Championship Saturday: It's A Special Day
Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium will open its gates to the Division 5 and 6 state championship games on Saturday. The Gameday Radio Network will broadcast those games and the Division 3 and 4 games from Liberty University live online at GamedayMagazine.com......Our live coverage begins at 11:30am....
3 teams will hold the championship trophy in hand on Saturday, and it will be on the greatest feelings they ever have.....
TITLE TOWN, USA - On Saturday, dreams will come true for 6 teams, and a whole host of players and coaches. A journey that started last January in the weight room, then progressed to 7 on 7 competitions, then to training camp, and now the final game of the 2008 season. The state championships are here, and that puts butterflies in my stomach just as it does for the many kids that will play on the big stage Saturday.
You work your butt off for 10 months with the hopes of being able to play in this game, much less win it. When you finally make it to the doorsteps of glory, your mind has a hard time grasping what is about to happen in one of the biggest days of your life.
Sure, your coach will tell you that it is just another game, and to treat it that way in your preparation mentally. But let's be honest here, this is no ordinary game! This is "THE GAME"!
I turn 32 this Saturday, and while it's been 14 years since I last put my high school football uniform on for the last time, I remember it well. The last game you ever play will be a vivid memory for you for a long time.
However, if you are fortunate enough to play in a state championship game, that memory will live forever. As a sophomore I was just a young quarterback and defensive back on a 12-2 team that won the 6A state title in Norman, Oklahoma. Just like the teams playing on Saturday, my team traveled a few hours up the Interstate to play at Oklahoma State University.
The bus ride was a bit long, but with every mile that passed, the anticipation grew. When our bus first entered Stillwater, one of our seniors blasted his stereo, and the team went crazy. It still gives me chills today thinking of that moment. It was right then that we all knew our dreams were about to be realized, and that we were going to play in the biggest game of the year.
Our opponent that day was a team laced with Division 1A talent. Former Redskin defensive tackle Martin Chase was one of those guys, and we had our work cut out for us.
We were the home team, and that meant we got to dress in the OSU locker room. It was unbelievable coming from our high school environment. The lockers were solid oak, a bit different than those metal lockers we had at our school. This was the big time.
I knew I wasn't going to play much in this game, yet I was as nervous as every other player on the team. I will never forget the feeling and excitement of walking out of the tunnel and hearing that roar.
We played in front of 7,000-10,000 people on Friday nights, but this roar was different. It was intense, and everyone was jacked up.
My main job as a quarterback that day was to run the scout team offense in pre-game against our #1 defense. All year long, I had no problem with this, and in fact, looked forward to the opportunity. However, as I got behind center on the first play, I noticed that our two Division 1A linebackers were foaming at the mouth.
It just so happens that our opponent that week ran the option, so you guess what happened next. Yep, Hayes ran the veer option and got tattooed in the ear hole. The hit knocked every pad out of my helmet, and I still can't find my mouthpiece. Somehow, I managed to get up, but in my 4 years of playing high school football, that was still the best hit I ever took.
Thankfully, we got through warm-ups and back into the locker room, and I was still in one piece.
Just like the Division 5 and 6 title games on Saturday (Click Here), our state championship game was televised all across the state of Oklahoma.
Our coaches all week long said that once the first play was over, it would feel like a normal game. They were right about that with one exception. It seemed like every play was so much more important to the outcome.
We fell behind 14-0, but to make a long story short, we rallied in the 4th quarter to beat Lawton Ike High School 17-14, and claim our school's first state championship.
I still look at the ring today, and while it was 16 years ago, I can remember the elation we all felt after the final tick on the clock hit zero. We were "STATE CHAMPIONS"!
I was fortunate to be on a team that won it all, but I think the teams on Saturday that don't come out with the win will still take home something great from the experience too.
So as the final 24 hours before the kickoff of the biggest game of your life wind down, try to step back and take in the experience. When you get to the stadium, take a look at the faces of your teammates, take in the excitement of the crowd, and most of all, leave everything you have on that field on Saturday. This is the last game of the year, and there are few things in life that can rival winning a state championship!
Do you have a state championship story you'd like to share with Gameday? If so, e-mail GamedayMagazine@aol.com and we'll post the best ones we receive.
Andy Hayes is the owner and founder of the Gameday Radio Network and Gameday Magazine. His editorials can be read online at GamedayMagazine.com and in print throughout Northern Virginia in the Fairfax County Times. You can e-mail Andy at GamedayMagazine@aol.com......
