And we had it.
For the first half our kids looked like they hadn't played the game before. We gave up a TD with uncharateristic poor "tackling" and our offense sputtered. It wasn't until late in the half I realized why. In our league, you cannot blitz the middle or shoot the A gap (between the C & G). The Sooners were stacking three guys in the middle and bull rushing; of course, all of our plays blew up on the exchange.
It was poetic justice when Joshua scored to end the half. He's all offensive lineman - the biggest kid out there and he loves to block. Well, he says, "Coach, can I be the guy behind the center this time?" Everyone gets a chance to carry the ball, so I said yes, of course. He gets the snap took two steps around the bull rush and sprinted, as much as a kid his size can sprint, all the way down the field for a score. I thought his parents were going to jump over the goal post.
I finally got the other team's coach to get his kids on the right page in the second half and we looked more like our old self's again. We rattled off a few more long TDs and I was thrilled that our defense ended the game with the other team starting the last play at 4th and about 35.
Best of all, there was a kid on the other team who kept starting "extra curricular" activities - grappling and pushing long after the whistle. Our boys showed a lot of poise and didn't engage in any unsportsmanlike conduct. Why the boy's coach didn't say anything, I'll never know.
I'll be missing our Saturday game, with only two more to follow. I'll be sad to see the season end.
