Time marches on

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In my previous stints at other publications, I always covered high school sports. Fall, winter, spring, there are events going on constantly. If there was a game, I was probably there, as time allowed, snapping photos beneath the basket or on the sideline, then asking the coach or key players a few questions after the contest.
In many communities, football is often that once a week event that brings people out to see the game. That’s not the case everywhere, though, as soccer, volleyball and basketball have supplanted “Friday night lights” that dominate Texas and other locales, primarily in the south.
Friday, I went to Saxony’s home contest against Bernie High School along with my parents and 10-year-old son, Dominic. It was the final home game of the season for the Crusaders and I was told prior to the game that the Bernie squad was pretty good. During the warm-ups it didn’t appear there was a player or two for the visiting Mules that stood out. Once the game started, it was evident they were well-coached and relied on good ball movement on offense, a timely 3-pointer or two and strong team defense to hopefully lead to contested shots by the Crusaders.
Saxony’s four-man rock band (two guitarists, bass player and drummer) up in the corner did their best to get the crowd pumped up with a few classic riffs from popular songs. The cheerleaders also played a role in keeping the fans enthusiastic and excited.
Early on, it was a back-and-forth contest in which both sides held a lead, though the Mules appeared to pull ahead late in the second quarter, snatching an eight-point halftime advantage. The Crusaders later trailed by as many as 10, but battled back to eventually tie the contest in the fourth quarter. Apparently, it just wasn’t meant to be for the Crusaders on this night, though, as they were unable to capitalize on a few late opportunities to snare a defensive rebound and try for the go-ahead basket.

While the end result (a three-point loss) for Saxony wasn’t what the home crowd had hoped for, it was an entertaining contest that wasn’t decided until the closing seconds. Not every game is like that, obviously. A few are blowouts in favor of the home squad while in other contests the opposing team dominates and leaves no doubt who the victor will be well before the final buzzer sounds.
It’s great to see people coming together enjoying a game, cheering on the home team, regardless of the final outcome. The one downside: it was loud, so much so that carrying on a conversation during the game was nearly impossible. However, if that’s the only complaint, I can live with that.
Now that it’s all over, (not specifically Friday’s game but the winter sports slate of boys/girls hoops in general) it’ll be soon on to the next season. Spring sports don’t lend themselves to packed, indoor gymnasiums, which are often filled with the pleasant aroma of warm, buttery popcorn. Instead, it will observing outdoors at a softball or baseball diamond, or a local track & field venue or soccer complex. Hopefully, it’s a dry enough spring that most of the games can get played without being rescheduled. Last week at the City Park field, a small boat would have been required to navigate around the left-field wall and bullpen area.
Time marches on. The first track meet on the 2022 PHS schedule is less than four weeks away (Perryville Triangular, March 22) while the home opener for Pirates’ baseball is only a month away (vs. Ste. Genevieve). For St. Vincent, the first girls’ soccer game is Feb. 28 vs. Hillsboro. Golf fans have to wait a little longer. The first matches aren’t until early April, but that’ll be here in the blink of an eye.
-Thanks for reading
Daniel Winningham is the managing editor of the Republic-Monitor. He can be reached at 573-547-4567, ext. 227 or email editor@perryvillenews.com.