Ladies and Gentlemen, make sure your seatbelts are fastened and personal belongings properly secured. It's about to get real good. Since 10:30 Friday night, I’ve been chomping at the bit to write this. What. A. Game. There are videos and forums out there calling the Glen Rose Tigers the “best 0-4 team in the state.” Sounds a little disheartening, but we will take it. It's a backhanded compliment that proves just how far we’ve come. Friday night, we marched into a top ten 4A-Division I stadium, into a house that boasts one of the top running backs in the state, and we made them sweat gigantic beads of sweat. Their home field advantage? Didn’t matter. Their student section? Struggled to not sound ridiculous. Their fans? Celebrated like they’d just beaten Goliath… by 5 points. Nobody expected that. Nobody but us. And when I say “us,” I’m talking about the faithful. The fans who show up whether it’s 2 hours down the road or 30 minutes away. The ones who get it. Fist bump and a wink, you know what’s happening here. We see the steady climb, the trend that ought to scare the beltloops off every opponent in our district. If you’ve been paying attention, you know this storm is building. Now let’s give credit where it’s due. Alvarado Indian Football is good, real good. Their fans were mostly classy. Their team is stacked with playmakers. #5? That kid is a load, slippery, explosive, and tough to tackle. Some folks are saying our defense “needs a ton of work.” Nah. I disagree. That back was on the level of Gilmer a few years ago, elite. What our defense needs is quicker reactions, better wrap-ups, and a little more polish. You give these guys a taste of the best, and they’ll be ready for the rest. Coach Pair may disagree, but I think they did decent for that caliber of RB. On the offensive side? Whew. The O-line brought it. Connally had time against a constant blitz because those big boys up front decided Alvarado wasn’t touching him. That’s respect right there. Tyson Sullivan, let me be real. I wasn’t sure early in the season. But something has changed. Maybe momma lit a fire, maybe you just decided it was time, but Tyson, you’ve got that greedy yardage dog in you now. Don’t stop. Eat. Ryder Ribitzki? My man showed off legs nobody saw coming. A tight end moving like a wideout, outran guys who usually chase that play down. Friday night, Ryder had it. Caden Marrs, fantastic sideline grabs, clutch plays. Marrs proves every game that “short” ain’t small. He’s playing for all of us height-restricted folks with something to prove. Ty Simmons? Huge play recovering that onside kick. Momentum-saver. Hustle. But listen, it’s not just about the names we hear called. The loudspeaker doesn’t tell the whole story. Without Patton Prescott: Luke Males and Ribitzki don’t get open. Without Simmons, Shannon, and Leach, their QB would’ve carved us up. Without Diaz, Ribitzki, and Douglas, those corners turn into highlight reels. Without Muro, Bock, and Magana on the D-line, our linebackers are eaten alive. Every guy out there is critical. Every job matters. Without every member of this team, it will fail, and we are not failures. This team is family, and I’ve never seen a group that respects each other like this. Community, understand that. Respect that. Now, let’s be honest, it hurts. These boys are used to winning. Tears well up, not from entitlement, but from wanting it so bad it hurts. And in those moments, you see what makes this team special. They fight because they want pride. They want to earn it. And as a parent, when you see that kind of grit, you realize your son has what it takes to face any battle in life. Parents of underclassmen, cherish this. Don’t get stuck on, “It’s okay, we’ve got next year.” Next year comes fast. Faster than you think. That last Godley game, that last tunnel run, it sneaks up, and then it’s gone. Soak in every second because soon, you too will wish for more time. This team has what it takes. The record doesn’t scare me one bit, because I see the storm that’s about to roll. The growth is happening, the train is at the top of the hill, and soon enough, it’s going to come roaring down—and when it does, district better buckle up. There is only ONE MISSION, and through ANY STORM, we will fight to prevail.