1. Gene Baker created soccer at GCHS. He demanded a great deal from the players and he really didn't put up with much from parents.
2. Kids aren't as dedicated as they were back in the day when I played football. I'm told several kids that are potentially decent players opt not to play because there are too many practices, too many rules, blah blah blah.
3. Parents interfere too much these days. Dad thinks little Timmy is a star and wants him to be a starter when little Timmy can't read a playbook to save his ass. I won't even talk about the fact that cheerleader moms seem to be the worst.
4. Kids are no longer encouraged to play multiple sports. Everybody wants to be a star player in one sport as compared to being a part of three teams. I played football and went right from that to basketball. I wasn't really good at basketball but I could run the floor and set a pic for the good players.
5. Coaches do hold some of the blame. They don't seem to be as involved as they used to be. When my son played at Coolidge, the high school football coach came over to games and watched our team so he could see what was coming up. I don't hear about that happening now.
To me Granite City is about where they always will be now. Middle of the pack with a few good athletes in each sport but no real depth. A school like Edwardsville has backup players on the bench who are as good as some of our starters.
Soccer will continue to plummet in my opinion. Two years ago they had a coach who had a great deal of personal baggage. The kid coaching this year looks like a throwback to 1970. They command very little respect on the sideline as Baker used to do. They lost their gauntlet field where they won ten championships. Home field advantage is important I believe. Of course good players win no matter where they play. I wish the Granite teams had the sports turf like other schools but that's not going to happen.
Sad to see what was once a powerhouse in sports like soccer and wrestling are now just so-so teams in a very tough conference. By the way, I saw Coach Red Schmidt not too long ago. Still looks like he' 40.
Good luck Warrior teams. Win or lose, we'll still support you.
on October 21, 2015, 7:00 pm, in reply to "