It started as I drove my truck over to The Citrus Bowl with a bed full of equipment which we were going to use during the game. The minute I opened my truck door, I could feel the excitement in the air. The smell of food (from the many food trucks on premises) permeated my nose and made me hungry. I could hear the familiar sounds of the marching band warming up on the field, and to me the drums sounded fantastic. When the band broke out into "War Chant" I got chill bumps on my arms. I set up our 'Hudl' Instant Replay system down in the end zone; then, I moved onto our sideline to set up the high-tech electronics to run it on the field. Once I was satisfied with the field equipment, I moved into the press box to set up the 'Hudl' equipment up there. I also made sure our headphone setup was working correctly. My buddy and team technical expert Chris Hiser was also up there checking out his equipment and coordinating it with my stuff. Once we were both satisfied everything was working, I finally looked out of the press box windows to take in the view. The opposing team (Treasure Coast) was coming onto the field to warm up. The grandstands were starting to fill with fans from both sides. This was it....game time was quickly approaching. I needed to throw up.
I feel like we have been through a war this year. Our schedule has been murderers row since the first week of the season, and last night's game was no exception. Treasure Coast (TC) came into The Citrus Bowl with a 5-1 record against quality opponents. Their single wing offensive attack is not commonly seen in high school football at this level, so it is very difficult to prepare for in a single week. Their offensive line is huge, so they just line up and push you off the ball...3-4 yards at a time. Nothing fancy....just brute strength. Same goes with their defense....big defensive line and linebackers who control the line of scrimmage and create all sorts of issues to deal with. Facing a rested TC is difficult enough on its own, but we have not had an off-week since early summer. However, we felt pretty good for this ball game. We had a good week of practice and the defense did the best they could to prepare for their unusual offense. Our kids are tired and nicked up, and we desperately would welcome our bye week in the schedule.
The game went pretty much as we expected. Both teams exchanged blows (and the lead) all game long. We could not stop them and they could not stop us. Finally....late in the forth quarter, with them driving the ball, we were facing a 4th down and less than a yard for the first down. We desperately needed a stop right here. We were wondering if they were going to kick a field goal (to tie the game) or if they were going to try and get a first down and keep their drive going. Just as I figured, they lined up and were going for a first down...they had been driving the ball up and down the field all game long with success so why wouldn't they? They snapped the ball, handed it to their best running back, and.........we stuffed the play! No gain and no first down. Our defense saves the day again! We went into our victory formation and ran the clock out to end the game. Our kids fought hard and pulled out a victory.
We are finally in our bye week. We will use this time to rest, get healthy, and get our legs back under us. Personally, I am exhausted both physically and mentally, so I welcome the few days off myself. Still, I feel so lucky to be a part of this program so late in my career.
GZ
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