Tribute to a Great Team

Tonight was the BIG GAME--a playoff match between the undefeated Wolverines and the neighboring town of Pittsburgh.

By the end of the first half, the Wolverines were down 20-0. They had a few moments of offensive and defensive brilliance, but not enough to get into the end zone or keep the Pirates out.

After halftime, however, a revitalized team came out on the field. The score in the second half was 20-0, this time in favor of the Wolverines. With 38 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Pirates had the ball, and they were way too close to their own end zone for our comfort. But our defense stepped it up and kept them from scoring.

And so the game went into overtime. Sudden death overtime.

Each team was given four tries to score. The Wolverines managed to get a field goal, making the score 23-20. The Pirates took over and it looked pretty good for a moment, until, on their very last chance, they got the ball in for a touchdown.

Final score: 26-23, Pirates.

The guest bleachers went wild while the home side got very quiet. I watched as several of our guys sank to their knees on the field before rising up again to congratulate the winning team. The scene on the field was a riot of black and orange pirates players hugging and cheering, while the black and teal Wolverines dejectedly tried to console one another. I am sure a few of them were crying. A nearby police officer said, "This hurts, but at least they didn't lose 41-0. They played a great game."

And so they did.

This is one teacher who is proud as can be of the Wolverines. This group of young men has shown character and incredible cameraderie all season, and it was that "no 'I' in team" mentality, combined with a healthy dose of talent, that made them conference champs and such a source of pride in our community.

Also important to note is the fact that every single kid on the varsity team was eligible to play based on grades. Every kid had at least a 2.0 GPA. That in itself is something to be proud of.

So our community tonight is disappointed that we lost--but I don't think that anyone on the home side at the game tonight is disappointed in our team. How could we be?