Life after the game – Not the end of the story

As I watched the Pagosa Pirates Football Team play their hearts out during the Bayfield game, I saw the hurt in the players. I knew there would be life after the game. It was the last game of the season, but far from the end of the story.

The score didn’t reflect the player’s determination, effort and heartache on the field and off the field. The boys of fall didn’t just show up on Friday night, they started training at the beginning of summer and officially started in August practicing every day getting ready for Pagosa Football Season 2014.

One player was hobbling off the field, turned around and went back into his position. He made several more tackles after that. Another one was made fun of from the smart-mouth announcer from Bayfield. I wanted to wring the announcer’s neck and put a sock in his mouth, but I was sitting on the other side of the field. Just as well, it wouldn’t have been a very pretty sight for a grandma to come unglued.

I understand why parents get so involved. They see what their child is going through. These young men are growing up and it hurts to see them struggle, but it’s necessary.

I would be amiss if I didn’t write this article. Our grandsons have graduated and gone on, but Friday nights under the lights are as real and poignant as the tears of the players and the heartbreak of the parents.

I remember last year when our grandson was kicked off the field during a home game for un-sportsmanship behavior. He had the one final game to play and he missed it. His senior football season was over. There wouldn’t be another game for him in his #72 jersey on the Pagosa Pirate field. He grew up on that field.

That was emotional for all of us at the time. I know it was just high school football, but it was a hard time. His uncles from New Jersey came to Pagosa just to watch him play. He wasn’t finished with the game of football. His whole life has been studying football and his career choice is to become a college football coach. We thought the un-sportsmanship call would ruin his changes and a college wouldn’t look at him.

Even though he excelled in wrestling his last year of high school, and was even offered wrestling scholarships for college, there was unfinished business with football.

He loves to come back to the Pagosa field on Friday nights just to support and cheer on his friends. He understands how much it matters to them. He has walked in their cleats.

Something on Pagosa’s field made him determine to go on to be the best football player on a winning team. He chose a college not for academics but one that has a winning football program.

The head coach said to his mom, “We can do so much with that passion and but we can’t give it to them. They have to be born with that fire in them. This is what we are scouting for!” They saw his potential, not by the wins or losses of his senior year’s team, but by his determination.

He will finish up what had been taken away from him. His College had a 42/0 record until a couple of weeks ago. They lost their winning streak, but are back to winning. They needed that wake up call to jolt them out of complacency.  I am learning you can be complacent even when you are winning. Hmm, that’s something to ponder on later.

My Sweet Al and I, along with his parents have been outfitted in red and blue and we are burning up the road again traveling to cheer on the CSU Pueblo Thunder Wolves. Our grandson is red shirting this year, and was named scout of the week from among 50 other redshirts.

Bayfield is always the last game of the season and also a rock in the shoe for Pagosa. My daughter said, “Our boys are so sweet, why does Bayfield treat them so badly?” My answer to her was, “Maybe we are growing tough men. And it hurts a lot.”

Bayfield is not going away. I noticed on their lineup a 6’4” sophomore who will be back next year.  The announcer for Bayfield will probably be back, too. He’s not go away either. But, the story is far from being over. I want to remind the young warriors of Pagosa they may not have won Friday night but their opponent was hurting the next day.  This is just the beginning of their next journey. When they are suiting up for a winning college team then they’ll understand the battle.

Final Brushstroke! Everything we experience today, even our failures are designed for tomorrow’s victory. You might change school colors, but you don’t change your passion for football and the determination to win.