A Game of Inches... A Season of Yards!!

What an amazing season with the Tri-Valley Scottie's football team.

I had the honor of working with the Scotties again this year officially as their chaplain.  It was a great year.  I had the honor of speaking to them on Thursdays and then leading them in prayer before the game.

This year, we talked through John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.  Legendary basketball coach John Wooden outlines 15 traits that define a champion.  He talks about traits like hard work, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, condition, skill, team spirit, poise, and confidence.  All of these blocks work together to build a pyramid of success to the peak of being competitively great.

I picked this pyramid specifically because there are 15 blocks.  Additionally, there are 15 games of the football season through the state championships.  And we almost got through the entire set of 15 blocks this season.

It was a historic season for the Scotties.  This year, the Scotties went deeper into the playoffs than ever before.  They played for the regional championship (3rd round of the playoffs) and the honor of representing our area in the final four for teams in division II.

Unfortunately, fell a bit short in overtime.

While the season fell literally an inch or two short (on a field goal and overtime scoring opportunities), the team gained yards!  The maturity that I've seen grow in these guys has been amazing.  They have stepped up and played well in all situations.  They have used their God-given abilities to the maximum.  Additionally, they maintained a level of class not often seen at the championship level.

And I enjoyed a great view of their growth from the sidelines.  It was an honor to have five to seven minutes of their practice time once a week.  It was a privilege to lead them in prayer before heading to the field.  But more than these... It was awesome to slap hands, provide encouragement, congratulate them, pick them up when needed, look them in the eye and build relationships with them.

After two seasons on the sidelines with the Scotties, I am beginning to build some solid relationships with these guys.  While this season may be over, and the sadness that comes along with it, I am already looking forward to next season.  Unfortunately some of the personalities (Tyler Collopy, Matt Amicone, Tyler Frick, JT Campbell and others) that I have come to know and love will be absent from that team (because they're seniors), I know that the Scotties will be back, stronger than ever, ready to grow, learn and play better than this year!

Great season Scotties!

(Picture at the top was taken after Tri-Valley won the MVL Championship in front of their home crowd.  The additional pictures are from the Times Recorder article on last night's game.)

#InButtermoreWeTrust

Jim


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