I don't think we practiced particularly well during the first three days of last week. Homecoming week for a football team brings certain distractions for players, and distractions usually mean practice difficulties. Ft Pierce Westwood (4-1) is a talented team with lots of athletes, so we could not afford to take them lightly. We were ripe for an upset....especially coming off such an emotional win over district rival Centennial the week before. Also, Westwood was coming off a bye week which gave them an additional week to prepare for us. On Thursday , I had changed my mind. I thought our kids were focused and clicking in all phases of the game during our on/off run through. I felt better about the game driving home that evening.
The game itself started fast. On our first offensive series, we score quickly and took a 7-0 lead. On Westwood's first offensive series....the very first play, they hit us with a 79 yard pass and scored...then they completed a two point conversion making the score 8-7. I remember thinking that this game could be a real shootout after all. But, my worries were for nothing. We took control and scored on nearly every offensive possession while our defense locked them down. Our kids played very well; consequently, since we took a commanding lead, we were able to play a lot of players in front of the home crowd. We got through the game unscathed and healthy.
This week we can finally turn our attention to district rival Treasure Coast from Port St Lucie. This talented team have been beating the heck out of almost every team they have faced so far. They have great size with lots of team speed. Their old-school single wing offense is difficult to prepare for in a single week. Also, they are coming off a bye week as well, so they have an additional week to prepare for us. I hope we are able to field a competitive team against such a powerhouse program. I have a feeling I won't be sleeping much this week.
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On Saturday morning I drove to St Augustine to watch my six year old Grandson Grice play in a football game. It was so cool to watch these little guys get started in a sport which means so much to me. One thing that I have NEVER had to deal with are kids actually losing teeth while they are playing....so my 34 year's experience is limited at best. Grice came running off the field with his mouth full of blood. I walked up the the rope behind the bench, and called him over to me. Sure enough, a tooth was just hanging in his mouth. I asked if he wanted me to pull it out, and he quickly answered "NO PAWPAW" So, I said: "Look, you have 25 other teeth, rinse your mouth out with water and get back into the game" Sure enough, ole Grice runs back onto the field . The team Mom sort of looked at me funny, but did not argue, as I sent Grice back onto the playing field. I remember thinking Grice would probably spit out or swallow the tooth if he got hit hard enough. My daughter Kristin was working the sideline chains, so I had to make a decision. I am sure she would have agreed with my decision......I think. Truthfully, it was nice to see how tough Grice actually is. I was a proud PawPaw to watch him compete. I am glad he does not play the piano.
Later
GZ
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