Resting for Level 2

With Austin heading to East Lansing for tonight's Badgers/Spartans game, it's good that he had a lot of rest last night, playing just 6 snaps before the Ships went up 35-0 (all stats approximate).  Enjoy the recruiting trail, buddy, but when you get back here, hit the film, gym, and field hard.

10/8 Pulaski 37 - Lincoln 40 - Homecoming

The new sign.

(Update - for the Parade, Click Here; for the Pommers, Click here).

I kinda feel like like David After Dentist.  Seriously?  Did that just happen?  Did I dream that game?  I mean, as a sports fan, you watch hundreds of games - baseball, football, basketball, hockey, cricket, whatever - just WAITING and HOPING you get to watch a game like this.  You want to share in that experience, that MOMENT.  Because when it happens... Wow.  This was a once-in-ten-years-game.  This was MJ in Salt Lake draining the 19 footer over Bryon Russell.  This was 4th and 26 for Eagles' fans.  This really was "The Catch."  But now it's the new Catch.  I can't believe that Mr. Vance had two interceptions, a huge tackle on 3rd down late in the 4th, and it's foolish to even consider him for player of the game honors.  That's how incredible Eli's game was.

The game started out a little funny: Pulaski's kicker, who had been kicking 50 yard FGs during warm-ups, ripped a line drive on the opening kickoff that bounced into, and out of, and into, and out of, the Hammer's hands.  Pulaski recovered the fumble and it cost us 3 points.   Pulaski's kicker tried the same kick again on the ensuing kickoff: he was trying to nail someone on our front line and have the ball bounce back to a Pulaski player - an unconventional onside kick.  On the second kick, Eli snagged the ball out of the air.  Now, try and understand how difficult that is - the ball was kicked 15 yards away, right at Eli, with the kind of velocity you get from a kid who can hit 50 yard FGs.  It was an athletic play, which is an understatement, and it gave us excellent field position.

(Interesting side-bar: Eli's game wasn't perfect - it only seemed that way - he dropped an easy interception on the opening drive that would have saved 3 points.  But, really, I couldn't care less - Eli played as good of a game as you'll ever see a high schooler play.).

As we all know, the Ships went down 0-10 but roared back, scoring the next 20 points - halftime score 20-10.  Our touchdowns were scored on a Suzuki sweep right, a blocked punt by Eli recovered by Bubba for a TD, and a 40 plus yard TD reception that Tanner put right on the money to Eli.

We all know how the game ended: after going up by three scores, Pulaski realized all they had to do was pass (away from Mr. Vance, of course).  They erased the deficit and took the lead with 2 minutes left in the game.  Tanner promptly threw an INT (trying to force it to Eli) but the defense held.  And I gotta say, I was pissed off when I saw people leaving the game after Tanner's interception.  They deserved to miss the big finish.

Lincoln got the ball back with about 70 seconds left and 79 yards to go.  They got two first downs on receptions by Nick (yeah buddy), another on a crazy scramble by Tanner, and the final one on a pass interference penalty.  With 4 seconds on the clock, Coach D called a play that had 4 WRs from the shotgun formation.  Pistol split wide left and Nick was in the slot.  Eli was split wide right and some (sorry - I forgot) was slot right.  Nick and Pistol crossed (I couldn't tell if they were running post/corner routes or modified if they were modified) on their way to the end zone.  I'm pretty sure the same happened on the other side, but the HTR makes it sound like Eli ran a drag route.  Anyway, Pistol was the primary receiver and Tanner drew back and fired it into the 25 MPH winds... but the ball landed at least 7 yards from its target - Pistol.  Thank God Eli was also 7 yards from that target.  (How did the HTR miss that part of the story?  And, Tanner, did you even see Eli?  I hope you didn't, because that makes an even better story!)

One other note before we get to the pretty pictures: Pulaski got absolutely hosed by the refs.  Hosed.  I'm not complaining, of course, and you take the victory any way you can, but there was a fumble that was never called (Big Cat), a phantom pass interference that was called on Pulaski and shouldn't have been called (D. Dixon), on the final drive, the refs took far too long getting the clock going, giving our players more time to figure out what the hell they were going to do in the hurry-up offense.  I mean, sometimes the refs have a bad day, too.  We got lucky this time.  Very lucky.  Celebrate.  Enjoy the Conference Championship.  But recognize that if you don't fix that pass defense, someone is going to surprise you in the playoffs.  And we don't want that.  Now, let's see some pretty pictures.

Powder Puff Action

She lost the battle but won the war: Paige = Homecoming Queen.  I'll Krump to that!

Exciting action at Ron Rubick Municipal Field Wednesday night!  The junior powder puff squad upset the senior class for the first time in recent memory.  We'll blog that game over at Title IX by tomorrow night and provide a link to it here.  However, since the game prominently featured Nick and Jonah (as coaches for the victorious junior squad), and Paige, First Lady of one of our Men and your 2011 Lincoln Homecoming Queen, we had to put something related to the game on this blog.  Congrats to all the junior ladies for kicking some senior ass, and to Paige for taking it all so well.

------------------UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!------------------

Click HERE for the whole story.

 Click "Read more" for other versions of the above pic.

Meet a Half Man - Our Interview With Jonah

Nick is looking for the other half of Jonah.

(Editor's note: This is the second installment in a three-part series of weekly interviews with the men who make this blog happen.  Click here for Part I). 

I met the Short Order Cook at the library.  He was at a table completely surrounded by books: pre-calc, history, physics, the complete works of Shakespeare, four of the Sweet Valley Twins series, Beezus and Ramona, a devotional, a book about cats, and a "how-to" book. 

Pssst - hey - I'm over here. Hurry up, I don't have much time. Gotta get this pre-calc done or Mrs. DeRoche will have my half-ass.

I wanted to start at the beginning and ask the question that's been on everyone's mind this season: why stay so trim if he was going to snap the ball and battle the fatties?  Wasting no time, Jonah handed me a photo of him as a youth.  

When I was a kid, I was more one-and-a-half-man than half-man.  I got teased a little bit.  Look, I always had my special friends - Rebecca and Jessica were always there for me - but it was a traumatic experience.  I never wanted to feel that way again.  EVER.  So, no matter what position the coaches put me in, I'm always going to stay a half-man.  Hey, you're not going to use that picture on the website, are you?

Yes, yes I am.

God.  Really?  C'mon.  Well, at least let everyone know I'm holding a first place trophy in that picture.  First place for my haircut.  That cut was pretty cool back then.

Noted.  Now Jonah, we've heard you've been recently named a co-head coach of the Junior powder puff football team along with full-man, Nick.  Congrats, lil' buddy!

Thanks man.  It's really exciting.  Practices have been more intense than I ever imagined.  I really think the Juniors have a shot to win this year.  But Nick is spending all his time tutoring the quarterback. 

I explained that it made sense that Nick would work with the quarterback.

Sure, but he could do something else, too!  I mean, I'm already not sleeping.  I can barely watch game film.  I'm not showing up at student council stuff.  I need some help.  And have you SEEN how crazy some of these girls are?  Just look at this picture taken from practice yesterday:

Uhhh, Eden... I just want you to know you've always been my favorite sister-in-law, and I'm sorry for all the times I teased you.

Yes, girls can be crazy.  Nonetheless, it seems like he's doing just fine without sleep and watching game film.

Easy for you to say.  I'm under so much pressure.  No.  Literally.  Have you seen how fat the guys I have to block are?  They're enormous.  LOTS of pressure there, bro.  Also, I'm feeling a little under the weather. 

Deciding it would be better to leave and stay healthy than stay and risk illness, I got up to leave.

Hey - wait! You can't leave yet.  We haven't even talked about how brilliant I am.  You said the focus of the interview was gonna be on how I'm such great student and the other day Eden called me a "master debater."  Can't you write about how rare that is in football these days.

I'm not so sure it's hard to find master debaters on a high school football team, but, sure - let's talk about how brilliant you are. First, why "master debater?" 

Well, Eden and I were having this really high-minded discussion and, at the end, she conceded the point after calling me a "master debater."  

I'm not gonna touch that one.  How about schoolwork?

All A's.   They call me the Little Aristotle. 

I see you have a book on Shakespeare on your desk.  Do you have to read a Shakespeare play?

Yup.

I asked him which one, and he answered after scanning the book.

William.

Anything else?

I'm into politics.  You know, gotta follow the world and all.  

How about work - you have any part time jobs?

Yeah, I umpire in the summer for little league.

How sweet.  Any career aspirations?

Fireman, for sure.  Did you know that there was a fire in the Sheboygan South High School library last week?  They lost 60 books.

No.  That's awful.

Yeah.  But the real tragedy is 50 of them weren't colored yet.

Go Ships!