Some Things Never Change
Pocatello is a long way to go to play a football game.
Three and a half hours on the bus. A 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Then, after the game, another three and a half hours back home.
And unfortunately, the scoreboard wasn't exactly what we were hoping to see.
Highland 49, Capital 0.
Highland knows how to play football. They've known how to play football for a long time. They're big, they're physical, they're well coached, and they don't make things easy on anybody.
I know that firsthand.
Way back in the day, I was a player at Centennial High School when we won the state championship against Highland. They were tough then, and standing on the sideline all these years later, watching our Capital JV team play them, I was reminded that some things apparently don't change.
Highland is still Highland.
They're big. They're physical. They know what they're doing. And they have a long history of being really damn good at football.
Their stadium is pretty cool, though. It's built right into the hillside, which makes for a pretty unique place to play. You can tell pretty quickly that football is a big deal in that part of the state.
Then the game started.
And the scoreboard got ugly.
49–0.
There's not much you can say about a 49–0 loss to make it sound good. And I'm not going to try.
But the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story.
Our kids played hard. They battled all night. They kept getting after it, and there were some really good individual plays and some moments where you could see what this group is capable of.
They were simply up against a Highland team that was bigger, more physical and very well coached.
That's football.
Sometimes you get to be the team doing the beating. Sometimes you're the team getting the lesson.
This was a lesson.
A tough one, for sure. But I have a feeling these boys learned some things on that long trip to Pocatello that they'll carry with them.
And maybe that's one of the best things about football. You get to play for a sort period of your life, but the lessons stick with you for life.
I once stood on a field as a player trying to beat Highland for a state championship.
This time, I was standing on the sideline watching a bunch of Capital kids take their shot at them.
Different team. Different generation.
But some things never change.
Highland is still tough.
And our kids are still learning how to become the kind of team that can beat teams like that. They will get there.
Three and a half hours there.
A tough football lesson.
And three and a half hours home to think about it.
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. Right-click and make ‘em yours. Cropped 4:5 perfect for Instagram posts.
Go Eagles.
