Coaches Corner: Canyon Lake’s Matt Monzingo

“This will be an easy game to fire them (football team) up,” Head

Head Coach Matt Monzingo

Times are different from this time last season. The Hawks had just lost a brutal game to Navarro and had a 2-4 record. Consistency was a word that had not been used many times up to that point.

Talking to Coach Monzingo this season has not been a chore, as the Hawks have not had the ‘bad taste in your mouth’ type of games up to this point.

“The kids listen,” Coach Monzingo continued. “When we (Coaches) ask them to improve or work on certain areas, then they have responded each time.”

This Summer, the ReSporter had an article about how players were wanting to up the ante when asked for a certain type of work out in Strength and Conditioning drills. If the team was flipping tires, then the players would want bigger tires and then weighted them down to make them heavier.

“This is the best Offensive Line by far I have ever seen and that includes (Pflugerville) Connally,” Matt Monzingo boasted. (The previous team Monzingo coached)

Talking about the Wimberley game, the conversation stayed with two players…not that the rest of the team is mince meat, just that these two athletes will be pivotal on the game having a ‘W’ at the end of the contest.

Brennen Blakemore will be first on the list.. “He is a big play guy on offense and defense,” Coach Monzingo praised. “He is an impact player and we will have to be aware of where he is.”

“He (Blakemore) does a good job in the backfield as well as returning punts and kick-offs,” Monzingo said with admiration. “You will see him playing everywhere in the defensive side of the ball…there was one time where he was not on the side of the play and got in on the tackle.”

If you are interested in more highlights of this player, then you can go to our Pre/Game article and see how he has changed games with his speed and athleticism.

Canyon Lake has been in existence for four years now and Blakemore has already given the Hawks nightmares. The game two years ago, Brennen returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

“We (CL) are going to have to eliminate the turnovers,” Coach Monzingo said. “Many times the turnover becomes a mental thing. We are going to have to come out and perform.”

The good news for this year’s club is the team has reduce that part of their game by half. Of the six turnovers so far this year four of miscues have been on the last drive or after a game has been decided.

Quarterback Brady Lambert for the Texans is the other player that was mentioned by Coach Monzingo, “He is a solid football player and he makes good decisions. Lambert is not a one dimensional quarterback. He can run…”

The ReSporter mentioned another Quarterback the Hawks played this year…(Seals-Jones with Sealy).

“Lambert is a better passer but he can also make you pay by running the ball,” Coach Monzingo concluded.

Coach Monzingo and the rest of the Coaches will have their hands full this Friday.

The game is getting a ground swell, Wimberley has been ranked in the top five and in some pre-season magazines picked to win the Division II State Championship.

Canyon Lake seems to still be under the radar, but have a 20th Ranking in the AP poll.

Big Game? Yes…you could say that. The Winner will have the inside track to District 26-3A Championship, but Coach Monzingo finished with a telling statement based on what happens after the game.

“Wimberley, win or lose is not as important as the games that will be played the next three weeks after this one,” the Old Sage Monzingo finished.

‘Finished’ is the word for this season’s Canyon Lake team and based on how things have progressed thus far the team seems to have that part down.