Too Pooped to Post

Let's see, where were we? Oh, yes, heading off to a game. Where else would we be on a Saturday? After a not at all restful afternoon of printing photos and burning CDs full of pictures for the team and coaches, we headed out again for a game under the lights.

The boys love playing under the lights. There is something special about playing outside after dark and having the whole field lit up for the sole reason that you are there. Even some players who hadn't been at the last game arrived for this one. As one parent put it, there certainly weren't any other game conflicts at that time of night! While the boys warmed up, the parents got the news: Our #4 team was going up against the #1 team from south county. Yikes! The boys prepared and the parents worried. The game before ours was between the team our boys had battled to a 7-7 tie two weeks earlier. They played hard, but lost to their opponent.

As the boys took the field, we braced for a tough night. The good news was that tournament play has slightly different rules. Instead of playing 4 15-minute quarters, the boys played 2 24-minute halves. This kept things rolling and sharp-eyed officiating kept everything clean. It was quickly apparent that the other team was far more practiced than our boys. They were pretty well matched in size, but the other team was full of 6th graders who obviously practice together more than once or twice a week. Just as in every other tough game this year, our boys held on and never, not once, gave up. The final score was 10-2 and the season was really over. The boys were a little disappointed that this was the end, but they were justifiably proud of themselves. How many kids get to say that they went up against two #1 teams in a single day?

Today we had our team party and the posters and CDs were big hits with the parents. More memorable to the boys were the kind and true words spoken by the coaches about every boy. Young Man was lauded as being one of the best defensive players. Even his coach said that he was afraid of Young Man because he hits hard! Apparently it's not so bad to be one of the smaller players as long as you carry a big stick. Young Man's other claim to fame is that he always seems to get to the ball. To end the day, the coaches gamely took on the boys in a quick scrimmage and then they all played together in a roller hockey rink. That was a wild game! No pictures today because I am just too tired to pull up the camera and upload them. Now, it's time for sleep.

Gee, whatever will we do with our Saturdays now?