Commentary: Area - Ropes vs Happy

It was a beautiful Saturday for a football game! Dad has become my traveling partner to playoff football games, so we loaded up in the big rig and set out for Lockney, Texas and the Division I Area match up between Ropes and Happy.
 
We arrived early to find fans filing into the Lockney stadium. The Ropes Eagles were on the field warming up. The Happy Cowboys took the field a few minutes later. I found Rodney Ayers and Larry Martinez on the sidelines with their cameras. It’s always nice to see both. We all share the same passion. One thing is certain, the Eagles and Cowboys were well covered. I’m pretty sure there are easily more than 1,000 photos of the game!
 
I spotted Coach Tye Keith and went to visit. He and Coach Moore were intently watching Cowboy warm up. Coach Keith assured me they were ready as they were ever going to be. Discussion turned to Thanksgiving and practice. Coach Keith said he’d finally figured it out after a few years in the playoffs during the holiday. The Cowboys had a day with family for Thanksgiving, but they were back hard at it on Friday morning. I wished him luck and turned to talk to Coach Rob Kyle who had walked up behind us.
 
Coach Kyle is the assistant coach for the Ropes Eagles. I’ve known him for many years. There is not a more positive person than Coach Kyle. He assured me the Eagles were ready and 100% healthy for the first time in the playoffs. I asked him how Coach Jackson was doing. The last time I talked to Jackson, he had a concussion from an unfortunate incident prior to the Gridiron. Coach Kyle laughed and said he had fully recovered. I wished him luck with a pat on the arm and headed back to the sideline.
 
The Happy Cowboys were on point from the first second of the game. Ropes surprised them a couple of times with a quarterback who could throw the long ball. They quickly made adjustments. The Eagles fought hard, had a few injuries, but never let up. They kept taking it at the Cowboys. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Ropes had a great season. I believe they will be tough again next year. The Happy Cowboys will play district foe, McLean, for the Division I, Region 1 championship next week.
 
Observations from the game:
 

1. Lockney replaced their grass field with turf this past summer. It’s pretty cool because the 11-man lines are white and the lines for the sixman field are grey. Lockney has been the site of many a sixman football playoff the past few years. I’m glad they made it easy for us sixman folks to see the lines this year and in the future.
2. The little girl with the Happy Cowboy flag on the sidelines was way too cute! She was so proud to be the one to run the flag when the Cowboys scored. The flag was bigger than she was, but that did not deter her from running as hard as she could after every touchdown. She did an outstanding job!
3. I was asked by Coach Moore from Happy if I had different hair. That made me laugh out loud. Coach Keith responded that I wasn’t covered up this game. Normally, I have some type of warm hat on because when I see Happy play, it’s usually pretty chilly. So there you have it, Coach Moore… not different, just uncovered!
4. The Ropes faithful have a cool thing they do when the players are coming out of the helmet. Fans on both sides of the line hold the end of various green-colored streamers, and the players run through them. It does make the run-through line look very festive!
5. I heard hits so loud, they made me cringe on the sidelines. There was also the collective “Oooooo” from the fans on both sides of the field. Hits like those will be heard around Texas for the next few weeks. It is the sound of battle.

 
Ok folks, we only have a few weeks left of our beloved sixman football! There are eight teams left in each division. While some of you are already in basketball-mode, consider catching one of the Regional Final games. One thing is for certain, the players will play hard, never give up, and if this weather holds, you won’t freeze to death in the stands!
 
Until next week, Go Forward and Do GOOD!