Last week was a lot of fun around here. In addition to Halloween, the first since the grandkids moved to town, the high school football season has come to a peak.
Halloween was great. Following our early spring and nearly perfect summer, we’ve been having a glorious, long autumn. A Halloween that’s warm enough for the kids to wear costumes without winter coats isn’t uncommon in Minneapolis but a Halloween in which we still haven’t had a hard frost and a quarter of the trees still have their leaves is very unusual. In fact, here it is, November 9 and there are still a lot of gold and red in them thar tree tops. This is unprecedented, if my memory is correct. If this is Global Warming, I’m all for it!
As we have for the past ten years or so, many of us gathered at McCollow’s, where Katie made chili and soup and Mike cooked up a terrific bonfire in the front yard. MJ and Kent brought their crew of kids and Ty and Megan joined us too, so it wasn’t just a bunch of old farts offering candy to little kids.
Mom and Dad came, along with my oldest brother Woody, whose kids have been past trick or treating age for decades. They all grow up way too fast! Even Andy and Vi were no shows, since their kids have all reached ages where they’d rather go to parties with their friends than trick or treat with their cousins.
Bananas, Punkin and Tot were the 3 Musketeers, while Babydoll and Babalouie were a cowgirl ( complete with horse) and a tiger (Graahr!)
The soup and chili were delicious. Even Jay came over! The guys watched the game in the TV room while the rest of us took the kids out around the block.
So: Football.
My Dad was a state champion back in the 40s when the Catholic Schools had their own league. A couple of my brothers played high school ball but their teams were terrible. The grandsons, on the other hand, have been fortunate enough to play for some good programs and this year has been a football lovers delight.
In addition to watching Woody score in darn near every game (sometimes more than once) for STA, my nephew Holden is back in the starting lineup for his team, Osseo. Holden broke his thumb in the first game of the season so he had to sit out a few games but he was back at work as his team smashed their way through the playoffs. Mom and Dad were there with Bill, Jen and most of my brothers, watching Osseo win a spot in the Prep Bowl this coming weekend. The game was a nail biter, with Osseo coming from behind to win 21-22 with some imaginative, gutsy play.
Holden has a shot at being the first state football champion in the family since 1999 when Ty played for DeLaSalle.
And it gets better.
The day after Holden’s team won their way into the Prep Bowl, a crowd of us returned to the same field at Minnetonka High and watched Woody’s team try to do the same thing.
Ty and Megan brought Babydoll and Babalouie to the game last Friday. Megan wasn’t sure how they’d do after a long day of being toddlers but they’re both Texans and they lived up to their heritage. Before the second down of the game, Babydoll had gotten her little hands on some blue and white pompoms, had made firm friends with Heidi (Woody’s Mom) and was chanting “S!T!A!” like she knew what it spelled.
Babalouie was mesmerized. All he said for two and a half hours was “Football”. That’s all he ever says but Friday night it was in context. I don’t think he ever took his eyes off the field. Halfway through the fourth quarter, his Dad noticed how tired he was and asked him if he was ready to go home to bed.
“NO. Football.” Was his reply.
It was a clear, cool, perfect football night.
STA had to beat undefeated Moorhead. The Spuds were big and confident. They scored their first TD so fast that we were worried that it would be a long night but the Cadets buckled down and played like they meant it. In the second half, STA’s defense seemed to have gotten Moorhead’s number. It wasn’t quite as nerve wracking as Osseo’s win but STA had to come from behind and hold a narrow lead as time ran out.
Those poor Spuds had a long bus ride back to Moorhead.
Two grandsons; two teams playing for State Titles. How often does that happen?
And the best part is they’re in different classes so both their teams could win! Whatever happens at TCF field (the bank) this week, its been a helluva season for our boys and their fans.