A Curtain Begins Its Fall

Well, the 2007 High School Football regular season has drawn to a close, with the Warriors pulling out a one point win at LaVergne. One of the biggest wins of the season, giving us another unbeaten regular season, and I was sidelined again...nearly recovered from a nagging sore throat. I probably should have toughed it out, but I figured it was worth it to rest my voice a little.

I realized on Thursday night that this might be the end. My Warrior football games are numbered, anyway, with a slate of five more being a best case scenario. But let's face facts--playoff games are much tougher to get into than regular season games, and there is going to be a lot more hype and coverage, meaning more competition for space. Had I been able to keep my mini-recorder, I would be able to do my play call from anywhere, but the quality was too low for my tastes (not to mention the lack of a display, which kept me from noticing I'd hooked up the wrong headset until the 4th quarter while at Lebanon), and it was far too expensive.

Aside from those considerations, and the cost of gas, we've also got to consider that this is the playoffs. While Riverdale has played like a champion to this point, winning big and winning close, the simple fact remains--one mistake, one loss, and you are done. There is no doubt in my mind that this Big Red Machine team can make it to and win state, especially after blowing out Wilson Central on Homecoming. However, looking at the schedule, it's a virtual Murderer's Row...after hosting Warren County (5-5) we would get a scrappy Coffee County Red Raider team (currently 6-4) or the same Wilson Central Wildcats (8-2) team we embarrassed at homecoming for their first loss of the season. WCHS is coming off a hard-luck home loss to Smyrna to close out the year, so you can bet they will be fired up for the Raiders.

In the quarterfinals, we would be on the road, and it's essentially pick your poison: The 4-seed, Lebanon (5-5), held the Warriors to single scores in each quarter and cut the lead to 21-14 with little more than 2:30 to go, before the Warriors powered in an insurance touchdown as time expired--our only score of the 4th quarter, and our first points in 17 minutes of play. There's the wild card, Cookeville (7-3), who lost to Coffee County, but also Lincoln Co. (8-2) and a tough out-of-region test to 4A Cleveland, TN. By the way, the three losses were by a combined 13 points. Lincoln County's lone other loss was a debilitating shutout at the hands of Blackman. We held a Falcon team decimated by injuries and suspensions to 5 first downs and 68 yards of total offense in a 28-0 Week 3 blowout here in the 'Boro. RHS returned a fumble on a 4th down run attempt for a score (after a lateral to get the ball out of trouble) and blocked a punt to set up another; obviously, LCHS would be anxious to avenge such a humiliating loss, especially, especially since they haven't lost since, and they would get their chance at revenge in "The Pit." And the last option? Smyrna, the defending state champs. They knocked us out last year en route to the gold (after we lit them up early in the year, I believe)...and this year, it took a score with 40 seconds left to give us the nail-biting W.
Surviving that would mean we host one of the hardcore teams from East Tennessee, with the winner going to State. Despite the good records of the Nashville area teams, a couple of unbeaten, one-loss, or two-loss teams, and my non-area faves like Independence and Dickson County, let's just be honest here...whoever survives this half of the state title bracket will have pretty much already won the title. Unless an unbeaten powerhouse shows up on the other side, I doubt it will even be a game.

To get back to the crux of what I was saying before I began my analysis of the road to the Blue Cross Bowl, one loss ends your season now, and while the Warriors are very capable of winning out, the competition only gets tougher, and especially in the Mid-State just about anybody can beat anybody.

I likely will get the green light for Friday's scrap with the Pioneers...but beyond that, it's game to game. It depends on who all is coming to the game, and if I can get access to broadcast (and if I have to pay as well, to a lesser degree). If something should block me from coming this Friday, it becomes all the more likely that my RHS broadcasting career is already over, concluding with the homecoming broadcast against Wilson Central.

I won't talk like this is already the end; I've got five more possible games as far as I'm concerned, until I hear otherwise. But if my tenure on the hill beside Stones River is over, it's been an incredible run. Six years, six dominating runs, a state title call...numerous players from both RHS and the opposition not only performing well in the games I called but stepping up to the college level as well...all the sights, sounds, and experiences. I'll never forget any of it.

I'll go more in depth when I'm sure this chapter's complete, but until then, I just have one thing to say....Thank you.