Extra points man, holy crap, tough way to open the season

Friday I covered the Meadville vs. Grove City game. I had a chance to work for my friends at The The Meadville Tribune and cover some old friends that are still coaching the Bulldogs. 

It was nice to see John Amato again and get a nice welcome from him. He's still on the sidelines teaching kids. So is Ray Collins nd others. And the band instructors are still tirelessly teaching.

This was a powerful punch/counter punch contest that racked up nearly 100 points. If you like big runs and offenses moving the ball, this was a game for you. If you like well rounded solid football, not so much.

Someone needs to teach these young teens how to tackle, how to not over commit and how to be disciplined on defense in order to prevent angles and openings for passes.

I witnessed a few fine tackles that prevented scores or big gains, but not enough of them. Grove City won by two points... two missed extra points by Meadville, that was the difference. The score was 50 to 48. Good football games only have around 40-50 points scored total. Great games have less than 40 points scored.

Defense was not what tonight was about, because defense just didn't show up in a consistent way. Meadville ran - they ran a lot and well. Grove City threw a lot more, but also had key runs. But it came down to a blocked extra point and then a failed two-point conversion. These two teams were equal. Offenses that could block and get into the open field, but neither team will win defensive awards.

Khalon Simmons is a master of all trades on the gridiron. He rushed and broke free, he stopped a touchdown at least once on special teams and he kicked and kicked. One of his kicks ws blocked. Who would've thought this high scoring game would come down to that blocked kick and a subsequent two-point failure to convert.

Neither team deserved to win, but neither team deserved to lose either. This is sports and it is the little things that might mean the difference between the W or the L,

But high school sports about way more than wins and losses. Sure, the goal is the title, but there is a band, cheers and parents who are there to bleed with the football team and be the experience of Friday night under the lights. It's a school experience, not just a game.

And tonight what we witnessed was pure youth joy in trying to just win. Both sides were cheering and supporting the players and they players played in heat to the point of exhaustion.
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Someone has to lose and but for a couple conversions MASH did a helluva job scoring points.

They learned lessons about teamwork that will help them grow next week. They learned a little about humility as they scored, only to then watch Grove City score. The coaches also learned they need to be a little better teaching these young athletes.

This was only week one and though it is always better to start out with a win, this is not the end of the season. Two running backs had monster games and the team has talent. They they need to learn to hit harder, put their body in the way, wrap up and stay mentally focussed on defense.

​These things will come with good practices and dedication to the craft. And if they do this, this team could have a solid year. They certainly have weapons.

Below are more scenes from the game captured by Eight & 322.

See more photos by clicking here.