First of all, let me say that we played all four quarters! Woo-hoo! The last time we played a full game was the state championship last year, which we lost. Before that, I can't remember when our team played all four quarters!
That said, I'll give you what you've been waiting for. WE WON! The final score was 52-48, and yes, it was as close as the score would indicate. Here's my recap, with unabashed bragging on my sons!:
Our team made some changes in positions for this game and they worked out well. Also, all three of our freshman stepped up and made big plays, as well as some upperclassmen who haven't had big games before. We were firing on all cylinders, but that didn't mean it was a cake-walk. The other team had come to play!
The other team kicked off with a nasty little on-side kick that they recovered. They went on to score, although their kick failed. We were down 6-0. Nathan has the reins at quarterback now. And he was AMAZING! His poise and smarts as a freshmen were a joy to behold. Anyway, We drove downfield in fits and starts and finally Aaron scored on a 4 yard pass from our quarterback-turned-running back, Austin. Then Aaron made the kick after the score.
Second quarter, we had the ball again. This time Nathan handed off to a junior who ran in for his first touchdown since he began playing football in 6th grade! Aaron kicked again and we were up 16-6. Again, we held them and they held us. Then Nathan tossed the ball back again to Austin who threw to Aaron--a 55-yard TD! It was a beauty of a catch, too. He had to stretch for it and got it with his fingertips and ran probably 20 of the 55 yards after the catch. Amazing! After that effort is it any wonder that his kick failed? Score: 22-6. But the other team didn't give up. At halftime, we were still ahead, but only by a touchdown. We stood at 22-14.
(Homecoming halftime was fun. Pictures to follow later this weekend. My camera battery died so I'm waiting for others to send me their pictures!)
Third quarter began with the other team pooching three kickoffs and recovering them. They scored three times before our offense was able to touch the ball! By that time we were down 22-36. Could the boys recover? We didn't know. But they did. Austin ran in two touchdowns. Aaron made one kick and missed one. We were all tied up at 36 when the third quarter buzzer sounded.
Fourth quarter. I was so nervous! The other team struck first, but their kick failed. 36-42. Our new kid, who is injured but playing, scored on a short run. Aaron made the kick. We were up by 2, 44-42. The clock was winding down. Could we hold on to our lead? The other team marched down and scored, but their kick failed. 44-48. Less than two minutes to play. My stomach hurt. Either Nathan had to lead them downfield without a mistake or a last-ditch effort would have been a field goal by Aaron, which scores 4 points in 6-man. So in either scenario, my boys had to perform. Down the field we went. At one point, just over mid-field, Nathan threw a pass intended for Austin. He tipped it. Then, lo and behold, Aaron caught the tipped pass with his feet just in bounds! The drive remained alive! We'd made it to almost the ten yard line. The clock was ticking down when Nathan tossed an eleven-yard pass into the end zone to the same boy who'd scored his first touchdown ever earlier in the game. A diving catch--but he got it! Aaron nailed the kick. With 25 seconds to go we were up 52-48. The crowd was going crazy! We managed to hold them out of the end zone on the final drive, with the last tackle of the game coming on about the twenty-yard line.
Whew! If you stuck with this long post, I hope you felt some of the excitement we felt at the game. It was so, so fun! And I am so proud of our little team. They really went to a new level. They worked together. They played hard. Our two other freshman made significant contributions on defense--one in tackles and the other with an interception. And the juniors stepped up and led the team. It's a game that will be remembered for a very long time.