"Feed the dogs, spit the fire, lock up your daughters. Turn on the radio, sit down, and shut up 'cause it is game time, people!"-- Slammin' Sammy Meade
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
6A Osseo vs. East Ridge 7pm Friday-- TCF Bank Stadium
5A St. Thomas Academy vs. St. Michael Albertville 4pm Saturday-- TCF Bank Stadiumt. Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.
"Right here, right now, God has placed you to do what you do best. Go all the way."
600 years and 19 days ago King Henry V gathered his troops around him before they went to do battle with the French and he spoke words that still echo today:
"From this day to the ending of the world.... But we in it shall be remembered-- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me... Shall be my brother"
35 years and 264 days ago Herb Brooks looked at his overmatched team as they were about to leave their locker room and take on the mighty Soviet Union and he spoke words that still echo today:
"You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours."
Coach Eric Taylor addressed his East Dillon Lions before they stormed out of the locker room to play in the State Championship game and spoke words that still echo today:
"If you give a hundred percent of yourself tonight, people are gonna look at you differently. People are gonna think of you differently. And I promise you, you're gonna look and think differently about yourselves."
The moment is at hand. The hour is upon us. The orcs are coming over the hill. You only get one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted. We are ready for the fight. We have put in the time, honed our skills, and prepared ourselves for battle.
Both Osseo and St. Thomas are great teams on the verge of championships and they've both already had hugely successful seasons. Seasons that were born not in August, but a decade ago on the playing fields of Plymouth, Brooklyn Center, Osseo, West St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, Edina and Mendota Heights. Standout athletes are made over time. What's made the athletes of Osseo and St. Thomas exceptional is their commitment to being better. Five more wind sprints. Three more sets of bench. Two more sets of pull-ups. The kids at Eden Prairie are doing six sets of squats? Fine, I'll do seven.
When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I'm back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads
Standing in the huddle, listening to the call
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall
They didn't let just anybody in that club
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood
To get to wear those game-day jerseys down the hall
The kings of the school, man, we're the boys of fall
Well it's turn to face the stars and stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies
It's call it in the air, alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it's knocking heads and talking trash
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass
It's I got your number, I got your back
When your back's against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all
The boys of fall
They are indeed the boys of fall, but that's not when football players are made. Football players are made on cold winter nights, when young men get off the couch and drag themselves to wherever it is that they lift weights and they put in the work. They put music in their ears and develop dreams in their head and they do the hanging and banging that will ultimately make them football players. They're made in the summer, when they could be lounging around or hanging out, but they choose to put their cleats on and push themselves with wind sprints after wind sprint after wind sprint. They throw and they catch. And then they do it all again the next day. The work is done in the winter, spring and summer... only then can they become the boys of fall. Five more sets, five more sprints, five more rope drills.
That's what all football players do. So why are the young men from Osseo and St. Thomas still playing this weekend?
Well, that's in the one more.
Most all football players put in the work. It's the love of the game that breeds the one mores. You've thrown a hundred passes to your buddy, but dammit, you want to throw one more. You and your friends have played five games of touch down at the field and the kids who go to Cretin want to go home, but the kids from St. Thomas say, "hell no, one more!" When they were tykes playing on the high school field at half time and the refs had to shoo them away, they always threw and caught it one more time. One more.
When the young men of Osseo and St. Thomas were little boys out playing in the back yard and their mom threw open the door and told them it was time for dinner, their answer was ALWAYS, "Okay, but wait, just one more."
Osseo vs. East Ridge
Both teams have come over plenty of obstacles to get where they are. East Ridge's star quarterback moved to Texas to ready himself to play at Oregon next season. They faced allegations of illegal players on last year's team that ended with their star lineman blowing the whistle and their coach resigning a week before the season started. Osseo began their season with a huge win over arch-rival Maple Grove and jumped to 3-0. Then their star running back got hurt and their star receiver was limping and they lost three straight games. Got killed actually. It would have been easy to cave in on the season. They chose not to.
East Ridge is led by junior running back and first-team all metro player Dominick London, who rushed for over 2,000 yards on the season. He's a thick kid who's a load, but also has plenty of hitch in his giddy-up. London was named the Pioneer Press' East Metro player of the year. Their fullback is Conner Mohs and he also rushed for 1,000 yards. So did quarterback Otumos Payemanu. A trio of thousand-yard rushers. They don't pass much, but still posses the threat and often Payemanu will take off running once the field is spread. Their offensive line is massive, with three players checking in at over 300 pounds.
Osseo will answer with running back Prince Kruah and wideout Damario Armstrong. Kruah is on a roll, gaining 900 yards..... in the playoffs alone. Armstrong was a first-team all metro selection and will be counted on to come up with some big plays if the Orioles are to win. The Orioles defense has been gouged plenty this season, but they've rallied when their backs were against the wall. They'll need to play as well as they did against Totino and Lakeville for Osseo to win.
St. Thomas vs. St. Michael Albertville
The Cadets have long been considered a football power, but absolutely need more hardware to back up that claim. This is the team that can do it. St. Michael is a formidable foe, posting an 11-1 record with very impressive wins over both Spring Lake Park and Mankato West. They have a pair of running backs who have over 800 yards on the season, but their main threat is all-metro receiver Isaiah Weston. The 6'4", 190 pounder has over 1,000 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns and is a very dangerous kick-returner. He's committed to play at Northern Iowa.
St. Thomas will counter with a strong running game led by Sean McFadden, Woody Hubbell and Dan Gehrs. Woody and Mac Brown are serious threats as receivers, they just need to find a hot hand at quarterback to get them the ball. The Cadets have a smothering defense that has powered the team to it's last two victories. They completely stymied North St. Paul in a shutout win two weeks ago and didn't allow a first-down in the second half against Moorhead last week.
No matter the outcome, we will all be, we all are, tremendously proud of our two teams. Like I said last week, there is no easy route to a State Championship.
One more boys. One more.
CLEAR EYES FULL HEARTS.....
CLEAR EYES FULL HEARTS.....