"Undefeated" (2011): Winning for Life

"Undefeated" grabs you from the start and doesn't ease it's grip until long after this emotional roller coaster of a documentary has ended.

I don't believe that you necessarily need to be a sports fan to appreciate this film. It's true that Co-Directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin follow a high school football team stocked with kids from "the wrong side of the tracks" through an entire, and entirely poignant, season. However, just being a fan of watching young men realize their spirit, their potential and their dreams is sufficient in order to connect with the overriding message of "Undefeated".

That powerful point is this: You CAN rise above your circumstances, no matter how dire. You ARE better than you believe you are. Or others tell you that you aren't. And your future is a time to look forward to with hope and expectation, and NOT trepidation and resignation.

Manassas High Head Coach Bill Courtney clearly gets this. And we bear witness as he gets this, and much more, across to the boys he not only "coaches up" but cares deeply about beyond preparing his Tigers for victory versus the next opponent. It is so much more consequential and enduring.

He's mentoring them to win for life.