Our first football championship game coming to Bayfield - indeed it is a historic time to be a Wolverine, or for a lot of the rest of us, a Wolverine fan.
These boys have been my eldest son's classmates since preschool, and my husband coached several of them in T-ball and flag football. Sometimes, I still see them as little six- and seven-year-olds out running on the field. Then I see their huge physiques when I'm taking their pictures or when I run into them at the Grocery Store, and I'm jarred back to present-day reality.
I'm sure some folks are out there scratching their heads. What is it with small-town Bayfield and its love for football?
Honestly, I can't explain it, although I tell newcomers that Bayfield is the football town, and Ignacio is the basketball town, and that's just kind of the way things are.
I think part of it is that we don't have a lot of entertainment options on a Friday night, so might as well go to the stadium or gym and watch the kids play, right?
But sometimes, there is something more. After winning the state title in 2015, the Wolverines came oh-so-close in 2016, losing in the state semi-finals by one point to La Junta. As much as they're told to focus on each week's game, I imagine the players couldn't help but look toward the championship - which they didn't reach.
This year, however, they seemed to focus on each week's opponent, that week. The exciting Durango game, defeating our 3A cross-county rival, was a testament to that.
And blowing through three state semi-final games with no one even SCORING on these boys? That has to be some kind of record. I need to ask Dan Ford about that.
On Saturday, I'll be at the game with my family members and a lot of my old football mom friends, remembering when we were driving our kids all over the Four Corners to youth football games. That was back in the days when the loss of a game could usually be fixed with an ice cream cone.
Those days are over now, and sometimes I miss them.
But these boys have grown into respectful young men, and I know on Saturday, they will represent Bayfield well, win or lose.
I'd like to welcome our visitors from La Junta and hope they enjoy their visit here. We all are hoping for no injuries and a good game between two tough teams.
Thanks for reading.
