Football Playoffs

Today Matt's 6th grade football team played a beautiful game. The game wasn't perfect, but from start to finish, every player gave 110%. Both teams left it all on the field. That is the definition of a beautiful game. It's football playoffs... so someone has to lose, but it was the kind of game where no team actually lost. One team's season ends and one team advances to the Semi-Finals of the Toy Bowl.

Well - We advanced!!!!

We were the underdogs by far - in Vegas, the other team would have been a sure bet if you asked anyone in the know. But did anyone ask the Knights? Because they had a plan of their own. I asked Matt what he thought. Plain and simple - he said, "We're gonna kick their butt!". He was convincing but I gave him my pep talk anyway regarding defense. You are fast, huge and strong and you better take down those little guys. Nobody gets passed you, nobody gets outside you, nobody jukes you...they have your ball... Get your ball back... Don't let them play with your ball... Sounds cruel I guess, but this is football not pre-school.

Matt getting his ball back!

FUMBLE!!! Recovered by Knights!

We took an early lead and had the momentum through most of the game - every tackle sounded painful - hey #11, meet our #12 - he's going to do it all. day. long. It was Hollywood-like. The other team came back and tied the game sending us into overtime. Each team gets 4 downs from the 10 yard line in OT.

They scored first in OT on a little Tim Tebow jump pass to a receiver who slipped by our safety. But they failed on the extra point attempt.

Our turn - we are 3rd and about 15 yards from the end zone. Mitch, the quarterback finds Matt in the end zone and...

TOUCHDOWN MATT BELL!!!!

Look how close #11 was to batting it down...

The crowd goes freaking wild. Mitch's Mom and I are hugging - and no, we've never hugged before. LOL Dad's are high-fiving. Everyone is yelling. Our extra point is almost always a sure thing. So imagine my confusion when the coach lines up to run it in vs. kick it. Holy Freaking Crap - what are we doing???? We pass it in and BOOM Connor dives and catches it. Extra point good - GAME OVER - we win 21-20. What a crazy game!

This, my friends, is the reason the boys practice in steamy hot weather, freezing cold weather, rain, mud, run "gassers", puke on the sidelines, listen to coaches yell at them 5 days a week. They have been doing it for 13 weeks - all so they have a chance to win the TOY BOWL (which equates to a city championship if you aren't from here). To have a game that ends like this. IT'S OVERTIME IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! It's crazy. It's football. We love it!