Football (10-18)
Oct. 18, 2009 @ 8:04 a.m. by Joannaby joanna
It’s another big week in football, the second week of district play. Teams will be wrapping up district titles with their second win, and my question to you is, who will those teams be?
It’s pretty obvious that Garden Plain, Conway Springs, Andale, Buhler, Bishop Carroll, Northwest, will all wrap up titles.
But what’s happening in that 6A-6 district? Derby and Heights are both 1-0, but who comes out of it? What are the best district races in your opinion?
BobChi says:
October 18th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Hmm. Well, I’ve made some bad predictions this season, but I’m pretty sure Garden Plain and Conway Springs won’t both wrap up district titles this week, given that they’re in the same district. The Heights-Southeast game will decide who comes out of 6A-6 district, since they will both beat East and lose to Derby. So which wins? I really have no idea.
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yougo says:
October 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
It is sad that Goddard has such a great stadium but the coaches can’t seem to put a consistent winnner together. It is painful to watch weekly. The coaches keep blaming the kids for not performing but when does the blame fall on the coaching staff. We see that Buhler can put a winning program together once the get the right coaches in there, the same thing could happen at Goddard.
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hawkdad says:
October 18th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
yougo,
I am definitely not a fan of your coach, but I will say they are headed the right direction. They have returned to a pistol style offense that worked before, and you have several good athletic players coming up that can make it work. The D honestly doesn’t look as bad as the record would make them seem.
Next year they will win games.
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hawkdad says:
October 18th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
How about District 5 5A…Emporia, Salina Central, Salina South. South beat Central by a FG. Central gets a shot at Emporia this Friday to stay in the mix.
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Football Know It All says:
October 18th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
heights and southeast is going to be the game to see because of the opportunity for heights to reach the playoffs despite the rough season
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yougo says:
October 18th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
How can you be headed in the right direction with offense or defense when you are averaging less than 10 point on offense but giving up almost 40 on defense. Our head coach does no coach either side of the ball giving complete control to his coordinators so he has no idea what is going on most of the time. The kids have no idea who the head coach is and that is where the problem starts.
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Panthers44 says:
October 18th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I agree yougo. If i remember correctly, this year’s senior class at Goddard went undefeated their freshman year, even beating Hutch. Obviously they have talented underclassman, their JV and Freshman teams are always competitive, but i don’t think that the Goddard coaches are doing a very good job developing their talent.
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mrforty says:
October 19th, 2009 at 8:47 am
That is one of the biggest problems at Goddard – lack of PLAYER DEVELOPMENT. When these kids come in as freshman, they can compete and win based on raw ability. But as time goes on they have not developed, not only athletically, but also in what I call “football basics”. (The JR program should be the main teacher of these skills, but obviously this is not happening). It’s a double whammy when they are not only slower and smaller but are also unable to perform the LITTLE things that seperate a good football team from the rest. Fundemental blocking, tackling, etc. You can make up for a lot of athletic problems with discipline and proper fundementals. Goddard has neither. Granted, they are short on good athletes and no one can do anything to change that. I think it’s time for a fresh start in coaches at Goddard. New faces and ideas would energize the program.
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B-Ball Fan! says:
October 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Evidently nobody who blames the coaches at Goddard has talked to them or the players. The first kids to be in the junior program at Goddard is the class of 2012 and all last year they were undefeated and this year. So what does that tell u about the program? Its working it just will take a few years. We have all the talent we need again it takes time to develop a solid program. Our wrestling program is incredible but didnt happen over one or two seasons. People need to stop saying everything is the coaches fault they have never blamed the kids once. They dont like losing anymore then the players do. They are also trying to teach them there is more to football then the game and life lessons that will carry them throughout life. I find that very important to remember why you play and thats what they try to remind the players on a daily basis. Even though we havent won on the scoreboard that doesnt mean the coaches and players dont think they have won on the field. Even with the losing record the Goddard stands are still packed every game that should say something about Goddard as a community.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 19th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Yougo- i am on the newspaper staff and have interviewed Robben multiple time and he has never put the blame on the players. He has said that we haven’t executed but thats nowhere neat the same as blaming the players.
Also THIS years sophomores have been undefeated their freshman and sophomore years. They were the first group to beat Hutch as Freshmen. Not sure were you got the info that it was this years seniors.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 19th, 2009 at 11:20 am
i am on the newspaper staff and have interviewed Robben multiple time and he has never put the blame on the players. He has said that we haven’t executed but thats nowhere neat the same as blaming the players.
Also THIS years sophomores have been undefeated their freshman and sophomore years. They were the first group to beat Hutch as Freshmen. Not sure were you got the info that it was this years seniors
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Shox45 says:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Andale should win its district, which also includes Buhler. Buhler should also advance, but it will need help to win the district now.
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ProudDad says:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
B-Ball Fan, I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re a parent of an underclassman. As a parent of a graduated player, I think you’ll be seeing things differently in a year or two when talented kid finds himself demoralized and playing for another losing team. Last year’s seniors took all the blame for the big downturn from the year before, but this year was supposed to be a big turnaround. Hasn’t happened. In fact, the loss margin to date last year was 156 points, and this year is 189. I hope for your sake things change, but I don’t think they will under Robben. I’m not seeing the packed stands you’re talking about either. Even homecoming had empty seats.
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B-Ball Fan! says:
October 19th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Nope im not a parent im a junior at GHS and also another person on Newspaper staff and have personally talked to coaches and players. The coaches have never blammed the players, believe me they reconize their record and what people are saying. This year was suppose to be a rebuilding year not necessarily a winning season. I also think Robben is still learning just like his players, maybe things would turn around faster with someone else but i think for the long run when he does learn and figure things out it will be very successful.
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sad state of affairs says:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Most teams go through a cooling period from time to time, but to go from a sub state appearance to a winless season in only 2 years tells me their are problems in the program, and it starts at the top. Why did they run off their stud running back to Rose hill, Lequay i think is his name. Robben is full of ego, and is unwilling to let underclassmen shine, when they are better than some of the seniors. I was able to watch the 7 on 7 camp that they were a part of and even lower class teams like Garden Plain destroyed them. If a 3a team can smoke them, then what do you think teams like Hutch, and salina Central will do……I was embarrassed to see it, but it was a foreshawdowing of how the season would play out. and yes I have a son who is a freshman, and I am thinking of transferring him to another school, because of how poor the leadership is in this program.
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Lushous Lou says:
October 19th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
yessss! im officially not the youngest kat on here lol
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feelsorryfortheplayers says:
October 19th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
The guy always says the right thing to the paper, that is what is he is a PR guy but not a coach. Like someone else said, robben was too stubborn to let leqauy play running back and now we see what he can do while at Rose Hill. How much would it help this team to have a running game.
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Yes2u says:
October 19th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Panther44 when this years goddard seniors were freshman they lost to hutch freshman 28 to 7 i i saw the game.
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inthedark says:
October 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Leave the guy alone and let him coach.
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ks07 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 5:40 am
sad state of affairs says:
October 19th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
“I was able to watch the 7 on 7 camp that they were a part of and even lower class teams like Garden Plain destroyed them”
Just to clarify..7 on 7 success or failure doesn’t necessarily correlate to what happens during the regular season. Collegiate won that tourney over in derby this summer..but could not beat Derby in an 11-man game..it wouldn’t be close. A few years ago a 2a school won the 7 on 7 state championship in Texas…would get beat by the teams they faced there by more than 40 points in a regular game.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am
B-Ball Fan: Let us see some reporting, try to get a chance to shadow the team and the coaches for the next 2 games, Garden may be tough but the Maize game should be accessible for you or someone on the staff at the paper. Get in for pregame (quiet time) and at halftime not so quiet time, they may not allow you access (if not just stand outside the door), listen and report what the coaching overall demeanor is, not necessarily Robben, let us see what you really think of the coaching and the player development / character you noted in your earlier entry. It think a lot of what is happening will be evident after you report back. Good luck. – by the way Goddard does have a good fan base, we have had more fans than the home team at Freshman and JV games most of the time.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Goddard Girl: You are correct… Check the roster 40 some odd Senior and Junior players listed, way too many…. At the senior level they should only have 8 to 10 kids even competing for a positions on the team, maybe 12-15 at the Junior level, if you are not at footballs Varsity level get off the pot, suck it up and join another group / team that better suites your given abilities. The coaches need to let the kids know that they do not have a position, even at hitting dummy, please move on (the hitting dummy should be your #2 kid, they will soon be moving up, you hope). We do have some great underclassmen getting some well deserved and developing time, one of the best moves, a little late maybe, was to bring the new QB up and get him some Varsity game time, it has been good for Cameron also. He is fast and has great hands, he could have kept us in some of the earlier games, but he is not a Varsity caliber QB, IMHO.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I agree with the fact that there are a lot of people on our roster. I also agree with the decision to move Tyler up and to move Cameron out to wide receiver. They trust each other on and off the field. But i don’t agree with anyone that blames it on the coaches. These same coaches took kids just two years ago to an almost winning season (just losing to Hutch) and then on through playoffs.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Oh and are you Cameron’s dad?
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rebelgator1 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Go TITIANS 1 down 2 to go Friday will be tough continue to focus
1 game at a time 1 play at a time 10/23/2009 CAMPUS & the ZEBRAS 10/29/2009 NORTHWEST the colnoel is smileing
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:21 am
My take. A good team only has one head coach, the responsible party, making the decisions good or bad and standing by them. He must make sure that the assistants are capable, knowledgeable at the position they are coaching and on the same page with the grand scheme of things. If not you will form competition for the head coach and respect will fall. The boys should be looking for and getting approval or a willingness to help from the coaches when they come off the field each time, that builds trust and desire. We have the coaches to make this a winning program, but we see how tough it is when the wins are few and far between.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 11:26 am
No, not Cameron’s dad.
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KSFOOTBALL says:
October 20th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
The program is a disaster and will be for some time to come. We talk about this year after year and if they fire Robben it will take time to rebuild so the players are in for some long losing years.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
No need to fire Robben, he has a group of kids coming through at the sophomore and freshman level that will have a chance to turn things around and be a contender if… That is the question, he has some talented players, they have gone through several seasons with wins from middle school to sophomore / JV this season, they have the desire and will do what it takes to win, they have shown that the last couple of seasons. They should have beat Hutch JV. That loss was an assistant coaching problem, you can’t let the assistants make game day changes that are not following the head coach’s plan, not that I am sure Robben has a firm plan. But assistants not following the depth chart, changing plays, routes and counts without everyone knowing what is going on is disruptive and confusing for the players. Everyone has to be on the same page to develop the program. Look at Hutch – Consistent, pretty much all the way through.
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onlooker says:
October 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Ask Randy Drieling, he’ll figure it out for ya!
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
He has had it figured out for the last decade or so, but change is inevitable. Randy deserves a higher level and he should pursue it, interesting to see how he would do. I am sure some of the coaches in the district would be disappointed, not getting a chance to beat him a couple of times over the next few seasons…
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Lushous Lou says:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
i’m thinking goddard is kinda like the derby of 05 or 06. they went 0-9 and everybody thought it was over that derby was done forever but 3 years later they are going for a 3rd straight playoff berth and a 2nd district title in the last 3 years. who knows it can happen to goddard
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Yes, a great turnaround in Derby.
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ProudDad says:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Been there, done that Lou. Here’s the recent history under Robben:
2004 — 0W, 9L
2005 — 5W, 5L
2006 — 5W, 4L
2007 — 9W, 3L
2008 — 3W, 7L
2009 — 0W, 7L to date
He should have jumped ship after 07 when his resume looked good and everyone outside of Goddard thought he was a good coach. The pattern of good Jr High and Freshman records that disintegrate into varsity losers is a reflection not on the program, but on the head coach. There’s plenty of talent.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 20th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
but don’t you think that Goddard has played some harder opponents this year then other teams around here? And rumor has it that we will be playing a lot of 5A teams next year. Another thing why would Goddard want to spend the money on buying 2 new football coaching staffs? In 3 years there will be 2 Goddard High Schools. Doesn’t Goddard have more to offer then just football? I mean look at out band and choirs. Students have other things they love besides just football and other such sports.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
The record does speak for itself… The teams we play should not matter that much. Goddard Girl, you are right, the school has much to offer, great parents, teachers and students for the most part. Football can be a good revenue stream and winning is the only way to make that happen. A lot of the donations that are brought in for the booster club are from football supporters, we also provide much of the football budget through the touchdown club which specifically channels donations to the players needs. The Lion band is amazing and enjoys a lot of support at halftime, that is really the only place they get an audience other than competitions and if the football fans think the band is good you know they are good. I have not had the luxury of hearing the choirs but I bet they are equally as good and do deserve support as well as the other sports and activities available at GHS.
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ProudDad says:
October 20th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
The strange thing about the record is that in 04 we were losing to teams like Campus, Valley Center, ElDorado, Ark City, and Winfield. In 07 we beat most of a much tougher schedule. You’re right, though, that it is even tougher now, but we’re not even playing anyone close. I’m still a fan though, and will continue to support the Lions. I certainly do love the band, and my kids have all been (or will be) in it. They took 3rd at KU on Saturday over all area teams (Buhler took 1st). The Lion Pride Marching Band is amazing!
I guess a lot of this will be moot in 2 years when the HS splits and we’re down to 4A.
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Panthers44 says:
October 20th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
My mistake on this years senior beating Hutch their freshman year. I do know that they handled Derby that year though. I thought that team had loads of talent. I’m not terribly familiar with the stats and history of the Goddard program, but i personally feel like they have had loads of talent come through in the past few years but have not been able to translate that talent to on-field success.
I know we all hate hearing about Derby, but if you notice, their JV through freshman teams are usually extremely weak. I think they had a combined 3 wins this year. But their varsity finds ways to win games. I’m not here trying to toot my own horn, but there has got to be something to that, whether it be great player development, or something other than that.
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abcd says:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
The band may be amazing but there is a reason that people don’t spend their saturdays and sundays watching marching band on tv. People love football and a good football team can do alot for a school and a community. Who really cares about the band taking third, I mean since when is taking third worth bragging about, people want to see a successful football program. I think most of buhler is still upset about the loss last friday and are not celebrating the bands first place trophy. The community in goddard was incredible in 07 when the football team was great!!
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abcd says:
October 20th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Goddard will be 5a when they split.
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ProudDad says:
October 21st, 2009 at 9:14 am
Then why do the stands empty out after the halftime show? (Please don’t answer that — rhetorical question) LOL
Actually, beating Lawrence HS at the KU competition is almost unheard of, so that WAS something to brag about (Lawrence Free State came in 2nd, btw). Yes, there are homer judges in band competitions as well as in sports!
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wadefisher11 says:
October 21st, 2009 at 9:53 am
Well if you have been at a GHS varsity home game you know that the only exciting action after the 1st half is over is the band and maybe the 30+ points the other team scores in the 2nd half…
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Goddard girls mom says:
October 21st, 2009 at 10:03 am
Don’t get that goddard girl worked up she can be dangerious!! If you think the middle schools have had successful seasons you have not been at many games have you. The problem is that these kids have great coaching starting out in the jr football program but when they get to MS the coaches are tired of hearing it from the parents in the stands. If YOU/They think they know more or can do a better job than APPLY for the job. I do not agree with everything that goes on, like the same kids being the stars and playing both sides of the ball EVERY game, But the BUCK stops with parental support of the coaches and taking your kid home every night and belitteling the coaches in front of the player is not the right message to send. I think Robben is supportive of the players he has,yes coaching wins games IF you have prepared the players for every aspect BUT it is up to the Players to Play the game. The coaches are not in pads, are not on coverage ect. This years Freshman from RGMS won all but 1 game thier 7th grade year. They took a few lumps as 8th graders and have lost only to Hutch and Derby I believe. So there is talent coming I only hope they keep their heads on and do not continue with that star mentality to where they are not help accountable for their actions beyond Football. Goddard still has a lot to offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Lions!! Check out those Jr LION cheerleaders at Maize this Saturday 1:30!!!!!!!!! WE ROCK!!
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Goddard girls mom says:
October 21st, 2009 at 10:05 am
The Band is awesome!!!! Sorry you do not have any culture in your life…….
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KSFOOTBALL says:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Goddard has talent coming up every year “mom” but your ignoring the problem. the program is a disaster and the record will continue to show that.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:47 pm
As far as middle school football performance, the current sophomore class from (RGMS) has still not lost a game since 7th grade I think. They are even better after EMS added some talent last year, those boys are doing well playing on JV and Varsity. The talent is in the GHS program at this point and it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 2 years. I think that the coaching is an issue and it will take Robben putting his foot down with the other coaches, getting some of the personal issues out of the way and doing what most of us think he can do, win some football games. The underclassman (sophomores) are not being treated as if they are a winning group by the assistants but as if they are just standing in line waiting to be the next loosing group, they are winners so let them feed off of the success. Rule #1 you play like you practice, don’t let the 2nd and 3rd stringers get off easy, they will also play like they practice and at some point they will have to play. They already have a huge group of junior and senior boys that are out to ride the coat tails of others that are giving it their all, we can’t continue on that path. We need the competitors, competing for a position, that is the best motivation.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 21st, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Forgive the long winded comments… Venting complete.
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long road trips says:
October 21st, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Both Goddard 8th grade teams were smoked by Prairie Hills (Buhler) two years ago, so I know your sophomores haven’t gone undefeated since 7th grade.Eisenhower was the only team to score against PH’s starting defense.
All I will say about Robben is we are very happy he is gone and Warner is now the coach.
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wadefisher11 says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
Maybe it was 8th grade, my old timers acting up i guess. They have not been beat at the freshman and sophomore level and the better players played JV and varsity not at the freshman and sophomore level. My point still remains that we have the talent and need solid, supportive coaching and competitive players.
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Goddard Girl says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 am
Why is Goddard the only school that gets bashed? Why do we have a bad program? Why? Why? Why?
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wadefisher11 says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:13 am
Discussing this stuff is good, don’t take it all as bashing. Some of us really care about what is going to make Goddard better for the current and the soon to be Lion Pride. GHS is one of the best schools in the state.
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ProudDad says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 am
Don’t feel bad. There are only three people left reading this blog anyway, so it doesn’t really matter, LOL.
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