Oh, the snap of the ball.
Seems simple, almost a foregone conclusion, eh?
Oh, electricity.
We flip on light switches and open refrigerators, blatantly taking the juice that runs it all for granted, eh?
Both come to the forefront at the ol' ballpark Friday night.
First, the broadcast. Coming out of the pre-game timeout, it seems we lose contact with the producer at the station. We sit in confused silence awaiting a cue to return to air that never comes. So, eventually, we just started ourselves. We called an exciting first quarter. Then, as it ended, here comes the station manager into the press box. We were off the air. Not our fault in the booth for once, mind you. They lost electricity at the station on Ashcake Road. Thus, we weren't on the air. So, we waited, and waited, and with about 2 minutes left in the half, power returned to the station, and we were on the air.
So, we took halftime and reviewed the raucous first half, which ended in a 14-14 tie and included some great plays, the best being Stuart May's best pass of the season, a 64-yard strike down the right side to Dean Thomas. Ogun of Freeman took an 8 yard swing pass and turned it into a 64 yard TD pass thanks to no defense on the left side of the field (boy they bit on the fake).
The second half was equally exciting. PH goes up 21-14, then Freeman scores twice to take command, 28-21. The key to it all was PH being first and ten at their 22. That's when the quarterback/center exchange, messed up twice against Deep Run with no damage, came back to haunt them. Freeman recovered and scored that 2nd TD to retake the lead.
PH returns and scores, but the kicker goes wide left with a kick that had an awkward spin on it, leading us in the booth to believe it may have been partially blocked, since Freeman got great penetration. (Coach Long would later tell Stubby after the game, using a four-letter word, that it was just a shank).
Then Thomas mishandles a punt at the 9 and is tackled at the 1. PH, one point behind, and 99 yards to go. They can't get a first down, so, smartly, May takes the fourth down snap in the shotgun and runs through the end zone for the safety. It's 30-27. Freeman gets the ball back. It's their game to win, and they take it downfield to score with under three to go. It's 37-27.
But PH keeps going---a great pass to Troy Leftwich, with tremendous running after the catch on his part, put PH in a position to score, which they did. 37-33. Extra point to make it a 3-point game.
Clunk. Wide left again. You really felt sorry for Neale. He's been so accurate this season until this half.
He gets a redemption shot. Down four with under a minute left, it's onside kick time. In high school, rather than the traditional onside kick you see in the NFL, they do a "high pooch" kick, trying to have the ball land between the two lines of the return team, so they can run as fast as they can and basically commence a rugby scrum to recover the ball, as you know it'll be past the ten yards needed for the ball to become live.
Problem was, he kicked it not 20 yards, but 34 yards, into the waiting hands of the return man. Game over. I've never seen Coach light into a player like he did Neale as he came to the sideline. Long after the game, I look down, and Neale is still on the sideline, helmet on, over by the kicking net, as an assistant coach talks with him. Boy, I hope this one doesn't get too much in his head, for I suspect the team will need him to nail a long field goal before all is said and done this season (his career long is a school-record 50 yarder).
So, PH is 4-2, 2-1 in the District, and have to go to Godwin Friday night. They must win for their playoff hopes to stay alive. Against Justin Bristow's arm, that won't be easy.
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