At 7:00pm Friday night on high school fields across the area the sights and sounds of the new football season will be in the air. All teams start out with a clean slate and control their destiny. The teams will consist of kids who started their "career" in kindergarten, where the major milestone accomplished was not picking grass while sitting on the sideline during their flag football games. These kids will see the smile on the faces and tears in the eyes of their families as they lace up their cleats for what will be for many their last first game of the season.
Football season is a time of year that is treasured by the small towns in our area. I think I can speak for Adrian alumni that it is a right of passage, to an extent. There are dads and grandfathers (former players) that will be in the stands watching the next generation of Blackhawks compete on the gridiron. In 2002 when the Adrian Blackhawks finally reached the pinnacle of success with its first state title in football I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat to see then Head Coach George Bruto hoist the state championship trophy for all to see. I saw fathers living vicariously through the exploits of their sons on the turf at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Now I am that father. My son, Drew, is just a seventh grader this fall. He is going to be part of another very talented junior high squad. So talented that he and other players may see the better part of their first year of school ball spent on the sidelines being good teammates ready to sub in as the coaches see fit. I am very proud and optimistic of the future of Blackhawk football.
But that is just my point of view. When Adrian hosts the Butler Bears there will be many more parents on both sides of the ball feeling the same way regarding their sons. That is the glory of it all. It is the common thread that ties it all together regardless of which team you are rooting for.
I know I'm sappy when it comes to football, especially Adrian Blackhawk Football. I actually moved here from Butler 32 years ago this past week. Randy Morrow was my first high school football coach. I remember him drilling into us the idea that Blackhawk football was special and recall him encouraging us to play with a greater purpose. George Bruto succeed him and drove it home to all who played for him that "you better have a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye" when you step on that field. Those lessons had a profound affect on me and I'm so thankful that I was a part of that era of Blackhawk football.
This season marks Matt Cochran's second year as head coach at Adrian. I see him preaching the same principles. Drew's junior high coach, Shawn Bruto, carries that torch to the younger players. I find myself a bit nostalgic in the days leading up to the Butler game. I wonder if, and hope that, the kids on the team are ushering in the next era of Blackhawk Pride. I hope that they are the same lessons I learned that will stay with them as adults.
As I read over what I have written I realize that it can be customized it to fit whichever school you may be a follow . Just change the coaches names to the men you may have admired growing up. Football is not just about muscle and sweat. It is so much more to the kids who play it and the families that have supported it for generations.
Good luck to all of the teams this fall and may injuries be few. The coaches and players will appreciate the community coming out to support them and display its own Blackhawk Pride.
Football season is a time of year that is treasured by the small towns in our area. I think I can speak for Adrian alumni that it is a right of passage, to an extent. There are dads and grandfathers (former players) that will be in the stands watching the next generation of Blackhawks compete on the gridiron. In 2002 when the Adrian Blackhawks finally reached the pinnacle of success with its first state title in football I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat to see then Head Coach George Bruto hoist the state championship trophy for all to see. I saw fathers living vicariously through the exploits of their sons on the turf at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Now I am that father. My son, Drew, is just a seventh grader this fall. He is going to be part of another very talented junior high squad. So talented that he and other players may see the better part of their first year of school ball spent on the sidelines being good teammates ready to sub in as the coaches see fit. I am very proud and optimistic of the future of Blackhawk football.
But that is just my point of view. When Adrian hosts the Butler Bears there will be many more parents on both sides of the ball feeling the same way regarding their sons. That is the glory of it all. It is the common thread that ties it all together regardless of which team you are rooting for.
I know I'm sappy when it comes to football, especially Adrian Blackhawk Football. I actually moved here from Butler 32 years ago this past week. Randy Morrow was my first high school football coach. I remember him drilling into us the idea that Blackhawk football was special and recall him encouraging us to play with a greater purpose. George Bruto succeed him and drove it home to all who played for him that "you better have a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye" when you step on that field. Those lessons had a profound affect on me and I'm so thankful that I was a part of that era of Blackhawk football.
This season marks Matt Cochran's second year as head coach at Adrian. I see him preaching the same principles. Drew's junior high coach, Shawn Bruto, carries that torch to the younger players. I find myself a bit nostalgic in the days leading up to the Butler game. I wonder if, and hope that, the kids on the team are ushering in the next era of Blackhawk Pride. I hope that they are the same lessons I learned that will stay with them as adults.
As I read over what I have written I realize that it can be customized it to fit whichever school you may be a follow . Just change the coaches names to the men you may have admired growing up. Football is not just about muscle and sweat. It is so much more to the kids who play it and the families that have supported it for generations.
Good luck to all of the teams this fall and may injuries be few. The coaches and players will appreciate the community coming out to support them and display its own Blackhawk Pride.
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