By BFS
On March 26th 1988, head football coach, Nick Moses, of | Pecatonica High School, in Illinois had a BFS Clinic. Coach Moses was tackling his first head coaching assignment. Friends had told him to stay away from Pecatonica and that it was a no-win situation. Indeed, things didn’t look at all that rosey. First of all, Pecatonica went 0-9 the previous year and second, their enrollment stood at the bottom third of | their Illinois state classification. On top of that, the overall history of Pecatonica football had been quite bleak.
Coach Rick Anderson conducted the BFS Clinic. Goals | were set. Intensity and a thirst to excel was established. Nick | Moses was already a positive and enthusiastic coach and the BFS Clinic added to that upward spiral of young men wanting to accept and meet the challenge. The Pecatonica Indians went to work to make it happen and to change their image. As the 1988 season began, the “experts” picked Pecatonica to again finish in last place. The following letters are from Coach Moses. They are certainly worth sharing. It shows the power of seeing success happen first in your mind and then fulfilling the prophesy.
It’s still very early but so far our season has been like a dream. We won our first game 40-6 which was quite a surprise even to me. We scored six TD’s and had six different people score. That's basically the theme of this year’s team. There are no stars, but we are BIG TEAM! In our second game we played a big rival at their Then they went to work. Tri-Captain 89 Phil Whetsel place. The team has made the playoffs the last four years and is Benching. Mark Larrow spotting. Before the Clinic, the expected to do so again. We played nervous in the Ist quarter and best Bench on the team was 185. By the season, every turned the ball over 3 times. At the half we were down 12-3.
We starter could Bench over 200 pounds! controlled the ball for 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter but didn’t score. The Ist play of the 4th quarter brought disaster. Our leading ground gainer broke his arm. Up to that point, he had 90 out of the team’s 110 yards. I thought the ball game was over. Luckily the kids didn’t. We intercepted a pass 4 plays later and we took it in for a score, The extra point was blocked after a bad snap. After holding them, they punted and held us. On our punt, a name of “Crash” went down as a head hunter and instead of tackling the runner, he reached in and grabbed the ball. We took over at about mid-field.
With 1:32 left, we kicked a 36 yard Field Goal to put it in O.T. We scored on a 3rd and 14 situation and with the extra point led 19-12. Then, we held on a 4th and 3 to win it! It was a great effort by the kids and I probably don’t have to tell you there weren’t many dry eyes on the field during the celebration. I guess what made the win so satisfying among other things was that we finished the game with 14 players.
Shane Shultz, 89 Captain, is Squatting. Before the Clinic, the fastest player ran a 5.2 in the forty. After the Clinic the We start conference play this week and we know we.have a tremendous uphill fight, but we're ready for the challenge. I’d like whole backfield ran under 5.0 seconds Continued on the next page 23 PECATONICA INDIAN FOOTBALL to thank you for helping us get ready for that challenge. We still talk about some of the things you said to us last spring. I’m hoping the Cinderella story continues and I can write you in a few more weeks with more good news! Thanks again!
You can add another miracle to your already long list. After last weeks 35-8 win, we are a lock in to make the playoffs. We play this week for 2nd place in the conference. The team we play, (Stillman Valley) is more than double our enrollment, and has only lost one conference game in three years. It has already been a dream year for us. As I told you in the last letter, we were picked last in our conference in all the preseason polls. Even now, at least one sportswriter a week picks us to lose each Friday. They still can’t believe we're for real! it helps with our motivation. I’m not sure how far we can go in the playoffs. There are some very fine teams around the area.
However, whatever happens | think we can be proud of what we've accomplished. It would be an understatement to say that we're stronger and faster, and yes, bigger than last year and much of that #44 Jason Rager overcame great obstacles just to play; has to be attributed to you, and the program you put on for us last led team in tackles and made All-Conference. spring. The most important change from the past few years however, has been the change of attitude. Again, you and the program had much to do with starting to bring about the change. We aren’t content being in the “comfort zone” any more. We like, in fact, we revel in the challenge of being an “Upper Limit” type of person.
Thanks again for the program and the job you did for us. Like I said you can add us to your miracle list. There are a lot of people in this area that are wondering what happened to the team that had won only 2 games in the past three years — had only 4 or 5 winning seasons in the past twenty. they are wondering how a team with only 18 players can compete in a conference where rosters run from 25-40. They may be wondering but I think you know — you've seen miracles happen many times!
Thanks! Nick Moses PS. Rick I thought Id send you this letter that I gave the players last March. It’s been spooky how close that story has come to our season. We won the Ist game 40-6 and came from a 12-3 half time score to win 19-12 in overtime against our traditional rival and powerhouse Durand. Thought you'd get a kick out of it.
Letter To Players Once upon a time, long long ago there was a school, in a tiny little town that had a history of losing. Oh sure their players tried hard, and they had some very good ones. #22 Billy DeWall — also voted captain.
The hard work —the sacrifice makes victory sweet and pride inevitable.
Without a doubt their fans were loyal and supportive. In fact their fans and parents would do anything they could to help their sons and daughters have a winning season. Then one year something CRAIG HODGES Continued from page 54 completed upon reaching a full leg extension. There is only about 15° degrees of movement in this exercise. This magical, mysterious and wonderful happened. It started in exercise modification along with the Quarter Squats is the winter with a group of athletes who decided to make designed to decrease stress on the patellar tendons which themselves as good as they could be. They worked out are chronic sore areas on many basketball players.
together: they pushed themselves and their friends to new The 1988-89 season with the Chicago Bulls should levels. They found they could do much more than they prove to be another challenge for Craig Hodges. thought. What once was dreaded work became something Fortunately for Craig, he still maintains a very positive attitude towards strength work and its relationship to his exciting, something to look forward to. It seemed that new records were being set every week. The players stuck profession. Not only has he become stronger, but, he feels together; they made sure everybody was involved.
It was as though the added strength has increased his shooting such a change that people of the town and school took range. And when it comes to dropping-in long range notice and were puzzled: they didn’t know what to think. artillery, Craig Hodges is the “General in Charge.”
Never before in the history of this little high school had an entire team bonded together to make themselves as good as they could. Never had and entire team had the courage to reach for greatness! Yet these athletes continued through the Ted put in a great year of training and was getting summer. In fact, they not only continued, they seemed to ready for his senior year of ball. He was in the best shape increase the intensity of the their workouts. They knew that of his life. Ted was finally on top. I talked to him before the their school had been a laughing stock, even an season and asked him what he had learned. He responded, embarrassment, at times over the years.
They burned with a “You can do it if you want. I worked hard, didn’t cheat and desire to change that image. They wanted desperately for things fell into place. [ learned you can’t take anything for the town and the high school to have pride, to have great granted. My diet is better. 1 learned that my health is most pride, in itself. They knew they could do as much as anyone important and it should have been all along. to have their town and high school have a great name. They were truly driven in their quest for greatness. Finally their season began.
Everybody was ready, the townspeople were filled with anticipation; they knew Ted has lived an exemplary life and has never been involved with drugs and alcohol. “I don’t see how you get started. 1 worked out so hard and went through so much. I’m not going to be stupid.” stated Ted. something was different about this team. The team itself Okay, now we should be all set for a happy ending; was ready, they knew it was time to cash in on the work like Ted Barrett makes All-American. It didn’t go down they had put in. When the first game was over, the fans that way. Ted was running sprints and his hamstring tore were shocked with what they had seen. They couldn’t just before the season started.
It was his first pull ever. “I remember the last time they had seen their team so didn’t think I’d be out the whole year,” said Ted. He tried thoroughly dominate another team. The team played with to play in the third game of the season and the hamstring such emotion and intensity it sent a shiver of excitement popped again. Ted tried one final time during the eighth down everybody’s spine. game but it was no use. The hamstring again tore. Ted During the next week the townspeople, the parents, the students, the teachers and most of all the players looked stayed out the entire season and helped out best he could.
The first thing Ted said to me was that the team had a forward to the next game. They all knew that this would be good year. The University of Massachusetts/ Amherst won a great test. The opponent for this week was a big rival and eight games and went to the Division IAA playoffs. Well, it a traditional powerhouse. If the little school could go into was a real tragedy that Ted missed his senior year but enemy land and come back with a win, that would really everyone must face the last year sometime. What counts is open some eyes. It was a hard fought game from the the lessons learned by the effort along the way. Did Ted beginning. Tension was high and mistakes were many. At gain something?
You be the judge. halftime it looked bleak indeed for our little team, but this “If I had it to do all over again, I'd do things the same was not a normal team. They had no thoughts of letting up. way. I was really down for awhile but I’m sure it happened They had great confidence that they could overcome any for a reason. I’ve got no regrets. I enjoyed everyday that | obstacle. They proved just that in the second half. The bus was out. J played with great people and had a great coach. tide home was joyous to say the least!
I really had a great time. Just being involved in trying to Now, many years later the townspeople still talk about that season. They call it the “Miracle Season.” There are still make it happen is what's important,” concluded Ted Barrett. faded newspaper clippings that hang in the barbershop, It’s plain to see that Ted Barrett is an Upper-Limit bars, hardware store, etc. The trophy is still in the center of person. He will carry his spirit of determination as he goes the trophy case. The banner still hangs on the gym wall. into his chosen profession which happens to be in the area Many of the players are gone now but they are not of Federal Law Enforcement.
We want to thank Ted and his forgotten. They are remembered as the players who had the strength coach, Ian Pyka, for being such great examples courage to reach for greatness, and these players reached it!
From BFS Magazine — Winter 1989. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
