Friday Night Lights 2013: Second Round
Tonight was a high school playoff edition of Monday Night Football. The MNF theme music was even playing when my dad and I arrived at Solon’s football field for the West Delaware–Solon matchup.
Why did we go to Solon? Before leaving, my dad jokingly asked me, “So which side do you want to sit on? Clayton Ridge or Regina?” I shot him a dirty look and said, “We’re not going to that game.” He laughed but added that he would like to see Clayton Ridge give Regina a run for their money. (Literally.) I knew there was a fat chance of that happening — Regina was going to romp — so we opted for WD–Solon, assuming the game would be competitive and close.
It wasn’t.
WD received the ball to open the game and made progress on the ground until a fumble, which rolled backward and slipped through the hands of a couple Solon defenders, forced third-and-extreme. WD punted after the next play. It was partially blocked and Solon recovered inside WD territory. The Spartans worked the ground and their QB kept it himself for the eventual touchdown. That was the theme throughout the first half.
WD could do nothing against Solon’s defense. Exacerbating the situation, WD’s quarterback looked to have suffered a concussion while playing defense. He roamed the sideline, his head down, his helmet nowhere in sight, for the rest of the game. It was a tough break.
Solon, however, continued to roll. On their second drive, the Spartans’ QB scampered seventy-eight yards for a TD. After another WD three-and-out, Solon returned the punt to the WD twenty yard line and the QB punched the ball into the end zone from two yards out. The PAT failed.
Speaking of PATs, each successful attempt Solon’s announcer shouted “Good!” However, the way he said it — hasty and abrupt — made it sound like he was saying “Goop!” or “Goal!”
After throwing an interception, WD stopped Solon on fourth down, then were stopped themselves for another three-and-out. Solon’s QB went back to work with a 32-yard TD run. (“Goop!”) It was not even halftime and the score was 27–0 — in a game my dad and I thought would be competitive. After another WD three-and-out, a 78-yard pass set up a five-yard TD run and two-point conversion to push Solon’s lead to 35–0.
My dad relished the beat down. Western Delaware is located in Manchester, a town my dad has no love for. He lived there for a short time as a kid and he said he never liked it. I will say, though, that the WD faithful represented in numbers; the visitor’s stand was pretty full. Plus, WD brought its band. I have no clue if it was the whole marching band, but it sat in the stands and played as if it were a home game. At halftime, the band battled it out with the music blaring from the scoreboard.
The clock ran constantly with the 35-point lead and Solon returned the second half kickoff to the WD six, punching it in on a four-yard keeper. With the PAT (“Goal!”) the score was 42–0. After Solon intercepted a pass along the sideline, the second team offense took the field for valuable game experience. The reserves were no match for WD’s first team, going three-and-out. When WD took over, the offense pounded the ground, gaining big chunks of yards on their first sustained drive since the game’s first. At the end of the third quarter, my dad and I left. As we walked back to the parking lot, the visitor’s side erupted as WD’s running back scored on a 33-yard run.
The final was 49–20.
As we left, I realized that this was the end of the 2013 edition of Friday Night Lights. The playoff semifinals are played in the UNI-Dome so there will be no more home football games until next August.
Why did we go to Solon? Before leaving, my dad jokingly asked me, “So which side do you want to sit on? Clayton Ridge or Regina?” I shot him a dirty look and said, “We’re not going to that game.” He laughed but added that he would like to see Clayton Ridge give Regina a run for their money. (Literally.) I knew there was a fat chance of that happening — Regina was going to romp — so we opted for WD–Solon, assuming the game would be competitive and close.
It wasn’t.
WD received the ball to open the game and made progress on the ground until a fumble, which rolled backward and slipped through the hands of a couple Solon defenders, forced third-and-extreme. WD punted after the next play. It was partially blocked and Solon recovered inside WD territory. The Spartans worked the ground and their QB kept it himself for the eventual touchdown. That was the theme throughout the first half.
WD could do nothing against Solon’s defense. Exacerbating the situation, WD’s quarterback looked to have suffered a concussion while playing defense. He roamed the sideline, his head down, his helmet nowhere in sight, for the rest of the game. It was a tough break.
Solon, however, continued to roll. On their second drive, the Spartans’ QB scampered seventy-eight yards for a TD. After another WD three-and-out, Solon returned the punt to the WD twenty yard line and the QB punched the ball into the end zone from two yards out. The PAT failed.
Speaking of PATs, each successful attempt Solon’s announcer shouted “Good!” However, the way he said it — hasty and abrupt — made it sound like he was saying “Goop!” or “Goal!”
After throwing an interception, WD stopped Solon on fourth down, then were stopped themselves for another three-and-out. Solon’s QB went back to work with a 32-yard TD run. (“Goop!”) It was not even halftime and the score was 27–0 — in a game my dad and I thought would be competitive. After another WD three-and-out, a 78-yard pass set up a five-yard TD run and two-point conversion to push Solon’s lead to 35–0.
My dad relished the beat down. Western Delaware is located in Manchester, a town my dad has no love for. He lived there for a short time as a kid and he said he never liked it. I will say, though, that the WD faithful represented in numbers; the visitor’s stand was pretty full. Plus, WD brought its band. I have no clue if it was the whole marching band, but it sat in the stands and played as if it were a home game. At halftime, the band battled it out with the music blaring from the scoreboard.
The clock ran constantly with the 35-point lead and Solon returned the second half kickoff to the WD six, punching it in on a four-yard keeper. With the PAT (“Goal!”) the score was 42–0. After Solon intercepted a pass along the sideline, the second team offense took the field for valuable game experience. The reserves were no match for WD’s first team, going three-and-out. When WD took over, the offense pounded the ground, gaining big chunks of yards on their first sustained drive since the game’s first. At the end of the third quarter, my dad and I left. As we walked back to the parking lot, the visitor’s side erupted as WD’s running back scored on a 33-yard run.
The final was 49–20.
As we left, I realized that this was the end of the 2013 edition of Friday Night Lights. The playoff semifinals are played in the UNI-Dome so there will be no more home football games until next August.
