Today is the start of high school football. At least as I type this story it is. When this story runs Hardee High School will either have beaten or lost to Fort Meade High School and maybe even played their second game as well.
My youngest brother Jonathon plays for the Wildcats. This is the last of the Kelly boys, children actually to go through Hardee High School for a while at least. I’m sure the high school teachers are breathing a little easier to know that little fact.
Earlier this summer, Jonathon was recognized as the favorite uncle by my youngest child, but only because Jonathon was crazy enough to get on the tube at Lake June while I was driving the boat. To all the other uncles, I understand I wouldn’t want to get behind a boat with me driving either.
Tonight my family is planning on going to the Tavares Bulldog versus the Umatilla Bulldog season opener. My wife teaches at Tavares High School and several of the members of this years team are in her math classes. They been asking her to come to the game since school started.
At times like this I miss being around High School Football. I miss knowing the play that is about to be run on the field. I miss hearing the hit, seeing the action up close. I miss repairing helmets at halftime, teaching guys how to block, catch, run and focus when things are live and crazy on the sidelines.
I don’t miss however the long hours, the sweat, the hot August, September, October afternoons after school. I was thinking the other day, “dadgum it is hot, glad I’m not at football practice.”
So tonight I’ll coach from the bleachers. I’ll suggest a play that would have worked better, mention a technique that might get someone in better position to make a play or even comment what in the world are they running that play for? All the while forgetting I used to be one of those guys down there. I used to laugh at all the Monday morning quarterbacks in the stands. I used to think don’t they know we are dealing with teenagers.
How easily we forget. How easily we place all our hopes and dreams on a bunch of teenagers. On a bunch of guys to win a football game.
Well, I didn’t finish this column in time so now I’ll update it for you. Hardee is off to an undefeated season, and Tavares is 3-1, the Gators are still undefeated too and the Bucs well, they may never win again, back to my column.
Even in college most of the players on the field are under 22 years of age yet we still expect them to be perfect. We forget they are people sometimes, real live humans, not X-box 360 characters we have designed or a member of our Madden All-Star team. We forget these people can get hurt, get sick or worse die. As we have seen recently people get sick and people get hurt, we are quick to forget this can happen.
My brother John got real sick a couple years ago and had to miss his whole season basically. The Gator team has been and many others have been struggling with the flu and other sickness issues. Sam Bradford could have been playing in the NFL this year is out injured with a shoulder injury, Tim Tebow thought to be invincible and nicknamed Superman was knocked out cold in a game against Kentucky.
So just remember as you scream at the top of your lungs for your favorite player or team this week that you keep in mind who you are cheering for on the field. They are a bunch of teenage guys who at times look invincible, incredible and amazing, but in reality are very real. Which means they will jump off sides, hit somebody late at the wrong time, forget to run out of bounds, throw interceptions, fumble and make a lot of mistakes off the field too.
Remember to enjoy the game. Enjoy watching these guys having fun doing what they are doing, not “shaming” them or “be-littling” them for not living up to your expectations.
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