What a game! What an ending!
I know…despite the disappointment, life is generally
unchanged for almost everyone who cared about a Seahawks win…But last night, I
felt a significant sadness, and heaviness. I even wondered at the strength of
my reaction, and then, it came to me…
That crazy Snatch of Defeat from the Jaws of Victory was
just too reminiscent of a bad experience we have had with football before.
Back in 2002, Jess was a junior in high school, playing
football for Lynden Christian. He saw lots of playing time, and was called on,
during the playoffs to be the PAT kicker when the senior in that position
injured his knee. The Lyncs were having a great playoff run, as was Jess, and
they had made it to the semi-finals in the Tacoma Dome. A tough, back and forth
game against the Elma Eagles was played there. As the clock wound down to only
seconds left, the Lyncs had a slim lead (19-14) and possession of the ball –
but fourth down. The coaches called an unconventional play to seal the win. Our
quarterback kept the ball and ran backwards to our end zone to take a safety –
which would give the Eagles 2 more points, but would not allow them another
possession. LC would win 19-16.
Except for one little thing…
Our quarterback executed the play but as he ran out the back
of the end zone, he dropped the ball – IN the end zone. As spectators, we were
all trying to figure out just what had been pulled off. The play was so
unexpected! As we began to realize the game had been won…whistle blown, safety
signaled, score change registered on the clock, time expired…I saw the Elma
coach yelling and yelling at his boys. In response, one of the Eagles went to
the ball in the end zone, picked it up, brought it to the ref and showed him
that he had possession of the ball in the end zone…The ref signaled a touchdown…a
WHAT????...and all the refs ran off the field, no consultations with the
coaches. The scoreboard was adjusted to reflect the new score: Elma 20, LC 19.
It was just like last night: a moment of soaring elation
followed by a gut punch that seemed inexplicable, and was completely unexpected…And
a certain victory became a crushing loss.
And it all hinged on one little point of execution.
If you were feeling badly for the grown men who suffered
disappointment last night, you can imagine how we were feeling for the young
men of the Lyncs for whom this disappointment, and ensuing confusion about what
happened, was a big event in their lives.
We were sad for many days…and worried about our quarterback,
who had to carry more responsibility for his action than I think a kid that age
should.
The sadness and frustration might have been somewhat
mitigated if the refs had shown the grace to explain their ruling to our coaches
and team. Their lack of integrity on this point left everyone feeling that
there could be some injustice to the call that ended their season. And indeed,
there may still be some debate about it to this day.
In the end, it was a marvelous opportunity for our boys and
their coaches to show good character, and they did. Our quarterback handled
this challenge with amazing maturity and perspective. Our coaches, though
encouraged to protest, declined to do so. We would take our lumps, and not
cause a kafuffle for Elma. Rules are rules, and it’s true: life is not always
fair. They learned things about life, and values, and integrity that they would
not have if the game was won.
Best of all, our entire community showed a level of caring
and support for our boys that was an encouragement and a solace…for all of us,
moms included.
Jess was awarded the WIAA Sportsmanship Award for that game,
but that didn’t mollify him. To this day, he would rather have had the win…as
would every kid that was on the team. They don’t just remember that day; they
feel it.
…Just like I did last night when the Hawks won the game…except
for one little thing.
This time, I have the benefit of the hindsight of our first
experience. Some disappointments are great for a moment, but they pass. What happens is not as important as how you handle it.
I think we are seeing the Hawks handling this well (with the
exception of a few minutes of ignominy on the field…BOYS!). I’m admiring their willingness
to take the blame, to be grateful for the opportunity of playing, to compliment
their opponent, to just look ahead to what they will do next. I’ve seen good character.
Oh, yes, people remind us that it’s only a game…Regardless,
it can be used for good, in many ways.
Go Hawks!
