From the
Upper Deck
Seems Like It Was Only Yesterday
By Jim Steele
steele@mckenziebanner.com |
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It just seems like a few days ago that football fans
were huddled together on a cold night around a sand pit
in Memphis.Whitehaven High School was the site,
Memphis-Mitchell was the opponent and the event was the
Class 2A state semifinals.
I've covered a few state quarterfinal and semifinal
games before where the local bunch takes on a somewhat
unfamiliar squad. Pearl-Cohn of Nashville, Brentwood
Academy, Colliwood, Briarcrest, David Lipscomb come to
mind. You look across the field and see the opponent
warming up and you try to size them up.
There always seemed to be a certain psychology to the
pre-game ritual. I remember it in tennis and baseball.
You watched how a guy hit his serves or groundstrokes or
you watched a guy's fastball and timed it. You found
fear and solace all at once.
I remember that November Friday night in Memphis.
Cool, but not unbearably cold as I recall. McKenzie
struggled early, had chances but just couldn't overcome
the quickness of the Mitchell squad. The Rebs, as you
will remember, bowed 12-0 and ended a storybook 9-5
campaign.
It hardly seems a year that the fans around here were
telling me, as I prepared for my initial foray into
Rebel writing, that this was going to be a rebuilding
year. Numerous fans already had the wins and losses
stacked up. But I also remember this time a year ago
hearing that this McKenzie team was a work in progress;
that it could be as good as the 13-1 team of a year
earlier and perhaps go just as far.
People scoffed. They were still skeptical during
halftime at Waverly, which was Week 1 of the playoffs.
Down 17-0 the Rebs rallied for a thrilling 23-17
overtime victory.
Then came the overtime thriller against Fairview,
when Drew Hayes hit Matt Jones (on Jones' 18th birthday)
for the game-winning score. That was a third-and-22 play
in overtime, incidentally.
A week later against dreaded Lewis County, McKenzie
traversed 87 yards in under three minutes to eliminate
the Panthers for the second straight season. Hayes hit
Jay Taylor in the back right corner of the east end zone
in what may have been the most thrilling victory in
McKenzie history. By the way, that was a fourth-down
play for the season. On that drive, McKenzie converted
two others to preserve the drive.
Eight months later, people are still talking about
that game-winning TD in these parts. When I drive by the
field or happen to be on it, I look to that spot where
the game-winning grab was made.
Monday, McKenzie returned to the practice field.
Monday also marks my year anniversary with the Banner.
Time flies when you are having fun. |
