You win some, you lose some
Patrick Newell
In all, it was just a non-division game – a matchup to fill the regular season schedule, and ideally, an opportunity to build confidence with a victory. For Greene, it was an opportunity to put another notch in its belt. The underdog – the much smaller school – was stepping up against a skilled, powerful Windsor club predicted to compete for a Class B playoff spot in Section IV this season.
What a thrill ride it was as the score vacillated, and the game’s outcome was decided on a last-second TD pass to the back corner of the endzone with less than 10 seconds remaining
And I missed it – all of it save some post-game highlights on a local television channel last Friday evening.
Cut to Sidney where Bainbridge-Guilford was bidding to extend its record to 4-0 against a local rival in another non-division game. It had the same type of drama and suspense as the Greene and Windsor contest. The host Warriors rallied from a 26-8 deficit midway through the third quarter, and scored the winning touchdown with under 20 seconds remaining.
Guess what? I missed it, every last bit of it.
Where was I? If you were in Norwich last Friday night for homecoming night, you saw me prowling the host club’s sidelines – or huddling up in the pressbox when rain threatened. My decision to attend Norwich versus Holland Patent was a case of not just mathematics, but an obligation to cover the football team with the longest – and closest – association with this newspaper.
The mathematics part is simple: One person can only cover one game at a time, so by deduction, I was missing two local football games. The obligation part is also easy to explain: There was a time during the fall season when Norwich football was the centerpiece of the sports section. Look back at our paper in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s and peruse the archived articles at Guernsey Memorial Library. I have, and the legendary sports editors Perry Browne and Bob Van Tine covered Norwich football as if the team was comprised of professionals. Times have changed, but the passion for Norwich football in this area has not.
As it turned out, Norwich’s victory was not an action-packed delight of highlight-reel plays and excruciating moments. It was a typical Tornado win under head coach John Pluta. Norwich imposed its physical will – defensively and offensively – and outmuscled Holland Patent. No doubt, it was a gratifying victory for Norwich’s lineup and the coaching staff led by Pluta. It put Norwich at 4-0 and in a great spot to return to the postseason.
I’ll take that sort of ho-hum game any day if it gives me the opportunity to cover a Norwich playoff team five weeks down the road. As for missing out on two great games, you win some, you lose some.
