The World is Round

Friday night at Meridian was a wild one.

Back and forth. Punch and counterpunch. Every time it looked like Capital had finally put the game away, Meridian found a way back into it.

And then things got really interesting.

Capital had the game in hand. Meridian scored.

Then they recovered an onside kick.

Then they scored again.

Suddenly, a game that looked like Capital had control of turned into a dogfight.

Final score: Capital 41, Meridian 34.

Being down on the field listening to the Meridian kids chirp and talk shit was super entertaining. I lost count of how many unsportsmanlike penalties they picked up. There was plenty of emotion, plenty of talking, and absolutely no shortage of reasons to keep the cameras pointed at the field.

But this one meant something different to the Capital guys.

At the end of last season, the now-Meridian head coach left Capital for Meridian. No warning. No real goodbye. Just gone, under the veil of night.

I don't know why he left and I don't really care.

But I know our kids felt disrespected.

And they had something to prove.

That's the part that matters.

Football is supposed to teach young men about accountability. Resilience. Work ethic. Preparation. Selflessness. Sportsmanship. Respect.

Those lessons should be lead by example when you're a head coach leading a program.

So there was a little extra juice in this one.

Capital answered the only way they could.

They played.

They got hit. They hit back. They watched Meridian climb right back into the game. And when it got tight, they didn't fold.

They finished it.

41–34.

A hard-fought road win against a team that clearly wanted it.

For these kids, I think this one will mean something for a long time.

Not because of who was standing on the other sideline.

Because they proved something to themselves.

Maybe that's the best part of sports. People leave. Circumstances change. Coaches move on. Teams evolve.

And sometimes, you end up standing across the field from each other.

The world is round.

Enjoy your new head coach, Meridian.

As always, I've put all of my photos from the game here for the players and families to use however they want. Social media, team posts, senior-year memories, or just to have. Long press on your phone or right-click on your laptop and make ‘em yours.

Go Eagles.