Just back from Orlando and I suppose I have to report on the High School Football State Championship. We started off game day at the Studios. I was talking to Junior at the turnstile about the game and the Citrus Bowl. He is excited about Wrestlemania coming there in April. He said the nosebleeds are $100. I know many of you would recognize Junior and I'm not sure the PC to describe him (little person?).
We got to the stadium at 11 and had a little advantage over some because we have been there for other games. So when the gates opened I told the kids the section and they took off. General admission is cool when one is prepared. We got seats in the front row on the 47 yard line. We saved seats for both Bob's and Roxy's friends. Our section filled quickly with loud teenage girls. I knew we were going to State when we beat Glades Central so I had gone to an embroidery place and had shirts made that were way cool. I want them to embroider State Champs on but the embroidery guy had principles? Think of all the things that you have read on a shirt that wasn't true?
When St. Augustine's Yellow Jackets took the field it was a little intimidating. They were big and tall. Six players on their team have already been recruited by BCS teams. The coach came out and did this awesome chest bump with at least 2 feet of ground clearance. Our Naples Golden Eagles came out and a bunch of the players had bleached their hair and got mohawks? I guess they were trying to look like Eagles.
I could tell that the crowd was going to be a factor when we won the coin toss it sounded as if we had won the game. We drew first blood with a touchdown. They responded with a hail Mary parachute ball in the end zone that reminded me of a basketball rebound because their 6'+ player jumped up and brought it down. Not much later they kicked a 51 yard field goal. Their kicker was outstanding and we were glad to hear that he is going to Florida. We were down 10-7 going into halftime. No one left their seats because our band is no of the best in the State. They even played a Nirvana song and did some of the best marching/dancing ever. Their band was weak dressed in black and trying some interpretive dancing crap with flags and you couldn't hear them.
The second half is when the crowd became a part of the action. We stood up the entire secnd half because we couldn't sit down. Girls were standing in our seats. Momentum swung our way when their center over shot their punter and he could get the ball so he kicked it the wrong way into the end zone. The crowd kind of looked at each other not knowing what it meant except for Bob who knew that it was a touchback. It took them a couple of minutes to get it figured out but the crowd responded with a tremendous roar. Neither offense could gain any yardage and we were cheering for the smallest gains or tackles. We made an interception, scored a touchdown and went for 2. We hadn't been able to run all day but somehow were able to get into the endzone for 2. We were so loud and excited that the cameramen from the local news and from the Sun Network were right in front of us shooting the crowd. We are ahead 17-10 and the Jackets start moving the ball. Less than 2 minutes to play and the damn clock wouldn't move fast enough! Cops and security lined the stadium walls so no one would rush the field because they had award ceremonies planned. The Yellow Jackets get down to about the 30 and throw an interception which meant the game and the place exploded. Cameramen came running and the little girls wanted to be on TV so they started pushing forward and a couple fell on Bobby's back pushing him into the railing. I thought it was going to be one of those deadly soccer match crunches.
Our QB took a couple knees and ran out the clock. The bird beat the bees. They did it. They did what no other team in Southwest Florida has ever done. They went 15-0 and won State! 31 of our players are seniors and only one had been approached and committed to a District 1 school. There were no hot dogs. They played as team since they were freshmen going 8-0 and they were undefeated as JV's. I'm convinced that they could have beat Miami Northwestern that day. And I think they would give the Dolphins a run for their money. I was really impressed with the sportmanship from both the players and the crowd. There were no boos. They clapped for the other team's player intros, crappy band, 2nd place awards and recovered injuries.
Congrats to the Naples Golden Eagles! You made me proud! I returned to work and about 20 emails saying they saw me on TV. The people at the hospital all said they saw Bob and everyone at Roxy's school said they saw her. There will be a parade down 5th Avenue in Naples Thursday and they are replaying the game on Christmas Day and we intend to relive it.
Mac!
let us know.
; my youngest always got sick around the holidays/school vacations too.
, mine tends to sieze - gave up the ship years ago
ranging from vasoline to sticking a sheet inbetween the door & frame. We live in a wind-tunnel of sorts where the brisk mt. air roars out of the woods & instantly freezes everything in it's path pia; even my Xmas lights had frost on them yesterday
!!!! Can you believe all this crap about mcnabbbaby??? "She said this I didn't say that" 
, she was like this yesterday morning too!!
Even though it would only take her 7 minutes to walk home from school 
Hang in there.... Hope your Dad breezes thru his surgery 
? if so post a link - let's call it "DIS help for Dummy" i.e. 
Good for them..... So, does that mean they are in the Citrus Bowl now? (gotta know who to root for) And....how did that tshirt 'go over' in the parks? 
