Blue Wednesday

A few observations from WC v. Carthage last night:

- First the details: Carthage won (yes, you read that correctly) 23-22 on a field goal with :21 remaining in the game.

- Before I say anything else, I want to say that Carthage played well enough to and did earn that victory. So any WC fans that say otherwise just need to let it go. Yes, the officiating was suspect at times, the time-keeper might have had an agenda, the excessive celebration penalty (on WC) was ridiculous, but WC had chances to put this game away and didn't do it (like turning it over on downs in the red-zone 3 times and muffing a kickoff with 2:30 on the game clock. When you don't put a team as explosive as Carthage away, eventually they'll beat you.

- As someone who has married into WC football I'm still getting used to some things. For instance, I made a comment to my wife this morning knowing she already knew this. When WC wins they celebrate alone, but when they lose everyone rejoices. I guess that's what happens when you dominate a sport the way WC has done for so long. So be it.

- Rest assured there will be some complete over-reactions following this game. People will say stupid things - like questioning whether WC should fire John Roderique (yeah, that would make sense) or all sorts of stupid stories about this being the end of the dynasty. Mark my word, while the victory for Carthage is a big deal, it will be blown completely out of proportion.

- My advice for Carthage fans: Enjoy this win, you earned it. Take advantage of this opportunity to make a run in the playoffs, with WC out, the title is up for grabs. And finally, and maybe most importantly, when you finally beat a team that had beaten you 20 straight times, for more years in a row than any of your players are old, don't talk smack and don't taunt the WC players (I actually saw Carthage fans run onto the field and do this). I know you're excited, you should be. But when you get beaten down 20 times in a row and finally win one, maybe it would be better to act like it wasn't your first rodeo and like you understand that you're guaranteed to play WC at least once every year for the foreseeable future. Maybe it's not the best idea to give them any added incentive. Maybe next time they get the chance they won't back off in the second half like they did repeatedly during the streak.

- My plea with WC fans: Don't brand this team as "the team that lost to Carthage." It's inevitable, I know. But it's a bad deal for them. You have to remember, they also beat Carthage this season. And frankly, how would you like to be remembered for your one loss instead of your 10 wins? I've seen us (and I'm going to throw myself in that mix) label certain teams and let others off the hook. As though losing in the state finals was worse than not getting there. Or losing to Carthage is worse than not making the playoffs. I'm all about the tradition, I'm all about high standards, but be fair to these kids. They've got to live this down and being known as "that team" is only going to make it tougher.

- We all knew that the streak over Carthage had to end someday. And now that we have such a strong chance of playing them twice each year (season and playoffs) the odds were against it continuing much longer. The bottom line here is that Carthage has a good team and they played well enough to win last night. WC should have put the game away in the 3rd and early 4th quarter when they drove deep into Carthage territory only to turn it over on downs (this also happened once in the first half). WC also should have put it away after Carthage scored to make it 16-14, but the mishandled kickoff changed the momentum and gave Carthage the upper hand - and WC never really got it back, because the clock was too much of a factor at that point.

- If I were John, I would consider painting number 10 on all my tackling dummies for a while. I've got a feeling there are more than a few of the WC players (coaches, fans, casual observers, etc.) who wouldn't mind seeing the Carthage QB (who will remain nameless) get lit up a few times after some of his show-boating last night. My advice to him: Son, hit the weight room. You're small, scrawny, and now have an even bigger bulls-eye on your back than before. In fairness, you made just enough of those three crow-hop throws to win last night. Congratulations.

That's all I've got for now.