From the Sidelines: Spur at Motley County

By Bobbie Brown

Another awesome Friday night has come and gone! I wait impatiently all week for Friday night to arrive. It is especially nice when I can attend games on Thursday and Saturday, too. This past week I visited the town of Matador, Texas. Home of the Mighty Motley County Matadors. The Spur Bulldogs came to town and a battle ensued. These two teams have played against each other in football since 1924. Yes, you read that correctly. 1924. Both 11-man and Sixman games. That's a long history, folks!
 
Before I talk about the teams, I need to mention the awesome hospitality in Matador. From the friendly gentlemen at the entrance to the ladies and students in the concession stand, everyone was pleasant and smiling and made everyone feel welcome! I had a big bowl of really great nachos. I gauge the concession stand by how many jalapenos they put on my nachos when I say, “I want a lot!” To my surprise, they let me sprinkle my nachos with jalapenos on my own. I got plenty. Maybe just a bit more than plenty. That is the way to do it!
 
The sun was doing the trick it does this time of year. It peeks out from behind a few clouds as it heads downward. Just before it sinks below the horizon, the light is spectacular! That lighting is really awesome for taking pictures, especially when the players are running in my direction at 9-0. It is especially great for catching facial expressions behind the face mask. Those are hard to get once darkness falls.
 
The Spur Bulldogs are now healthy and came out with a BANG! They were firing on all cylinders early in the game and continued through to the end. The Bulldogs are finally playing as a team. One unit. I’ve known for several years they are extremely talented, but they always had something internal holding them back. I believe Coach Clark and the coaching staff have the Bulldogs on the right path and headed in the same direction. It was an awesome sight. Bulldogs… KEEP IT UP! I’ve been waiting for you to turn the corner. And now I can see you coming around the bend. Together.
 
The Matadors. Wow. What a group of talented young players. After graduating many last year, the Matadors are reloading. I find myself calling them the Young Guns. While the majority of the players are underclassmen, they have a rare determination. You can see it in the hard set of their jaw and eyes as they focus on each play. They play with heart! I didn't witness one instant where there was “give-up” in any of them. It’s easy to tell when “give-up” rears its ugly head. It’s all about the body language. The Matadors fought hard. I just have one message for the Young Guns. Keep clawing and battling. Keep that determination and focus. It WILL get you somewhere. It will get you where you want to be. And I don’t think it’s going to take long to get there under the leadership of Coach Bigham and company.
 
The scoreboard didn’t really tell the story, as often times is the case. After halftime I had a hard time taking pictures because I was glued to watching the actual game. That is detrimental to a photographer, but I just couldn’t help it. Sometimes I have to put the camera down and enjoy all the sights and sounds of the game. Of course, I blame it on the lighting – the reason I can’t take pictures. But that’s a very poor excuse. I simply love the atmosphere of Sixman football, the fans, the cheerleaders, the music, the sweat flying, the POP when pads collide. I love it all.
 
Until the next game, go forward and do GOOD!