Fall Football

My high school football team had their first football game last Friday, the 24th of August. We lost, 17 points to 6, to a team that we were supposed to beat by a huge margin.  The Cougar football team also took the field two nights ago, August 31. Again we lost, this time 33 to 41. Yes, I'm a girl but I'm going to state a few common mistakes from both of these games. 

1. We can barely complete a pass.
   This seems like a common sense thing. In fact, all of the points I'm going to make are. If you think your quarterback is going to throw the ball 25 yards, go 30 and let the player behind you make up for the difference. There were numerous plays in the first game where this was a problem. Our receiver stopped running just short of the length of the throw. If this problem hadn't occurred, we could have won the first game and done it with ease.
2. It takes 4 or 5 of our players to tackle one opposing player.
   This one isn't so much common sense as it is strength and agility. Our defensive line is small. I'm just going to be honest. No one looks at the D-Line and gets intimidated. I sure wouldn't and I'm a 5 foot, 4 inch female. The boys on the field have great difficulty keeping up with most of the opposing offensive line therefore making it even more difficult to tackle the ball carrier. A more specific statement to the second game: if there is one particular player who seems to be the best on the line, defend him more than the others. This is referring to the visiting team's running back. This young man had the Cougar defense running in circles and into our own players. I later found out, this young man is a well known sprinter at his school.
3. Our "spirit section" lacks spirit.
   The best part about Friday night football games is coming together as a student body and cheering for your team. This can only happen if you actually cheer. I have never played football so I am taking the word of those who have when I say it is easier to play a game when the crowd is excited. If the crowd stands there and does not cheer, you don't feel as excited or energized to play. At the August 24th game, our "spirit section" stood in our designated spot and that was that. Cheers were started but died out within 20 to 30 seconds. The "spirit section" at the second game on August 31 was much better. I would like to believe this is because our school had the Fall pep assembly that day. The competition between grades to get the spirit stick is greater than that of our football team against the opponent. Unfortunately, that is not anywhere close to an exaggeration.

Fall football also exists in college football on Saturdays. Kick-off for the University of Iowa, Northern Illinois University game was at 2:30 on September 1. I regret to inform you that I couldn't watch this game because I had to work. Although I didn't see the game, I do know Iowa dodged a bullet by scoring a touchdown within the last 5 minutes of the game. I'm proud to say I'm a Hawkeye fan. I bleed black and gold.