A Different Kind of Game

In a bit of a departure—OK, a massive departure—from our typical weekend gaming, Scooter and I had the opportunity to attend a sport almost unheard of on these storied pages: American Football. A local high school we have an interest in made it to the 6A (school size) area playoffs, meaning a trip to AT&T Stadium, the home field of the Dallas Cowboys.

How exciting it was for these young athletes to storm the field in a major sports arena. The stadium will hold 80,000 rabid football fans. Not so many showed up for this high school tournament, but there were still plenty of fans on both sides.

We were rooting for the Greywolves to beat the Stallions. Both teams had dominated their respective local leagues and now were coming together for the first time to compete.

Like many sporting events, American Football (especially in Texas) is steeped in ritual and tradition. Every game begins with playing the national anthem and honoring the American flag, as well as those who defend it. Usually, this ceremony is handled by members of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC).

Scooter and I got prime seats (we'd never normally be able to afford) in the mezzanine right on the 50-Yard line. We also got a parking spot (normally reserved for VIPs) as close as you can get to the stadium entrance without having disability license plates. Unfortunately, I didn't think to snap a picture of that.

I ended up spending half the game watching spectacular plays like this one on the "Jumbotron" view-screen that sat above the field (also visible in the flag ceremony picture). The only bigger screen in Texas belongs to a nearby NASCAR track, Texas Motor Speedway.

Not only the football teams, but also other organizations like the marching bands, got the thrill of a lifetime performing at Cowboy Stadium.

The Greywolves defense kept the normally high-scoring Stallions to a single touchdown, and the teams were tied at the end of regulation play.

Unfortunately, after a round of overtime, the Stallions came out ahead by a point. The final score was 14-13. Congratulations to the Stallions on their victory. And also congratulations to the Greywolves on their spectacular run this year. They had the best football season in the history of the decade-old high school.


IntPiPoMo is here! Chestnut has details, but the TL;DR is 50 pics in 30 days. Get to it! And let Chestnut know in the comments on her post.

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