When your archival has beaten you five straight times and 10 of the last 11 times you have played them, it kind of dampens the whole rivalry thing. Going back to her 6th grade season, Em's Mountain Brook teams have played tough but been on the short end of almost every game they have played against Oak Mountain. The lone win was during Em's 9th grade season when they won 10-6 in a regular season match. In that game, Em tallied two goals and two assists. These two teams have met in the State Championship game during the past three years. OM has won all three years.
Tuesday night's game had a lot at stake. Both teams are heading to the playoffs, with OM #1 and MB #4. Both teams feature experienced seniors who will play at the next level. For years these girls have been competing against each other each spring and with each other each summer. Heading into the game, MB was again not a full strength. Starting attacker and prolific scorer, Alex Ann, was home with strep, and defender, Hayden, was on the sidelines with a concussion. These two players are key for the MB lineup to be competitive against top competition.
This game did not disappoint. The first half was an intense 25 minutes. The visiting Lady Spartans got on the scoreboard early with a very nice goal by 9th grade attacker Ellie. A few minutes later Sophie shot in a beautiful goal at the 12 minute mark, but it was called off by an illegal stick call. Never seen that called in watching seven years of youth lacrosse. Interesting, but expected? More on this later. OM was not playing their A game (several passes out of bounds, missed assignments, dropped passes) and MB was playing well (controlling ground balls and the draw). With 8 minutes to left in the half, Em and two others all met at the same spot - the ball. Em was in the middle and got ping-ponged between the other two. Her cage got rattled and came out for the remainder of the half. 2-1 at the half for the good guys. This was a slug-fest that was turning into the game of the year. The Lady Spartans were fired up and looking to close out the win in the second half.
Em cleared the concussion protocol and came back on defense to start the second half. This half started out much like the first half - lots of defense and excellent goalie work. The two best goalies in the state were in prime form during the game. OM's goalie, Rachel, is a seasoned All-State senior committed to Young Harris. MB's Kaylen is very active and athletic between the pipes. She is a sophomore who looks to make the All-Star game this year and is a rising college prospect. Both players stopped numerous shot attempts, some at point blank range. Quick hands and feet.
Early in the second half the teams traded goals. Em was still a little sluggish so Hunter moved her to attack. The move would pay off later in the game. Lauren continued to gobble up ground balls and control the draw several times. The game turned with about seven minutes left when OM took the lead, 4-3. OM's senior ball handlers, Celia Brand (University of Findlay) and Ryanne Ritter (B'ham Southern College) did a nice job in the second half of ball control. They then added another goal followed by Em's first goal (no-step laser that Rachel never saw from a penalty shot) with made the score 5-4 with five minutes left. OM was able to tack on a few more scores on either side of Em's second goal that was a bouncer that found the netting late in the game. When the time expired the scoreboard read: 8-5 and OM was the victor once again.
Refereeing in high school sports can be fickle task. Lots of emotions coming from all sides of the field. If fans from both teams are yelling at the refs then maybe the stripes are either doing a great job or a terrible job, or both. However, when one side of the stands is constantly yelling at the perceived egregious errors, then maybe something is wrong? Likely it's just sour grapes by me, but in addition to Sophie's goal in the first half, goals by Augusta and Grace were also waived off during the second half. That's three goals that would have made a huge difference in the outcome. Admittedly, I have never played or reffed this game. I am just a dad in the stands, but is it a shame that the kids (or maybe it's just their parents) feel that the scoreboard should really indicate: OM 8, MB 5, Stripes 3. Anyhoo.
This loss stung a little, but MB had better get over it quickly. These guys likely will square off in the playoffs in a few weeks. This was a winnable game for the Green and Gold (9-3 in conference). The stigma about playing a big game against your main opponent always rises the stress in the players. However, they quickly realized their team was just as talented and competitive as the #1 ranked team. They played OM to their closest conference game of the year. Losing is never fun, but this game showed the girls they can beat them next time. The loss secures fourth place in the conference standings for MB. They will host Auburn at home to open the playoffs in a few weeks.
With Em away for a few weeks, the team played in the Dan Anderson Lacrosse Classic this weekend in town. They added players from other local programs to fill out the roster and made it to the championship game. Nice job, girls!
We will miss you, Yoo Hoo (2002-2017). RIP. You were a great dog.
Wednesday was Fox Day on the Rollins campus. Fox Day is an annual tradition established by Rollins’ 10th president, Hugh McKean, in 1956. Each spring, on a day deemed “too pretty to have class,” the president cancels all classes for the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Professional Studies, providing undergraduate students with a surprise day off. A statue of the Rollins fox is placed on Tars Plaza by the president early in the morning. The Chapel bell rings to alert students of the special occasion while the president hands out Fox Day proclamations and donuts to students who line up outside his office. A free pancake breakfast is offered in the morning, fun activities are planned throughout the day, and a family-style picnic is laid out on the Green, free for everyone in the Rollins community. (http://www.rollins.edu/fox-day/what-is-fox-day/index.html)
Jermaine Funnymaine Johnson was his usual entertaining self in concert. What a fun show. He's the comedian who does the Sunday morning football videos. Check him out here: 'Run Da Bawl'
Sid's had a big day Saturday at BSC's annual Relay for Life day. What a huge success! Very proud of you, Siddy G.
Indiana University has recently announced they will no longer allow for any prospective student athletes to compete for its varsity sports teams if the student has any history of committing sexual violence or related crimes. Is this a new trend or just another school getting a clue? Ever heard of esports? Check out what one Big 5 school is offering by way of college scholarships: Big money in esports. Hopefully the tragic story of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez will now come to a close with his reported jail cell suicide. Sad and horrific story. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore lost his effort to regain his job on Wednesday as the Alabama Supreme Court upheld his suspension for urging defiance of federal rulings allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Ho hum. Who will be the #1 pick by the Browns in the upcoming NFL Draft? Myles Garrett (DE, TAMU)? Jonathan Allen (DL, Alabama)? Jamal Adams (S, LSU)? Noticing a SEC trend? Special happy birthdays this week to Gavin and Ellis! Braves are showing some promise in the first few weeks this season. I like what I am seeing thus far.
Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy
This game did not disappoint. The first half was an intense 25 minutes. The visiting Lady Spartans got on the scoreboard early with a very nice goal by 9th grade attacker Ellie. A few minutes later Sophie shot in a beautiful goal at the 12 minute mark, but it was called off by an illegal stick call. Never seen that called in watching seven years of youth lacrosse. Interesting, but expected? More on this later. OM was not playing their A game (several passes out of bounds, missed assignments, dropped passes) and MB was playing well (controlling ground balls and the draw). With 8 minutes to left in the half, Em and two others all met at the same spot - the ball. Em was in the middle and got ping-ponged between the other two. Her cage got rattled and came out for the remainder of the half. 2-1 at the half for the good guys. This was a slug-fest that was turning into the game of the year. The Lady Spartans were fired up and looking to close out the win in the second half.
Em cleared the concussion protocol and came back on defense to start the second half. This half started out much like the first half - lots of defense and excellent goalie work. The two best goalies in the state were in prime form during the game. OM's goalie, Rachel, is a seasoned All-State senior committed to Young Harris. MB's Kaylen is very active and athletic between the pipes. She is a sophomore who looks to make the All-Star game this year and is a rising college prospect. Both players stopped numerous shot attempts, some at point blank range. Quick hands and feet.
Early in the second half the teams traded goals. Em was still a little sluggish so Hunter moved her to attack. The move would pay off later in the game. Lauren continued to gobble up ground balls and control the draw several times. The game turned with about seven minutes left when OM took the lead, 4-3. OM's senior ball handlers, Celia Brand (University of Findlay) and Ryanne Ritter (B'ham Southern College) did a nice job in the second half of ball control. They then added another goal followed by Em's first goal (no-step laser that Rachel never saw from a penalty shot) with made the score 5-4 with five minutes left. OM was able to tack on a few more scores on either side of Em's second goal that was a bouncer that found the netting late in the game. When the time expired the scoreboard read: 8-5 and OM was the victor once again.
Refereeing in high school sports can be fickle task. Lots of emotions coming from all sides of the field. If fans from both teams are yelling at the refs then maybe the stripes are either doing a great job or a terrible job, or both. However, when one side of the stands is constantly yelling at the perceived egregious errors, then maybe something is wrong? Likely it's just sour grapes by me, but in addition to Sophie's goal in the first half, goals by Augusta and Grace were also waived off during the second half. That's three goals that would have made a huge difference in the outcome. Admittedly, I have never played or reffed this game. I am just a dad in the stands, but is it a shame that the kids (or maybe it's just their parents) feel that the scoreboard should really indicate: OM 8, MB 5, Stripes 3. Anyhoo.
This loss stung a little, but MB had better get over it quickly. These guys likely will square off in the playoffs in a few weeks. This was a winnable game for the Green and Gold (9-3 in conference). The stigma about playing a big game against your main opponent always rises the stress in the players. However, they quickly realized their team was just as talented and competitive as the #1 ranked team. They played OM to their closest conference game of the year. Losing is never fun, but this game showed the girls they can beat them next time. The loss secures fourth place in the conference standings for MB. They will host Auburn at home to open the playoffs in a few weeks.
With Em away for a few weeks, the team played in the Dan Anderson Lacrosse Classic this weekend in town. They added players from other local programs to fill out the roster and made it to the championship game. Nice job, girls!
We will miss you, Yoo Hoo (2002-2017). RIP. You were a great dog.
Wednesday was Fox Day on the Rollins campus. Fox Day is an annual tradition established by Rollins’ 10th president, Hugh McKean, in 1956. Each spring, on a day deemed “too pretty to have class,” the president cancels all classes for the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Professional Studies, providing undergraduate students with a surprise day off. A statue of the Rollins fox is placed on Tars Plaza by the president early in the morning. The Chapel bell rings to alert students of the special occasion while the president hands out Fox Day proclamations and donuts to students who line up outside his office. A free pancake breakfast is offered in the morning, fun activities are planned throughout the day, and a family-style picnic is laid out on the Green, free for everyone in the Rollins community. (http://www.rollins.edu/fox-day/what-is-fox-day/index.html)
Jermaine Funnymaine Johnson was his usual entertaining self in concert. What a fun show. He's the comedian who does the Sunday morning football videos. Check him out here: 'Run Da Bawl'
Sid's had a big day Saturday at BSC's annual Relay for Life day. What a huge success! Very proud of you, Siddy G.
Indiana University has recently announced they will no longer allow for any prospective student athletes to compete for its varsity sports teams if the student has any history of committing sexual violence or related crimes. Is this a new trend or just another school getting a clue? Ever heard of esports? Check out what one Big 5 school is offering by way of college scholarships: Big money in esports. Hopefully the tragic story of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez will now come to a close with his reported jail cell suicide. Sad and horrific story. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore lost his effort to regain his job on Wednesday as the Alabama Supreme Court upheld his suspension for urging defiance of federal rulings allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Ho hum. Who will be the #1 pick by the Browns in the upcoming NFL Draft? Myles Garrett (DE, TAMU)? Jonathan Allen (DL, Alabama)? Jamal Adams (S, LSU)? Noticing a SEC trend? Special happy birthdays this week to Gavin and Ellis! Braves are showing some promise in the first few weeks this season. I like what I am seeing thus far.
The Sports Guy
