On a day full of Turkey, pumpkin pie, family, and backyard football games, the Mavericks have much to be thankful for this holiday season. With their playoff game against the Vista Panthers a mere day away, fans, players, and coaches, are expecting a playoff run that will land the Mavericks in their first CIF championship game appearance in the school's twelve year history. However, the journey begins with game, tomorrow night in La Costa.

Here are the top 8 things the Mavericks should be thankful for:

8. Sweet Uniforms - Have you ever played on a football team that had ugly uniforms? Even worse, have you ever played on a team that had horrible looking uniforms, and loose jerseys!? It's miserable. The Mavericks have great uniforms - especially the all navy home jerseys with the green trim. My first year at Columbia, our Jersey's were loose, and we had to literally tape up our sleeves that otherwise hung at our elbows. Coach's say its doesn't matter how you look, its how you play. My philosophy: if you look good, you play good. Ask last year's San Diego Chargers. Note I said "last year's."

7. Crazy Maverick Hooligans - Coach Brown has done a fantastic job over his tenure of building the La Costa Canyon fan base. This is not easy work. To build a community around a football program you have to win and generate buzz. Brown has managed to field competitive teams every year since he began coaching at La Costa Canyon 8 years ago, including playoff appearances every single year. In the case of La Costa Canyon, another important component to building community is the creation of La Costa Canyon Pop Warner. Getting players and families obsessed with the Maverick football culture at an early age pays dividends in terms of support when they step on the field as Senior in high school.

6. Ballin' Facilities - As a head coach, you have to fund raise, fund raise, and fundraise, so that your team has the best facilities to maximize their athletic potential. La Costa Canyon's football facilities are top grade. Although La Costa Canyon High School is located in a top tier socio-economic region, in order to fund raise successfully, you must develop a deep trust with the fans and parents, and this is not easy! Brown's efforts in the past 8 years have created a supportive environment that makes it that much easier to focus on football and stay competitive.

5. Zalud's Boot - The Maverick's kicker Robert Zalud kicks the ball deep deep deep. His kickoff's mitigate the risk of long kickoff returns, because the teams can't return them! In the playoff's, Zalud's leg will be invaluable, especially if the Mavericks end up facing Escondido whose runningback and return man, Ricky Seale, who can pull a rabbit out of a hat - well maybe not - but at least take a kickoff return to the house. Zalud also acts as a fierce defender when running down on the kickoff team. If you are on the return team and not looking, he will show you no mercy and lay you out (watch 4th quarter of Torrey Pines game).
4. A quarterback that can actually throw, and run - An absolutely necessary component to winning a CIF championship is having a quarterback that can deliver the ball to his receivers. Quarterback Sebastian Frausto can light up defensives throwing his favorite target, Kenny Stills, as well as distribute the ball effecitvely to anybody else that is open. One of his most impressive performances of the year was against Rancho Buena Vista, when he connected with eight different receivers. Frausto is a dual threat quarterback that can also burn a defense with his feet, often picking up 10 and 20 yard chunks when the defensive drops into pass coverage and leaves a running lane open for the scramble.

3. Kenny Stills - We all know Kenny is a talented player that can create big plays. The best part of having Kenny in the offense, besides his obvious big play ability, is the distraction he causes to other teams. Teams must center entire defensive game plans around containing Stills. Do you understand the insecurity a defensive coordinator faces when preparing for the Mavericks? With so much emphasis on Stills, whether the ball is passed to him or not, this leaves other opportunities to exploit via the run game or or holes in the defensive secondary when Stills is double covered.

2. Gangrene - While most people probably don't get excited about this terrifying flesh eating disease, the La Costa Canyon defense does. The "Gangrene" defensive title, coined by Scott Brown years ago, really gained traction this year, and successfully describes La Costa Canyon's defensive philosophy, penetrate, attack, and smother. I'd love to see helmet stickers paying tribute to the Gangrene philosophy. What might that look like? Note: do not Google images of Gangrene on Turkey day. I just lost my appetite.

1. The #1 Seed - Teams duke it out all season long to get the opportunity to capture the number one seed in the playoffs. The number one seed gets you a first round playoff bye, and prime positioning to make a run at the championship game. With the #1 seed, the Mavericks avoid potential matchups before the championship game against Escondido, Mission Hills, and Poway, three teams that pack firepower. The most threatening team on the Maverick's side of the bracket is Vista, a 6-4 team.