Dragons look to develop mental toughness

A strong football program hinges on mental toughness. Coaches talk about building a culture.

So if you’re looking to define culture, it’s simply a phenomenon where the players and coaches have both have the physical preparation and the mental capacity to handle any situation, good or bad.

Yes, Carroll’s offseason Dragon Maker program instills the foundation. But it still comes down to execution. That’s why the Dragons have pulled off incredible comeback after incredible comeback over the years. The latest was the win at Tulsa Union.

“We’re trying to build this team with an edge,” head coach Hal Wasson said. “We want to work on the mental edge. But that comes with teams throughout the year. This is a marathon to get there. This is not a sprint.

“In any season, we have to create something within the players ... to finish to the best of your ability. Teams have either created that or they haven’t. But once you see the culture, the next thing is the consistency.”

The culture is one of those things that is hard to describe. However, observers and fans know it when they see it. But Wasson said it starts with preparation.

“We don’t talk rules,” Wasson said. “We talk standards. We will not compromise our standards for what we want to accomplish.”

Murphy’s new role?

Senior Montana Murphy will remain the No. 2 quarterback for the program moving forward behind Mason Holmes. But don’t be surprised if you see him at linebacker at some point during the season. It could come as early as Friday at Abilene.

Murphy, who played linebacker in middle school, has started to see some practice time on the defense. Wasson cautioned that there isn’t necessarily a specific plan laid out for Murphy.

“In today’s world, you just live in the present,” Wasson said. “We’ll see how this work. If we need him, then we’ll see it. To me, you’re a football player. It’s a case of playing where the team needs you.”

Staying the course

At the beginning of the season, there had been some thinking that senior linebacker Grant McFarlin would still see some time at running back.

However, the emergence of senior Shemar Coleman is keeping McFarlin strictly on the defense. That’s a good thing. Carroll has used McFarlin in some specialty power offensive packages.

“But the thing that’s helped is that Shemar has turned into a very good blocker,” Wasson said. “That’s what you have to have to play this position. His skills have improved.”

Notable

With right tackle Henry Klinge (broken leg) returning to the lineup, he won’s start right away, Wasson said. But Klinge will be worked into the rotation. Chase Sanford and Carson Green are still working there.

About Abilene

Carroll (2-1) finishes the non-district season by traveling to play Abilene at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium. The Eagles (4-0) are under new head coach Del Van Cox and feature one of the state’s top running games led by Abram Smith (512 yards, 4 TDs) and Immanuel Brown (315, 3 TDs). This program runs about 65 percent of the time so it will be important for Carroll’s linebacker corps to be active and limit big runs. The game can be heard on KWRD 100.7 FM. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Dragons look to develop mental toughness."