Palomar Conference Champs

14-7. More below the picture

There they are. The first ever Division 1 conference champions for TPPW. On our ‘home’ field in Temecula Valley. Todays game was not as high quality as the last one. Clearly both teams were a little off after very hard fought victories to get here. Temecula after all, had beaten our rival Oceanside squad which we all know was a very tall order. Still, even with some sloppy, lackadaisical playing, they prevailed. Just like last time, it was a throw to #14 for one td and then a run by #33 for the 2nd. The catch by #14 was rather spectacular tough as it bounced off of a defender first, in and out of his hands and right into #14’s hands while still in the air. #55 had just another remarkable game. I have to say, these 3 games that we’ve played within the past week have been three of his best, if not his best. He had another huge interception to stop a drive. He caught a pass and ran with it enough to get a critical first down. And, he opened the 2nd half by recovering the kick off and coming *this close* to running it all the way back. His run back set the team up for their 2nd score. They got medals and a trophy and then a post game party at Texas Lil’s for ribs which is tradition when we are in that area. They also get to keep playing. There is now something called the Mt Baldy championship which they play next Saturday out near Ontario somewhere? I am not sure exactly where other than it is even freaking further away than Temcula!!

Now, here is the crazy part. AFTER the game, at 6:30 tonight, there was a Powerhouse baseball game! That is why I am only home to post all this now. Somehow, the 3 boys on our team who played and then celebrated found a way to play baseball. And two of them pitched!! 3 other baseball players play on the division 2 football team and *they* had played a game at 2:00 (ours was at noon). I do not know how the kids pulled it together, but they did and they won tonight. An undefeated day for Sportsboy.

OK, I am pooped, but I need to share one more thing. In support of my earlier observations on why sports is more than just a game and also my recent post about sports being the only true reality tv you can find, I will share this snipped from this week’s Life of Reilly by Rick Reilly in Sports Illustrated. Oddly enough his article was titled It Isn’t Just A Game:

It’s the best kind of reality TV. That’s real blood. Those are real tears. There is no director hollering, “Cut! Effects!”

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It’s black and white, there’s no gray area. Every night there’s a winner and there’s a loser and nothing in between.

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It’s about loyalty and passion and family. Sports isn’t an escape from life – it’s woven into the fabric of it.