It is that time of year again, as the end of the season rapidly approaches, when teams are looking for ways to finish their season strong.

The final stretch always reminds me of a quote attributed former NFL player and head coach, Herm Edwards: 

"Stay focused. Your start does not determine how you're going to finish." - Herm Edwards

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 11, 2014

It is a powerful sentiment and an important reminder for all teams, whether they own a winning or losing record, to finish their season on a strong note.

However, finishing strong is easier said than done.

How is a team with a losing record, and no hope to make the playoffs, supposed to make a strong push to end the season on a high note?

Alternatively, how does a team that is riding high with a winning record retain the necessary focus to make a strong push through the playoffs?

We spoke with two highly successful high school head football coaches to get their take on how teams can finish strong.

Consistency is key

Consistent messaging is one of the most important traits a good coaching staff will embody. Whether a team is enduring a winning or losing season, the message must remain constant.

Gabe Infante is the head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) and will lead the recently announced U-17 U.S. National Team during the International Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. St. Joseph’s, is currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Pennsylvania and is riding a perfect 10-0 record into the state playoffs.

Even as successful as his team is, Infante believes a losing record should never stop a team from being consistent and remaining focused on the task at hand.

“I think it is irrelevant what your record is or what you are playing for, the game represents an opportunity and it can’t be taken lightly. I think the problem is when coaches don’t have a consistent message from the beginning, then all of a sudden they find themselves in a situation where the circumstances change. If you are going to breed consistency, your message has to be consistent,” said Infante.

For Infante, the consistent message he continually relays to his team is simple and to the point, and something that players can easily focus on.

“It isn’t necessarily about winning championships or winning 17 games, it is about winning the next game,” said Infante.

Ben Hammer is the head coach for East Montgomery (Biscoe, N.C.) and was the head coach at this year’s U.S. National Team Regional Development Camp in Atlanta and National Development Games in Canton, Ohio. 

Hammer agrees with Infante and adds that this consistent message should translate to consistent practice, which will hopefully lead to a consistent outcome when the stakes are raised.

“When your kids get to that third-and-3 situation in a really big game, you hope that through the summer and winter, you put them in similar situations a whole bunch of times so they are not eaten up by the moment,” said Hammer. 

The prospect of the playoffs naturally motivates

The playoffs offer their own natural motivation, according to both coaches.

“The playoffs are what the kids work for all year long, that is the carrot that has been hanging out in front of their faces the whole time to get them excited to work in the winter and the summer,” said Hammer.

The important thing to remember, which coach Hammer touches upon, is that players need to be motivated throughout the year, not just during football season.

The players’ effort during the offseason is the foundation to a winning season. The hard work that players have demonstrated for months need to continue—if not accelerate—for the end of the season.

Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith said it best, “All men are created equal. Some just work harder in the preseason.”

In other words, a coach that inspires his team to work hard in the offseason increases the odds of his team making the playoffs, which is what every team aims for when the season begins. For those coaches lucky enough to lead their team into the playoffs, motivating the team will often take care of itself.

“At the end of the season, if your team is playing in a conference championship and state playoff games, motivation comes pretty naturally,” said Hammer.

Winning isn’t everything – Improvement is

“Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing,” is often incorrectly attributed to Vince Lombardi. It was actually said by UCLA Bruins head football coach Harry Russell ‘Red’ Sanders in 1950.

The former Green Bay Packers head coach, during his annual preseason team speech, actually said, “Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing.”

The two phrases seem similar, but in the world of motivation, there is a gulf of difference. Sanders implies that winning is the only goal. However, both coach Hammer and Infante align more with Lombardi’s sentiment, which specifies that the will to win is what is important.

Players need to have the will to win and improve throughout the season, and coaches play a major role in fostering an environment that supports that.

“The most important thing we do as coaches, is not winning. It is helping to turn boys into young men and doing it the right way through building character, teamwork and discipline. Building that type of culture is the biggest part, kids should expect to compete every day and through competition they learn how to both win and lose,” said Hammer.

More specifically, as the season is coming to a close, individuals and collective teams should still be constantly searching for ways to develop, even if the playoffs are out of the question.

After all, striving to improve doesn’t end when the prospect of winning does.

“It is always a process, not every year you are going to have the players you need, not every year you will be the best team in the league, but you can always end better than you started (the season) and that should always be the mission,” said Infante. 

Remember: football is finite

Typically, teenagers do not comprehend the finite nature of football. I know that I didn’t fully appreciate this reality when I played. At that age, it mistakenly seems as though the film work, practices, comradery, weight room and post-victory celebrations will last forever. Even for NFL players, this is never the case. 

“One thing that is special about football, and we talk about it in our pregame speech every single Friday, is that a lot of other sports are able to be played leisurely after you have finished your athletic career,” said Hammer.

Weather provided, anyone can head to the park to join a game of pick-up basketball, find an empty tennis court for a match, swim a few laps or just kick a soccer ball around. It doesn’t matter your age or athletic ability, the majority of sports can be played long after an athletic career is over. In this regard, football is unique.

“You have to help the kids to realize, they only have so many opportunities left to play the game in their career,” said Hammer.

After a player hangs up his cleats, they can always toss a football with their friends, but the chance to work together as a team toward a common goal on the gridiron is constantly fleeting immediately after buckling your chinstrap for the first time.

After you have finished your athletic career, “You can’t get 22 of your buddies together to strap up the pads, set up a game plan and play a full contact game. That is what is so special about football,” said Hammer.

The players who understand this reality are often more willing to lay it all on the line each Friday and eliminate any chance of living in regret later in life. However, conveying this message in a way that is genuinely understood by a young individual can be tremendously difficult. During high school, it is easy to mistakenly believe that everything is going to last.

One method to effectively convey this message is to provide examples of the limited nature of the sport they love.

“We use real-life examples to talk to them about it, to make sure they know that playing football is not something that lasts forever. We have kids that were in our program last year that were great high school football players who didn’t have the opportunity to play at the next level…we talk to those kids (ahead of time) and make sure they are OK being used as examples for the young men on the team,” said Hammer.

These former players are an important reminder that “The game is always finished with you, before you are finished with the game,” said Hammer.

Losing season

Losing seasons are challenging, but again, it comes down to consistency and remaining focused.

There are also different ways to get motivated. Younger players, for example, can begin to look ahead to next season. The work they put in at the end of this season can help them set a solid foundation for themselves for next season.

 “As for the younger guys, you want to get them excited for playing next year,” said Hammer.

Players and coaches should also focus on playing for one another.

In particular, the team should also want to work hard for seniors because the older guys deserve to be sent out on a high note, Hammer said.

Even during a losing season, working hard for each other provides the opportunity to build team chemistry. Specifically, it is never too early to begin fostering team chemistry for next season and for individual players to begin to establish themselves for the next season.

Never give up

Above all else, both men stress that a coaching staff should never give up on its players, if the coaching staff expect it players to never give up on the coaches.

No matter the circumstances, “You just have to keep finding ways to motivate your players,” said Hammer.