2012 IHSAA Football, Week 1
Tonight my dad and I visited West Branch’s Little Rose Bowl to see the Bears take on the Lisbon Lions.
Ahhh — football.
Before kickoff, the announcer reminded everyone that nine months has passed since either team played. It has been a long dry spell without “Friday night lights,” and for football in general. But I was able to manage this off-season surprisingly well. I love Friday nights at high school football games and was expecting tonight to be one of those special opening nights when all the talk of late-summer practice and two-a-day’s ends and the season finally begins. But I did not get that sense tonight. I was excited, but not that excited. I think, perhaps, it has to do with the fact it is August 24 — way too early, as I have said, for high school football. And this is technically the second week of the Iowa high school season.
ANYWAY. Kudos to my dad for bringing lawn chairs tonight. When we visited the Little Rose Bowl last year, we stood at the top of the grassy hill along the home stand or sat on benches placed along a street guardrail. It was hella uncomfortable and kind of annoying. We sat at the top of the grassy bank again tonight, but this time in the comfort of our folding chairs.
We arrived pretty early, but there was already a good crowd and the players were warming up on the well-manicured field. A crew of roofers was prying shingles from a home just south of the stadium. For the record I want to say I have a lot of respect for roofers. They work their asses off. I could never do what they do. I could also never work well into the evening. Amazingly, the roofers were working on that roof long after twilight, when the stadium lights started to really take affect. Those guys deserve beers.
Back to the game. Lisbon is the defending state champs in 1A. Coming into the game, the Lions were riding a 14-game winning streak. Apparently, though, they lost a ton of talent to graduation and their 2012 squad only features six seniors. On the other side of the ball, the Bears had a stout defense and excellent backfield on offense. Running back Cade Jones made his presence felt early along the outside edges. The Bears broke the scoreless deadlock of the first few drives with a rushing touchdown, then scored again to make it 14-0.
I wanted to see a good, balanced battle between the teams, and for the most part I got just that in the first half. The Lions bumbled their way down the field and ate up a ton of clock. The Bears hurt themselves with penalties and Lisbon’s wily QB found seams in the line for chunks of yards. The Lions’ slow march down the field ended in a touchdown and the halftime score was 14-7.
So: when it comes to marching bands, I am accustomed to City High’s. Traditional, organized (at least until the third quarter), active throughout the game, and presentable in their uniforms. West Branch’s band? Not so much. Throughout the entire first half, band members were carrying instruments down the home sideline from an equipment trailer parked behind the south endzone. Drums, a speaker, a keyboard. I could hear them play the fight song each time the Bears scored, but pop songs played over the sound system provided music during long pauses in the game. Wrrrrong! So wrong for high school football. Not only that, but the band members were walking around wearing cheap, teenybopper Ray-Ban knockoffs and few were wearing their full uniforms. It was laidback, to say it kindly. However, they got it together at halftime and played a couple songs. A number of the reserve football players exchanged their jerseys and pads for instruments, and I even noticed a cheerleader playing the xylophone. The best, though, was the kid in the Bear mascot costume playing the trombone. He had the costume head off but wore the furry bear suit while marching. Classy.
According to the scoreboard, the second half was anybody’s game until the Bears scored two unanswered touchdowns. Lisbon was able to drive the ball and really wore down the right side of the West Branch defense. They were inside the Bears’ 10-yard line twice but came away with nothing both time. Though the final score was 28-7, my dad mentioned on our way back to IC that the game was closer than the score indicated. I, however, never felt the game was in doubt. I got the impression that West Branch was in control the entire time on both sides of the ball. Except for a couple times when Lisbon’s confidence rose, the Bears stuffed the run on defense and ran at will on offense. All the Bears needed to do was put the pedal to the metal.
Next week I will probably be at good ol’ Bates Field for the Little Hawks’ home opener. They fell to Cedar Falls tonight, 28-14, but I think they should bounce back next Friday against Waterloo West.
Ahhh — football.
Before kickoff, the announcer reminded everyone that nine months has passed since either team played. It has been a long dry spell without “Friday night lights,” and for football in general. But I was able to manage this off-season surprisingly well. I love Friday nights at high school football games and was expecting tonight to be one of those special opening nights when all the talk of late-summer practice and two-a-day’s ends and the season finally begins. But I did not get that sense tonight. I was excited, but not that excited. I think, perhaps, it has to do with the fact it is August 24 — way too early, as I have said, for high school football. And this is technically the second week of the Iowa high school season.
ANYWAY. Kudos to my dad for bringing lawn chairs tonight. When we visited the Little Rose Bowl last year, we stood at the top of the grassy hill along the home stand or sat on benches placed along a street guardrail. It was hella uncomfortable and kind of annoying. We sat at the top of the grassy bank again tonight, but this time in the comfort of our folding chairs.
We arrived pretty early, but there was already a good crowd and the players were warming up on the well-manicured field. A crew of roofers was prying shingles from a home just south of the stadium. For the record I want to say I have a lot of respect for roofers. They work their asses off. I could never do what they do. I could also never work well into the evening. Amazingly, the roofers were working on that roof long after twilight, when the stadium lights started to really take affect. Those guys deserve beers.
Back to the game. Lisbon is the defending state champs in 1A. Coming into the game, the Lions were riding a 14-game winning streak. Apparently, though, they lost a ton of talent to graduation and their 2012 squad only features six seniors. On the other side of the ball, the Bears had a stout defense and excellent backfield on offense. Running back Cade Jones made his presence felt early along the outside edges. The Bears broke the scoreless deadlock of the first few drives with a rushing touchdown, then scored again to make it 14-0.
I wanted to see a good, balanced battle between the teams, and for the most part I got just that in the first half. The Lions bumbled their way down the field and ate up a ton of clock. The Bears hurt themselves with penalties and Lisbon’s wily QB found seams in the line for chunks of yards. The Lions’ slow march down the field ended in a touchdown and the halftime score was 14-7.
So: when it comes to marching bands, I am accustomed to City High’s. Traditional, organized (at least until the third quarter), active throughout the game, and presentable in their uniforms. West Branch’s band? Not so much. Throughout the entire first half, band members were carrying instruments down the home sideline from an equipment trailer parked behind the south endzone. Drums, a speaker, a keyboard. I could hear them play the fight song each time the Bears scored, but pop songs played over the sound system provided music during long pauses in the game. Wrrrrong! So wrong for high school football. Not only that, but the band members were walking around wearing cheap, teenybopper Ray-Ban knockoffs and few were wearing their full uniforms. It was laidback, to say it kindly. However, they got it together at halftime and played a couple songs. A number of the reserve football players exchanged their jerseys and pads for instruments, and I even noticed a cheerleader playing the xylophone. The best, though, was the kid in the Bear mascot costume playing the trombone. He had the costume head off but wore the furry bear suit while marching. Classy.
According to the scoreboard, the second half was anybody’s game until the Bears scored two unanswered touchdowns. Lisbon was able to drive the ball and really wore down the right side of the West Branch defense. They were inside the Bears’ 10-yard line twice but came away with nothing both time. Though the final score was 28-7, my dad mentioned on our way back to IC that the game was closer than the score indicated. I, however, never felt the game was in doubt. I got the impression that West Branch was in control the entire time on both sides of the ball. Except for a couple times when Lisbon’s confidence rose, the Bears stuffed the run on defense and ran at will on offense. All the Bears needed to do was put the pedal to the metal.
Next week I will probably be at good ol’ Bates Field for the Little Hawks’ home opener. They fell to Cedar Falls tonight, 28-14, but I think they should bounce back next Friday against Waterloo West.
