A Bummer of a Homecoming
I finally made it to my first West Genesee home football game of the season tonight. I missed the first one because I was in Florida and I was fighting a nasty bug last Friday. I missed one helluva game that night, as the Wildcats took on mighty CBA, ranked #2 on the state, a team so good that they're playing on national television tonight... but on ESPNU, which you cannot get here unless you have satellite. Anyway, after falling behind 27-7, West Genny pulled off a dramatic comeback, tying the game at 27 late in the 3rd quarter. The biggest upset in school history was within reach...
And then the lights went out.
Not all of them, just some, but still, the lights went out. In the middle of the game. And this is not the first time this has happened in recent years at West Genny. Both coaches wanted to play on, but the refs pulled a CYA move (liability and all) and insisted the lights be restored before continuing. Over an hour later, the situation was fixed, but CBA had reasserted themselves and they pulled away in the 4th quarter for a 41-27 win. This kind of thing happens at West Genesee. As a WG grad (Class of '96), I've seen it time and time again over the years. Games where you just throw up your hands and wonder if the fates have a sick sense of humor. This is how we went 12 years between winning seasons, a streak that finally ended last season. This is how we have gone 18 years since winning a postseason game, and we've only made the playoffs twice in those 18 years, once by default when two other teams had to forfeit a bunch of wins.
So going into tonight's game against Liverpool, it was apparent that we have a good team at West Genesee this year, but something like last week can definitely rattle a squad. I figured after that CBA game, they were either going to A) be buoyed by the fact that they could hang with a superpower like the Brothers and play like they know they can from here on out... or B) realize that playing for West Genesee means you are snakebitten and pack it in for the season. The early returns are... they've chosen (B). Liverpool won tonight, 49-21. Ouch.
It turns out tonight was Homecoming, so the stands were packed, the closest place to park was Lowe's, and we were going to be treated to the classic traditions like the marching band's performance at halftime, the Homecoming Court, and of course the Homecoming Parade. Wait, scratch that last one. They can't have a Homecoming Parade anymore. When I heard about this, I was expecting some story about students last year doing something that caused them to decide this can never be done again... you know, the usual standard practice in schools these days. Well no, the reason is because the school district just underwent a major upgrade of its' sports facilities, and this included a new track. Which is rubberized. Which means you can't DRIVE on it.
Excuse me while I smack my forehead...
I have to give the school district credit for doing a fantastic job of upgrading their buildings and such in recent years. They've completely renovated the high school, and it looks fantastic. They put in a second gymnasium (mostly for volleyball), where the League Championship banners hang, including the 1996 baseball team that I was a part of. Here's the problems, as I noted as I walked around tonight:
They built a brand-spanking-new stadium, with Field Turf, separate locker rooms (as in not inside the actual school), state-of-the-art press box, and nice lights (that actually WORK all the time)... and they can't use it for football games because they didn't build enough seating capacity. So we're stuck having to play in an old stadium where the lights go out every few years (but we DO have a new scoreboard), and they replaced the track in a way that caused them to have to throw decades of tradition out the window and ban the Homecoming Parade, which is most of the fun of Homecoming. Oh, and they redid the concession stand to include bathrooms so you don't have to go in the school or use a port-a-potty... and the men's room has ONE urinal. ONE. Foresight, thy name is NOT West Genesee.
Despite all this... I still had a pretty good time tonight. When I returned to Syracuse two years ago, and moved back out here to Camillus shortly thereafter, I wanted to find a way to get involved in the community once again. Unfortunately, being as busy as I am, I haven't really had the opportunity to do that, so the best I can do is come back to my alma mater and cheer on my team occasionally, so I make the most of it. I just wish I could have been in on those design meetings for these new facilities... and while I'm at it, I wish I could call the plays for the football team, too...
And then the lights went out.
Not all of them, just some, but still, the lights went out. In the middle of the game. And this is not the first time this has happened in recent years at West Genny. Both coaches wanted to play on, but the refs pulled a CYA move (liability and all) and insisted the lights be restored before continuing. Over an hour later, the situation was fixed, but CBA had reasserted themselves and they pulled away in the 4th quarter for a 41-27 win. This kind of thing happens at West Genesee. As a WG grad (Class of '96), I've seen it time and time again over the years. Games where you just throw up your hands and wonder if the fates have a sick sense of humor. This is how we went 12 years between winning seasons, a streak that finally ended last season. This is how we have gone 18 years since winning a postseason game, and we've only made the playoffs twice in those 18 years, once by default when two other teams had to forfeit a bunch of wins.
So going into tonight's game against Liverpool, it was apparent that we have a good team at West Genesee this year, but something like last week can definitely rattle a squad. I figured after that CBA game, they were either going to A) be buoyed by the fact that they could hang with a superpower like the Brothers and play like they know they can from here on out... or B) realize that playing for West Genesee means you are snakebitten and pack it in for the season. The early returns are... they've chosen (B). Liverpool won tonight, 49-21. Ouch.
It turns out tonight was Homecoming, so the stands were packed, the closest place to park was Lowe's, and we were going to be treated to the classic traditions like the marching band's performance at halftime, the Homecoming Court, and of course the Homecoming Parade. Wait, scratch that last one. They can't have a Homecoming Parade anymore. When I heard about this, I was expecting some story about students last year doing something that caused them to decide this can never be done again... you know, the usual standard practice in schools these days. Well no, the reason is because the school district just underwent a major upgrade of its' sports facilities, and this included a new track. Which is rubberized. Which means you can't DRIVE on it.
Excuse me while I smack my forehead...
I have to give the school district credit for doing a fantastic job of upgrading their buildings and such in recent years. They've completely renovated the high school, and it looks fantastic. They put in a second gymnasium (mostly for volleyball), where the League Championship banners hang, including the 1996 baseball team that I was a part of. Here's the problems, as I noted as I walked around tonight:
They built a brand-spanking-new stadium, with Field Turf, separate locker rooms (as in not inside the actual school), state-of-the-art press box, and nice lights (that actually WORK all the time)... and they can't use it for football games because they didn't build enough seating capacity. So we're stuck having to play in an old stadium where the lights go out every few years (but we DO have a new scoreboard), and they replaced the track in a way that caused them to have to throw decades of tradition out the window and ban the Homecoming Parade, which is most of the fun of Homecoming. Oh, and they redid the concession stand to include bathrooms so you don't have to go in the school or use a port-a-potty... and the men's room has ONE urinal. ONE. Foresight, thy name is NOT West Genesee.
Despite all this... I still had a pretty good time tonight. When I returned to Syracuse two years ago, and moved back out here to Camillus shortly thereafter, I wanted to find a way to get involved in the community once again. Unfortunately, being as busy as I am, I haven't really had the opportunity to do that, so the best I can do is come back to my alma mater and cheer on my team occasionally, so I make the most of it. I just wish I could have been in on those design meetings for these new facilities... and while I'm at it, I wish I could call the plays for the football team, too...
Labels: football, West Genesee
posted by Dave | 10:00 PM
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