North Park Lost Boys drop the disc (updated again)

In uncharacteristic fashion, we played flat and weak. There was no energy. There was no excitement. There was a tentative approach and it seems we were frozen on the line. Things moved in slow motion for us, and we simply could not get anything working. Our offense came out flat and though we wouldn't any breaks until a few points into the game, we would give Dayton an opportunity nearly every O point as we would throw it away or have some sort of stupid drop. We were not playing like we had the weekend before and it was not just because we didn't have the same huge team as before. We let Dayton get the first break at the 6th point and then another on the 7th point. From here we were lost and simply could not dig out of the hole we had allowed ourselves to get into... Dayton would take half 8-5 and from there we would just trade points, never able to put in a break point...

Nothing negative against Dayton, but we honestly gave them the disc and simply let them work it up the field. Our defense had no fire, or at least it only came in spurts. One or two players would want it out there, while the others were just over come by their nerves (or something else intangible). And we let them break us over and over and over again... We would bite hard on the open side flick fake, and like a broken record, we would let the break take place for the score 80-90% of the time. And the next thing we knew we lost 10-15. What just happened? We had lost to a team I believe we would have beaten the weekend before. Or were they just that much better, or had we gotten that much worse? I suspect the later when considering the roster decline we had going into Regionals...

Now, with one chance left; one game left to keep our regional hopes alive and an incredibly long road ahead to get to the game to go (4 more games on Sunday), it seems an insurmountable challenge to win just one game this weekend. The next game would be against Oberlin who had lost to Notre Dame 11-15. Notre Dame told us before our game started that Oberlin was led by some great handlers, but that they ruffled under the pressure of zone and would force the risky pass over the top or huge swing. Our game plan was to force zone as much as possible, but as we would find out, it wouldn't matter.

Oberlin would be led by #24 Henry and freshman Sam CK #7 (from Northwest HS in Seattle, WA) and a coach who I recognized, but sadly annoyed the piss out of our team by taking a significant amount of time between each point to talk strategy. That was annoying.

Anyways, Oberlin would come out kicking with solid handling that again looked for the break... constantly... and got it nearly every time. And when they didn't and a throw away would take place, it wouldn't matter because we would throw it away or again make some sort of stupid drop. Our players who normally played solid weren't, including myself who dropped an open and easy grab in the endzone. They had some physical play that got to a few of us and at least once I was driven into another player on what seemed to be purposeful pick that nearly dislocated my shoulder. I played pissed off and it showed badly a couple times, but the calls were ticky-tack to be sure (and could be argued that both sides were making them).

The picks and travel calls mounted and got into my head as well as few of our players. It culminated in a travel call on Peter Anderson who clearly was NOT moving, had NO mark, and made NO other movement than a throw to an open player. Peter questioned the call as did our entire 7 on the field. Even the player's teammates looked down as the call seemed to be highly questionable and completly without merit. He eventually pulled it back, but still... It got into Hirsch's head who would be fouled on another play and then make a purposeful foul on that same player.

The game would never click for us and after giving up the first two breaks in the first half and going down again 3-7 would rally back to 6-7 before Oberlin would take half 6-8. Our second half needed to be perfect, or at least much better than the first. We would allow another early break, and then another and then another to lose the game 11-15. It was a horrible showing for North Park talent wise and spirit wise.

As a team of Christian players we demonstrated very little of Christ on the field, and for that I am most disappointed in myself and others. We let the calls get under our skin. We let the earlier loss to Dayton get inside our hearts and heads and we took it out on Oberlin regardless of the calls or actions of their players.

To Henry:
my earlier post here was unfair to your team. It did not respect the talent of your program and was an arrogant post coming from a player disappointed in himself and his team. You guys deserved the win and to advance further than us. You have talent and I hope that the next time we meet, I will better represent my team, myself, and my faith.