Winning and Losing
ten point loss to rival Norway. That game might have been the wake-up call we had needed. After that game Forest Park’s winning ways were set on cruise control, going the rest of the regular season without another loss. We had also won back the conference crown and the playoffs looked like the nice bright future for us that we had expected. Playing at another level, a higher level, we couldn’t be stopped. It was almost as if the playoffs were an easier task than the regular season.
Our first playoff game matched us against a conference opponent from the west side. Wakefield was the victim and we weren’t about to put up with any shit. We took care of business right away. Before the game was over, our second and third string players received some playing time. One down, four more to go until the illustrious state championship was ours, which was nothing new for Forest Park. Our school was a perennial powerhouse winning back-to-back titles in recent decades. Football was what our town was all about. Football was our lives; we would do everything we could to win.
Our next test was another rival school from the north, Lake Linden. After beating them earlier in the season, we were fearless, and we had a good reason to be. It had been close throughout, but a win is a win and we were confident. The community started to get more and more supportive.
In the quarterfinals we were matched against Frankfort. This team was a mystery, a downstate team we knew nothing about. Our confidence grew as the community showed us more and more support. Nothing could stop us and that took us straight through Frankfort, and Gaylord St. Mary all the way to the M.H.S.A.A. Division Eight State Football Finals. Our last game of the year and the last game that our seniors would ever play would pit us against a private school from the southwest part of the state. Muskegon Catholic Central was a team that was known for their football ability. Ranked number one in the state all season long, we had doubts for the first time all year.
We hopped on a charter bus to head down to the Silverdome. A long ride it was but this would be worth it. We entered Pontiac early in the morning. We played the first game of the day. We had a prayer session before we geared up. We felt like knights going to battle. Our pads and uniform were our armor.
As we emptied the locker room to disburse out on the field, a feeling I have never felt again hit me like a wall. We entered down the entrance tunnel and you could here the roars of the fans echoing and you could see the bright lights cover the field.
That feeling hit [next page]