Crunch

Mathias was running the ball during a drill and got CRUNCHED! This was a hit that you could HEAR from the sidelines . . . the kind that makes the parents go OOOO AAAAHHH "That was a HIT!" Yup, poor boy, he really felt it. And though "this is football" emphasize the dads - yes, sometimes there is crying . . .



He's got great coaches though . . . he got a drink of water then back to the line up for more drilling. A real trooper. At the end of this practice they went over kick off and kick off return. He's on the kick off return team. I wish I had video. He scooped up the ball and ran it back for a TD. Another time it landed beautifully in his arms and he ran that one back too. Stiff arming, weaving, he was having a great time. Considering that last year he was your minimum 10 play player who spent a lot of time on the sidelines even at practice . . . so it's great to watch him get involved and really enjoy it . . . hmmm except for the hard hits :) I told him "That's about as hard as you'll ever get hit - if you handled that OK - then don't be scared of anyone." He's 56 lbs and kids can be up to 90 lbs. It was one of our bigger players that got him. That's probably what keeps him running fast. :)

Here in AZ we don't call games due to rain. . . we call games due to excessive heat advisories. Who schedules 9 yr olds to play at 2PM in August??? We watched Isaiah play at 10AM and then during the noon game the ambulance had to take 2 kids to the hospital for dehydration/heat stroke. I would have loved to see Mathias play but not in those conditions (112 degrees). During practices he's been at safety, wide receiver, cornerback, and fullback. It's a new team so they are still figuring out where everyone should be. Isaiah is center again and he's getting a chance for some D. He got the first tackle in this game. He played center well, but could have applied more speed on D. They lost 42 - 0 (and this even though the whole second half was played against the second string). It's going to be a long season for his team. Lots of issues but that's a whole 'nother post. :)