High school football is not my cup of tea as far as the player experience is concerned. I have been rather blunt with that attitude. Since I continue to be an outlier with the attitude, I'll capitulate in order to shine a light on how MACA football has gone. Indeed, everything has come up roses as we near the mid-point of the regular season. Just consider the 3-0 record.
But there is more to savor beyond that. The quality of games has been a delight for fans who like lots of offense. Shall I presume that is the majority? Yes I'll presume that. Back in my first 10 to 15 years writing sports for the Morris newspaper, football games in our West Central Conference could be disturbingly boring. I never heard much talk about it.
Much of the 1980s was a down time for MAHS athletics, the days before we became "MACA."
One thing that stuck out for me was that the area 9-man football games were more high-scoring, sometimes significantly so. So I'll admit to the bias that fans like that kind of football: games where the winner and maybe both teams score over 30 points. I'd write about coach Neal Hofland's C-A teams using the "toss sweep" play to roll over opponents. C-A had a succession of top-flight runningbacks like Jon Hallman.
I covered two Prep Bowl championships by the Spartans. I was at the Metrodome when George Dieter had his health crisis. Quite early-morning start times for the championship nine-man game. So early, the will-call window didn't always have press credentials ready to give out! Such special memories of it all.
Things were more laid-back then. Without press credentials I could still talk my way to the sidelines by just seeming credible about who I was. Yes those were different times. Like everyone was on a sedative. Actually many people were: public smoking was more accepted. Cigarettes are a sedative, so in a weird way they might have been constructive? Oh of course we learned the minuses outweighed any pluses by a country mile.
So our society decided to come down like a sledgehammer on smoking. And the price for a pack of cigarettes skyrocketed to where I can't imagine why anyone would consider taking up the habit. But you have no doubt noticed as I have that a considerable number of people continue inhaling. To each their own? That's a tough question.
I think about the resilience of the smoking habit - maybe it's sort of an "underground" - when I'm waiting to pay at a convenience store. Like Casey's in Morris. I'll be behind one or two dudes (or lasses) who ask for cigarettes that are behind the counter. So often I notice this. Some people still need their "smokes." Sometimes there's an impulse to want to ask these people why they're doing it. But of course we won't do that: mores, customs, whatever. "The majority of people lead lives of quiet desperation." People will consciously keep some vices.
More legacy effect
By the exact same token, we continue to allow our high schools to offer tackle football. Of course we should all know better. We ought to speak out more. But there's the mores/customs thing again. We have invested in these football programs. A home game at Big Cat Stadium is probably the most grand spectacle to be seen in Morris all year. The players look terrific out there on the field.
We're happy when they win, as they have done thus far in 2023, most recently over Little Falls. That game was played at Little Falls on Friday. It was a 36-29 win.
I am impressed by the total number of points scored. I remember a time when our home games were played in town and the people there acted like it was more of a social affair. Honest to goodness, most of them seemed to be paying little attention to how the game was going. Remember that? Clusters of junior high kids "walking laps" on the track surrounding the field. Chattering, engaging in nonsense. Maybe you were one of them! Very different time.
And I remember many low-scoring games that frankly were boring. Constant handing off of the ball into the line. Two yards and a cloud of dust, maybe three on an above-average play. Then we'd see this big pile of guys out on the field slowly get up to prepare for the next play. I remember a game at Glenwood once - Glenwood, not Minnewaska - that about drove me nuts that way. It seemed to me the fans only stuck around as a courtesy. Either that or they were happy to pass the time socializing. Small-town football could seem more like a custom than anything.
I remember a game here at Coombe Field where the opponent was so hamstrung for trying to score, I swore they wouldn't be able to score even if the ball squirted loose in the end zone and all they had to do was fall on it. I would expect the ball to just end up out of the end zone.
Marketing applied
OK so what happened? Eventually I learned of some rules changes, for example letting the offensive linemen get away with more. This was entirely pragmatic. Because of course, the High School League recognizes that its games are "products" needing support. Let's manage them to maximize the interest of the fans. So elementary.
So high school football has gotten "juiced" to where it "sells" better. And we got a score of 36-29 from Friday's game at Little Falls. A far better experience for a sportswriter like me to dive into for an article. Imagine writing about a 7-6 game. You'd have to think of some embellishment tricks.
A 36-29 score presents an abundance of raw material. Reminds me also of the 9-man games of years past, Neal Hofland's heyday. Neal is still very much active of course. I remind him when I see him at DeToy's about his old toss-sweep play.
Maybe not so beneficial
The superior marketing of football has a major downside of keeping the sport propped up. And of course what I'm referring to is the health dangers of the sport which are coming to the forefront of public awareness more and more. The end to this sport has got to come sometime. But at present the inertia continues. Football survives as does the smoking habit.
We might add that MAGA "Make America Great Again" of politics survives also, defying all logic and wisdom. And MAGA continues its close association with the Christian faith. Tomorrow is Sunday - I'll be reminded again. I attend a church that is quite separate from the Trump cult - it's our First Lutheran in Morris which is not faring well. We're too "liberal" or so the meme goes. We are still fond of quoting Jesus Christ from the Sermon on the Mount - conservatives have decided they don't like that at all. Too "liberal." Well, I will stick to my guns.
I believe in following Christ's words from the Sermon on the Mount.
Tigers 36, Little Falls 29
It was my intent today (Saturday) to give a pretty straightforward review of the Tigers' Friday win. I am always delighted to do this sort of thing. However, scant details of the game are found online. That's unfortunate. I can get the score off "Minnesota Scores."
Fortunately I found a scoring summary on "Minnesota Football Hub," but unfortunately no game stats. I would have loved presenting a thorough review. But you win some and you lose some. The dearth of available details is why I "vamped" though so much of this blog post. I have to make do.
Our first TD by QB Huebner
Let's have fun going through the scoring summary. Yes I do have fun doing this - I'm not doing it for any money. The Tigers held an 8-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Little Falls struck first with a seven-yard run and a good kick. Our touchdown came on a two-yard run by the quarterback Drew Huebner. Drew also carried for two on the conversion. So, an 8-7 score and we are on our way.
We went up 14-7 with a big pass of nearly 50 yards: Huebner connecting with Owen Anderson. The conversion play failed. Little Falls scored a second quarter TD on a five-yard run.
The teams traded touchdowns once again in the third quarter. The Tigers struck first: Huebner passed to Jackson Hallman for 13 yards. Little Falls had a TD on a one-yard run.
The fourth quarter saw MACA assume a commanding air. Anderson ran the ball into the end zone from the five. Huebner ran for two on the conversion. Little Falls struck with a two-yard scoring run. MACA supplied the exclamation point with a three-yard scoring scamper that had Anderson clutching the ball. The conversion was good on a pass from Huebner to Anderson.
Mission accomplished: a 36-29 win that elevated our W/L to 3-0. We hope the players of both teams came out of the night unhurt. Look what happened to Aaron Rodgers.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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