Archive: Sports

On a crisp fall evening, Saturday, at Ross Field in Groton, two Small Fry Football teams came together for battle. You could sense the anticipation, feel the tension, and hear the chants from both teams. "We are? ... Lansing!", "Together! ... We win!" echoed off the trees and surrounding buildings. Groton's response reverberated off the big red Indians tower, "Whose house is this? ...Our house!".

The head coach from Groton greeted each of the Lansing players individually as they were introduced onto the field. The cheerleaders on each side were enthusiastically continuing the cheers motivating the spectators and players alike. The Lansing captains, Owen, Jared, Eric, and Logan, went to the center of the field and exchanged handshakes and participated in the coin flip. Even before the clock started ticking, the game was on!

Lead by the QB Eric, Lansing's Senior Small Fry Football team opened up the game with a series of good blocking from Jesse, Jacob, Logan, Jonathan, Zach P., Colter, and Michael. Their efforts resulted in 10 short runs from Alec, Zach D., and Jared and ended with a 33 yard touchdown pass from Jared to Zach D. Another two points were tacked on from a Point After Touchdown (PAT) kick by the special teams, making the score 8-0.

Groton answered back with an impressive 13 play 65 yard drive for a TD, but they missed the extra point attempt leaving the score at 8-6. This didn't deter them, instead with Lansing on offense, the Groton defense toughened up and forced Lansing to punt on the next three drives. The pressure was significant because this is more times that Lansing has punted in the last two seasons combined. Groton had the momentum in their favor and scored on their next two possessions, ending the first half with the score at 8-22.

During halftime both teams hunkered down, reviewed the first half, and made some adjustments. Coming into the second half of the game, the players were fired up. With Neal, a player on the Injured Reserve (IR) calling the plays, Lansing's defensive line (Logan, Jacob, Zach W., Dominic, Colter, Zach P., Nick, Jonathan, Kyle, and Braydon) along with the defensive backs (Alec, Tyler, Peter, Jared, Eric, Jesse, Zach D., Mickey, Jerry, and Sam), came out strong, restricting Groton's intense offense to short yardage and forcing them to punt on their next three possessions.

Lansing's first offensive series for the second half consisted of a few pounding runs up the gut from Alec, a couple of sweeps outside from Zach D., a 12 yard rushing TD by Jared, another PAT kick, and another 8 points bringing the score to 16-22. Despite the dipping temperature, the sheer adrenalin from watching the game warmed the fans.

For the next few series both defenses held strong and coaches were throwing in every play they had. Finally Zach D. broke loose outside with a huge 56 yard rushing TD, tying the game at 22 all. The fans had already been on the edge of their seats and the entire stadium erupted. The kicking squad tacked on another two points with a PAT for Lansing to take the lead, 24-22.

The Groton players, motivated by their coaches, dug in and charged up the field for a great drive, a touchdown, and a passing 2 point conversion to retake the lead 24-30. The fans were on their feet; the seats a forgotten pastime.

With one minute 26 seconds left in the game, Lansing was down six points. Some would consider with only 86 seconds left on the clock that the game was pretty much over, but as Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over". This was the case as Jared completed a 26 yard pass to Zach D., a time out was called, and 54 ticks remained on the clock. The crowd was hovering above their seats.

The pitch from Eric to Jared was a sweep to the left for a 12 yard gain, and a dive out of bounds stopped the clock with the numbers 00:46 blazing down. What happened next seemed just a hope to Lansing, but as the Lansing offense pulled together, they held back Groton so Jared was able to pass the ball to Zach D. resulting in a 43 yard run to another Lansing touchdown. Special teams readied for the 2 point PAT kick, but the holder slipped, the kicker slipped, and the kick was low by less than six inches. Half of the crowd went wild with cheers and the other fell silent after a long gasp. The score was poised at 30-30.

With 35 seconds remaining in the game, Groton ran two more plays taking them to their 47 yard line. Both teams were physically and mentally exhausted. The clock ran out and the buzzer sounded. It almost seemed as if everyone was still holding their breath not quite realizing the game was over. The game ended, just as it should have, with the score at 30-30. It was an excellent game with noble players, healthy competition, great memories, and good feelings of accomplishment. The battle had turned into a victory for both sides.

The Lansing Senior Small Fry is hosting Candor this Sunday, October 17th at 3:00pm.

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