How did the lessons learned from the loss to Urbana play out in the win over Linganore?

We started off with three Frederick County schools -- Tuscarora, Urbana and Linganore -- and we we take one week at a time. Anything can happen at a Friday night high school football game, so by no means are we going to downplay anybody the next seven weeks. We preach respect for each opponent, but the opponent that we fear the most is ourselves as far as not being prepared, overlooking somebody, those types of things. We had a big win against Tuscarora in our home opener, feeling pretty good about ourselves. We go to play Urbana and it’s 14-7 at halftime. They were winning. Our first offensive possession in the second half, we throw an interception and they score. Our next possession, the first play we fumble, they score a couple plays later. Then, our third third possession, we punt and they return a punt for a touchdown, so you’re talking 21 points in a span of five or six minutes. When you play good football teams, you can’t make mistakes like that and overcome them. We dug ourselves a hole. Give credit to Urbana. They’re a great football team, a good program. We feel we have just as good a team, but you can’t make those mistakes. Lessons learned? I think the lesson our kids should have learned is they can’t make mistakes and win big ball games. They knew they had to get together and we had a little bit more concentration at practice last week. We had a great feeling when we left [for Linganore]. You have to give credit to the kids. When you’re 1-1 and you lose what was considered, against Urbana, a big ball game for us -- and we just made mistakes and in the second half early, I think we started feeling sorry for ourselves -- and the kids regrouped, bounced back, that's learning a lesson. A crucial part of the [Linganore] game was they score with a minute left in the first half and it’s 14-7 and we scored with no time on the clock to make it 14-14. That was crucial going into halftime on a positive notes. Both teams were playing hard. The kids were pretty excited at that point. I think they really believed they could get it done. I think the kids wanted to prove not only to themselves, which is the most important thing, but to everyone that they’re a good football team.

Could the loss and bouncing back from it be a turning point for this team?

It could, and that’s what we’ve talked about, but they’ve got to approach it the right way. If they approach each week like they did last week, it could be good. If they overlook someone, then it’s not going to be good. I used the Ravens as an example. I don’t know if I should have, but hey (laughs). You can learn from that. You have a big win, you’re on that high, you’re next opponent especially in high school -- high school kids are high school kids -- is one where they think, "They're so-and-so. They're not as good as we are." There’s been a couple situations here where we’ve had some wins and the next ball game, the kids came out flat, so that’s what we’re preaching this week. Right now it’s more keeping them mentally focused than anything physically.

You were pretty confident in the preseason that this team would do well. Why the optimism, and does this team have anything in common with your 2005 state runner-up team?

We’re athletic. We throw the ball. We have an athletic quarterback who can run and throw. We have five guys -- four receivers and a running back -- who can catch it and go at any time. We have playmakers on offense. Our offensive line, they’re starting to get good. That wasn’t a concern going in, but [they're] all new faces, and they’re starting to jell, and most importantly defensively, we return most on that side of the ball. When most people think of Westminster High School football, they think, "They throw the ball," but we take pride here in defense and we play some pretty good defense. I just thought that all the pieces were there as far as the numbers back on defense, playmakers on offense, special teams are good. We just had to put it together as a coaching staff and we have a great staff. And these kids have been doing the same thing offensively and defensively for three or four years. It’s just one of those years. Do they compare to 2005? That’s tough. Each group is different. That 2005 group was pretty special. I think this group athletically -- one through 43 -- is probably more athletic than 2005, but 2005, their work ethic and their attitude that they were not going to lose -- they didn’t care who they played, they were going to find a way -- I think that’s a difference.

How difficult is your Class 4A North region now with the addition of the Montgomery County schools and Poly?

The thing that hurts us is we’re the only 4A school in this area, whether it be this county or Frederick County, so what could hurt us is point-wise all the other 4A schools in this region are playing 4A schools. We’re playing some 3A schools, some 2A schools, some 1A schools, and when your goal is to get into the playoffs and play in a state championships game, if things don’t go your way as far as wins against the bigger schools, the 3A schools that we play, and with the wins over 1A and 2A schools, it can be tough. Those teams have to have success too, so we can get bonus points. We definitely have to win two or three of those games against the 3A schools that we play. We’re talking about the importance of it now. We’ve got seven weeks to go, but we need to win these other games and hopefully, if it goes our way that we win, they have to have success too, so we can get some bonus points. We’re behind the eight ball a little bit, because all the other schools in this region are playing 4A teams and we’re not. We don’t have one 4A team on our schedule. Our goal every year is to win the counties, win the region and get into the playoffs, but the kids know that they have to come out of those first three games with two, if not three, wins against those Frederick County teams. And there’s some good football teams in our county. South Carroll, Century and Liberty, all those schools are all more than capable of winning six, seven, eight ball games a year. We’ve just got to make sure when it’s our week that we’re focused and ready to play. We have to beat those teams in order for us to get into the playoffs.*

** To read how the playoff points system works, awarding the most points for wins over Class 4A teams and the least for wins over Class 1A teams, as well as how bonus points are determined, see the MPSSAA's regional points standings page. Check the Class 4A points standings to see that the Owls are tied for third place in Class 4A North.