Barrow Whalers season opener, part 4 of 5: The game is fought to its conclusion
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 1:09PM 
Okay, folks, I was supposed to have all this done before lunchtime, because I have many other things to do this afternoon and tonight. So I must hurry along with minimal commentary; I cannot waste time writing excess verbiage or hyperbole, I cannot throw out words willy-nilly. If a word doesn't need to be used to tell the story, then I must discipline myself, just as a football player must discipline himself and I must avoid that word and all such words, because they are unnecessary and if they are unnecessary and I have little time and I do not need them, then why I should I waste my time as a writer and yours as reader?*
So I will get right to it. Benson carries the ball, as the Wolverine defense comes after him.
He eludes the Wolverine defense.
But it is a tough game, and the Wolverine defense fights hard.
With the wind behind him, Benson throws a pass.
It is close. The pass bounces off the end of the fingers of James Snow as Wolverine defenders unsuccessfully try to snatch it from him.
After the Wolverines intercept a pass, they score themselves - and they go for two extra points and get them. This gives them the lead, 8-6.
Coach Houston gives some instruction on the sidelines.
After Adrian Panigeo makes the intital contact, Emmanuel Samuelu helps him bring down the tackle. Panigeo's hit can be seen in the slide show linked at the bottom.
During what proved to be a critical moment in the game, I was focusing my camera upon Mia, Jay, and Jimeniz Sanchez, who were growing very animated. The cause of their excitement was the fact that their son and brother, Jessie, had just sacked the wolverin quarterback in the Whaler's end zone for a two point safety.
During what proved to be a critical moment in the game, I was focusing my camera upon Jay and Mia Sanchez and their daughter, Jimeniz, who were growing quite animated. The cause of their excitement was the fact that their son and brother, Jessie, was sacking the Wolverine quarterback in the Whaler's end zone for a two point safety.
This tied score is now tied, 8-8. Emmanuel Samuelu and Ben Jones celebrate.
What the Sanchez's see soon after is not something they like. Their son, Jessie, takes a late hit from the opposing quarter back that he sacked and gets hurt. He limps off the field, hurting with a possible hamstring and takes a seat upon an ice pack.
Jessie Sanchez sits on the ice pack.
The game continues. On a fourth down punt, Benson snatches the ball from the wind and runs in for a touch down. Again, the two point conversion fails. The whalers now lead, 14 - 8. There is just over two minutes left to play.
The Wolverines try to make a go of it, but once again the Whaler defense comes through. Trace Hudson does his job.
And then the game is over. The Whalers celebrate.
After the usual handshakes, the Whalers invite the Wolverines - who have, indeed, learned to respect them as a real football team, to join them for a prayer. They do. I think the respect is mutual, at this point.
As he fights off the pain, Sanchez is helped off the field by Brody Woods and Robert Brulette. Yet, he is happy, for the Whalers have won their first game.
*After I wrote the first paragraph, I did a save and then hurried on as fast as I could to the end. I then did another save, but encountered a Squarespace glitch that wiped out every word that I had written from the first paragraph on, so I had to scroll back up and do it all over again.
That's how life goes when one gets in a hurry.
Now I really must hurry on part 5. I bet I can get it done quick.
slide show contains extra images not included in the narrative
Reader Comments (1)
grate photographs i loved them