Smiling for football season

Saturday certainly was a great day in America and locally because football has returned. There were a few college games on TV and I watched bits and pieces of several games. In Ritzville the annual high school football jamboree took place and I took my place on the east end of Jimmie Snider Field holding on to my end of the chain gang.

It was a bit breezy at times but the temperatures had fallen enough to make it comfortable for players, fans and 8 referees who were fairly comfortable in their black shorts. There were 7 men and one woman reffing and they did a great job letting the teams know where they went wrong and kept things moving smoothly. The jamboree helps coaches and teams know how much they’ve progressed and what they need to work on before their first game this coming Friday.

The Jamboree is also good for the chain gang but we don’t move nearly as much without the kickoff and punt returns and the fact that the offensive teams are limited to running plays from the 35 yard line on each side of the football field. But being out on the field again is really a lot of fun.

There were teams from Warden, Chewelah, Medical Lake, Davenport, Colfax, Dayton-Waitsburg and the LRS Broncos. Or LRSWH. Each team played 20 offensive and 20 defensive plays. Five of the JV teams played after the Varsity teams were done. They too got to play 20 offensive and defensive plays.

I’m not bashful and the Jamboree is a little less intense than a regular season game so I have a tendency to strike up a conversation with a football player of two on the sideline. It seems that the kids from these small towns are respectful and we share a laugh or two. The one thing I want these kids to know is that the game is a lot of fun so they need to enjoy it because it will pass by quickly.

I’ve been around long enough to recognize the coaches from Chewelah, Colfax and Davenport. They were happy to be able to participate in this Jamboree because they know the value of lining up against someone other than the second group. Hitting someone other than a teammate is always a lot more fun. As I was walking off the field I mentioned that to one of the young athletes and he reacted with a big smile and said, “It sure was!”

New LRS head coach Brendan Bermea had a smile on his face. He saw some great potential and he has four days to polish up any of the miscues that were made on Saturday. The LRS football team seems to have made the transition of head coach’s and are having fun in the process. They have invested a lot of time in the weight room and football camps and they understand that this season could be very special.

Every team at Saturday’s Jamboree had a few plays that made their fans happy and gave them a reason to be optimistic for the 2022 football season. After one weird season because of C-19 most everyone can’t wait for a season that is much closer to the normal ones we have been used to. The athletes that participated have that excitement again and there were some great fans that made the trip to Ritzville to enjoy high school football. The coaches were happy because they could see the progress of their team and no one was hurt.

The breeze on Saturday did have an effect on the passing games or maybe it had a big effect on how successful each team’s QB threw the ball. I know it was a bit difficult holding onto the ‘sticks’ as a gust of wind would hit the field of play.

So it’s almost time to get ready for football as another season approaches. For the seniors all I can say is enjoy this year because it will be over way too soon no matter what you might think. I remember when my coach said, “Fellas the season comes and goes in a flash!” We chuckled about it then but here it is 53 years later and I realize that no truer words have been spoken.

I hope the smiles I saw on Saturday can be carried on throughout this football season. Good luck!