Finally a win....and I was there

In all likelihood I was there on September 20, 2014, though I don't remember. For 17 years I was on the sidelines for the majority of Allegheny College home football games. For many years they were a pretty solid team having either winning records or at least 50-50 seasons.
Of late however they have struggled. On Sept 20, 2014 they won that game and haven't tasted that gratifying feeling again.

Until Oct. 1, 2016.

And it was homecoming.
That is why I was there. I'm not an alum, I did teach there for a spell, but I wasn't a student there. The college hired me to cover homecoming.

Since they hadn't won yet this season, went without a win last year and only won one game the year before in the very beginning of the season, I wasn't really expecting it to be a very good game or an extremely happy crowd. Since I was working for the college they weren't really interested in in storytelling photos that showed loss.

What I thought I'd be doing is looking for images from the sidelines that showed a positive side of a college athletic life but not necessarily something that showed the story of the day. When O arrived at the field I chatted with a couple people who told me that the Gator's opponent, Oberlin was also without a win this season.

"Somebody's gonna get a win today," they said. 

So my thoughts were centered around just getting some nice action shots that they might be able to use but concentrate on the details of college football at a small school and don't worry so much about getting the excitement of a football game. I just figured they would probably lose again and it'll be in the details that I can accomplish my job for the college.

So I knew I was there to cover homecoming and figured most of my frames would come from looking for students old and new have fun together either in conversation or playing games.

And perhaps some of the festivities would yield some fume photos and still get a sense of school pride despite the football team that hasn't given them much to cheer about in the last few years.

But then something happened.

​They scored right away!

Then they scored again!

And they had some key defensive plays.

And they scored again. Suddenly it was 20-0 in the first Quarter. The rout was on. The drought was over!

And the fans stayed! They weren't going to miss this!

But then.... there was no more scoring. And the other team struggling for a win began to come back. Fighting. Taking hits and giving them back.

Suddenly when Oberlin had the ball they were charging (Goofs on Allegheny's special teams gave Oberlin short fields as well,) and when they didn't they were holding Allegheny back.

Oberlin got their game going and suddenly despite great effort...

Allegheny couldn't hold them back. And Oberlin scored and scored again.

Oberlin got right back in the game and Allegheny never found the end-zone again, but they did get close enough two more times to get a couple of field goals.

Oberlin couldn't haul in enough acrobatic catches and Allegheny's defense was able to keep Oberlin from driving in the second half.

And the crowd did their part to keep up the support.

Years ago I remember coving an Allegheny team who struggled in their first four games, but went on to win the conference and go into the playoffs. I even went to NJ to cover them play in a very good game that ended in a last second, very long field goal that bounced on the cross bar and over the goal post ending the Gators run.

I thought about that when the gators had a huge stop near the end of this homecoming game that secured their first win in 23 tries.

And that year, if my memory serves, was the first year for the new head coach just as this year is the first year for this head coach. 

I'm glad Allegheny College asked me to make photographs at this year's homecoming as it gave me a chance to be a part of something fun and exciting. Maybe if this team can use this win to build upon and follow it up with another and another... then maybe they can repeat history.

I wouldn't mind another road trip to NJ.