By Zack Cunningham/sportsreporter@trcle.com
September 29, 2008 05:00 pm
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You’ve got to love the fall.
I know, I know. It means back to school for most of us (not me) and that is not usually something that people and kids are going to rave about. After all, the newfound chill in the air is usually associated with tests, papers and tardies.
Let me offer you a new insight.
When I feel the temperature dropping, I think of playoffs. I think of teams whether it be football or baseball clubs entering that point in the season where they play the meaningful part of the schedule. This is the time of year when a season is made or broken.
Joshua head football coach Phil Shaffer put it to me very effectively earlier this past week in an interview.
In reference to their district opener this past Friday against Crowley, Shaffer shared the following:
“We finished the first season 2-1. Now the real season begins. Four guys are going to end up 0-1 at the end of Friday night and the other four will be 1-0. I expect us to be 1-0.”
Nearly every area team has either started its district schedule or will in the next few weeks.
Regarding baseball on the pro level, the playoffs start within the next 10 days. Teams are racing to the finish line and some won’t even clinch their spots until the last few games of the season. Last Thursday, there were two thrilling walk-off wins in one night and they both had huge implications on the playoff picture. The Mets hit a game-winning single against the Cubs to win 7-6 and the Brewers hit a walk-off grand slam to tie New York in the National League Wild Card standings.
And who can forget the USC-Oregon State game on Thursday night? With conference play bearing the same weight at the collegiate level as district play does for high school, the Trojans’ conference run took a severe blow as the Beavers pulled off the upset 27-21. USC was the near-unaminous No.1 team in the entire country and 1-2 team beat them behind a 5-6 running back who rushed for 186 yards! It goes to show you how important doing well in your own conference or district is. Any team can pull the upset and surprise you even if you’re heavily favored and if you take them lightly.
This is what the fall is all about. It’s about teams making a statement when it really counts. And as we witnessed this past week, there are plenty of thrills along the way and there’s no reason why their shouldn’t be more as the mercury drops.
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