I've decided to start going to see some local high school gridiron action on Friday nights for entertainment. You can't beat the price and pageantry. Parking is free and usually there are not the big crowds that make getting out of the parking lots, or grass as was the case last night, too bad of an effort. The food is relatively inexpensive as well, definitely better prices than you'll get at Soldiers Field for D
a Bears.
Last night, I paid $4 after a long walk from where I ended up parking the Dakota to see a game at
Johnsburg High School, which is located about two miles directly south of our house. It was between them and arch-rival and neighboring Richmond-Burton which serves students from our village of Spring Grove and Richmond.
I normally would have pulled for
Johnsburg, and, until they built the new subdivision between our house and the school, I could hear the pa for their games when it wasn't too windy. I'd sit out on the deck or out by a bonfire on the Grand Strand (what I call the lower patio) and listen to the game. However, since the kids in our subdivision go to R-B (Richmond-Burton), I decided to play it loyal and pulled for the Rockets. And besides that, I send a whole lot of money there in my property taxes. I mean a WHOLE LOT!!!!
Can't do that anymore.
Got a hot dog and drink for $3.50 and walked over to the visitors side. The whole field was packed and there was nowhere to sit in either grandstand.
I took up a position by the fence at the 20 yard line and watched the end of the sophomore game which ended in a 40-7 rout for the Rockets.
Johnsburg has been to the state playoffs quite often in the last ten years and was heavily favored to win...again. While talking with one of the player's fathers, I found out
Johnsburg has the whammy on R-B and usually wins six out every seven contests. Kind of like Arlington High School was to my
alma mater, Palatine. We just couldn't beat them. The University of Toledo has the same thing going against my college, Northern Illinois. Even on those VERY RARE times we beat them, they still go to a bowl game and we stay home.
Standing along the fence in the grass, we got to watch the game and battle the hungry-for-your-blood mosquitoes all evening. After all the rain, they are the worst I've ever seen.
The
Johnsburg Seahawks got the opening kick off and were marching down the field when a pass was intercepted and run back to the ten yard line and that led to a R-B touchdown. They came back and scored, and were easily containing the R-B offense the whole first quarter.
In the second half, a Rocket running back took the hand off and ran 70 yards to set up another TD a few plays later. The father I was talking to said that the player was his son, who very rarely ever plays offense. He didn't seem too excited about the run as he wasn't cheering
any louder than the other fans. Later, his son went down with leg cramps, but after a few minutes got up and was able to walk off under his own power.
His father said his son, a senior, was going to go to Carthage College in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, about 45 miles away. He won't play football, but will do track. He will join two other siblings already there. I told him his money was definitely going to Carthage as it is a private college.
I left with ten minutes to go as I was getting tired of standing, had lost a fair amount of blood to the mosquitoes, was getting chilly as I was wearing shorts and a polo shirt, and, when the game ended, there would be quite a mess getting out with all those vehicles. Richmond was winning 20-10, and I saw this morning that that was the final score as well. Congratulations Rockets.
Love Them High School Football Games. --
RoadDog
