Ready for Football

The phrase Are you ready for some football? is much overused.  But we were--ready, that is.  Thomas decided he wanted to play football in the fall after a friend invited him to some workouts this past spring.  Fundraisers helped pay for all the fees required, and Thomas was set.  Oh, wait.  Workout shorts.  Cleats.  Gloves.  And other sports equipment that young guys need to play.  So he was mostly set, plus he decided he would spend some of his own money.  Good--because we were out and Fernando was getting laid off.

The Crusaders is their name, and they're a homeschool league.  Crossroads Youth Center coordinates the sports program, and they have several teams now--football, soccer, volleyball (which went to nationals), and track.  Practices were about an hour away, but there were two others guys from our neck of the woods, and we took turns carpooling them.  Daily practices that far away meant a lot of time in the car, plus Thomas attended every single extra morning workout the guys scheduled.  He was determined to learn the game.

I never did post highlights of individual games.  There are very few pictures of Thomas--he played nose tackle, and was never to be seen in my viewfinder because he was always surrounded by players, and/or tackling them to the ground.  I did manage to get a few action shots of him, plus some off-field ones.  Here are the highlights.

August 30 was the Crusaders' first game, super hot and super far away (almost three hours from home).  Almost halfway through the game, storm clouds started brewing, but it looked like they would pass by to the north and east.  Right before halftime, the Crusaders took the field after a touchdown to kick the ball.  There was Thomas!  (He's number 50.)

All of a sudden, whistles blew and refs ran around the field.  The announcement was made--dangerous thunderstorms were coming, and the field was to be vacated.  Thomas never did get to play that game.  He would play soon, though.

The next few games were the very first home games ever for the Crusaders, thanks to the use of a Christian school's field (very generous on their part!).

I took a picture of Thomas tackling a runner, and I didn't even know it was him until I downloaded the images!

Here are a few from their official homecoming game.

An October game shot...

And a late October final game:

The team celebrates a great year.

Thomas got better and better as the season progressed, and his Dad and I are so proud of his effort and determination!


Back to life,
Christine

Visit my photography blog
Visit my photography website