Our CoachesClinic High School Team of the Week Learns from Others
Sep 04, 2024 2:55 pm
Coach -
Our first CoachesClinic Team of the Week for 2024 is Archbishop Spalding High School from Severn, Maryland.
The Cavaliers are defending their back-to-back MIAA State Championships, and they are off to a strong start in their 2024 season with wins over national perennial powerhouses Archbishop Hoban HS (Ohio) and Dematha HS (MD).
The wins have them in the latest MaxPreps Top 25 at #20.
Head Coach Kyle Schmitt is in his fifth year at Spalding and holds a record of 33-4 with back-to-back MIAA state championships in 2023 and 2024. He was named the Baltimore Ravens High School Coach of the Year in 2022.
The Cavaliers are led by quarterback Malik Washington, running back Antonio Ledbetter, and wide receiver Myles McAfee.
Here’s our big takeaways from his clinic:
Learning from the Mistakes of Others
As our tv schedule becomes filled up with high school, college, and NFL games (when we have time to watch), there’s a lot to be learned in terms of game management and decision making of both the coaches and the players in these games, and there are many teachable moments.
This is something that Coach Schmitt and I talked about this off season.. He made a shift in his role in the game from the guy totally into what was happening on offense to managing the game. It made a huge difference in helping them get over them hump and finally win a state championship after coming close.
He said,
“The thing that I ended up having to do is look in the mirror and say, ‘I might be one of the issues.’ I think that it takes a lot to do that. You got to look in the mirror instead of looking out and starting to point fingers and blame other coaches or players. What I really found that I need to become a guy that's totally ingrained myself in the special teams, totally ingrained myself in the game management piece.”
The conversation we had highlights the importance of embracing the "design it and step back" approach, integrating special teams into practice, and seeking feedback from coaches to improve game management strategies.
It paid off in back-to-back state championships and with a strong start to the 2024 season.
As a player and then graduate assistant at Maryland, he was heavily influenced by Ralph Friedgen and current Penn State Head Coach James Franklin. He will talk about Coach Friedgen in a video later in this email.
Prepare Rather Than Plan
This shift that Coach Schmitt described allowed him to better prepare his team, and it’s a year-round process. When it comes to critical situations he believes in “prepare” rather than plan. He shares the philosophy here:
Continual Learning
I am positive Coach Schmitt has been busy sharing examples of anything he finds over the weekend that can help his team become more football intelligent. Whether it’s highlighting plays that show a player knows the rules and using them to an advantage, or showing mistakes that did or could end in disaster, Coach Schmitt records these and uses them to teach his players and coaches.
He talks about that approach here:
As you watch games or see highlights on X, find the teachable moments and share them with your team. As Coach Schmitt points out, “It’s better to learn from the mistakes of others.”
Congratulations again to Coach Schmitt and the Cavaliers!
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski