It has been a long time since I have felt the electricity of a high school football game. The lights, the smell of popcorn, and the cheer of the parents, many undoubtedly reliving their own glory days, all backdrop for the familiar stage upon which those golden moments are played on countless fields across the country every autumn Friday night. With a stroke of “calendar- fortune” Lila and I were in Middlebury, VT visiting on the very day that Jack Rizzo would take the stage as his fourth grade team was set to scrimmage on the high school field at halftime. As Kelly, Henry and I walked into the stands to find seats with Matt, we were suddenly riding a wave of anticipation as the fighting Middlebury Tigers led the game closing in on the half. We took a quick walk down the sidelines to wish good luck to the young stars of the night. Jack in all of his gear was genuinely happy to see us and swooped up his little cousin to proudly introduce her to his team. It was a moment for the ages, when with a snap Jack transformed in front of his aunt’s eyes from a little boy into a young man- confident and strong and ready to take his place on the field.
Returning to our seats as the half ticked down- Lila and Henry had ants of excitement crawling out of their pants- actually we all did. Finally the moment came- over the loudspeaker the 4th grade team was introduced onto the field. Under the lights each eager young player was called and then there he was number eight, “Jack Russo” (clearly the announcer was so excited he flubbed a few names). With the authority of a seasoned quarterback, number eight took his lead on the field and kicked off the ball to start the scrimmage. We cheered yelled, ran out the iPhone video memory and snapped countless photos. There was no official captain for the team- but Jack seemed to assume the role- holding his hands up to the crowd to rouse their applause, rallying his team and leading them off the field. Score wasn’t kept and while likely most of the crowd was at the concession stand during this halftime showdown, for those who watched it was the game of the night- when a group of young boys, many sure to be future gridiron champions, experienced their first taste of the magic of a Friday night field.
As we all got in the car still high as kites reliving the night, when asked what he thought of the scrimmage Henry gave the night a resounding, “A5!” When words can’t describe the thrill of one family’s small town Friday night football victory, the original high scoring of a proud younger brother seemed to sum it all up.
