For nearly three months, the Indians have lived by that motto, and 12 others. They have embraced "Code Red," a covenant of conduct that Tabb created with the help of his seniors during the summer.
"We needed something to believe in," Tabb said.
Tabb was standing on the track off the side of the football field before practice Wednesday. His players were warming up.
Without warning, Tabb yelled out, "Code Red."
His players yelled back, "Code Red."
In his third year as head coach at his alma mater, Tabb knew he had the makings of a special team. The Indians have big-time talent all over the field, from quarterback Manny Cortez to wide receiver Amar Williams, from tight end Anderson-Copes to running back Tyrik Thomas, just to name a handful of the team's top players.
But talent never is enough. Tabb knew that if this team was going to reach its potential, the Indians needed focus, discipline, accountability, and the emotional balance to bounce back from the inevitable adversity that strikes every squad during the long season.
"I came up with about 20 sayings," Tabb said. "I brought them to my seniors. They picked [the 13 that made the final list]. So now we had something in writing that we had to live by."
These are strong, simple sayings, from "We must be held accountable for our actions," to "No Excuses."
Every team tries to live by these principles. This isn't revolutionary stuff. But sometimes it makes a big difference to write things down, to set formal standards, to have printed reminders of a program's philosophy.
Is "Code Red" the reason the Indians are 10-1, the No. 4 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings, and set to play Millville (11-0) Friday night in the South Jersey Group 4 title game at Rowan University?
