It's appropriate that I'm in the shadows in this picture. The light should definitely shine on Mid-Rivers 8th grade football coach Damon Clark. His team defeated the Jefferson County Youth Association last Saturday 40-14 in what we thought was a pretty uneventful game in terms of sportsmanship. Looks can be deceiving, though. It sort of hit us with about five minutes to go. In scoring 40 points, no footballs were spiked. There were no sack dances. Nobody posed. When Mid-Rivers scored, the player handed the ball to the ref and lined up for the next play. When there was a sack or a tackle for a loss, the players lined right back up for the next play.
Even on an interception that was called back for a late hit, the linebacker calmly gave the ball back to the ref and - you guessed it - lined up for the next play. Please don't misunderstand. This is not a soft team. They are a big and physical group of middle school kids who gave Jefferson County all they wanted. They just did it within the rules. That's why the Sportsmanship Brigade chose to recognize Coach Clark - a man who gets the best out of his kids without demeaning them or the other team. Besides, does Coach Clark look like the kind of guy that tolerates nonsense? Until next time...
Be a Good Sport!
-Sol
Monday, 3 October 2011
Mid-Rivers coach teaches winning football, character
Posted on 07:08 by Unknown
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