Friday Night Lights - Midseason Report

So it’s the halfway point of the high school football season and I thought this would be a good time to give a midseason report.  Over the course of six weeks I have had the opportunity to watch ten teams play. In my opinion, out of those ten teams, one is a state champion, three others are more than likely going to be competing for a state title, and another is going to be right in the thick of things come November. Without further ado, here are ten thoughts I have from the first half of the high school football season.

1.  Alcoa is GOOD. I mean really good. I will go ahead and say right now that the Tornados are going to win the state championship. On the year Alcoa has three shutouts, has only allowed a total of ten points outside of the 31 they gave up to Maryville, and has scored a total of 274 points over six games. The Alcoa running game is phenomenal and I believe anyone will be hard pressed to slow them down. There are a number of players on that squad that I believe whole heartedly will be playing on Saturdays.

2. Kyler Kerbyson does not impress me at all. I got to watch him play at Austin East and my friend Ford and I had the same thought about him. During that game, he looked sick. If he wasn’t up field not blocking anyone, then he was five yards deep in the backfield because he was beat off the ball. I understand that with the right coaching and a weight program at Tennessee he may turn out to be an All American in college, but right now, I question why Tennessee even offered him.

3. If you want to have fun watching a high school football game, go to Austin East. Yes it’s in a rough part of Knoxville but trust me, the chicken wings alone is reason enough to make your way out for at least one game. The band is amazing to watch, and there are some serious athletes on the field for Austin East. Coaching is suspect so it’s even more impressive that Austin East is able to do the things they do on the field.

4. Anderson County is the Hawaii of high school football. Remember how June Jones was throwing up 700 yards passing every single game with the quarterbacks that no one remembers because they don’t play in the pros? Yea, Anderson County is a lot like that. I would be surprised if one player from the Mavericks makes it onto a legitimate division 1 roster.

Yea, remember Colt Brennan. . . didn't think so.

5. Campbell County is Campbell County again. After a nice run that included a handful of playoff appearances from 2004-2008, the Cougars are 0-6 and have maybe one chance left on the schedule to get out of the funk. It is amazing to me that some die hard Cougar fans still think that a certain player is good enough to play college ball. Reality is he isn’t.

6. Devrin Young on the other hand is a beast.

7. The fans of Maryville High School are next level. It was amazing to me that people were nearly 2 miles away from the stadium before the Alcoa game tailgating. It reminded me a lot of a Tennessee game the way traffic was backed up 2 hours before kickoff, people tailgating everywhere, having to pay for parking in most places.

8. I hate high school students, although it is funny to watch some of the male students try to spit game at the girls.

9. I’m pretty good at making fake press passes. Since I have had mine, it has worked every single time. I keep wondering when someone is going to be able to scan the bar code I pulled from Google.com and slapped onto the pass. I actually am rooting for this to happen just to see what it says. Also, if you play your cards right, you can probably get away with showing them a Kroger card and the pass gate person would believe it was a press pass. I literally just cropped someone out of the picture I used. Their hand is still on my shoulder even. I laugh every time.

10. Hand prints are overly popular as an option for painting up. I can’t think of a game I have gone to this year where the students who were painted up for the game didn’t have a hand print on them. It got crazy when at Hardin Valley I saw a girl with a hand print on her eye. Who thought this was a good idea or that it looked cool?

OK other than Mike Tyson, who thought this was a good idea?

Friday Night Lights - Oak Ridge vs. Maryville

I met Stone this week along with a couple of his friends and we headed out towards Oak Ridge for the Oak Ridge vs. Maryville game. I must admit, this was one of those games that I was looking forward to more for the atmosphere as opposed to the game. Oak Ridge is arguably one of the best high school football programs in the entire state of Tennessee. So much history with the Wildcats and I was looking forward to experiencing some of that. When we got to Blankenship Field I immediately wondered if my press pass would work. It did making it 4-0 for working. I am becoming more impressed with my handy work with each passing week.

I made my way over to the Walk of Champions and just took in the fact that there have been countless players walk down this sidewalk who have gone on to play college ball, and even some who have made it to play on Sunday. A-Bombs and Football, THAT’S WHAT OAK RIDGE DOES! I was also a little excited to see the Wildcat Crossing. I’ve seen a lot of player entrances into the stadium this year, but none were as cool as the Oak Ridge Wildcats walking down the steps with the train horn blaring, the Wildcat Crossing sign flashing, and the players throwing out high fives as they made their way to the field.

Has a player ever slipped walking down the stairs due to his cleats and fell all the way down to the field?

Maryville received the ball to start the game and for a moment looked like they would own the game as expected, but after a Wildcat defensive stop, Maryville was forced to punt. Oak Ridge fumbled a hand off however, giving Maryville the ball back. It didn’t take long for the Rebels to take advantage of the opportunity. A pass to Maryville wide out Stian Romberg, who earlier in the year dropped a sure TD pass in the 1^st quarter of the Alcoa game, in the back of the end zone put the Rebels up 7-0. Two plays after receiving the kickoff Oak Ridge running back Rocky Fludd broke a fifty yard run, and then quarterback Bradley Zulliger hooked up with Ethan Wheeler for a touchdown to tie the game at 7 to end the 1^st quarter.

A three and out forced Maryville punter Greg Colquitt to punt and punt he did. He pinned the Wildcats within their own ten yard line. Preston Burnett scored for Maryville after the Rebels defense shut down the Wildcat offense, which would become a theme during the course of the night, putting the Rebels up 14-7. Maryville DB Jay Yoakum intercepted an Oak Ridge pass and took it all the way down to the Oak Ridge seven. Just a few plays later Brandon Cooper punched it in, putting Maryville ahead 21-7. The Wildcats went three and out again giving Maryville the ball back with enough time for Jacob West to run straight up the middle for a short TD run after a Maryville drive of about 40 yards, giving Maryville the halftime lead at 28-7.

During halftime, I had the awesome opportunity to meet Mr. Criscillis, whose son Tyler is a student at Maryville Middle School. At first this doesn’t seem interesting at all but Tyler, who attends every single Maryville home game and most of the away games, is dealing with cerebral palsy. Talking with Tyler’s father was almost as inspiring as listening to Tyler’s story. When Tyler was being born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck causing him to be distressed for over 2 hours. Unfortunately the nurse just thought that the blip on the ultrasound monitor was a technical issue and nothing important. This 2 hour fight in the womb caused him to be born blue due to a lack of oxygen, as well as his condition. The doctors only gave Tyler six days to live but Tyler is now 15 years old. It’s amazing to see how his classmates and those around him interact with him and how his father knows how blessed he is to have Tyler. The Criscillis’s are also new parents again as they now have a perfectly healthy, incredibly strong, 14 month old baby boy.

Tyler Criscillis and I. Tyler is a straight up ladies man!

After the Oak Ridge offense was staggered once again by the Maryville defense the Rebels’ offense was back on the field. This time though, the Wildcat’s defense stepped up and Alex Ingham took an interception to the house. On the ensuing kickoff Elliott Normand laid what is by far the hardest hit I’ve seen all year on the Maryville returner. The Oak Ridge defense held again and with the score 28-14 Maryville, the Rebels had to punt again and the thoughts of this actually becoming a game began to run through my head. Maybe the Wildcats can make a drive and score, maybe Oak Ridge’s defense makes another stop, maybe they tie it up and we go into over, or maybe they can fumble, Maryville recover, and Preston Burnett could score for the second time tonight and put the game away. With about 6 minutes to go in the game and Oak Ridge hanging on to the slightest glimmer of hope inside the 5 yard line, Maryville did have to make a goal line stand, and then with about 3 minutes left Stian Romberg picked off a pass allowing Maryville to just run the clock out to put the win in the back. Maryville might have won 35 – 14 but the talent that was on the Oak Ridge side of the ball was evident. In a few years, the Wildcats will be back in their place atop Tennessee high school football where they belong, rest assured Wildcat fans. The Oak Ridge band does need to realize singing along to “Hey Baby” which is being played by the winning team’s band is not really the best of ideas.

Friday Night Lights - Powell vs. Anderson County

This Friday's game actually started at Hardin Valley Academy for Ford and me. My alma mater was playing the Hardin Valley Hawks and I had the opportunity to do a quick pregame interview on the radio with Josh Parker, The Voice of the Cougars. Our conversation could not have been any broader, but I enjoyed it. We were able to talk about things ranging from the article I write for TNVarsity.com to my work with One Vision International and my experience in Haiti. After we finished, Ford and I made our way to Powell High School where the Panthers were taking on the Mavericks.

Before I get into that game, I am going to clarify a previous post in which I made fun of Anderson County using a long horn as a Maverick, saying a Maverick was a horse. In fact, Merriam-Webster states that a maverick is, "1: an unbranded range animal; especially: a motherless calf. 2: an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party." While I admit my fault on the horse statement, I will point out the second definition, an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party.

Part of the Herd??? Explain this.

We got to the stadium and were lucky to run into one of my Gator loving friends. He had two seats just in front of him so we sat there for the first half. The game was scoreless after the first quarter and learned that after just 4 mins of the Hardin Valley vs. Campbell County game, Hardin Valley was up 14-0. I was extremely glad we chose to leave. 

Powell ran a middle screen to start the 2nd quarter, going from their own 30 yd line to the Anderson county yard line. A few plays later, Powell's star running back Dy'shawn Mobley scored on a run from 2 yards out putting the Panthers up 6-0. After Anderson County went 3 and out, Powell handed the ball to Mobley again and he went for 28 yards. Powell quarterback Dustin McPhetridge took the ball in from 2 yards out to put the Panthers up 14-0 after a 2 point conversion. The Dy'shawn Mobley show continued on Powell's next possession as he took a handoff to the house from 38 yards out. Suddenly it was 20-0 Panthers, and the Campbell County gamed seemed a lot more appetizing after my Gator friend informed me it was now 14-14.

Powell scored again just before halftime to make it 26-0 and it was obvious the Anderson county offense had absolutely unraveled. It was obvious they had recovered during the halftime break though, as they took the opening drive of the 2nd half and scored. With the score now being 26-6 I was hoping the AC defense would be able to get some stands and make this a game.

The only touchdown pass AC had all night.

Powell continued to run away with the game, with Darian Logan scoring yet another rushing touchdown for the Panthers. Anderson County was able to counter that one with a rushing touchdown of their own with a sweep play. Powell did what they do best though with another touchdown run from Darian Logan. The Panthers converted on the 2 point conversion again, making it 42-14, which would be the final.

Two observations from the game tonight. Powell is extremely well coached and Anderson County has quite possibly the best away jerseys of any school I have seen thus far. Powell knew exactly what they wanted to do and was very organized in executing their game plan. My friend Ford pointed out that it was obvious the Panthers had a program in place to allow their players to succeed. They took advantage of the momentum gained from the first touchdown and never really let up. All AC had going for them in this game were their uniforms. Most of you by now are very familiar with the Nike Pro Combat uniforms. These are the type of uniforms that Anderson County had. I was simply amazed to see them on a high school field, and they looked sharp!

Looked just like this, except blue and silver instead of purple and gold.

Friday Night Lights - Austin East vs. Catholic

Other than the Maryville vs. Alcoa game, this was the game I was most looking forward to on my schedule. I had never seen Austin East play and I had heard that their band was amazing. I always love a good band so I was excited to watch for myself. Let me also just say, that since beginning this blog, I have been asked to contribute to the Tennessee high school Rivals site, TNVarsity.com. This partnership was allowing me to gain free admission to the games I decided to attend by contacting the home school and getting my name on the pass list. Well this week was a little different because the Austin East principal emailed me back and said I would need to show my press pass at the gate. The problem with this was that I had no press pass, so I made one in word, laminated it, got a fancy clip, and then used it to get into the game. It's probably one of the crowning achievements in my college career.

Pretty legitimate if you ask me.

I picked up my friend Ford who went with me to the Bearden game and we headed to Austin East. We quickly decided it may be best for us to sit on the Catholic sideline for safety reasons. Ford got some popcorn which had enough butter on it to last a week. I went for the chili dog but I think both of us would have rather gotten the fried chicken legs that were being sold at a stand behind one of the end zones. The Catholic band began playing during warm-ups, which really wasn't a big deal, until the bagpipe joined. I must admit I was even more surprised when the Catholic bagpipe player led the team onto the field.

You can't see him, but trust me. . . he's there.

The opening kickoff crossed the goal line and was immediately ruled a touch back. Let me just say, this is the dumbest rule in High School football. What purpose does this rule serve? What is the difference in catching the ball a yard deep in the end zone and catching the ball on the one? Get rid of this rule! 

Running back Nolan Coulter of Catholic absolutely was ready to play tonight. He reminded me a bit of Devrin Young of Bearden the way he was hitting the holes and making his way upfield. Catholic marched down the field but a holding penalty negated a touchdown run and then Catholic fumbled inside the Austin East 10 yard line. Austin East began a drive of their own, in which running back Cordy Cox channeled Hershel Walker and destroyed Catholic's Michael Bonfini. Cox threw Bonfini aside like a rag doll in route to a run that gained about 25 yards. The fumble bug hit the Roadrunners as well though and the two teams took turns driving down the field then either would have their drive stall or turn the ball over. Just as I was noticing the AE color guard stretching for the halftime show however, Catholic's QB Mike Wegzyn completed a jump ball to Patrick Haun to put the Irish up 7-0 at halftime.

Now was the point in the game that I had been waiting for. Austin East's band and fans did not disappoint. As the band played "All I Do Is Win" and a kid in the top of the stadium threw down moves that I had only seen from Michael Jackson, the marching roadrunners won yet another halftime show. It was by far the most entertaining thing I have seen in a long while.

This is the AE band. It was at this point I wished I had remembered my camera.

Catholic opened the second half by kicking a short squib kick, recovering it, and then proceeding the swiftly put the ball in the end zone again to take a 14-0 lead. On the ensuing Austin East drive, not only did I notice that the chicken stand's line had not gotten any smaller since I had arrived, but I also noticed that Cordy Cox for AE, was a play maker. On a busted screen play, Cordy made one of the most remarkable catches I believe I have ever seen by pulling down a pass with one hand that was at least 10 feet above him. This catch ended the 3rd quarter and to start the 4th, Austin East QB Donald Oggs went Seneca Wallace circa 2002 and scored on a QB scramble from about 8 yards out after running for what seemed like 3 years to put the Roadrunners on the board 14-6. The extra point attempt was probably the worst I have ever seen. Ford pointed out that this attempt made the Walker Valley kicker look like a Groza Award winner.

An Austin East interception gave the Roadrunners a chance to pull even closer, but yet another turnover gave Catholic the chance to go up 20-6. Another botched PAT try kept the Irish from making it 21-6. I think you should be made aware that the Catholic coach's mom was in attendance tonight. She sat right behind Ford and me and the only time she stopped shaking her milk carton full of beans and kept quiet, was during the halftime show. It was nothing short of inspiring. She was never more loud than after a terrible call by the referees, in which a Roadrunner ball carrier fumbled on the Catholic 1 with the ball bouncing out of bounds after crossing the goal line, put Austin East within one score instead of giving the Irish the ball on the 20. 

The Roadrunners took advantage of this however, and an inspired defense gave the Austin East offense the ball back with enough time to tie the game. Austin East looked more efficient than they had the entire game on their final drive, but on a 4th and 1 on the Catholic 2, the Irish defense made a stand and time expired. A great game with a great halftime show and a great finish, these are the kind of games I love.

Friday Night Lights - Anderson County vs. Campbell County

I graduated from Campbell County in 2005. When I put my schedule of games to attend together I knew I wanted to go to at least 1 CCHS game, and tonight's game was the one I wanted to go to. When I was in high school we were never able to play ACHS but it was a huge rival none the less. Kids who felt they would get a better chance at getting a scholarship to play football would go to high school at Anderson County after going to middle school at Jacksboro or LaFollette. This created the mindset at Campbell County that we weren't good enough and seemed to always give the Cougars a chip on their shoulder.

There is a big difference between big time high school football, and just a high school football game. Tonight that difference was very obvious. This was the first game I had been to this year where there hadn't been a single D-1 prospect on the field for either school. Just one player of such caliber can make a difference in a game. Devrin Young was the difference in the Bearden game that I went to, and in the Maryville game there were numerous players on both sides of the ball that will be playing on Saturdays very soon. Tonight it was just two teams full of kids that want to be like the players they watch on TV but will more than likely never be able to have someone watch them.

The Anderson County PA announcer was introducing the starting lineups when I realized the intro music being played was that of the Chicago Bulls from the Jordan era. At any moment I was expecting to hear, "At guard, 6'6 from North Carolina, MICHAEL JORDAN!" While the remaining names were announced and the Jock Jams Volume 1 CD played, Hef, one of the friends that had come with me, pointed out that a Maverick, which is Anderson County's mascot, is a horse and not a longhorn which had been painted at midfield. As we looked around, we noticed a lot of the shirts for AC had the Chicago Bulls logo on them. Again I will point out that a Maverick is a horse. Not only did they have the wrong animal, but the logo's horns were so long that it resembled the female reproductive system more so then a longhorn.

Correct

Incorrect

Just before kickoff the sound of a cow mooing was played over the loud speakers. I don't really feel like this needs to be commented on any further to describe how ridiculous this was. AE, a friend that I met at the game, commented about how sharp the AC coaching staff looked. Looking across the sideline at the CCHS coaching staff, it looked as if the Campbell County staff were ready to go across the parking lot to the gym and play a pick up game of basketball. The coaches were in matching black athletic shorts with the CCHS logo on one leg, and blue t-shirts with the Cougar logo on the chest.

Following a defensive stop by Campbell County, the Cougars went three and out and decided to punt. The only problem was that the punt only went about 9 yards from the line of scrimmage. This gave the ball to AC on the CCHS 35. Needless to say the Mavericks scored. It became a scoring frenzy for Anderson County after that. Something I did not understand was after every single score, the entire Maverick team would huddle up and jump around, much like Lane Kiffin's teams would do before the 4th quarter began. I didn't understand it then, and I really didn't understand it now. 

After every single score. . . Is it really necessary?

Campbell County had just one score the entire game, and that was on a fluke defensive play. The Anderson County QB attempted to pitch the ball to the RB just when a CCHS defensive lineman hit him, making the ball fly skywards and back about 15 yards. Another CCHS player was able to scoop and score on the play giving the Cougars their only touchdown of the game. Anderson County won 56-7 making it two years straight the Mavericks have beat the Cougars. Again, I found that I should have attended a different game, this time being Farragut vs. Catholic. Catholic scored in the closing minutes to win 21-18.

Next week I plan on attending Austin East vs. Catholic. While I don't expect to see a grown man in a super hero costume, which was the case tonight, I do expect to see an incredible halftime show from the Austin East marching band. After tonight's game I have also amended my schedule of games to get rid of the CCHS games. The new list is below. Let me know what you think.

Friday Night Lights - Maryville vs. Alcoa

I know this was a Thursday night game, but I'm not going to change the name of the post. This is high school football and boy was it on display tonight. I had heard tales of having to get to the game hours before it started in order to get a seat so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I picked up my friend Stone, a Maryville alum, and we headed to the stadium around 5:30pm. On our way he explained some of the things that had happened in past games and just how bitter this rivalry was. I have never been to a high school game where the two schools just absolutely despise one another so I was a bit nervous to be a neutral fan, worrying that if I cheered for a good play, no matter who made it, would I immediately be exiled. 


We ended up being able to sit a few rows behind the Maryville student section, and 2 hours before kickoff the stands were already packed. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The two student sections were throwing barbs across the field at one another. Every time an Alcoa supporter had to walk through the Maryville section they were met with a wall of insults and at times had water thrown on them. It reminded me a lot of The Swamp in Gainesville. After the teams stretched and the National Anthem was played, it was finally time for kickoff of one of the biggest rivalries in Tennessee High School Football

On the first drive of the game, Maryville's running back fumbled the ball. When an Alcoa player went to recover the fumble, somehow it was kicked further down field, and then before any of the other players could catch up to it, a referee went to pick up the ball not realizing that the 22 players on the field were still trying to chase it down. Luckily the player who fumbled was ruled down before he fumbled but still not a smart move on the part of the ref to try and pick it up. My roommate Andre', who met us at the game, also pointed out that Maryville has a player on their team whose name may or may not be Mufasa.

Mufasa or not, this was his program picture.

At halftime Andres' friend left to go get food. He came back with Sour Punch Straws and water. I told him that was the first time I had seen Sour Punch Straws since 6th grade, and Andre' followed that statement up with, "What made you buy those anyway?" His reply, "They were out of pizza." I am still baffled by this diet substitution. Anyway, Alcoa led at halftime 14-10, which was better than the 42-19 margin that Bearden had over Walker Valley in the last game I had attended. 

The second half started slow but heated up towards the end of the third quarter after a roughing the kicker call on a 40+ yard FG attempt that was shanked something fierce. The penalty I agree with, what happened after the flag was thrown . . . not so much. A Maryville player overcome with joy after finding out the drive would continue, threw up his hand to give the head referee, who also happened to be the one to throw the flag, a high five. This action is fine, but what is not fine is said referee actually giving it to him. The penalty allowed The Rebels to continue the drive that led to a Maryville touchdown. 

Alcoa answered back quickly though with Alcoa running back Vanderbilt Hambrick breaking a huge run for an Alcoa score. This gave the Tornadoes a 21-17 lead. While we were talking about how fast Hambrick was, as well as how he easily had the best name out of anyone on the field, Maryville receiver Clarence Langley caught a pass on a post route and took it to the house to put the Rebels back on top 24-21.

The scoring seemingly didn't stop from that point on. Alcoa's Vanderbilt Hambrick took a sweep play to the outside for about 9 yds before cutting it back up field, breaking about 6 tackles and juking everyone and their mothers out of their shoes, including Stian Romberg, who was definitely the goat for the Rebels tonight. Romberg dropped numerous passes including one that would have been a touchdown early in the 1st quarter. The Rebels and Tornadoes traded scores a few more times but after Darrell Warren scored from two yards out for Alcoa, and the Tornado defense held on 4th and long, all Alcoa had to do was run out the clock and leave Maryville with the 35-31 victory, handing Maryville their first home loss since 2000.

Maryville sulks on one end of the field while to Alcoa go the spoils on the other.

I won't be able to go to a game this Friday, but next Thursday I am planning on getting out to Powell High School for the Powell vs. Halls game and next Friday I am looking forward to watching my alma mater play for the first time this year as they take on the Mavericks of Anderson County. It's going to be really hard to top the game I just watched though. However it will also be really hard to be as bad as the Bearden vs. Walker Valley game. I guess I'll have to wait a week to see what each game brings.

Friday Night Lights - Bearden vs. Walker Valley

Last night was week zero for the 2010 high school football season. Just looking at the games lined up I couldn't really find any game that stood out and screamed GREAT GAME so I decided to find a school that I knew was usually pretty decent and hope that the school they were playing was about the same. Not knowing anything about Walker Valley, I kinda just prayed they were good. Ford and my brother went with me to Bearden to watch and almost immediately my brother pointed out that all high school students are the same. I laughed for a moment, but then realized that about 5 years ago, some college kid was looking at me and thinking the same thing.

It was immediately evident that we had not come to a game that was going to be close at all. Ford pointed out how ridiculously bad the Walker Valley place kicker was. Very reminiscent of last year's UT FG unit. wide left, wide right, line drive into the back of the center's head.

Bearden recieved the opening kickoff and moved the ball at will, mostly on the legs of their running back Devrin Young. We found out later that while schools with interest in Devrin include Illinois, Vandy, and Ga. Tech, only Stanford has offered him a scholarship up to this point. He definitely helped his case tonight though. It seemed like every time Bearden scored it was him, and he also took a kickoff back some 80 yards for a touchdown. There was one play where Devrin absolutely destroyed a Walker Valley LB. My brother, Ford, and myself immediately began to take jabs at the poor kid only to find out that his mother and uncle were sitting directly in front of us. That still did not change that fact that her son just got trucked.

Walker Valley was entirely out of their league in this game. Nothing was going right other then a kickoff returned for a touchdown and a great catch by a Walker Valley receiver just before halftime. On a punt attempt, Ford and I discussed how far we thought the punt may go. Right before the snap Ford got all prophetic and called for a block. Sure enough that is what happened and Bearden scored a touchdown. On another attempt the ball sailed over the punters head and out of the endzone for a safety. After the 1st quarter it was 30-6 Bearden. We left at the conclusion of the 3rd quarter because it was becoming hard to watch. Staying any longer would have been like watching a train wreck. 

When we got back to my apartment and turned on the TV to see that Carter and Hardin Valley were about to go into OT. That is the game we should have gone to. Next week, on Thursday, I am going to the Maryville vs. Alcoa game. With multiple D-1 prospects on both squads, I would have to assume this won't be the same 72-27 blow out that the Bearden game was. Below is the schedule of games that I plan to attend. If you know a better game to go to on any particular week, drop me a line.