'Tis the Season

 For the HCA mission trip!

The boys are down in south Texas helping with various projects. Apparently they've learned to tape and bed!

Third Time's a Charm

Yes, it's the third time we've played this team in a week. And the third win. But considering the fact that our team was winless last year, we'll take these three wins!

Last night we scored a total of 47 points to their 21. And our scoring was spread around, which was good, too. Aaron had 5 points, Nathan had 6. Both played well on defense and stayed out of foul trouble, too!

december Tournament Play, Game 3

We ended the tournament on a high note of sorts. We won, 47-29, but it was against the team we had already beaten last week (and the one we play again on Monday!) Still, it was a good game. It was close until the second half. Then we pulled away (after their leading scorer fouled out!)

Aaron had the second most points, with 13. Nathan was the leading rebounder with 10.

December Tournament Play, Game 2

I missed this one due to a doctor's appointment in Dallas, but they lost a heartbreaker, 49-42. Aaron fouled out with 3 minutes left in the game and apparently they floundered a bit out there without his leadership on the floor.

Aaron ended with 14 points, Nathan with 6.

Football Accolades

Although this season didn't afford as many high spots as seasons past, we did get some bright news recently. When the district awards were announced (and remember, of the four teams in our district, one was state champ and the other one state runner-up), my boys were honored as follows:

• Aaron was named 2nd team all-district wide receiver, cornerback, and kicker.
• Nathan was named 2nd team all-district quarterback.
• Nathan was named the District 2A Freshman of the Year. 

Wow! I was blown away! Congrats to them for their hard work during a tough season!

December Tournament Play, Game 1

First let me say: we played a small public school. We got pounded--literally, 52-13. (One boy on the other team was even thrown out of the game at the end for his flagrant fouls.)

But there were some bright spots. In spite of a ton of turnovers, we also had several steals. And the boys never quit hustling. Never.

Of the 13 points we scored, 8 were Aaron's (4 from the field, 4 from the free throw line) and 3 were Nathan's (a bucket, with a foul, and he made the free throw.)

We'll see what happens tomorrow!

That's More Like It

We got our first win tonight. I can breathe easier now, after last season's 0-fer. And what a way to win!

In the 48-13 win, Aaron scored 22 and Nathan scored 2. Yes, the Mateer brothers scored half our points! Aaron had a monster game, finally getting a feel for his shot and being in position to make it. Nathan had a great game handling the ball, he just didn't get an opportunity to score much. He had several rebounds and steals and assists, though, and that's pretty much what a point guard is supposed to do, right?

We play the same team again next week, but first we'll see how we fair in a local tournament.

Nothing to say

We lost tonight, 54-19. Not much else to say on that one.

Getting in the Groove

Tonight was a better game than a week ago, in spite of a holiday with no practice. We still lost, 60-34, but Aaron and Nathan and the rest of the team seemed to be more comfortable on the court. Of course, since Aaron sat out most of the last game in foul trouble, this was really his first chance to find his basketball groove.

Aaron finished the game with 14 points (leading scorer), 7 rebounds, a steal, and a few assists. (Also a few turnovers, but we won't talk about those!) He also drew more fouls than he gave, which was good, although his free throw percentage needs help.

Nathan again showed poise at point guard. He score 6 points, had 6 rebounds, a steal, and a few assists. His biggest accomplishment in this game was having 1 turnover--and he handled the ball the majority of the time.

Another game tomorrow, so we'll see if we keep improving!

Transitioning to Basketball

So we had our first basketball game tonight--just a week after the end of football. It was quite evident that our three starters who played football haven't quite made the transition yet. We got trounced--I can't even remember the score, although I know we did score over 30 points.

Aaron is going to have to learn how to play as a big man. Even last year he got calls because he was the littler guy out there. Tonight he was called twice for blocks that last year would have been charges and once for over the back. He's never been able to reach over anyone's back before! It will take him some time to learn to play with his new 6-0 frame. Oh--and those three fouls? They all came in the first QUARTER! He's rarely had three fouls in a whole game before, let alone a quarter!

Nathan went from running the offense on the field to running the offense on the court. My little point guard kept out of foul trouble, made around 10 rebounds, tied up the ball in jump balls several times and just hustled all the way around. He did finally score a few points (3 maybe?), but his biggest frustration was shots that just barely missed or went in and out. He hasn't had enough shooting time yet to get into that rhythm, but he'll get there.

All in all, it should be an exciting season, in spite of the bumpy transition. Maybe we can even win a game this year!

On to Basketball

The season is over. We kind of knew it would be after this game, but we didn't expect this game to be so--well, ugly. Our team just didn't look like itself. We lost 56-8 at halftime. Aaron did have one nice, long catch from a pass by Nathan, but everyone had some uncharacteristic mishaps, too. Like Nathan's three interceptions. And two fumbles by running backs. And Aaron jumping off-sides. And the other team just had it all together.

So football ends for another year. By the time we do it again, it will be Aaron's last season on the gridiron. But while the boys are sad it ended this way, they are happy that it is on to basketball. We're looking forward to a season of hoops!

Last District Game

We played our last district game today--against the #1 ranked private school 6-man team in the state. Of course we lost, 54-8 in the 3rd quarter. But that's okay. We are in the playoffs!!! The top three teams from our district go and we are #3. So off we go to the bi-district game next weekend.

On the upside of today's game: Nathan threw a touchdown pass to Aaron, who then kicked the extra point. Aaron actually caught a few passes and made some good tackles.

We're glad this game is over!

Showing Our Stuff

Last week we played the #1 ranked team in the state. Next week we play the #2 ranked team in the state. Tonight we got a chance to show our stuff instead of being pounded into the ground. We won, 64-16 just after the beginning of the 4th quarter. It was a very fun game. Two of our scores were kick returns. We also scored a safety.

Aaron pulled in two touchdown passes, one from his brother, one from the running back. He also made one really great tackle, helped with a couple of others and made all 7 of his PATs!

Nathan had a great passing game. He did get picked once and he had a couple of balls hit the receivers in the hands and get dropped (and a couple of those drops were by Aaron!), but he threw a total of four touchdown passes and, except for the interception, really didn't throw an awful pass.

It feels kind of like ending on a high note being that it was the last home game of the season. In reality, the season will probably end with two really ugly losses. But we are a young team, and tonight's game bodes well for the future.

update 2

well this week has been a pretty busy week for me

we had our first really flag football game against the phi mu, who are known for their blitz

the game went to triple overtime in triple overtime i had a pick and threw the winning touchdown pass

also we had an open night mic at the bcm which brought in a lot of people who dont normally come that we were able to witness to and tomorrow we have a harvest hoedown

the pictures above are just of some of my friends

A Drumming

We played the #1 ranked 6-man private school in the state last night. Need I say more? It was a drumming, ending at halftime with a score of 52-0. I guess it could have been worse. We did have one player injured on the opening kickoff (collarbone), but other than that we are thankful we made it through without further injury.

Nathan did his best, but our one senior player--our center--was sick and didn't suit up, so we had a freshman back-up in place. That meant not only snap miscues, but defenders basing through the line and creaming Nathan, usually before he had time to do much of anything. He did end up completing a couple of passes--one nice, long one to his brother--but he also threw two interceptions that, I believe, were both returned for touchdowns.

It was our first game to be shut out this year. On our final drive of the game we had a shot at the end zone, but the ball (thrown by the junior who is now running back instead of quarterback) was just beyond Aaron's fingertips.

Mostly we are just glad this game is over. Two games left for this season--three if things hold as they are and we play in the bi-district game.

Update

well i was told i need to write on the blog more so here is my update

im playing flag football and my teams name is P21 based upon the verse phil 2:1 and we had our first scrimmage today

we won 34-0 i had 2 rushing tds and 2 passing tds and a couple "tackles" on defense i believe the season starts sometime next week but ill do my best to keep it updated

for those of you who are still doubting my ability aka aaron and nathan pictures and video will be soon to follow

as for everything else all is going good i think i was told today i only have 5 more weeks til finals or something like that i actually have my first final a week from today so im doing some studyin on that and it is the sanitation final so when i pass that exam i will be certified by the national restaurant associate in that area.... i hope getting this certificate does not change the expectations of how clean i will be in the kitchen at home... just kidding also i think next week we get measured for our chef coats which is pretty exciting

anyways ill do my best to update more in the future

Another Big Win!

We went into our first district contest as the underdogs--and we came out as winners! With 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Aaron kicked the final PAT to end the game with the score of 60-15. Another amazing game. We scored 8 touchdowns. Aaron made 6 of his 8 PATs.

Nathan played quarterback again. He did great, but he did throw an interception early in the game (but the other team didn't score on the drive afterward). He also got his first really hard hit when a defender burst through the line and sacked him before he could even get set to throw. He even got to catch a ball and did a nice spin move on his short run! He completed 8 of 10 passes for 108 yards. Two of those passes were for touchdowns.

Aaron had a great game, too. Besides his kicks, he had two catches for 11 yards. He also got an interception and caused a fumble. He had a few other tackles and had one or two other balls that he came very close to intercepting.

All in all, a very good night for those Mateer boys!

Homecoming PIctures, Part 2

Homecoming PIctures, Part 1

Most of these are of Aaron. I'll get more of Nathan later today (I hope!).

Aaron and Lana after the pep rally and at halftime, as the Junior class prince and princess. (I thought this picture was appropriate since they talked the whole time they were out on the field!)

After the big win!

Don't they both clean up well? And their dates were gorgeous!

Part 2 pictures coming soon!

WOW! What a Game!

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.