Lions Redux

Connor's fall football team/league participated in a post-season invitational weekend tournament in Richmond a week before Christmas. We had some new players and coaches from other leagues and only three weeks to come together as a team and practice. The football stars were aligned----the Lions won! It was a fun weekend with some great families.

Lions Football

Connor is playing on a new football team in a new league this year.  We made the change so that  he would be less encumbered by weight restrictions and be able to play a skill position.  But...its not worked out that way.  Though the rules are different here and we thought he'd be fine, he's grown over the summer and he's even exceeding the weight rules in this league.  It remains to be seen how this all will work out, but for now he got to play in a forfeited game yesterday and he scored a touchdown.  

SportsMANship

Took the photo above just yesterday.   Connor's coach is about to put him into the game.  It was a tough one.  The other team was physically much larger than ours and the officiating was not good.  Our Dragons lost and things are feeling dire with a 1-3 record.   This is Connor's third year playing football and he's never been on a team with a losing record before.  He seems more annoyed about it than sad. 

Last night I ran over to the mall to return Bob's birthday gifts (shirt too small, pants too big!) and Connor came along because he wanted a new xBox game (Skate3) that he's been playing at a friends house. He hadn't had dinner so we stopped at the food court and ordered some Chik-Fil-A.

It was busy there so you had to place your order, move to the side, and wait for them to call your name.  Connor, video game box in hand and wanting to read it, drifted away from me and I didn't notice. After a bit I realized he wasn't with me and turned to face the giant seating area--scanning the packed food court for my missing offspring.

You know that feeling? That quick flutter your belly that comes with the momentary panic that you've totally lost your child?   I had that.  And in my head I was beating myself up because when we'd walked up to the Chik-Fil-A I had been thinking about how relaxing it was to just be with Connor out in public and the freedom that came with not having to be constantly on guard about where he was.  It was a brief respite from the vigilance required to monitor my 3 year old.   Really.   I had just been thinking that very thought and now my handsome 10 year old was gone.  Surely snatched by a creepy guy and now being drugged in the bathroom, his hair dyed, his clothes changed---so the creepy guy could smuggle him out of the mall past the alert crowd that was about to be created when I contacted mall security and began screaming "Connor!" in the food court.

But no.  There he was.   I finally spotted him after a good 2 minutes (it felt like an hour)  of roaming and searching. He was standing beside a table with I family I didn't recognize who were eating their dinner.  There was a mom and dad, two smaller kids, and a boy about Connor's age.  He was deeply engaged in conversation.

I marched over on a mission.  I wanted to hug him.  I wanted to smack him.   I wanted to hug him while I smacked him.  As I drew closer, I noticed that the dad was wearing a t-shirt with the logo and name of the team that had beaten Connor's team earlier in the day-the Panthers.  I still had on my Dragons t-shirt as well.   I got to the table and nicely said hello and then turned to Connor and said with some tension in my voice  "You scared me.  I couldn't find you."   He gave me the blank stare of a 10 year old who's in trouble but paralyzed to respond. The dad jumped right in to his rescue though and said  "You have fine young man there.   He was standing nearby and saw my shirt and came up to me and said "I remember you from my game today."  He then walked right up to my son, stuck out his hand and said "Good game, today, man.  Good game."  I asked them if they knew each other and they don't.   That's quite a nice thing for your son to do and I appreciate it."

Connor looked at me and was proud.   I thanked the dad for what he'd said and for letting me know what Connor had done.  We chatted with them for a moment and then Connor and I said goodbye and headed back to Chik-Fil-A to get our likely now very cold chicken.

I hugged him.   And I forgot all about the smack.   

More Devil Worship

 

 

Go Blue Devils!

Things got crazy at the end of football season in late November and I realized that I never posted anything about the most exciting sports experience so far in Connor's life....his AYFL Blue Devils won the C League championship on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. They played at Briar Woods High School and, honestly, Connor had one of his best games ever. It was really exciting.

Huge balloon arch that we built the night before.  It took 3 hours.  And then the stupid adults that were holding it dropped it too low and the FIRST kid through broke it to smithereens.  I literally was torn about whether I wanted to punch someone in the teeth or just drop to the ground and weep. 

Game Day Breakfast

The coaches made a nickname tribute to each player.

The trophy

Blue Devil Peak

We're headed to the playoffs next weekend.  The boys are ready.  Here they are today, looking their fiercest, on the hill they conquered all season long. GO BLUE DEVILS!!

Blue Devil-A Post From Dad

Connor is in his 2nd year of playing tackle football and is really starting to "get it".  Last year, his first season, he was mostly a fill in on defensive line and started several games towards the end of the season due to his speed.  This season, he is 1 of 5 returning players and our coach was really counting on those five to be 2-way starters and be leaders on the team.

Connor was given a try to be the fullback on the team but he hesitated too much when running the ball.  After that, moving him to tight end was a natural fit since Connor is quick and strong and has really good hands even though we do not throw the ball much.

Defensively, the D coach wanted to try him at linebacker, again mostly due to his speed, but again, with no experience he hesitated too much reading a play.  REVELATION TIME! During our first scrimmage, the D coach moved him to defensive end to give the starter a break for a few plays and WHOA NELLY, he had a couple of tackles for loss and a sack and found himself a position (the other side end) he is now excelling at. 

The Blue Devils defense has only given up 2 TDs so far this season through 7 games.  They are also the dominant offensive team in the league making them 7-0 heading into the playoffs.  He does get to run the ball sometimes as a backup runner and he runs much harder than he used to.

I get on him much more than I probably should about some of his play, but it is only because I see so much potential in him to be VERY good at most sports.  Hopefully that will develop in the coming years and I can be a much more relaxed father on the sidelines. :-)  I am very proud of my football player and the progress he has made. His little brother is also happy with big brother as he gets to tackle him and some of the other kids on the team every now and then.

Injury!

First official time the team has had to take a knee for Connor.  Smashed right elbow.  He's fine but he got a nice artificial turf burn right through that shirt.  Blue Devils still undefeated and once again Connor got to carry the ball and got some nice yardage.  

Ouch

This is not a hematological disorder....this is tackle football.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

We're three games into the football season and I haven't posted a word yet about it.  Its been so busy with back to school, football, work, etc.  This year Connor is a Blue Devil again...#80.  He's having a great time and is playing very well.  In yesterday's game (a rematch against the Bearcats--the team we lost the championship game to last year) he had a fumble recovery and a sack.  I spend most of the games chasing Palmer around, but just happened to have the camera handy at the moment of the sack. He was pretty pumped up.   He takes it pretty seriously, which is kind of not very common for him. Check out these two shots to see what I mean.

And then there's our little mascot.  He's cute, yes.  But he won't stay in his stroller this year and spends the whole game running around so that I can't even watch.  He's a little devil, alright. 

Blue Devils Forever!

I can hardly believe that I'm posting this, but the football season is over. It seems like just yesterday that we were out roasting in the August heat five nights a week and now suddenly...poof...we're done. Football has come to be a major part of our family life and I have no idea what we will do with all of our free time. The season did not end perfectly. The Bearcats defeated our team 12-8 in a great, well-played game. But perfection is the enemy of good-enough and the season was so much more than good-enough. Here are some highlights of the championship game which was played on the field at Broad Run High School with an announcer.

Running onto the field....#18-CONNOR TATE!!

Game Face

Pre-game prep and motivational speech from Coach

These next four shots I pulled from around 20 consecutive pics of one play where Connor was right in the mix.  So much of this game was a defensive battle--slowing them down and not letting them gain ground.

Connor is #18.  This is the beginning of the play.  Notice where he and his teammates
are vis a vis the fence and spectators.

Holding his ground in a crowd.

Refusing to move backward so the only choice is down.

At the bottom of the pile.  The play ended and and the Blue Devils didn't give up an inch. 

Congrats from Dad

Pumped up!  Still time on the clock.

The final score has been determined and there is sadness all around.

Award ceremony on the field after the game.  Connor receiving his medal.

Listening to Coach for the last time with tears.

If you think about all of the pieces that need to come together to have 18 boys, their families and their coaches, come together for an all around great season, its overwhelming.  Along with very committed parents whom clearly make their kids their priority, we had everything you need to have a great time at football:

There were four great coaches with a full range of follicular activity!  Each of them had their own strengths and styles and ways to approach the boys.  Chemistry is everything.

There were tough practices.

There was a committed mascot.  Kudos to Ken Barker for totally busting it out.  The boys loved it.

There were cheerleaders and shirtless fans.

And there was a good amount of recruiting for the future. 

Congratulations to the Blue Devils and to my player, Connor.   I wasn't so sure about this football thing, but I'm totally on board now.  GO BLUE DEVILS!!