2012 IHSAA Football, Week 5

Question: since Iowa’s athletic program has a policy of not scheduling games against teams named after Amerindian tribes, why are the Hawkeyes playing the Chippewas tomorrow? I have no clue, but whatever. It seems very hypocritical.

Tonight my old man and I paid a visit to Solon’s sparkling new football and track facility to see the Spartans host the Central Sabers from DeWitt. Where is DeWitt? I was pretty sure it was somewhere near Davenport and it is: twenty-five or so miles north on US Highway 61.

It was a beautiful night for high school football. Our long, very hot summer ended very chilly tonight. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a jacket. I covered my head with my hoodie and kept my hands in my pockets. My breath hovered in the cold air. It was awesome — but really cold.

The game pitted head coaching brothers — Mike and Kevin Miller — against each other, and Mike’s Sabers took control early. Central recovered the muffed kickoff and drove the ball down a short field for seven points. Solon fumbled on the ensuing drive and the Sabers recovered and capitalized a few plays later, punching the ball into the end zone to push their lead to 14-0.

Things settled down after that, though Solon could not move the ball at all. The Spartans dominated CCA last week; they were bigger, stronger, and much more talented than the Clippers. Tonight, though, the tables seemed to be turned; it was the Spartans who found themselves overmatched.

However, after halftime the momentum began to shift. Solon strung together a couple plays and eventually found the end zone. Their PAT was blocked. As my old man and I were making our way out after the beginning of the fourth quarter, Solon scored again. They missed a two-point conversion, so the score was 14-12 when we left. (It felt so good to turn the heater on in the car.)

I just checked the final score on KCRG: Solon 18, Central 14. Frankly, from what I saw, the worst team won. However, much like the Hawkeyes always seem to do, the better team was playing not to lose instead of to win.

Popular Posts