By Bobbie Brown
The big story of this weekend… rain. And lots of it! It rained on us all the way to Valley Schools. It might make things messy for football, but the land sure does love it! Everything was turning brown and dead, but after all the rain, we enjoyed seeing beautiful fields of green all the way into Hall and Briscoe counties. It was nice to see a lot of green again before fall comes sweeping in and everything goes back to being dry and brown. Valley School sits halfway between Turkey and Quitaque, Texas. There is a really cool Drive-in movie place just down the road from the school. The white marquee sign outside has square, black letters that spell out, “Closed for Winter.” The enormous screen faces away from the road and the back is painted like an American flag. You know how you get curious about icons of the past and crane your neck to see just a little more than you really can? I have mastered that maneuver, and all I saw were a few weeds poking out where cars normally park behind the high fence. Nostalgia sets in, and it makes me wish I could drive in and watch a movie on the big screen from the car. We made it to the turn in and wound our way back behind the school to the football field. We found mud puddles everywhere. And it was still sprinkling on the gathering crowd. Most fans were crowded into cars by the time game time arrived. There were a few diehard fans in the stands wearing rain ponchos and clutching umbrellas. I braved the rain and marched right out onto the field to find Coach Keith. He welcomed me with a smile. I watched Valley in a scrimmage two weeks ago and then at the Gridiron last weekend. Each week the Patriots have improved dramatically. They are a young team who paced the sideline in 2017 behind the Patriot superstars. This year it is their time to prove themselves on the field. And they are stepping up to the challenge. While the outcome wasn’t a win, they should feel pride in just how far they have come in a few short weeks. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Coach Copley from Follett. The rain made things messy and to tell the truth, I was just a little weary of being soaking wet. The Panthers are a hard team to review. I watched them at the McLean super scrimmage and came away with nothing other than they are solid. Christian Barber is their QB and is a very athletic player. He is surrounded by players who work well as a team. Sometimes I come across teams where there is no true standout because the team as a whole is the standout. The Panthers definitely fit that description. The game was a battle. The Patriots and the Panthers matched each other score for score until the very end of the game. With a few minutes left, the Panthers found the end zone and sewed up the win. It really was a great game, and I’m so glad we were able to participate in the fanfare! Thank you to Valley School and Coach Keith for the wonderful hospitality. Everyone was extremely pleasant and welcoming. I really enjoy visiting Valley. I’ll go back soon! Week 3 of the 2018 is upon us now. Go find some comforting Sixman town hospitality. You’ll be glad you did and might just find yourself smiling all the way to the truck once the game is done. Until next week, Go forward and do Good!
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The Zone
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September 2023
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