Football Hero

Has this week seemed weird to you, with the holiday in the middle of the week? Normally we put our garbage cans out for pick up on Monday night; Thursday night Hubby went outside and was wondering why no one had put their garbage out!

If you read my blog regularly, you know Soccer Son is crazy about soccer. He plays soccer, he coaches soccer, he puts on soccer camps for kids, he hires himself out for private training sessions, and every now and then--as many soccer players do--he kicks a football.

This year he's been the kicker--when he isn't tied up with a previous soccer commitment--for the Roseville Bears, one of the teams in the Pacific Coast Football League. A couple of weeks ago, the Bears made it into their league's championship game, and Soccer Son was available to play. Unfortunately, Hubby and I weren't present, but we've been told the Bears were ahead much of the game, then the other team came back and scored two touchdowns, and that put them a point ahead of the Bears. As the end of the game neared, the Bears got the ball, and with something like three seconds left on the clock, Soccer Son kicked the winning field goal.

Pandemonium ensued, grown men cried, and Soccer Son was carried off the field a hero.

Soccer Son, however, is much more humble. As he has told anyone who would listen, all he did was make a reasonably easy field goal; it was the other players who got them into position to do it, and that took a lot more skill, determination, and drive. But you know how it is--the guys that make the scores are the guys that get much of the glory.

This past Tuesday night, the night before the holiday, Soccer Son called to say the team was in the 4th of July parade. As much as I'd have liked to sleep in late on the 4th, Hubby and I decided we should go see the parade--which we did, along with Soccer Son's Lovely Wife to be (in September). Here's a photo I took of Soccer Son carrying the team's trophy, which is nearly as tall as he is!

I have to share with you, though, my favorite photo from the parade:

Isn't he a cutie? His mom and dad had red, white, and blue hair--the entire family was caught up in the excitement of the holiday.

Tomorrow Soccer Son's football team plays again--this time they play the champions of another league, the West Coast Football Association. Soccer Son has other commitments, though, and will have to miss the game. If they win, they'll move on to the next play off game; if they don't, the season will be over as will Soccer Son's kicking career. He feels he's stretched himself too thin this year. He didn't think it was fair to the team when he had to miss games, so he'll have to give up something--and it's never going to be soccer if he has any say in it!