Raiders in a Heart Breaking loss to Vipers 31-29 final

Remember my post about my last High School football game my Senior year when we lost in the 3rd Round of the Playoffs and we were a 2-8 team that went 4-9. Remember how sad I said that i was?

Multiple that night's sadness and tears by 36 and you will maybe get a glimpse of how I felt when our game ended.
Never, ever have I been so heart broken. Even my Senior year, I was sad, but didn't cry (until I got in the car)

Last night I cried. On the Sidelines.
I don't cry in front of people- EVER. (unless I am mad)
and I am STILL at a loss for words. I really don't know how to begin to write this.

So I am just going to start and hope I do it justice. Also, PLEASE forgive any errors that you see. I do not have a memory like Josh does and I don't keep notes during the game, so if I am off, send me an email and I will correct it:)

The game started out rough for the Raiders as it was 14-7 by the end of the first quarter- Ed Butts with the 8 yard touchdown run. Fortunately we scored in the second quarter, but they returned a touchdown making the score 21-14 (Tai on that TD) Right before the half, we got a turnover. With only time to run 1 play, the clock ran out and we headed into the locker room. Hated that we didn't have have time to make another play, but I was thankful that we at least had a smidge of momentum going into the half.

Normally I am calm and collected until 4Th quarter, but being down a touchdown at half was not helping my nerves, so I was pacing back and forth quite a bit during halftime. I am not sure why, being down by a TD wasn't bad, but I just didn't think we were playing to our full potential. yes we scored 14, but we just didn't seem to be clicking. Thankfully my Grandparents and my brother came to the game because I didn't have to worry about my kids as I was swearing under my breath and fidgeting.

Was it me, or did halftime seem FOREVER??

Finally, finally 3rd quarter got there and I became even more tense as the Vipers took it in for another touchdown, making the score 28-14 and the entire third quarter belonged to them as they shut us out completely.

This was not good, not good at all.

So I am thinking this is it, we are done and then somehow the football Gods decided to give us a boost and we came out and Tai scored in the fourth. Being 28-21, now that isn't so bad. We still have some life and we were most definitely still IN the game. There was 7 minutes and 21 seconds left on the clock. All we needed was a touchdown and a field goal to tie it up. (now let me say, Overtime scared the living daylights out of me- we have never had to experience overtime)

With the clock dwindling, at 3 minutes, I was swearing more than a sailor (sorry, sorry), and I started packing up my stuff. Never before in a Raider game have I been so on edge that I couldn't sit in my seat. I threw my shaker bottle (which is very precious to me) on the ground and I just paced. Then I started packing up my stuff b/c Lord knows I bring a ton of stuff to the game.

Then it happened.

We got a break, with 1:53 minutes left in the game we got the ball back.

I haven't seen the stands more pumped and me, with my usual obsessive need to film. I couldn't. I was scared I would break my camera (or curse on film), so I didn't. At 1:22, Tai got to the 20 yard line and ran out of bounds. My issue: they didn't stop the clock for 3 seconds and never put the time back on. I couldn't get over that, but I forgot all about it when Tai found and open spot and ran the ball in for a Raider touchdown with 55 seconds left on the clock, making the score 28-27 still Vipers.
I can't begin to tell you about the stands. We were ALL screaming, hugging, jumping up and down and SO incredibly excited.

I know Josh and I knew what he would do, so I hurried myself and grabbed my camera because I knew I had to have the film from the next play.

I knew Josh would go for 2. That just made sense. Go for 2 and get it, you are ahead, Go for the FG and then you are tied and have to go into overtime. That's too much pressure for our kids. Plus Josh is just gutsy and that's why I love to watch him coach:)

I was so excited. Logan had a wide open space and he could have walked it in if he had wanted to.

This was the opportunity we needed and in that very moment, we won that game.

But I knew better than to get too excited, because I can not tell you how many games I have been to that a team was winning only to realize there was too much time on the clock, and unfortunately that is what happened to us. (it happened to us in the Boerne game last year when we beat them on the last 35 seconds of the game)

There was 53 seconds left.

Doesn't sound like too much time does it? 53 seconds is pretty quick, but in football time, it can last 5 minutes.

Looking at the clock after the conversion, I dropped everything, my shaker, my bag, my family and just ran. I did manage to yell for the boys, but I kept running hoping they would catch up. So with my grandparents, and brother left to fend for themselves with my propane tank, 2 backpacks, stadium chair and the boys helmets in the stands, the boys and I sweet talked the gate keeper into letting us on the sidelines.
I pretty much had already decided that the second the clock expired that we would be climbing the fence if we needed to, just to get to Josh, but thankfully the gatekeeper took mercy on me and let us through.
So fortunately and unfortunately I watched the last 40 seconds from the sidelines and captured every heartbreaking moment on video- yes, even the controversial last 3 seconds on the clock.

After our conversion, we kicked off to the Vipers, they took the ball to their 30 yard line and we held them for 3 downs. We kept them behind the 40 for 3 downs. Then on the 4Th down, they didn't have anything to lose because there was only 7 seconds on the clock, so they got ready for the long pass, the QB backs up, our guy gets ahold of him for the sack and he reverses and get out of our guys hand and throws the pass to a Viper receiver and they catch it on the 10 yard line with 3 seconds left on the clock. They line up and Vandegrift spikes the ball and the clock ran out. Done, the buzzer buzzes and we won the game.

Or so we thought

The officials came back and said that when he spiked the ball that there was 1 second left on the clock. Enough time for one more play. There was definitely some controversy over this call because the clock buzzed, but the officials made the right call and there was 1 second left.
Enough time for Vandergrift to line up and kick a field goal. All we could hope for was a FG block or a turnover. Unfortunately it just wasn't our night and they nailed the kick. Game over 31-29 Vipers.

I am sorry that you didn't get to see that kick. I was sick to my stomach- literally. I thought I was going to throw up, so I literally did not watch it. I crouched down and put my head between my legs because I was so nauseous. I just wanted this win so much for the coaches and the players.

We deserved to win that game. But so did the Vipers.

After the game, I went back into the stands to grab my stuff (and my family) and head back to the locker room to see Josh. Man, that was tough. Never before has it been that tough to face him after a game. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't. I just gave him a hug.

One thing I can say about this Raider team. We didn't give up. Not once. And NEVER once, that I know of, have we ever come from behind to win a game. We didn't win Friday night, but we sure came close and we sure played like we wanted to win. I am so proud of our guys.
I got a taste of something I have been missing for 3 years. I got to watch Josh coach. I know I have watched him coach for the last 3 years, but Friday night, he got to really coach. Because we were playing a team that was more equal to us than we have played all year and Josh got to coach a game. I love to watch him. I love that he went for 2 and didn't think about it- just did it. Some of you have said how gutsy it was for him to do that- honestly, you just got a glimpse of how he can really coach and how much fun he has doing it.

I am NOT ready for this season to end. Not at all. I know we haven't won a game, but I love Friday nights and I have missed it so much. I know its time and I know that this season has been tough on SO MANY levels, but we just have to keep working and keep believing because all these teams that have beat us, will get to face us again next year and I guarantee after another full season in the weight room, that next year WE will be the team to beat.