Done & Done

The last team standing wins & moves on.

This is the credo for any high school football team who is lucky enough to still be getting their gridiron groove on & for any team who has found the muster & faith to make it all the way to the sectional championship. In short, it's a do-or-die situation & only one team moves on to Regional play, plugging away another week or so longer than expected. The losing team, of course, goes home, but not without taking solace in the fact that they accomplished a lot this season & have nothing to be ashamed of if they got beat by a far more superior ballclub & still busted their tails for all four quarters. If they lost to a mediocre team, well...that's another story.

Two teams are laying their all on the line when the opening kickoff commences. Who is most ready to play, who has the most fire in their eyes, who is most prepared for whatever surprises the opponent has up their sleeve...that's who's going to grab the Championship outright, no questions asked. Oh, & it'll come down to who makes the biggest plays when they have to, & when they count most.

One senses the anxiety, the tension, all the excitement which comes with preparing for tonight's game in not only the players' psyches, etc. but also on the coaches' faces when it comes to giving a summary on what kind of team they'll be playing. At this point in time, nothing will come easy; everything will be hard-fought, regardless of the final score. The coaches know this as well as their assistants; they don't need to be told of the implications & dilemmas which are part & parcel of a Sectional championship gameplan.

At any rate, the last team standing tall is a winner, a champion & gets to play another week or more if they can help it. And may the best team who shows up to play tonight take all!!