It's a tradition for high school football coaches. Go to the seeding meeting to learn who your opponent will be in the playoffs and pick up a few game tapes or DVDs from the opposing coaches.
Modern technology has removed most of the adventure over the years, but coaches still aren't sure what they are going to be given.
“Actually, it's more of a regular-season problem than the playoffs,” said Clairemont's Rian Floco, who arrived with DVDs under his arm Saturday only to discover the Chieftains didn't make the playoffs.
“We got tapes where it would be first and 10 at the 20 and then be first and 10 again downfield and you didn't know how they got there. They'd edited the film.”
Viewing tape of the opponent is a crucial part of coaching. It's where trends show up, star players stand out and vulnerabilities are exposed. It's where game plans are born.
All sorts of extracurricular games have been played with video, some serious, some in jest.
Lincoln's Ron Hamamoto, who has coached at Rancho Bernardo and USDHS (now Cathedral Catholic), has seen plenty.
“I once got film that was taken from the sideline at San Diego Mesa College,” Hamamoto said with a chuckle. “The press box at Mesa is one of the best places in the county to film a game, but you can't see anything from the sideline.”
The longer coaches have been around, the more interesting their stories.
Former Chula Vista coach Gary Chapman, now an administrator overseeing the playoffs, had a variety of experiences with film.
“We got some film in the '80s that was taken from the end zone – ground level,” Chapman said. “Back then, you never knew what you were going to get.
“With 16-millimeter film, you might have a parent taking it, and while the play was going one way, you'd get action of the guy's son going the other way.”
It could get funny.
“You'd be watching the game on VHS and suddenly you'd get something that was taped over. I remember once we had the school play, 'The Mouse That Roared,' on one of the tapes,” Chapman said.
“Another time we got the nightly news. You just never knew.”
Coaches with a sense of humor and clear knowledge of their counterpart can take full advantage.
Willie Matson, who has been coaching for 27 years and is now at Mission Bay, recalled an incident when he was an assistant to Tom Barnett at Kearny.
“We were going to play Tom's good friend, (the late) Chris Miller, when he was resurrecting the program at Crawford,” Matson said.
“We gave them the film of a game where we scored six touchdowns, but after each score we spliced in a segment of the Three Stooges playing a song with zany instruments. After each score you got Larry, Curly and Moe.
“Chris was furious.”
And he had a long memory. When the two played again, Matson said the Komets were in for a surprise.
“They gave us film and we just knew something would be on there,” Matson said. “Sure enough, they scored a bunch of touchdowns and after each one we got the theme from 'Star Wars.'
“At least it wasn't fuzzy.”
