Minding the Gaps

   Concord High offensive coordinator Jon Bell has seen pretty much everything in his time as the Minutemen’s offensive maestro. He’s played a part in a North Coast Section title run, and played a key role in orchestrating the fast-paced approach that has helped establish Concord as a perennial playoff team.

   But on this day, just a run of the mill mid-week practice, Bell has a shovel in his hands. He strides across the practice field that sits between Concord’s gym and game field, scoops a shovelful of dirt and fills a divot about 10 feet away.

   “Gotta fix the field,” he says, smiling.

   Bell and his fellow coaches know that feeling well. They’ve been filling holes all season.

   At first glance, a 6-2 record in the first eight games doesn’t jump off the page. One of those wins came off the field when Liberty was forced to forfeit its opening-week win against the Minutemen. 

   But context helps in this case. Head coach Brian Hamilton returned a grand total of two starters this season. He watched a host of talented seniors graduate over the summer, and suddenly the winning foundation established over the past few years needed to be re-taught to a group searching for belief.

   “With challenge comes reward,” Hamilton said. “Professionally and personally, it’s been so rewarding to watch how much we’ve improved.”

   Hamilton has always preached belief. What has carried his teams to playoff appearance after playoff appearance has been consistent proof that if players put in the work, good things will happen. With plenty of holdovers year after year, that foundation hasn’t needed to be re-taught.

   This year, with so many new players, the base for belief is undergoing a bit of a rebuild. 

   In the middle of that progression has been quarterback Mitch Daniels. Now a junior, Daniels has shuttled between junior varsity and varsity for the past two seasons. Tasked with leading the up-tempo style that Hamilton and Bell teach, Daniels saw everything click in a 30-28 win over Northgate on Oct. 18. He threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns, including three to teammate Mason Knight, who caught nine passes for 192 yards.

   “Probably the thing I’m most impressed with is how much he cares about blitz pickup install on Monday,” Hamilton said. “He wants to make sure that he understands what we’re all doing. I think that leadership is the key. That kid has a big arm and he would have a big arm in any offense.”

   Rather than reflect on the Northgate win as the turning point, Daniels instead cites the Liberty game as the seminal moment for the Minutemen. Concord lost 50-30 on the field that night, a punch to the gut that sparked season-altering changes.

   “The beginning of the year, we were all trying to find an identity,” Daniels said. “The first game we came in with how many returning players, two? Everyone was looking for someone to lead. Once the season got going, we found out who we were and who our leaders were and we started to get behind them.”

   Players began to step up, but success was still a few weeks away. A 31-14 loss at Amador Valley showed improvement but not a win, and then a bye week gave the team a chance to try and consolidate lessons learned into victories.

   It also gave the Concord coaching staff a chance to adjust to the new talent it was working with. To that end, Hamilton heaps praise on his staff “” Randy Coddington, Bell, John Koven, Derek Clements, Mike Griggs and Gil Bates “” calling its efforts this season one of the best coaching jobs he’s ever seen.

   Finally, those adjustments started to pay off. A 36-33 win at Jesse Bethel gave the Minutemen their first win on the field, and confidence began to build. Wins against Heritage, Oakland and Ygnacio Valley followed, and the victory over Northgate ensured a winning record this season “” which also assured playoff eligibility.

   Units of strength began to show themselves, especially Daniels’ connection with Knight. Through eight games, the junior wideout has 58 catches for 856 yards and 12 touchdowns. He stands to be the latest in a long line of great Concord receivers, and still has a year of high school play in front of him.

   “Watching film on our team, you can see how much we’ve come together as a team and how much we’ve changed,” Knight said. “You hear people say it after games, how much you changed from week one, and it started with the Jesse Bethel game. That was the first game where we realized we could do something this year.”

   Even with the success of recent weeks, the Minutemen still get reminders of just how much farther they need to go. A 35-26 loss to College Park on Oct. 25 saw numerous breakdowns, both of the physical and mental variety. A great effort by the Falcons and dynamic running back Ray Jackson, who rushed for 197 yards on 20 carries, proved tough to overcome on an up and down night by Concord on both offense and defense.

   What that loss did provide was another teachable moment. Defending NCS Division II champion Clayton Valley Charter is up next, followed by the regular season finale against Mt. Diablo. Heading into those two rivalry games, Hamilton had a clear message for a team still looking for continued improvement.

   “We left some plays out there as coaches and you guys left some plays out there as players,” Hamilton said. “Go hug your families and we go back to work tomorrow at 9 a.m.”

   Back to finding answers and making adjustments. Filling holes, one shovelful at a time.