They turned off the lights at SLUH Stadium at approximately 10:15 p.m. Nov. 18, 2011, and just like that, The Season was over.
SLUH had just suffered a painful state semifinal loss to CBC, 66-28. If you really want to read about it, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Nate Latsch did a fine job recapturing the details of the game.
An estimated crowd of 5,500 had already dispersed, too many of them leaving midway through the second half when it became obvious the state championship berth was not meant to be. And so, with the team in the locker room, a few parents milling around the parking lot, and the last of the left-behind rally towels being picked up in the stadium, the lights went out on the 2011 Jr. Billiken season.
An ignoble ending? Not a chance. The journey doesn’t always end the way we want it to; that doesn’t mean it’s not worth undertaking.
And what a journey it was. Among the highlights:
- A last-minute loss to Parkway North in Week 1;
- A 1-3 start that had everybody writing this team off;
- A coming-out party, a 48-0 shellacking of Vianney;
- A dominant game against a tough Eureka squad that virtually no one saw except for the parents;
- A come-from-behind thriller at DeSmet;
- A district title with a defeat over Lindbergh the same night the Cardinals won the World Series; and
- That second thriller over DeSmet in a game that made you believe anything was possible.
All memories on the field.
What made The Season was what happened off the field. For 13 consecutive Fridays, 47 families came together each game to cheer on their boys and while it may have started out as individual cheers, by the end of it they were all our sons.
For 13 consecutive Fridays, 47 young men put on the pads and left it all on the field, and we were the ones who had the privilege to witness it.
For 13 consecutive Fridays, the day started with 7:20 a.m. Mass in the SLUH chapel attended by Coach Gary Kornfeld and many of the players and their families, a living reminder of SLUH’s motto ad majorem Dei glorium — for the greater glory of God.
There’s still a few more stories to tell before The Season wraps up, and look for them in this space in the next few weeks.
But instead of focusing how it all ended, let’s go back to very beginning:
The picture above was taken by Julie McDonagh, who gave birth to a quarterback 18 years ago. This is after the seniors’ first game at Compton-Drew field in August 2008, huddled together after they had beaten Parkway South. Remember how that game began? With Stefan Sansone running back the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
The lights are turned off on this team, but there will be 47 new chapters to write.
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