Sports Memories Remain Strong Decades Later

It’s a funny thing about sports memories.

The older we get the more vivid they seem. Years turn into decades but those memories can still be recalled as if they happened last week.

This past Friday I had a chance to watch the Pinewood Christian Patriots play when they visited Bethlehem Christian Academy. When I arrived at the BCA campus and saw Pinewood players dressed in their green and orange uniforms my mind went back to a November night in 1987, almost 31 years ago.

My alma mater was playing Pinewood for a state football championship. It had been great a season to that point for Piedmont Academy, where I was a junior that school year. My Cougars had an undefeated regular season and then won its first two playoff games, including a massive victory in the semifinals.

With each win the excitement grew not only for the team but for the students, parents and supporters. All that was left was to defeat Pinewood and our school would have its first state football trophy.

Anticipation began building almost as soon as the semifinal game was over. When school started for the new week on Monday all the talk was about the upcoming Friday night. It’s what helps make smaller schools like the one I attended special. Literally the entire student body was focused on one thing.

In those pre-Internet days I began trying to find out about Pinewood and just what type of team they had. The Patriots did not have our unblemished record but any team which reaches the state championships is going to be good with good players.

Many of my school mates were not as concerned as I was. We were undefeated and the other team wasn’t. Therefore we would win without problem. Misguided optimism is usually a recipe for something bad.

By the time Friday arrived it was tough to count down the remaining hours. A pep rally had everyone even more fired up and ready for the long road trip ahead. The school not only rented chartered buses for the team but also one for fans who wanted to ride to the state championship in style.

I was nervous the entire trip to Pinewood. Always a worrier I had convinced myself we were facing an NFL team.

When we arrived at our destination I think most everyone had a stunned look on their face. The field the game was to be played on was not really a field but a 100-yard stretch of mud. There was literally no grass on it. I had heard of things of this nature in the National Football League in places like Chicago which would typically have a dirt field by November due to the cold. It would be painted green but there was no actual grass on it anymore.

But we did not travel to Chicago. We were in Georgia and weather, even heavy rain, would not have caused what we were looking at. Pinewood officials tried to make us believe crickets had infested the area and chewed up the field.

In reality, the field was likely plowed up to give Pinewood an advantage. Thirty one years later I still don’t buy the explanation they gave.

With the playing conditions what they were, doing anything on offense was tough. After regulation the game was tied 3-3. Our team had allowed only two first downs, something that will almost always guarantee victory.

But this night was different in so many ways. With the score even after four quarters there was not going to be a tie so overtime was used.

It was then that another bizarre incident took place. Our team was penalized on the final play of regulation. The game officials, using an unknown rule book, said the penalty would carry over into the overtime. That ruling was wrong because just like a penalty does not carry over from the first half to the second half, a penalty would carry over from regulation to overtime.

Our coaches disputed the ruling (also saying the penalty took place when the fourth quarter was technically over) but it stood. The overtime system called for both teams to get the football on the opponent’s 10-yard line with a series of downs to score. It’s similar to what is used now in college football with teams starting at the 25.

The penalty enforced on us caused us to actually start on the 25 and we would just miss a field goal. Pinewood then began on the 10 and would kick a field goal for the win and state championship.

Our entire team, as well as our fans, was stunned. Dreams for that first state championship had been dashed.

Turning the calendar ahead almost 31 years had me watching the 2018 version of Pinewood. All of the thoughts above went through my mind as well as how none of the current Patriot players were alive back in 1987. I wondered how many of them knew of that game and details of that championship.

As it turned out Pinewood won again in 2018 defeating a team that I cover on a regular basis. It might be best for me not to see the Patriots for another three decades.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist who has covered high school football for 30 years. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.