Oh, That Sweet Taste of Victory (and Maybe a Hint of Purple Tears) Oh, that sweet taste of victory. Oh victory, how sweet you are! The Glen Rose Tigers had the fuel, the air, and the pistons firing in perfect tune last Friday night as they rumbled, roared, and revved their way past that alleged rivalry down the road , the purple bunch from Godley. “Rivalry” might be a strong word. After ten years of this, it’s starting to feel more like an annual tune-up. Coach Watkins and crew officially notched a decade of kicking Godley’s purple noggin, and at this point, I think the Wildcats might want to consider switching to a different shade of purple. Maybe lavender. Something softer. From kickoff, the Tigers looked like a well-oiled machine , and not the kind that leaks oil and needs a jump-start. Nope, this was a sleek, roaring, chrome-plated winning machine. It’s like the boys woke up and collectively decided, “You know what? Let’s remind everyone that this is our house.” And that they did. Let’s talk offense, because good grief, those boys came out looking like they’ve been undefeated all year. The O-Line , those big, beautiful red tanks up front deserve every ounce of praise and probably a few extra “attaboy” slaps on the behind. They are the only players on the field who move forward with the ball behind them, which feels like a metaphor for life if you think about it too long. No breaks. No easy plays. Just grit, power, and enough heart to power the scoreboard lights. Without these human bulldozers, Connally and Sullivan would be more like lost tourists wandering around looking for end zones. Marrs, Ribitzki, and Prescott would just be track stars with no skyward balls to look for. No highlight catches, no celebrations, just sad little memories of what could have been. So hats off, gentlemen. You’re the unshakable engine under the hood of this victory machine. Now, defensively, oh, you wild bunch. Sure, we could tighten up a few tackles and stop those occasional big plays that make the fans’ blood pressure spike, but overall, it’s looking sharp. And can we talk about Ty Simmons? The kid’s allergic to being unnoticed. With an interception that made Godley dizzy, he gave another spark that ignited even more fire for the offense. Keep it up, young Jedi , the Force is strong in this one. And the Ribitzki/Douglas/Muro combo? Mercy. Those three looked like they were trying to make Godley regret signing up for football. If hitting were an Olympic sport, they’d be a gold medalist trio. D-Line, Linebackers, Secondary; its all a culmination of gears working to stop the train from running. Keep working and keep getting better. Defense wins games, period. Prove me wrong. As we march through district, the road won’t be a cakewalk, and shouldn’t be treated as such. Every team is gunning for us, waiting for the chance to be the first to knock us off our shiny nine-year throne. That legacy we stand on wasn’t built on entitlement. It was built on hard work, sacrifice, and a whole lot of sweat (and probably some questionable smells from those shoulder pads). No one deserves that legacy. You earn it, every snap, every tackle, every Friday night under the lights. Fans, that goes for us too. Bring the noise. If you aren’t hoarse on Saturday, did you even fan properly? Parents, tell those boys how proud you are ,every time. Players, leave it all out there. When the lights go out and the only thing left is the memory of this season, make sure you did your part. And speaking of doing your part , if you missed Autumn Anderson’s post-practice interviews, you’re missing out on pure comedy gold. Jessica and Autumn teamed up to document a great memory. Autumn asked the boys, “If your mom was a football player, what position would she play?” and apparently, y’all moms are terrifying. Linebackers, defensive ends, blitzers , there’s some violence in the gene pool! Connally may not think his mom could hang, but Meghan, we see you. I’m taking mom in that matchup all day long. Maybe next week we should ask what position Dad would play, though some of y’all might end up “benchwarmers,” and that’s okay too. Everyone has a role to play. Homecoming is right around the corner, and the buzz around Tiger Stadium will be electric. It’ll be packed, loud, and emotional, especially for the seniors soaking in their last homecoming as Tigers. If you see some of us walking a little slower, forgive us. We’re just taking it in… one final time. So here’s to the boys in red — the ones who make Friday nights worth losing your voice over. And to Godley : thanks for stopping by. See you next year… maybe.