I was going to write about Dr. Fee... but....

I didn't want to go to this game tonight, by all accounts it was deemed to be a fruitless endeavor for the Franklin Knights to travel north with any hope to truly compete against the powerful Meadville Bulldogs. I had promised the team and coach Turk earlier this seasom that I was invested in them, their growth as a program and was with them whenever I could no matter what. But I thought tonight wasn't going to be fun and I really wouldn't know what to write about, especially after learning a few of their best players were out.

And it wasn't fun.

​I had devised a plan to write about good ole Doc Fee, the team physician who has dedicated decades of his life to the program (and I am going to write about him tonight) but as I was leaving the field at half-time, I was greeted by the surprisingly warm face of coach Matt Turk. Instead of trying to ignore I was there, he welcomed me to the sidelines and chatted about the game. ​Honestly. Without remorse. Like a leader.

It wasn't this face above ... this face was one where he was pretty pissed off at a call and seeming disregard that he was trying to get clarification before another play was being run, but the refs didn't seem to acknowledge him. 

​Coach came up to me, in part to commiserate, but also trust in me to tell a few details he knew from behind the scenes. 

I promised I wouldn't talk about anything negative, because I had already decided that served no purpose. These are young men, boys really, who showed up and went out on the field play after play despite that, even if only by the grace of God, they were going to have a very long frustrating football night.

Meadville is a very good football team with exceptional running backs and a line that can open gaping holes.

No one expected Franklin to compete, they are very young and a little beat up. 

But, you know what, they showed up with heads held high and they went out there to play and learned something about football and life. And who knows what could've happened if a blown facemark call was actually went Franklin's way. They would've gained instead of lost yards. Would the momentum have changed? 

Or one pass that went through the hands was caught? Little things can change games in big ways. But Meadville is a solid squad and Franklin would've been up against it no matter what.

That is the part of character building that is seldom celebrated, but important to note. How does a team hold its head up under such circumstances. The answer could be found looking back to an earlier conversation I had with Coach Turk where he talked about what happens in practice, in the locker room, in huddles and between each other.

It's about family over victories.

It is having each other's backs and showing up to play no matter what.

And that is what they keep doing.

An old security guard friend of mine came by and asked when is enough enough? He was concerned about injuries.

And that too is valid.

But give credit to the young men, boys really, who keep showing up because they love to play football and love being a part of the Franklin Knight Family.  In the end the Knight's didn't score and the second half with the running clock and reserves playing for Meadville the score didn't change much. It ended 77-0.

Franklin's season isn't going to get any easier as they face a tough General McLane team for homecoming next week and then hit the road to face Butler who actually beat Meadville already.

Now, about Doc Fee. This is the reason I love my job, guys like Doc Fee. But I'm going to write about him in another post you can read here.