ANOTHER SEASON COME AND GONE

Well, another big country football season is officially over. The year ended with two state champions and two state semi-finalists. The year began with thousands of high hopes and lofty goals.

The surprise team of 2005 had to be the Early Longhorns. A team surrounded by failure in recent years won a district championship and lost by eight measley points in the Class 2A Division 1 semi-finals. No surprise that four Longhorns were named to the All-State team.

The squad suffering the biggest drop was Jim Ned. After two straight undefeated regular seasons and a state championship appearance, the Indians lost nearly two full teams worth of seniors and failed to make the post-season.

I was stuck in the studio for the majority of the year, but I was rewarded for my imprisonment with some great playoff moments. Not so great, however, for the Abilene High Eagles. The first Warbird game I attended all year was a 52-0 defeat at the hands of the Class 5A jauggernaut Southlake Carroll. The great part was being able to watch the Dragons dismantle one of the best teams in the nation. I was also in attendance the next week when my Plano Wildcats held a 27-16 lead over Carroll in the third quarter, only to watch it slip away in the fourth. Plano lost 37-27, and Carroll improved to 61-1 since moving into Class 5A.

I was also smack dab in the middle of another state championship celebration. The Throckmorton Greyhounds (home of Dallas Cowboys Hall-of-Famer Bob Lilly) defeated Turkey Valley 68-22 in the 6-man state title game. I was there the whole time and was priviledged to be in the midst of their jubilant celebration. I had not been to a Throckmorton game all year, did not know any of the players and briefly spoke with the coach on one occasion, but I found myself wrapped up in the moment with a tear in my eye.

On August 1st I set out for Coleman. My first stop on a 44 school preview tour which shattered the previous KTXS record of 25. I traveled to 28 schools by myself. Many miles spent thinking of what might be. Many hours of dwelling on the past. I watched 28 different teams prepare the way they felt was right, 28 teams sweating in the heat of August for one purpose: to win on Friday night.

Towns are brought together during football season. Players fly to heights of greatness and legend. Coaches lose and win their jobs.

From August 1st to December 10th, high school teams in the Big Country had one chance to play one year. They'll never get it back no matter how hard they try or how many dreams haunt their sleepless nights. They had one chance. Some made the best of it, others will harbor regrets until their dying day. Most will regret. Most will always daydream of what could have been. What should have been.

As for me, I'll do it all over again next year. My job stays the same. I'll just have to learn some new faces and new names.