 42-17 loss to Lawrence Central on Friday night. The players could be heard but not seen, and the sounds were spirited. Kennedy and the coaches stayed in the Brown Building, tending to other duties.
"THEY RAN THEIR OWN WORKOUTS," Kennedy said. "They asked if they could lead the workouts. That's a huge point for them, to ask for ownership and be a part of the solution."
Six players stayed late and talked to the coaches after the LC game, asking to lead the Saturday workout.
Pike (4-2) will present South with another major challenge.
"Pike is very athletic, fast, skilled," Kennedy said. "They're a good team. They are big up front, and the tailback makes a lot of big plays.
"They run the spread, which puts pressure on defensive pursuit and open-field tackling. They throw more than they run."
Pike has had a football rejuvenation under coach Derek Moyers. It is similar to Lawrence Central, so South faces another formidable opponent.