Tonight was the first real test for Friendswood's Mustangs. It was a very exciting game. There was only 1 interception thrown, though there were a few other passes that came close. There were not one, not two, but three blocked extra point kicks, and a fumble or two.
This was a grudge match, and no one will deny it. The last time these two team met was in the Regional Finals in November 2009. That game was so poorly officiated that it was investigated by the officials' governing body. The Mustangs seemed to give up during the first half of that game because they knew they couldn't win while playing both the opposing team and the officials. Of course, I wanted a Mustang win tonight. But I wanted that win to come fairly. I would rather lose a fair game than win by cheating (whether we cheat or the officials cheat for us).
There still seemed to be some biased officiating tonight, but the Mustangs seemed to have decided that they were going to win. I was very impressed with our team's determination. Yes, there were several penalties against Friendswood; and no, not all of them were earned. But we overcame those obstacles.
If you read my posts during the game, you know that it was exciting. And the last three quarters were close. You also know that I ended up in twitter jail trying to keep everyone updated. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. I can't imagine trying to keep everyone updated using two twitter accounts all from my blackberry. And don't even get me started on the Galveston County Daily News live chats. I want to be in those so badly, but can't get there on my blackberry. I digress.
Back to the game. I've only seen one other blocked extra point kick. Don't ask me when or where it was, because I don't remember. But I'm pretty sure it was at a Friendswood game, and I'm pretty sure it was Friendswood who blocked the kick. But don't hold me to that. Tonight, there were three blocked extra point kicks. Friendswood had two and Dawson had one.
Both teams played very well. Dawson's #8 ran through our defense more times than I cared to see. And Dawson's defense covered our receivers so well that even though our offensive line gave Pete an eternity to throw the ball, he often had trouble finding an open receiver. After the game I heard he was 20 of 27. I'm going to have to go back and look at stats to see how that compares to previous games. I suspect that he was able to throw the ball more than he was tonight.
Dawson made an amazing play in the third quarter. Even if they were the opposing team, I have to give them credit for that one. Catching a pass with double coverage and making it to the endzone is an accomplishment.
Props also need to go out to Zach Hardy. It isn't often that a kicker is called on to tackle, but he did it tonight. After one of our touchdowns, the Dawson player who caught the kick off ran past all the Mustangs, except Hardy. Good job Zach.
The game wasn't sealed until we got the ball back with 46 seconds on the clock. 2 knees later and Friendswood had handed Dawson their first district loss of the season. The final score: Dawson 27 - Friendswood 34. Next week, Friendswood will travel to La Marque. Both teams come into this game undefeated, but one team will walk away with a district record of 2-1. I will not be able to make this game (my oldest daughter had a choir concert that night). So I will have to get my news from the Galveston County Daily News and twitter.
PS. Just a couple of notes for the officials. First, in order to have a first down, a team but move the ball all ten yards, not nine and a half yards. Second. If a play goes out of bounds, and a tackle takes place out of bounds, but before the whistle, it is not unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct or a personal foul. It is called finishing the play. Third, if a player is listening to trash talk and being harassed by members of the opposing team. And after a quarter and a half of this, he tells the opposing team member to shut up, it's not a personal foul. If you want to call a personal foul, call it on the people who have been trash talking. Thank you.
This was Channel 2's game of the week. I saw the interview after the game, but I couldn't hear what Pete was saying. If I can, I'll post a link to the video on my facebook and twitter and hopefully here as well.
Here's the link to the Friday Night Frenzy from Henry Winston Stadium. http://www.click2houston.com/video/25249375/index.html
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