On Ye Bulldogs...
My high school, the Midland High, "Fightin' Bulldogs", have had the longest non-playoff drought in the large school division of high school football in the State of Texas. 51 years. That's 51 years of not being quite good enough to be playing after the regular season. We've had some good teams mind you....just not quite good enough. Our cross town rivals the Lee Rebels have gone to the playoff's almost every year for decades and have the distinction of being the only HS to win the State Championship three years in a row. And this was recently. In our district this year, two of the teams were ranked in the state top 10 all season.
Well after 51 years the Fightin' Bulldogs finally got a playoff spot this year. Most of us thought that if they won one post season game, that would be great and we would all be proud and call it a great season. No one, I suppose, except the players, thought that they would be playing in the State Championship. But that is exactly what happened today. And I'm drained! Their opponents from San Antonio, Converse Judson, are a periennial playoff favorite and have won 5 state championships.
Oh, what a hell of a game. I think it has to be ranked right up there among the top championship games ever played, a sentiment echoed elsewhere. In Texas the game is televised statewide, so we got to see every play. MHS went up easily and early 13-0. Then Judson game back strong to take the lead 24-13. But MHS has always been a second half team and they came back late in the 4th quarter to trail only 27-25. But with only 55 seconds left, we had to expect a miracle......and the miracle came in a long pass and a TD to Zach Sledge, who lives down the street from me. Midland leading 32-25 with 17 seconds on the clock. Dare we hope?
We had endured emotional agony in the 4th quarter to get to this final 17 seconds. But more was to come. Judson threw a bomb of their own and scored the final points......I don't know when I've been this drained. Losing by one point in the final seconds is a gut wrenching experience. But what, other than winning, is the alternative? To lose by a wide margin, and have people say that you shouldn't have been there in the first place. No, this game could have gone either way, been won by either team. But it was one hell of a year for these kids who were not supposed to be in the playoffs at all. Someday soon I hope that they will realize this.
Final score:
Converse Judson: 33
Midland High: 32
My high school, the Midland High, "Fightin' Bulldogs", have had the longest non-playoff drought in the large school division of high school football in the State of Texas. 51 years. That's 51 years of not being quite good enough to be playing after the regular season. We've had some good teams mind you....just not quite good enough. Our cross town rivals the Lee Rebels have gone to the playoff's almost every year for decades and have the distinction of being the only HS to win the State Championship three years in a row. And this was recently. In our district this year, two of the teams were ranked in the state top 10 all season.
Well after 51 years the Fightin' Bulldogs finally got a playoff spot this year. Most of us thought that if they won one post season game, that would be great and we would all be proud and call it a great season. No one, I suppose, except the players, thought that they would be playing in the State Championship. But that is exactly what happened today. And I'm drained! Their opponents from San Antonio, Converse Judson, are a periennial playoff favorite and have won 5 state championships.
Oh, what a hell of a game. I think it has to be ranked right up there among the top championship games ever played, a sentiment echoed elsewhere. In Texas the game is televised statewide, so we got to see every play. MHS went up easily and early 13-0. Then Judson game back strong to take the lead 24-13. But MHS has always been a second half team and they came back late in the 4th quarter to trail only 27-25. But with only 55 seconds left, we had to expect a miracle......and the miracle came in a long pass and a TD to Zach Sledge, who lives down the street from me. Midland leading 32-25 with 17 seconds on the clock. Dare we hope?
We had endured emotional agony in the 4th quarter to get to this final 17 seconds. But more was to come. Judson threw a bomb of their own and scored the final points......I don't know when I've been this drained. Losing by one point in the final seconds is a gut wrenching experience. But what, other than winning, is the alternative? To lose by a wide margin, and have people say that you shouldn't have been there in the first place. No, this game could have gone either way, been won by either team. But it was one hell of a year for these kids who were not supposed to be in the playoffs at all. Someday soon I hope that they will realize this.
Final score:
Converse Judson: 33
Midland High: 32
