My godson is 18 and the captain of his high school football team. A lot of information to take in there. MY GODSON IS 18! How did that happen? Okay, topic for another post.

He’s the captain of his high school football team. I am so proud of him. He’s a good kid. He’s funny, he’s smart, he’s humble. I love seeing him lead his teammates. I’ve tried to go to as many games as possible this year. Until Friday, he had won every game I had watched this season. And they wanted to win Friday.

I love high school football. The kids are hungry. They play for the love of the sport.It’s a fun game to watch, no matter what the outcome.

You could tell that George’s team was nervous when they took the field on Friday night. They missed passes. They snapped the ball too high, resulting in a heartbreaking “Oh my goodness, really?” 4th down on the opposing team’s 10 yard line.

But they settled down. Going into the 2nd quarter they were down by a lot of points. And they came back. They ran the ball. They passed. They played hard and played smart. At halftime the score was tied. Yay!

The 3rd and 4th quarters were wrenching. The opposing team, Moreau, made a touchdown. Piedmont made a touchdown. Tie, tie, tie. Until. Until a minute left in the game. With Piedmont’s possession. They made the pass. They made the touchdown. They made the 2-point conversion. Woot! Woot! Woot! With 35 seconds left in the game, Piedmont was winning by one point. Yes.

And then. Moreau had not passed the entire game. They ran. They ran well. Really well. Well enough to score 40 something points. And then, they decided to pass. It was a good play. No one was covering number 47. He caught the hail Mary pass and ran into the end zone.

Ohhhhhhh.

But wait. There’s more.

Piedmont, with 35 seconds left on the clock, was determined to move the ball down the field. And they did. Until the very last play. Another hail Mary pass. The receiver caught it on the 1? 1/2? yard line? And was stripped of the ball.

Ohhhhhhh.

What a finish. So close. Yet, not. I literally felt my heart breaking for my godson. Oh, if I could just step in and take life’s disappointments for him. But I can’t.

Better luck next time, George. You played hard, and you played well. You’ve got a lot of people cheering for you, a lot of believers. You can do it.