Coach's Corner with Coach Garcia: United South edition

Alexander head football coach Edwin Garcia previews the Bulldogs' matchup against United South

By Garrett Kroeger

Welcome to this week’s Coach’s Corner with Alexander head football coach Edwin Garcia.

This will be a weekly series as Garcia will provide valuable insight on last week’s result and this week’s upcoming matchup.

Here’s this week’s edition of Coach’s Corner with Garcia.

You defeated a really good Brownsville Vets team last week. How valuable was that game/experience for your team?

Winning any football game is tough. Every pre-district game we play serves a purpose, that is to get us ready for the grind that is District 30-6A. We are proud of the way our boys have continued to stay with it and they have trusted that our coaching staff is doing its best to put them in the position to be successful. Our journey continues this Friday as we start Week 1 of district. All the work that has been put in since the end of last year was to prepare us for our district season.

What are some areas of growth you’d like to see from the team this week?

I would like to continue seeing us grow as a team, maturing and understanding that when we play for a higher purpose other than ourselves we can achieve great things.

You open district play this week against United South. How important is it to open league competition with a win?

I think it’s always great to start district season 1-0, every win is going to be tough to get. Last year we started the district season with a win, and I feel it set the tone for a great district run. We need to focus on what we can control and not hear any outside noise.

What have you seen on film from United South?

United South has a great program. Coach Charlie Gonzalez has done a tremendous job replacing a senior heavy team from last year. We have a great task this Friday and hope we execute to the best of our abilities. They are a hard-nosed football team that plays with passion and pride. We are excited to line up against them and give them our best as I’m sure they will do the same.

What are the keys to victory this week?

Execution on all phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams. I feel we haven’t seen anything close to putting a game together on all three levels. I would like to see us win the turnover battle and stay away from emotional penalties. We need to focus on stopping their best plays, and our offense needs to focus and getting first downs and finish drives with points.