In this article about UW hiring Gervais, he talks briefly about his possible replacement. I can't think of anyone but Buddy Bland when he says, "I'm hoping it'll be someone that's worked with me in that program."
Hard to tell how Bland compares with Gervais. If he is referring to Buddy in the above quote, then Steve obviously thinks very highly of him. Judging from quotes I cited in an earlier blog I wrote about Bland, the pressure from the IHS community seemed to burn him out. While the demands at Skyline will be just as high, the community support doesn't even compare. Bland has a year around training schedule, a feeder program that runs Skyline's system, not to mention a tradition in place in which the kids coming through the system expect nothing less than a state championship.
Who knows what Skyline will decide to do. There's no doubt that Gervais will be one of many people trying to give their input. The Spartans won't settle for anything but the best, whether that means Bland or some other coach. They made a bold move when hiring Gervais from Rogers High School in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if they did it again.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Wow...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2004258277_uwfb04.html
I certainly didn't see this coming. High School Football in the State of Washington lost probably one of the best coach's ever when Steve Gervais decided to be the running backs coach at UW.
Even though I saw Gervais win his first state championship with Eatonville in 1985, he didn't really get my attention until they ended a mini dynasty by beating Jason Dechenne and the Ephrata in 1990. In defeating Cashmere in 1985, pretty much all he did was hand it off to Brandon Jumper over and over again.
The resiliency of his teams was evident again in 1993 when Gig Harbor lost to Prosser 22-20. What was most impressive about the Tides in this game is that they were down 22-0 just before halftime, and nearly pulled out a victory.
Of course he's always going to be known for his success at Skyline. I was fortunate to be coaching at the school during this time, and was able to see him transform the program. The most memorable moment for me during his first season there was the pass play he called on fourth down. This call led to a touchdown, as well as Skyline's second victory in school history.
His success at Skyline speaks for itself, winning state championships at both the 4A and 3A level. I had the privilege of being able to watch his last game while head coach at Skyline. What was most impressive for me watching the game was the nonstop effort. Throughout the game, Skyline seemed to be over matched. Despite this, the Spartans kept battling and making O'Dea's top players fight for everything they could get. This paid off in the 4th quarter as the Irish's top players, Johri Fogerson and Ed Pelzer could barely stand up. Skyline was eventually able to overcome a 21 point deficet and win one of the best games I've ever seen.
To say that I'll miss watching Gervais' teams is about as much of an understatement as I can make. As a Dawg fan, I certainly hope he has some profound influence at Montlake that I've had the pleasure of watching the last 20+ years. Good luck, Coach Gervais.
I certainly didn't see this coming. High School Football in the State of Washington lost probably one of the best coach's ever when Steve Gervais decided to be the running backs coach at UW.
Even though I saw Gervais win his first state championship with Eatonville in 1985, he didn't really get my attention until they ended a mini dynasty by beating Jason Dechenne and the Ephrata in 1990. In defeating Cashmere in 1985, pretty much all he did was hand it off to Brandon Jumper over and over again.
The resiliency of his teams was evident again in 1993 when Gig Harbor lost to Prosser 22-20. What was most impressive about the Tides in this game is that they were down 22-0 just before halftime, and nearly pulled out a victory.
Of course he's always going to be known for his success at Skyline. I was fortunate to be coaching at the school during this time, and was able to see him transform the program. The most memorable moment for me during his first season there was the pass play he called on fourth down. This call led to a touchdown, as well as Skyline's second victory in school history.
His success at Skyline speaks for itself, winning state championships at both the 4A and 3A level. I had the privilege of being able to watch his last game while head coach at Skyline. What was most impressive for me watching the game was the nonstop effort. Throughout the game, Skyline seemed to be over matched. Despite this, the Spartans kept battling and making O'Dea's top players fight for everything they could get. This paid off in the 4th quarter as the Irish's top players, Johri Fogerson and Ed Pelzer could barely stand up. Skyline was eventually able to overcome a 21 point deficet and win one of the best games I've ever seen.
To say that I'll miss watching Gervais' teams is about as much of an understatement as I can make. As a Dawg fan, I certainly hope he has some profound influence at Montlake that I've had the pleasure of watching the last 20+ years. Good luck, Coach Gervais.
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