Five Questions
Ithaca Coach Terry Hessbrook
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the streak?
A: “As it grows or as it has grown, it has kind of carried a life of its own. To be honest with you, I try and not think about it. To show up to work focused, ready to work, and not talk about what you did or how good you were in previous years. If you start to do that, someone along the way will show up, smack us in the mouth and beat you.”
Q: How big was it to have Travis Smith commit before the start of the season?
A: “I was so happy when he did that. I tried not to get to involved in his decision-making process. I’m glad it was done early. Got out of the way and now we can concentrate on winning another state championship.”
Q: You lost four quality lineman from last year’s team. Where do you go from there?
A: “We have a lot of kids back that played a great deal up front for us a year ago. They might not have been starters for us, but two or three of them played a tremendous amount of time during a 14-game season.”
Q: Your core six players on offense are extremely solid, and most coaches in the state would love to have that many weapons on offense. Talk a minute about being blessed with so many talented guys on offense.
A: “It’s a very elite group of players. They are extremely gifted athletically, and they are very intelligent players. We have had a lot of fun with them this summer just seeing what they can do out there on the field.”
Q: Talk a bit about the importance of running back Bryan Shaw’s progression over the last year.
A: “Bryan has definitely become more of a vertical runner coming into this season. He has worked on his feet getting quicker. He is going to run under 4.7 seconds in the 40. He’s impressive as a blocker, and I am really looking forward to Bryan Shaw having a big season for us this year.”