What has happened up there with Desoto?

[Coach]

Tough start playing good teams, but 1-3? Any info on what is going on up there?

[Plano Wildcat Fan]

Tough start playing good teams, but 1-3? Any info on what is going on up there?

It's got to be the coach. Karma is a B***H:cool: Hey Desoto got the type of coach they wanted

[trainin' the game]

It's got to be the coach. Karma is a B***H:cool: Hey Desoto got the type of coach they wanted

yep

[KT2000]

I'm sure the fact they're starting several sophomores and juniors has nothing to do with it.

DeSoto has been very competitive and could pretty easily be undefeated right now. I wouldn't want to meet them in the playoffs. They outplayed Plano everywhere but the scoreboard from what I heard.

[trainin' the game]

true; but karma is a you know what. i would never be scared of desoto in the playoffs because they are never disciplined. i saw it in the '06 grapvine bi-district game, the '07 hebron game, and '08 plano game. they have alot of talent however penalities kills this team everytime i see them play.

[d-train]

true; but karma is a you know what. i would never be scared of desoto in the playoffs because they are never disciplined. i saw it in the '06 grapvine bi-district game, the '07 hebron game, and '08 plano game. they have alot of talent however penalities kills this team everytime i see them play.
Mathis took Austin LBJ to quarters in 4A, so folks figure he can discipline the kids like Lydell Wilson did at Lamar Consolidated.

[Plano Wildcat Fan]

I'm sure the fact they're starting several sophomores and juniors has nothing to do with it.

DeSoto has been very competitive and could pretty easily be undefeated right now. I wouldn't want to meet them in the playoffs. They outplayed Plano everywhere but the scoreboard from what I heard.

Maybe in the first half. Not in the second. Plus they absolutely have no kicking game what soever. They were going for 2 after their first TD.

[Coach]

I'm sure the fact they're starting several sophomores and juniors has nothing to do with it.


So they have been playing several sophomores? Are they simply a young team finding it's way then? That would explain it. I coached in the area several (about 10) years ago but like to check in on them from time to time. I was just surprised to see that 1-3 record and wondered what was happening. I remember the last time Desoto didn't make the playoffs. That was a long time ago. :notworthy

[Onside Kick]

DeSoto's coach is in way over his head. He is about as classless as it gets. DeSoto will never win with this guy leading them. Any head coach that is seen 15 minutes before kickoff bouncing around the field with his IPOD on and still dressed in an under armour long sleeve shirt and shorts seems to me to want all of the attention on him. What a joke, and you wonder why his team falls apart in the 2nd half each week. DeSoto is a very selfish team, but I don't blame them, they are following in the footsteps of their coach.

[businesstron]

DeSoto's coach is in way over his head. He is about as classless as it gets. DeSoto will never win with this guy leading them. Any head coach that is seen 15 minutes before kickoff bouncing around the field with his IPOD on and still dressed in an under armour long sleeve shirt and shorts seems to me to want all of the attention on him. What a joke, and you wonder why his team falls apart in the 2nd half each week. DeSoto is a very selfish team, but I don't blame them, they are following in the footsteps of their coach.


When is it classless to prance around the field before kickoff? I mean it ain't great coaching but it ain't classless either....

Give the kids a freaking break, they haven't even started district yet. They a young team with a new coach learning a new system.

Duncanville in a similar position right now....

[4th & short]

When is it classless to prance around the field before kickoff? I mean it ain't great coaching but it ain't classless either....

Give the kids a freaking break, they haven't even started district yet. They a young team with a new coach learning a new system.

Duncanville in a similar position right now....

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think he was refering to the coach prancing around the field not the kids. I don't know but that is how I read that. If that is true it does seem like a guy that is very proud of himself. Captain important better figure it out quick or that community will have him out of there before he can say "Protect this house."

[tjw]

I'm sure the fact they're starting several sophomores and juniors has nothing to do with it.

DeSoto has been very competitive and could pretty easily be undefeated right now. I wouldn't want to meet them in the playoffs. They outplayed Plano everywhere but the scoreboard from what I heard.

Well you heard wrong, no kicker on Desoto and QB is not very accurate. When he is on target the receivers dropped the ball.

[jp744]

Just because a coach is listening to an ipod and bouncing to music before a game has no bearing on discipline. I see nothing wrong with that. Plus if he gets 50% of his two point conversions then it is as if they kicked the ball. Claude Mathis is one of the best coaches in the state. I am sorry that you guys feel this way about this man. He is a fantastic man and is a great football coach. He will have his way with the kids before long. Give the man a chance to perform. He has been at the school for what 6 or 7 weeks.

[Plano Wildcat Fan]

Just because a coach is listening to an ipod and bouncing to music before a game has no bearing on discipline. I see nothing wrong with that. Plus if he gets 50% of his two point conversions then it is as if they kicked the ball. Claude Mathis is one of the best coaches in the state. I am sorry that you guys feel this way about this man. He is a fantastic man and is a great football coach. He will have his way with the kids before long. Give the man a chance to perform. He has been at the school for what 6 or 7 weeks.

If he was a good coach he would spend a bit more time on finding a kicker and working with his special teams. Heck they can't even kickoff more than 40 yards. Come playoff time that won't cut it.

[dragonsdaddy]

Just because a coach is listening to an ipod and bouncing to music before a game has no bearing on discipline. I see nothing wrong with that. Plus if he gets 50% of his two point conversions then it is as if they kicked the ball. Claude Mathis is one of the best coaches in the state. I am sorry that you guys feel this way about this man. He is a fantastic man and is a great football coach. He will have his way with the kids before long. Give the man a chance to perform. He has been at the school for what 6 or 7 weeks.

i hope you are right, but he's got his work cut out for him. lots of ammunition, and plenty of weapons. if he can find enough of the first that fits the later, they'll be plenty enough to make some noise. the desoto kicking game would fit right in with the cali teams we watched a couple of weeks ago. so far, i guess they'd best be described as over-rated.

[d-train]

Just because a coach is listening to an ipod and bouncing to music before a game has no bearing on discipline. I see nothing wrong with that. Plus if he gets 50% of his two point conversions then it is as if they kicked the ball. Claude Mathis is one of the best coaches in the state. I am sorry that you guys feel this way about this man. He is a fantastic man and is a great football coach. He will have his way with the kids before long. Give the man a chance to perform. He has been at the school for what 6 or 7 weeks.
Where did you get this from. He coached at Somerset, 1 season, no playoffs, then at LBJ for three, in a VERY WEAK district! 4 years coaching and you can make that assumption? The HC, at Lancaster was at Reagan and he was WAY more successful than Mathis every was, and he was the district champion and he won playoff games nearly every year, including semifinals. You see what he is doing at Lancaster? Would you like a HC that is not as good as him? Time will tell, but they might have got that!

[dragonsdaddy]

Where did you get this from. He coached at Somerset, 1 season, no playoffs, then at LBJ for three, in a VERY WEAK district! 4 years coaching and you can make that assumption?

they sell those special glasses at certain kiosks around the state.

[da hawaiian]

they sell those special glasses at certain kiosks around the state.

I sat in one of those kiosks, just this past friday night :)

[HacksawJimDuggan]

TO: Businesstron and jp744

Are you guys on the Desoto staff? Your defense of this man is very personal. If you think it is ACCEPTABLE that a Head Football Coach can act like a teenager on the field in front of the players, parents, fans, school administrators, and others before a game then you must be lacking in the area of professionalism yourselves. He may be a fantastic man as you say---but football coaches are also judged by their behavior and actions. If you ask around, several coaches who have played these guys will back me in saying that class and character are not a priority. It seems that is "just how they roll in Desoto".

[businesstron]

Actually my loyalty lies with Duncanville. But I see a more assumptions being made here more then anything. Like I asked earlier what is classless about a coach jamming his ipod 15 minutes before a game? Like JP said give a him a chance to perform, change isn't going to come over night. It took Coach Mcguire a couple of seasons at Cedar Hill before he got his stuff straight and you see where that went...

Coach Dicus is going through a similar thing.

[Wypirates03]

I did not read any posts, because I do not want my opinion swayed. I'll go back and read after I post this.



Most of the roster is sophomores and juniors. - The age of their roster, while it is hurting this year, will help in the next two years. Give them this same roster 365 days from now and I believe they would be undefeated.
They do not have a kicker. - While field goals are not a big thing for most high school teams, they definitely come in handily from time to time. At the Plano/DeSoto game, after they missed their 2nd point after, I asked one of the coaches what the deal was. He replied saying that their kicker was new to the game, and did not have any prior experience kicking field goals. The only other kicker they have is a lineman who kicks line drive kicks. (mainly for squibs and onsides kicks)
Sophomore QB - Polite will be a good quarterback with experience. He has good footwook while rushing, but it was evident that the zone defense Plano threw at him was confusing. When Plano dropped the ends into the flats, he didn't know what to do. As a sophomore, he impressed me with his feet... not so much with his arm.

I believe in a year or two, given the speed they have on defense, they will be a great team. More-than-likely, if they manage to make the playoffs, they will meet with Naaman Forest in the 2nd round (I think)... that could be their biggest defensive test of the season. They held plano to under 60 total yards in the first half, and then struggled in the 2nd half. If they can play 4 quarters as well as they play the first 2, they'd be a great team.

[HebronHawk]

true; but karma is a you know what. i would never be scared of desoto in the playoffs because they are never disciplined. i saw it in the '06 grapvine bi-district game, the '07 hebron game, and '08 plano game. they have alot of talent however penalities kills this team everytime i see them play.

Cyrus Gray pretty much single handedley kept them in the 07 Hebron game.

[d-train]

Actually my loyalty lies with Duncanville. But I see a more assumptions being made here more then anything. Like I asked earlier what is classless about a coach jamming his ipod 15 minutes before a game? Like JP said give a him a chance to perform, change isn't going to come over night. It took Coach Mcguire a couple of seasons at Cedar Hill before he got his stuff straight and you see where that went...

Coach Dicus is going through a similar thing.
Desoto was a playoff team and Duncanville was not, am I wrong? Desoto runs the ball still, while Dicus is trying to run a different offense and defense?

[desotoeaglesgrad]

Actually my loyalty lies with Duncanville. But I see a more assumptions being made here more then anything. Like I asked earlier what is classless about a coach jamming his ipod 15 minutes before a game? Like JP said give a him a chance to perform, change isn't going to come over night. It took Coach Mcguire a couple of seasons at Cedar Hill before he got his stuff straight and you see where that went...

Coach Dicus is going through a similar thing.

Tell me, other than discipline on the field, what else did Coach Mathis have to change? Coach Dicus and Maguire had to turn around Duncanville and Cedar Hill when they were struggling. Coach Mathis doesn't have that problem- DeSoto hasn't missed the playoffs since 1995. Their kicking game has been solid ever since Coach Dial was the head coach, and their offense and defense have put up solid numbers for the last 15 years.

I agree with what was said earlier- the parents are getting what they wanted. They did not like not having any sayso over what the coach does on the field (imagine that, a coach who actually thinks he knows more than the parents...lol) so they decided to force the school district's hand and have him removed. Now, if Coach Mathis doesn't play their game and dance to their tune, I fully expect him to be forced out in the next 2-3 seasons as well.

[businesstron]

I honestly don't know where to start.....

Ok when I say Dicus and Mathis are going through the same situation...

Both came to Southwest Dallas from the Austin Area (different style of football)

Both coaches teams are relatively young this year (Desoto's team is younger).

Both teams are 1-3 and both teams have made mental mistakes in their 3 losses. Both teams more or less haven't put together 4 good quarters of football.

Both teams are extremely talented...


One of the posters has already determined that the coach is classless and that the team is full of selfish players simply based off the fact that the coach like to jam his ipod on the field 15 minutes before.

Besides their on field Dicispline, Desoto doesn't know how to live up to expectations. It's seems like every time they've had a team that had a chance of contending for a state title....they've faltered. This happened on both Dial and Meadow's watches. My example is 97 or 98 team that had Tatum Bell and Casey Printers and lost in the first round of the playoffs to either Haltom or Waco. Maybe Mathis can change that.....he atleast deserves a fair shot at it.

Some of y'll still have some harsh feelings over how Meadows got fired.....unless your related to him or have some personal affiliation with him get it over it... It wasn't right what happened but it happened.

[eaglesflyhigher]

Where is this notion that Mathis is classless coming from? I've been to all the games and see him around the school all the time. He doesn't even speak at the pep rallies, just there to make sure the team behaves. He doesn't ever make announcements during the day, or anything like that. He's hardly someone starving for attention.

And I saw no "prancing around the field", and I got to the field at 6:30, long before even a fraction of the fans were there. They warmed up early at around 6:45 for about 10 minutes but after that went to the locker room and didn't return to the field until kickoff.

[Onside Kick]

He doesn't speak at the Pep Rallies probably because he is too busy doing one of the following:

A.) downloading songs onto his IPOD for his "Pre-Game Bounce Around Fest"

B.) trying to fit into his XS Under Armour Shirt that he wears for Pre-Game

C.) speaking at Coaching Clinics on " How to try and win in 5A without a kicking game."

D.) outside on the practice field teaching his players the proper technique and mechanics of "The Toe Punch"

[jp744]

Where did you get this from. He coached at Somerset, 1 season, no playoffs, then at LBJ for three, in a VERY WEAK district! 4 years coaching and you can make that assumption? The HC, at Lancaster was at Reagan and he was WAY more successful than Mathis every was, and he was the district champion and he won playoff games nearly every year, including semifinals. You see what he is doing at Lancaster? Would you like a HC that is not as good as him? Time will tell, but they might have got that!

First off it is Somerville. Coach Jackson at Lancaster had one good season at Reagan and that place hasn't been the same since he left. Coach Mathis took LBJ and made it into a program again. Basketball was taking over the program and he turned it around. Yes it is a weak district but they did very well in the playoffs against quality opponents. I judge coaches by what they do with the talent they have and at LBJ he did not have much. Some coaches are anointed that they are good coaches when anyone could have stepped in and done the same thing. Make sure they get on the bus type guys. 4 years of Head Coaching. Coach Mathis has played this game at the highest level at the most competitive position RB. If your not aware he was an all american at Southwest Texas State and set all kinds of records that will never be broken. Even played in the NFL for a while I think just practice squad but still to get a paycheck in the NFL is pretty good. Then started to coach. I think the man knows a few things about the game and the discipline it takes to get to the level that Desoto needs to get to. Get off of his back about it. He will have those kids playing the right way. Hacksaw coaches are judged by wins and losses nothing else. Those are just reasons they lost to blame it on. If he was winning games it would be different Yes or No? Every coach in the state would be bouncing to music to see if it helped his team. JK. I have been a fan of Claude's since he was in college. I have been following him every where he has gone. He will put a respectable team on the field just not fast enough for some people though.

[jp744]

He doesn't speak at the Pep Rallies probably because he is too busy doing one of the following:

A.) downloading songs onto his IPOD for his "Pre-Game Bounce Around Fest"

B.) trying to fit into his XS Under Armour Shirt that he wears for Pre-Game

C.) speaking at Coaching Clinics on " How to try and win in 5A without a kicking game."

D.) outside on the practice field teaching his players the proper technique and mechanics of "The Toe Punch"

That is very funny. I love it LMAO!

[EagleMom]

I am a parent of one of the DeSoto players, and I will tell you that the program is going in the right direction. The players are very young, and didn't get much experience last year to play, because they did have so many "star" athletes playing before them. What people don't realize is that Meadows had a team filled with Division I players, and he still didn't win a State Title. We didn't expect Mathis to come in and win it all this year. He has a young squad to work with, and will develop them into State Champs in the coming year. The kids have a lot of faith in him, and they know he cares about them, and will help them in any way possible. With Meadows the kids didn't feel that way. You can believe it or not, but there is a lot of discipline that he installs in the kids (on and off the field), and he takes academics serious. You all have to remember that he was not the one that got rid of Meadows!!! Karma should be put on the people that did Meadows wrong, not Coach Mathis! You all need to think about what you say, before you defame someones character. He is a good man, coach, and he is great for our kids. God will Bless him!:)

[jp744]

I am a parent of one of the DeSoto players, and I will tell you that the program is going in the right direction. The players are very young, and didn't get much experience last year to play, because they did have so many "star" athletes playing before them. What people don't realize is that Meadows had a team filled with Division I players, and he still didn't win a State Title. We didn't expect Mathis to come in and win it all this year. He has a young squad to work with, and will develop them into State Champs in the coming year. The kids have a lot of faith in him, and they know he cares about them, and will help them in any way possible. With Meadows the kids didn't feel that way. You can believe it or not, but there is a lot of discipline that he installs in the kids (on and off the field), and he takes academics serious. You all have to remember that he was not the one that got rid of Meadows!!! Karma should be put on the people that did Meadows wrong, not Coach Mathis! You all need to think about what you say, before you defame someones character. He is a good man, coach, and he is great for our kids. God will Bless him!:)

AMEN! See I am telling you guys. He will have this program around in no time with people like Eagle Mom to support him. He is a great coach. I am telling you right now to watch out for this team with or without a kicker! HaHa!:eek:

[EagleFan132]

Wow, have never seen such personal attacks from a bunch of armchair quarterbacks who have only seen what they want to see. I have been to every DeSoto game for the last 12 years and am impressed with the passion and caring exhibited by Coach Mathis. Have never seen him with an IPOD or dancing around the field. There are a number of areas that need work and I believe that will happen with time.

[d-train]

First off it is Somerville. Coach Jackson at Lancaster had one good season at Reagan and that place hasn't been the same since he left. Coach Mathis took LBJ and made it into a program again. Basketball was taking over the program and he turned it around. Yes it is a weak district but they did very well in the playoffs against quality opponents. I judge coaches by what they do with the talent they have and at LBJ he did not have much. Some coaches are anointed that they are good coaches when anyone could have stepped in and done the same thing. Make sure they get on the bus type guys. 4 years of Head Coaching. Coach Mathis has played this game at the highest level at the most competitive position RB. If your not aware he was an all american at Southwest Texas State and set all kinds of records that will never be broken. Even played in the NFL for a while I think just practice squad but still to get a paycheck in the NFL is pretty good. Then started to coach. I think the man knows a few things about the game and the discipline it takes to get to the level that Desoto needs to get to. Get off of his back about it. He will have those kids playing the right way. Hacksaw coaches are judged by wins and losses nothing else. Those are just reasons they lost to blame it on. If he was winning games it would be different Yes or No? Every coach in the state would be bouncing to music to see if it helped his team. JK. I have been a fan of Claude's since he was in college. I have been following him every where he has gone. He will put a respectable team on the field just not fast enough for some people though.
Dude you don't know what you are talking about! Jackson only lost to a very good P-ville Connally once and that was without his starting QB, 19-14! He won multiple district titles, advanced past the 1st round more than once and made the state semis. This was all done before Johnston and Reagan and now Lanier have fallen apart! The next year's team made the 3rd round, which is the farthest LBJ has ever gone and that was only twice! LBJ split a district title with Manor, who beat them. Jaxckson came up from the JV and got OJT and earned the job in Lancaster, where he has done better than any of their other HCs that I can remember. Coppell and Duncanville got the far better HCs from Austin area, but Lancaster and Desoto got coaches that fit their demos. I wish these HCs well, but 4 years and HC, 3 playoff trips in a weak district and a 3rd round OT loss? They could have gotten better HCs, but they got what they wanted. Lydell Wilson at Lamar Consolidated is a great HC and he built his program from nothing, Desoto is already a playoff team. Let's see if he can win a state title up there, since yall figure you have state title talent every year for as long as I can remember! Who gets there first, Duncanville, Coppell or Desoto? To win in AISD 4A all you have to do is recruit! Reagan dominated, then went down, McCallum picked up the slack, then LBJ hired Mathis and he started getting the talent... I suggested Mathis for LBJ before he even got the Somerville position, when he was an assistant at Anderson! Being cut by an NFL team doesn't make you a great coach, so why was that brought up?

[desotoeaglesgrad]

Let me get to the point. Yes, I did not like the way Coach Meadows was forced out. The fact was, though, that he was not a good fit for this school. Coach Dial was, and he took the program from being second-rate to being one of the classiest and most succesfful programs in the Dallas area. The run of success this school has enjoyed started with him. The problem was that Coach Meadows never took the program to the next level (which I believe Coach Dial would have if not for his untimely death).

Now, if Coach Mathis can take this program a step higher, then it will have been a great move to get him. We will not know if he can, however, based on this season. We tend to forget the Coach Lineweaver struggled his first year at Euless Trinity. I am willing to give him time, and i think we should stay away from the judgments about the man's character and class. That will be shown through his team over the next few seasons, for good or bad.

[Robber89]

DeSoto's coach is in way over his head. He is about as classless as it gets. DeSoto will never win with this guy leading them. Any head coach that is seen 15 minutes before kickoff bouncing around the field with his IPOD on and still dressed in an under armour long sleeve shirt and shorts seems to me to want all of the attention on him. What a joke, and you wonder why his team falls apart in the 2nd half each week. DeSoto is a very selfish team, but I don't blame them, they are following in the footsteps of their coach.

This post cracks me up. Classless are the parents that ran Coach Meadows out of coaching. They got a new coach and now he is 1-3. They could easly be 3-1 or 4-0. Once again it is the coach? Meadows takes them farther than they have ever been in the playoffs and you want him to out? Classless??? Must be in the water!

[desoto fan]

Are You On The Field To Know That He Is Listening To His Ipod,you Are As Classless As They Can Get You Must Have A Boring Life To Sit And Talk About A Coach,if You Think You Can Do Better Then Get Out There And Coach

[HacksawJimDuggan]

How did Desoto look last night?

[JagFan]

Flower Mound beat them 48 to 27. Watch out Hebron we might finally beat ya:) Desot had some sparks. They just need some consistency. They are young and I predict they will be a force next year if they don't let this year drag them down to far.

[Onside Kick]

I wonder what music Captain Important decided to go with for the FM game. Whatever it was, it obviously didn't workout too well for him. Keep underachieving Claude!

[dragonsdaddy]

This post cracks me up. Classless are the parents that ran Coach Meadows out of coaching. They got a new coach and now he is 1-3. They could easly be 3-1 or 4-0. Once again it is the coach? Meadows takes them farther than they have ever been in the playoffs and you want him to out? Classless??? Must be in the water!

that reminds me. in the sixties, desoto's water was completely and utterly undrinkable.

[rownorserow]

All I know is that I have a friend that taught at Desoto for the past seven years; she is no longer there...but still a big Eagle fan. She said that for the past few years, fans in the stands have been screaming for a Black coach.

I just wonder what they're screaming now?