Opening night for high school football is a cause for great excitement, sometimes to the detriment of doing the small things well.
That's why many coaches find the biggest growth of their program occurs between the season's first and second weeks. Gone are new starters' jitters. Coaches welcome the first full-speed game action of the season. And a week of focused instruction leads to better performances.
"There is a huge jump between Week 1 and 2," Minnetonka coach Dave Nelson said. "Coaches see what did and didn't work and you might find a couple players to move around. And you start working on the things you believe in and want to get right."
Nelson's Skippers fell 21-17 at Eastview last Thursday. But teams don't have to lose their openers for coaches to search for improvements just the same.
St. Michael-Albertville defeated Maple Grove 27-6, but Knights coach Jared Essler was quick to point out the teams combined for seven turnovers and 19 penalties.
"Usually, there's nothing pretty about Week 1," Essler said. "There are almost always fewer penalties and turnovers in Week 2. And you're wasting fewer timeouts on personnel changes or wrong formations."
Essler called Week 1 game footage "the most teachable film of the year" because "as the year goes on, you're better at your own schemes, so you're looking more at your opponents on film."
Nelson said high-definition technology has enhanced the value of game footage.