Covering playoff games for local schools certainly is an experience.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about riding the Bay City Blackcat bus for the Kilgore game at Houston.
The most memorable thing I told the readers was the detour the BCHS buses took to go by Bay City Junior High School and all of its students and staff cheering on the students in the buses.
Last week, I drove to Cy-Fair’s stadium for Tidehaven’s game with Rogers.
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium was impressive, but Tidehaven’s turnout for the game was even more so.
Several hundred Tidehaven partisans were there to cheer on their undefeated Tigers.
Tidehaven started slow in the game, fumbling twice and getting behind 14-0.
That didn’t last, the Tigers promptly went to work and shredded the Eagles 56-12.
As the Tigers got rolling throughout the next three quarters, all of those folks were overjoyed and demonstrated their approval.
Two of the most astounding sights at the game included senior tight end Justin Griffith’s leaping grab in the end zone to keep the pass from Kale Russell out of the hands of a Rogers defensive back and to score a touchdown.
The other occurred near the end of the game when Tidehaven defenders chased a Rogers running back to the sideline on Tidehaven’s side and the boy ran smack into Tiger Head Coach David Lucio, knocking him down.
Lucio hopped right up and was all smiles – a feat that amazed everyone present.
Everyone present was not only his players shocked at how quickly he righted himself and was in good spirits, but also anyone watching the stadium’s Jumbotron screen, which showed the whole sequence.
Cameras are everywhere it seems.
The stadium is just shy, by my driving, of two hours from Bay City – certainly more if you’re coming from one of the Tidehaven communities.
Ironically, I played at Cy-Fair –different stadium of course - when I was a 15-year-old B-teamer in Huntsville in 1965.
All I remember is Cy-Fair was way away from Houston back then. Now it’s not.
Tidehaven’s next opponent is a familiar one – the Poth Pirates.
They have knocked Tidehaven out of the playoffs twice in the past three years, according to the Victoria Advocate.
Lucio says his defense is the best he’s seen at Tidehaven for years.
Eight shutouts, including Dilley in the second round of the playoffs, and last Friday’s turnaround testify to the Tiger defensive prowess.
