Because Huygens had targeted student football players at high schools with strong coaching staffs and winning records, incoming players -- less likely to be recruited by D1 schools because of their size or because they were overshadowed in playing time due to the wide choice of players that existed at their school -- would arrive at Huygens with good training in football fundamentals.

Meanwhile, Griff had abandoned his dreams of Santa Rosa and was basing pre-season training camp on his experience with Stanford training camps -- as well as on complex D3 regulations for pre-season practice. The training schedule he had devised included the weight room, chalkboard classroom instruction, film viewing and discussion, a variety of on and off field practice devices, and as much on field practice (in various states of dress) as was allowed, including scrimmages and situational play simulating games.

With the team's first game looming on September 9 against the big, tough Humboldt Rangers from far North California, to say that Griff was confident would be far from the truth. Besides the concern of protection from the notorious Humboldt Defense for his 5'9" quarterback and his Chinese running back, there was the issue of his kicker's dismay when he learned that although the drinking age in Ireland was 18, he could not drink in California until he was 21. The solution to this problem -- that Will O'Arragan could drink in the home of his Uncle, Special Teams Coach, Robbie O'Arragan, was not proving good for special teams as a whole.