SirJohn
11-20-2005, 12:48 AM
From Post.Trib.com :(
The kid took it bad, but in the right way
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Night of miscues dooms Merrillville
Nov. 19, 2005
By Mark Lazerus / Post-Tribune staff writer
MERRILLVILLE — James Aldridge didn’t see the Hamilton Southeastern bench erupt in joy on the final meaningful play of Friday night’s 17-7 semistate loss, a sack of Merrillville’s Evan Parker. Aldridge simply ambled off the far side of the field in a daze.
He didn’t see the final 93 seconds of the game, featuring a few anticlimactic kneel-downs. He was sitting alone on the bench, fighting back the tears.
Aldridge didn’t see the on-field bedlam that followed, either. Still alone on the bench, he had buried his face in a towel, hiding the tears.
He was last to the handshake line, his expression unchanging as player after player wished him good luck at Notre Dame. He was unable to crack even the slightest smile as he signed a few autographs at the 35-yard line.
And he was barely able to speak above a whisper in the moments following the end of his illustrious high school career.
Less than two months from starting his college career at Notre Dame, Aldridge was understandably despondent.
“I don’t know,” he quietly said when asked how long the loss would sit with him. “I’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”
Merrillville’s season ended on this chilly Friday night at Demaree Stadium. And the images of the game-changing plays will surely stay with all of the Pirates, particularly Aldridge.
n Aldridge’s first-quarter fumble at his own 24 set up Southeastern’s first points, a Chris Summers 37-yard field goal.
“I’m the running back, I’m not supposed to make those kinds of mistakes,” Aldridge said.
n Parker’s inability to gain a half-yard on fourth down in Royals territory early in the second killed a promising drive and led to Taylor Hoffman’s 32-yard touchdown strike to Adam Gemmer, making it 10-0 with 7:06 to go in the half.
n Aldridge’s second fumble, mere inches from the Royals goal line, with 2:11 to go in the half, devastated the Pirates. It was recovered by Southeastern’s Brodie Morris at about the 2-inch line. Theoretically, it could have been 7-7 at the half. Instead, it was 10-0 Royals.
n Parker’s two interceptions, both by Southeastern’s Josh Powers, both in Royals territory.
n Three missed tackles on a 38-yard third-quarter touchdown run by Southeastern’s Marcus Spann.
n And a botched snap on fourth down at the Southeastern 23 midway through the fourth quarter, thwarting a comeback attempt kickstarted with Parker’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Curry.
“We didn’t capitalize on their mistakes and they did on ours,” Pirates coach Jeff Yelton said. “Going into the game I said we couldn’t turn the ball over, and unfortunately we did.”
On the other side of Demaree Stadium, the Royals were raucously celebrating their date in next Saturday’s state championship with Warren Central.
The fact that they beat such a talented team made it all the sweeter.
“To allow seven points to a guy who’s going to Notre Dame, that’s unbelievable,” Powers said. “They’ve got three Division I kids and we held them to seven points. That’s awesome.
“This is the crowning achievement of my life, right here.”
Early on, the game looked quite similar to last week’s puntfest at Penn. Neither team could muster much positive yardage in the face of aggressive run-stuffing defenses.
But both offenses began moving the ball in the second quarter — Southeastern through the air, Merrillville on the ground. Hoffman finished with an efficient 111 yards on 8-of-13 passing, while Spann rushed for 88 and a score.
It wasn’t a whole lot of yardage for Southeastern (204 total) but the short fields caused by all the turnovers — the two fumbles, the two interceptions, and the three turnovers on downs — made it more than enough.
Aldridge finished with 109 yards on 25 carries, while Parker threw for 94 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-18 passing.
The fumble at the goal line was the clear turning point, but Yelton was proud of the way his players bounced back. There were no hanging heads, no finger-pointing, no whining. Just a tremendous defensive stand on the next three plays from the 1.
“Look at the way they played, they came right back,” Yelton said. “We’re not quitters.”
Lineman Brandon Jordan agreed.
“We could have easily folded after those two 'Moose’ É those two things,” he said, not wanting to single out his teammate. “But we didn’t. We picked each other up and kept fighting.”
Following the game, Yelton hustled his players back into the locker room and gave them one last speech. There was no berating, no hollering, no anger at all.
After all, the Pirates made it to the final four. And Yelton made it clear there was no shame in that.
“I told them not to hang their heads; I don’t want to see any tears,” he said. “Tears because they’ve played their last game, that’s one thing. Tears because we lost this ballgame, that’s something else. If you cry in that situation, it means you didn’t give it your best. And I think our kids did. We just made mistakes. They’re 18-year-old kids, and that happens.”
Contact Mark Lazerus at 648-3140 or mlazerus@post-trib.com
The kid took it bad, but in the right way
****************************
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Night of miscues dooms Merrillville
Nov. 19, 2005
By Mark Lazerus / Post-Tribune staff writer
MERRILLVILLE — James Aldridge didn’t see the Hamilton Southeastern bench erupt in joy on the final meaningful play of Friday night’s 17-7 semistate loss, a sack of Merrillville’s Evan Parker. Aldridge simply ambled off the far side of the field in a daze.
He didn’t see the final 93 seconds of the game, featuring a few anticlimactic kneel-downs. He was sitting alone on the bench, fighting back the tears.
Aldridge didn’t see the on-field bedlam that followed, either. Still alone on the bench, he had buried his face in a towel, hiding the tears.
He was last to the handshake line, his expression unchanging as player after player wished him good luck at Notre Dame. He was unable to crack even the slightest smile as he signed a few autographs at the 35-yard line.
And he was barely able to speak above a whisper in the moments following the end of his illustrious high school career.
Less than two months from starting his college career at Notre Dame, Aldridge was understandably despondent.
“I don’t know,” he quietly said when asked how long the loss would sit with him. “I’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”
Merrillville’s season ended on this chilly Friday night at Demaree Stadium. And the images of the game-changing plays will surely stay with all of the Pirates, particularly Aldridge.
n Aldridge’s first-quarter fumble at his own 24 set up Southeastern’s first points, a Chris Summers 37-yard field goal.
“I’m the running back, I’m not supposed to make those kinds of mistakes,” Aldridge said.
n Parker’s inability to gain a half-yard on fourth down in Royals territory early in the second killed a promising drive and led to Taylor Hoffman’s 32-yard touchdown strike to Adam Gemmer, making it 10-0 with 7:06 to go in the half.
n Aldridge’s second fumble, mere inches from the Royals goal line, with 2:11 to go in the half, devastated the Pirates. It was recovered by Southeastern’s Brodie Morris at about the 2-inch line. Theoretically, it could have been 7-7 at the half. Instead, it was 10-0 Royals.
n Parker’s two interceptions, both by Southeastern’s Josh Powers, both in Royals territory.
n Three missed tackles on a 38-yard third-quarter touchdown run by Southeastern’s Marcus Spann.
n And a botched snap on fourth down at the Southeastern 23 midway through the fourth quarter, thwarting a comeback attempt kickstarted with Parker’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Curry.
“We didn’t capitalize on their mistakes and they did on ours,” Pirates coach Jeff Yelton said. “Going into the game I said we couldn’t turn the ball over, and unfortunately we did.”
On the other side of Demaree Stadium, the Royals were raucously celebrating their date in next Saturday’s state championship with Warren Central.
The fact that they beat such a talented team made it all the sweeter.
“To allow seven points to a guy who’s going to Notre Dame, that’s unbelievable,” Powers said. “They’ve got three Division I kids and we held them to seven points. That’s awesome.
“This is the crowning achievement of my life, right here.”
Early on, the game looked quite similar to last week’s puntfest at Penn. Neither team could muster much positive yardage in the face of aggressive run-stuffing defenses.
But both offenses began moving the ball in the second quarter — Southeastern through the air, Merrillville on the ground. Hoffman finished with an efficient 111 yards on 8-of-13 passing, while Spann rushed for 88 and a score.
It wasn’t a whole lot of yardage for Southeastern (204 total) but the short fields caused by all the turnovers — the two fumbles, the two interceptions, and the three turnovers on downs — made it more than enough.
Aldridge finished with 109 yards on 25 carries, while Parker threw for 94 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-18 passing.
The fumble at the goal line was the clear turning point, but Yelton was proud of the way his players bounced back. There were no hanging heads, no finger-pointing, no whining. Just a tremendous defensive stand on the next three plays from the 1.
“Look at the way they played, they came right back,” Yelton said. “We’re not quitters.”
Lineman Brandon Jordan agreed.
“We could have easily folded after those two 'Moose’ É those two things,” he said, not wanting to single out his teammate. “But we didn’t. We picked each other up and kept fighting.”
Following the game, Yelton hustled his players back into the locker room and gave them one last speech. There was no berating, no hollering, no anger at all.
After all, the Pirates made it to the final four. And Yelton made it clear there was no shame in that.
“I told them not to hang their heads; I don’t want to see any tears,” he said. “Tears because they’ve played their last game, that’s one thing. Tears because we lost this ballgame, that’s something else. If you cry in that situation, it means you didn’t give it your best. And I think our kids did. We just made mistakes. They’re 18-year-old kids, and that happens.”
Contact Mark Lazerus at 648-3140 or mlazerus@post-trib.com