This 7A football season has been something else.
Our school moved up to the highest level of classification this year. Suddenly, we were playing some of the LARGEST schools in Arkansas. We were going head-to-head with the biggest schools in town.
Bigger schools, teams, and expectations.
And apparently, not a whole lot of people expected us to win.
Except us. 7A Football didn’t Believe we could.
And then we did.
Not once. TWICE. … now THREE TIMES NOW!
Let me tell you, these weren’t just football games.
Competing in 7A football season in Arkansas isn’t easy!
These were the kind of games that remind you why you love sports in the first place.
The kind where you’re on your feet more than you’re in your seat. Where you’re screaming so loudly you can barely hear yourself think. Every play matters, every yard feels like a mile, and every second on that clock seems to last an eternity.
Adrenaline wasn’t just flowing on the field, it was flowing through every single one of us in those stands!
- The cheering.
- The yelling. The jumping up and down.
- The parents losing their minds.
- The students going absolutely crazy.
- The entire crowd holding its breath one second and erupting the next.
IT. WAS. ELECTRIC.
And the boys? Oh, those boys.
They played with heart, determination and with something to prove.
Those boys didn’t walk onto that field intimidated by the size of the school across from them. They walked out there believing they belonged.
And they proved it.
THREE TIMES.
But what I loved almost as much as watching those boys win was watching our little school community come alive.
The excitement was contagious. School spirit was incredible, I’ve seen it big but never like that. For those few hours, nothing else seemed to matter except what was happening under those Friday night lights in 7A football season.
We were all in it together.
And when that final whistle blew? The joy was something you just had to experience.
I don’t know what the rest of this season holds. There will be more games, more challenges, and probably a few moments that test our nerves (and our vocal cords 😂).
But I do know this:
Never underestimate a team that believes in itself, even when nobody else does.
Sometimes the size of the school doesn’t determine the size of the fight.
And sometimes the underdogs aren’t nearly as surprised by the victory as everyone else.
Because while everyone else was wondering if we could…
We already believed we would.
And goodness, what a FUN time to be part of it all. 🏈
These are the Friday nights we’ll be talking about for years.
…
But you know what made those nights even better?
My whole family was there.
All of us. Together.
And if you know anything about having a big family, you know that getting everyone in the same place, at the same time, doing somethings we all genuinely enjoy is a victory all by itself. 😂
There we were, cheering, screaming, laughing, celebrating, and probably embarrassing our kids just a little bit.
Everyone was caught up in the excitement. There wasn’t a single fan not invested in that game. Everyone was sharing those moments together.
Somewhere between the touchdowns, the screaming, and the absolute chaos in the stands, I found myself thinking about how much I loved this. How much I’ve missed this, knowing all whole family was together at the same place at the same time.
Not just the football.
This. Our family. Being together.
Because one day, the kids will be grown. Our schedules will look different. We won’t all pile into the car to head to another school football game. And these Friday nights that feel so ordinary right now will become some of our favorite memories.
I hope they remember the wins. I hope they remember the excitement and how incredible those games were.
But more than anything, I hope they remember looking up into those stands and seeing their family there, cheering them on, even when they are no longer on the field and simply standing at the fence cheering on others.
The wins were unforgettable. But getting to share them with the people I love most? That was the best part of all.
And I wouldn’t trade those nights for anything. 🏈
Man I wish we had a video of that whole night! So good!
Featured Image by Northwest Arkansas GameDay https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122119614867435753&set=pcb.122119614969435753
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