My earliest memories of football all trace back to backyard football with my friends from back home in Crystal Lake, IL. No matter the weather we were out there playing everyday right after school, and if you couldn’t make it, you better have had a pretty good excuse or else the next day of school was a living nightmare. No one came to watch us and there were certainly no camera crews around, but the passion we experienced together for those two hours exceeded the fulfillment any newspaper clipping could have temporarily provided.
This grueling game has taught me some lifelong lessons and it has introduced me to some lifelong friends. The game of football was a key factor in my path towards Augustana College and it has allowed me to be acquainted with the ‘backyard’ atmosphere that division III football brings. I don’t play in front of tens and thousands of people every Saturday, you won’t find me in the 2005 edition of NCAA Football for Playstation 2, nor did I get a full scholarship, but that is fine with me because I am playing the game I love with friends and coaches I care about.
That said, my teammates and I took a good initial step on the opening day of CCIW play as the Vikings of North Park bussed through 150 miles of corn to take us on in Rock Island. North Park got my adrenaline flowing as they stepped onto our field with a little swagger being 3-0 for the first time in quite a while. They approached the game with a different emotion than previous North Park teams and because of that alone, I think they will pick up a conference victory this year. However, last Saturday we jumped out to a 19-0 lead by the start of the second quarter, and again, our defense and ground attack rode with the momentum. The defense was lead by Tom Anthony and his three interceptions as Aaron Kuzniar led all Augie ball carriers with 146 yards on 15 carries. As the final seconds ticked away the scoreboard read 50-6 in our favor, but walking away from this game, we are completely aware that there are many things we need to improve upon in the following weeks to become a better football team.
Holding that thought, we travel to Kenosha, WI in week 6 to face the defending conference champions and the number 16 team in the nation, Carthage College. Returning 10 of 11 starters on defense from that conference championship team a year ago, our offense is up for the steepest challenge yet this year which should make for quite a game. As we strive to improve week to week we know that we must have a strong and productive string of practices leading up to an emotional game this Saturday at 6:00 pm under the lights. There won’t be tens and thousands of people in Kenosha on Saturday night, but you can surely bet that the intensity between the lines will match any other big game in the nation on any other football field … or backyard.