Greg Bailey | The master motivator

Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

Independence coach Tom Knotts has built an imaginary wall around the Patriots this year. This "make believe" barrier has produced real world results.

Knotts rarely talks to the media, and when we visited this week we were politely told that distractions are not allowed this year.

It's a great motivational tool that can't last forever, but it has clearly worked with this team. "Men, it's us against the world." Or something like that. "The only people that matter are the men in this room."

The Patriots believe it, and every week it's like they want to prove something, not only to the team they're playing, but to everyone else who sees their scores.

Indy is big, fast, strong and focused. Good luck to anyone who can deal with that.

Langston Wertz, Jr. told us Friday that Coach Knotts is a new father. Congratulations, Coach. I can't wait to see what you and your team do next. Some day soon you will have some great stories to tell to the next generation. I assume the only happy ending is a state title and you have made a believer out of me.

Posted by WCNC  at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)