On September 9th, 2022, we held one of our most prominent games: the Owls vs Tigers game! This match had an extreme amount of obstacles from waiting and taking shelter in the gyms due to an insane amount of lightning, and even things like just worn out football players. As the night progressed, we had all thought the game was going to begin at 7:00 PM; Little did we know there was a little surprise awaiting us. 

At around 5:30 PM, rain started to hit and our trainer Jennifer Vlasak said something around the lines of “Everything is going to be okay by game time. Playing in the rain is perfectly normal.” However, an hour later at 6:30 PM is when the lightning came. Before the lightning had struck, the boys were already on the field doing their pre-game activities, but as soon as the lightning arose they were told to seek shelter. Not only were they called off, but so were all the crowds, concession servers, and everyone else in the vicinity of the field. 

Every 30 minutes, we constantly checked for lightning hoping that it would stop, but every time it just kept coming back. Our sports department had met and talked about rescheduling, but in order to be respectful to everyone’s time, they did not follow through with the decision. The New and Old Gym were the most packed places for shelter during this waiting period. We had the Millenium dance and cheer team in the New Gym riling up their crowd and we had a dance party going on in the Old Gym. We then waited about three hours for the game to actually start! 

The game did not start until around 9:15, so there were definitely some downfalls of having such a late start time. While interviewing Coach Torben Deese, he explained that this late start really did a number on the boys. Deese says that the energy and confidence was really high at around 7 and the boys were really excited to play. However, as the night went on the boys slowly just got more tired and it really was up in the air if they were even going to play. 

The boys waited in the locker room as they waited for the start of the game. Deese says that the coaches’ main goal is to keep the boys’ energy up so that by kickoff they could still have it in them to play. By 9:00 PM the game was destined to start and everyone was just relieved that there was actually going to be one. When interviewing one of our team captains, Carlos Elzy (#3), he said that by kickoff he was ready and didn’t necessarily think that the period of time affected him. However, when talking to Coach Deese, he says he definitely noticed some tiredness in his team. 

Well yes, everyone was a little tired, but I do think we ought to give some recognition to our team. Although we did not win, the team still played to the best of their abilities. On the bright side, this game can now teach them what to do if the same problem arises. By the notion of Coach Torben, he said the players that impressed him the most would be Brady Salinas (#23) and Braylon Cryer (#2). When asked why, he said “They fought hard the entire game and showed a lot of good things on film from the first play until the last.” Deese said that even though they did not win, he personally took this as a pointer for the next game. As the Defensive Line Coach, he said “I especially think that we could have been more physical and stout in the trenches…” He believes that this is a more important aspect to not only achieve a win, but to play football more efficiently. He also says that one thing he could have done for this game would have been to have taught the boys better pregame habits. Deese believes that in the future, he should definitely work on getting the boys into better habits when it comes to low energy. So if this situation presents itself again, they can go head in with high energy and not get tired as fast. 

Both Carlos Elzy and Coach Torben Deese prefer playing in the rain. They both believe it’s just simply a more pleasurable experience when rain is falling. Deese is from Washington so he loves the rain and one thing he loves even more is playing in it. Elzy thinks that it’s just one of the better ways to play football. He just states that it makes everything more fun on the field. From playing in the rain, to playing in the sun, the Owls always stand out. Football is not just a sport at Agua Fria; It is a family always growing and striving to be better. Make sure to come out and support the Owls at these next couple games of the season!