Sometimes it doesn't matter how prepared you are. Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way.
Today Caleb's football team played in the semi-finals. They were up against the Nomads, undoubtedly the best team in the league. They hadn't lost a game all season, and most wins were by 30 points or more. Only a couple of teams had managed to score against this team. They're big. No, not big. Huge. I don't know what they feed their kids in the North End, but they grow 'em big.
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| Yes, he's as big as he looks. |
Our coaches had done their homework. They watched game tape, analyzed plays, figured out the tendencies and tells. By the way, these are volunteer coaches. They do this just for the love of the game, and give their players their all, expecting the same back.
The players had watched game tape. They learned new plays designed to take advantage of the Nomads' defensive weaknesses. The defence learned the Nomads' plays, putting their "tells" to memory so they would be able to counter their strong offence. They knew who to watch, and how to stop them.
There's no doubt. Our team did what they could. They went into the game as underdogs, but knowing that they had the capability to come out on top.
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| One of our star players |
The first quarter was scoreless. The defences were coming up strong. Then, the Nomads scored. We countered by running the ball back to the 1-yd line. That's when lady luck snubbed her nose in our faces. The ball was fumbled. Some of our guys thought we had crossed the line before the fumble, but we won't know that until we see game tape, and even then, it might not show it. Regardless, the refs said nope. And the Nomads did what they do best - give the ball to #15 and let him run the field. 14-0.
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| That's my boy - #72 |
We came back with a TD, and the score was 14-6 for a long time, but in the last few minutes the Nomads manages to get two more touchdowns, both by #15. (This kid is big. And fast. If you don't stop him in the back field, you're not going to catch him. I'm sure that over the next few years, other kids will catch up to him in height and speed, but right now, he's a dominating player.)
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| Almost stripped the ball here. |
So we lost. 28-6. The game was not nearly as lopsided as the score. I dare say we gave them more of a run for their money than any other team has this year. I even think they might have been a little scared. But they played their game and we played ours, and today, theirs won.
I have to say that I was impressed with both sides. The Nomads are known to have tough teams, and tough often means dirty. These guys weren't. Were they completely clean? I doubt it. But there were no glaring dirty hits (other than one from one of ours guys who let his frustration get the better of him on the last TD), no real cheap talk. Their fans were loud. So were ours. But all was good-natured. Just out there cheering for our teams.
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| A nice run. |
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| Beautiful catch by Hassar. |
It was a good game. In my opinion, it should have been the final. It left everyone on the sidelines proud of the hard work their kids put in. It left one team cheering as they walked off the field, and the other in tears as they realized their season had come to an end. One team goes on to the championship game, one team goes home. That's just how it goes.
