Peter Ladas

2025 defensive highlight tape. Varsity allowed 9.1 ppg 29 takeaways, 30 sacks, 75 TFL 7 defensive touchdowns. 12-1 record, SCC champions, class SS state champions, ranked #2 in CT. Very proud of this group!! They earned every bit of this!! #cthsfb hudl.com/v/2TRYWR

Ben McCollum shares what it feels like to be around first-place people and a first-place culture. "I went to Northwest Missouri State, and my first practice with Steve Tapmeyer - best coach I've ever been around - I sat there and I'm like, 'This is what first place feels like. This is what a first-place culture feels like. This is what first-place people feel like.'" That was the wake-up call. He realized what first-place people have: "They've got an extreme work ethic. They've got an edge to 'em that other people don't - a competitive spirit." Then he quoted John Thompson: "You can tame a fool a lot quicker than you can resurrect a corpse...We want guys with a little edge to 'em." You can coach skills, but you can't coach competitive spirit. You don't want to consistently coach their effort and attitude. The last thing they look for: Energy givers. "Over the years, we found that guys that are moody don't make it in our program." "If you're moody, if you have low energy, if you suck the life out of the building - you don't make it." Talent isn't enough. Your energy matters. Your attitude matters. Successful people have a competitive edge, they bring energy, and they look to consistently get better. They raise the standard through what they do. (🎥 Watts Happening Podcast)

The Recruiting Visit: Presented By Sonic Boom: Lucia Boyce, Daniel Hand High School x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

LeBron played against Jabari Smith Sr. in his first game. 23 years later, he dunked on his 22-year-old son, Jabari Smith Jr.

The best coaches are the ones who are secure enough to sit in a room, be the least experienced person there, and soak up every single thing being said without feeling the need to prove they already knew it. That is the most disciplined form of humility a leader can practice, the willingness to learn. This is exactly what separates the coaches who grow from the ones who just get older.

I have also found the stereotype of coaches not caring about their teaching job to be almost 100% false. Good coaches make good teachers. The skill sets almost completely overlap.

41 years of coaching football taught me that while scheme, and coaching are important, the biggest indicator or predictor of success is player, parental and communities Investment! When everyone puts in the quality time to outwork & out prepare your opponents, success happens.

Top 5 high school football stadiums in the state of Connecticut, via @Andy_Villamarzo‼️ Read: on3.com/high-school/ne…

Stop coaching outcomes. Coach behaviors. Outcomes are unpredictable. Behaviors are trainable. Build the behaviors and trust the outcomes to follow.

Michael Lombardi on evaluating ego in a coach, from his book, Gridiron Genius 📖

The culture of a program is the MOST IMPORTANT intangible in determining the potential for a program’s sustainable success

Most teams watch film. Very few teams actually practice what they see on film. The biggest mistake staffs make is studying tendencies… then running generic practices that ignore them. Film should directly shape practice. If the opponent runs inside zone 40% of the time — you should be repping inside zone fits every day. If they run mesh on 3rd & medium — your defense should see mesh repeatedly in 7-on-7 and team. Film → Practice → Game. Preparation only matters when it changes behavior. The goal of film study isn’t information. The goal is confidence on Friday night.

“We’re not going to recruit selfish guys, I guys, or guys who don’t want to pay the price.” - Curt Cignetti 🔥 That line should be printed on every locker room wall in America. Talent matters. But mindset, toughness, and team-first habits matter more.

Incredibly well deserved Lucca!! Proud of you man. #cthsfb

Had an amazing max week, saw my numbers jump a ton. I got 465 on squat, 500 on deadlift, 245 on bench, and 255 on clean. @ErikBecker42 @timmychalms14 @coachttarantino @HandTigersFB @CoachLadas

Jon Gruden shares the greatest lesson about mental toughness that he learned from his dad. It came down to one line: "Not everything is gonna be perfect every day. There's gonna be losses on Saturday. We might not be able to get a pair of Nikes this week. You gotta work for everything." Nothing is handed to you, everything is earned. Then he connected it to Bill Belichick's coaching philosophy: "Everybody's gotta do their job. You hear Bill Belichick say that...Your job might be cleaning the dishes. Your job might be taking the garbage out. You might have to work a little bit after school so you can pay money to go to college." It's not glamorous. But you and your role matter. "Those are the things I remember growing up. We all had our own jobs to contribute to the success and the progression of the family." Mental toughness requires a willingness to go beyond your current limits. It requires flexibility and adaptability. But here's what makes it easier: knowing your effort serves something bigger than yourself. When you see how your role helps others - that's when the hard work has meaning. (🎥It's All About The Team ) (🎥@BarstoolGruden)

He’s a top-tier LB in CT. Started OLB as a sophomore and moved to middle this year. 2027. If you’re looking for a disciplined, VIOLENT MLB with the range to find the ball no matter where it is, come recruit Wilson Walker. High character, hilarious and loves to compete.

All 7 of our defensive touchdowns from this season. Entering week 3 we had 0 takeaways. We put a hard emphasis in practice on forcing turnovers and our kids took big time ownership of it. Nothing more exciting than a defensive touchdown #cthsfb hudl.com/v/2TRrsf

Winning moments belong to those who honor the work every day. Congratulations to Nathan Martin a 36 year old teacher and ohh school track coach winning the LA Marathon in historic fashion. A finish defined by heart, grit and relentless effort.

2 things I have learned through the years that every head coach should prioritize, and @ErikBecker42 does a phenomenal job of both 1) surround the athletes with the best possible role models on the coaching staff. 2) take charge of a role like this to promote their athletes

Three new PRs from the last week of work. Deadlift- 415lbs Bench- 230lbs Broad Jump- (8’5) @HandTigersFB @ErikBecker42