We got knocked out in the first tournament game. “Heartbreaking” was a term used more than once. We lost to a team that was solid, but not our better. We lost more than they won.

They won the toss, took the ball and just threw our defense for a loop with a “shock and awe” air attack unlike any I’ve ever seen unleashed by a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds. They quickly scored and went up 7 nothing. On out first offensive play, we fumbled and they recovered. They quickly struck again and we were down 14-0 before anyone even knew what happened. The rest of the first half was ugly on offense – penalties, fumbles, dropped passes, bad snaps. We were killing ourselves. Defense adjusted and stopped their attack for the remained of the first half. We went to halftime down 14-0.

We had the ball after the half and struck just as quickly as they had the first half. After an awfully close call at the goal line for the extra point (the refs said no) we were down 14-6. Our defense was brutal and we soon had the ball back. After a march down the field and a bad snap on the XP, we were down 14-12 in the 3rd quarter and you could just feel the momentum shift. This was ours for the taking.

Defense stopped them again and we headed into the 4th quarter with the ball, marching towards our inevitable win. I even said to my wife, “You can feel it. They just have to ride this momentum wave.” Just as we reached the Red Zone our main running back took the ball and – for the first time this season – fumbled it at the end of his run. We didn’t recover it.

Defense stepped up, but the other team was moving the ball. With less than two minutes and the ball inside the 15, our defense put on a show that had the stands going nuts. We got the ball back with no time outs and a little over a minute on the clock…and much like our only othe rloss of the season, time ran out on us. We were moving the ball again, we just didn’t have enough time.

Heartbreaking.

They boys won their preseason game, went 7-1 during the season and then lost the first post-season game to end the year. We lost those two games by a total of 3 points in situations where the clock ran out on us. That’s amounts to probably less than two minutes of game time between ending a 7-1 season too early and moving into round two of the tourney as an undefeated powerhouse.

8 months until summer practices begin.

Weird, ugly game today. Our defense delivered. Our offense didn’t. Final score 6-0.

We end the season one point away from undefeated. Now it’s tournament time.

Started off slow, but turned into a fun one with our boys really starting to gel and running away with it. Final score was 33-7. We even kicked an extra point instead of running or passing – virtually unheard of at this age level. The crowd went nuts.

Was supposed to be a 5pm game but the games before us ran way over and we ended up starting with a low sun and finishing with a sweet sunset under the lights. Just a really good time. It always feels like right when everything starts to get into a groove and get really fin, that the season is winding down. Only one more regular game and then the tournament – which is single elimination. So technically we could play as few as two more games or as many as six.

I’m hoping I’m still making these football posts come mid-November.