Friday Night Lights

Friday night lights were blazing last week - when for the first time in the history of our little town, the Saugatuck Indians clinched the district title! You can see the sheer joy on Matthew's face and the pride in his father's eyes in the picture above.

Leading up to and during the game, there were several things that made the victory even more sweet. The first being that the sports writers in the area, to a person, all predicted the opponents, Climax-Scotts, to win. They'd had a perfect season - until Friday. The second was that we had to travel quite a distance (nearly 90 minutes) to get to the game. And the weather was frigid and snow was blowing - thankfully it was blowing towards the Climax-Scotts stands and was at our backs. And then our quarterback injured his shoulder and had to sit out for a good portion of the game. Thankfully, the replacement quarterback (a sophomore called up for the playoffs from the junior varsity team) did not let the stress effect his play because he had a stellar game. 

The first touchdown came when the quarterback ran nearly 85 yards on the initial kick-off. What a way to start the game and it likely set the tone for the rest of the game! At half-time, we were up by quite a bit and you could almost see doubt of a victory being erased from the players and fans minds.

At game's end, the fans literally swarmed onto the field - sweaty players were hugging and high-fiving. Pictures were taken. The trophy was awarded. There were more hugs and high-fives and then we all started the drive back to Saugatuck-Douglas.

There were more Friday night lights awaiting the team when they returned to town because the fire trucks were waiting for the team bus at the Saugatuck Brewery on the edge of town. The players got onto the the fire engines and the parade began. At 11:30 on a Friday night, in this town that loves parades, the all-time most joyous parade began with fire engine lights flashing and sirens blaring. Followed by the fan bus, the band bus and the cars of all the parents and fans with their horns honking. What a wonderful greeting for these hard-working, doubt-erasing, high school athletes!!

It simply confirmed for me the benefits of a small-town. I cannot imagine such a hullabaloo in Grand Rapids or Chicago or even Holland. For these young men, I am sure it is a night they will never forget and a story they will tell for generations to come. And I imagine that they will forever remember the lights, both on the field and from the fire engines, of this Friday night.

I know that I will always remember the lights, the night and mostly the pure joy my not-so-little Matthew experienced that Friday.