Steve Specht Quotations

I worked him seven-eighths (of a mile) on the 24th and had him shod five or six days ago, and we may have got a nail or two in a little tight. He got a little tender in his feet. For a couple of days I thought maybe he was getting sick because he wasn't himself on the track and he didn't eat up. He's getting better each day, but he's got to do some major improvement for me to run him. But if I do run him, he'll run big.

He did a great job of managing the game. He didn't try to do more than what he can do. He played smart football and didn't force anything. He understands sometimes a punt is better than an interception.

He's a little, athletic guy who can make you miss.

That 5-furlong race is kind of the reason I wouldn't run him (Monday) if he wasn't at his best. It would cause a tailspin and prevent him from making the sprint. It's the kind of thing that makes you pull your hair out and scratch your head.

Our kids are excited, but the faces on both teams have changed dramatically. Our team is looking at this as a chance to open the season against what, on paper, looks to be the best team in the state and one of the best in the nation. With the kind of buzz this game will have, what more could anyone want?

We have a lot of young guys battling for those other spots.

We are just glad to be at home instead of traveling.

Brad brings a lot to the table that Robby didn't bring, and vice versa. Robby was an excellent athlete for his size. Brad gives you an added dimension.

Our defensive coaches did one heck of a job against their triple option. The defense remained disciplined. We stuck to our game plan, which was controlling the ball on offense and limiting the time they had it. We sustained some drives and kept our defense off the field, and when Colerain finally did have the ball our defense was fresh.

This is so much better than them all just sitting out in a parking lot somewhere. There's also everything to do here at Silver Springs.

Against a team like that, and against a triple option, just one mistake and it's now a tie game. That was a big stop for us.

Darius is important in what we do. He's a special talent, but very humble. He's learning from Chris about work ethic.

It was a big win for us. Our No. 1 goal was to win the first game of the year, and we accomplished that goal.

The greatest thing is, it gives you a barometer of where your season will shake out. That first week will show you where you stand . . . We always love playing in the Showdown.

We have to establish the run early and play all four quarters. We have to finish strong.

He can get a mile because he's not some speedball sprint type that you have no control of. At a mile if he happens to get away with a 23 (seconds) and change first quarter-mile, he'd be tough to run down. He'd have a pretty big edge on them turning for home. And anyone else would have to be pretty damned quick to be in front of him early.