Raise your hand if you have ever had one of the beloved Ms. Jackie’s baked goods? Oh, my goodness, you are missing out if you have not teased your taste buds with some of her tasty, delicious delights. I have to apologize, Ms. Jackie, but your sweets don’t compare to the large, scrumptious serving of HUMBLE PIE the Benbrook Bobcats had to eat, as the Tigers served them up a bittersweet victory Friday night to secure their rightful spot atop 4A-2 Region 1 District 4. The beating could not have come soon enough as the Bobcats have been vocal about their disdain for the Tigers. With the onslaught of provocation beginning at the start of this year’s season; making social media claims that “the Tigers acting like they something.” Well, was that “something,” good enough for you buttercup? I like a little banter between teams. At the end of the day, this banter just becomes high school memories that they can talk about when they are old and out of shape. One advantage we get with tunnel duties, is the opportunity to grasp the emotions of our guys during the pregame warmups. Benbrook came out with intensity, making noise throughout their warm-ups and attempting to set the tone for what they thought would come. As the Tigers O-line came trotting down the sideline, you could hear the uptick of the Bobcat’s tempo and clamor. However, the big boy elite strolled forward with calm, collective vigor; not fazed by the noise. I could not help but laugh at the smirks on the faces of our boys with silent proclamation of; “you have no idea what’s coming Benbrook.” The Boys of Glen Rose proved it two plays in as Canyon Evans delivered the first blow to the Bobcats, connecting with Brodey Bowman for a 47-yard touchdown, preparing the kitchen for the baking extravaganza. It did not take long for jaws to drop as the powerful offense made quick work at making a statement. The subsequential three and out by the defense proved that we were serious about the pie and brought the ingredients with attitude. The O-line made quick work on the next drive allowing Keltyn Raymond to dash a little Vanilla to the pot as the “White Rhino” claimed a touchdown for his own. Defensively, the Tigers look like they are adjusting well, playing with more intensity each week. A few mistakes here and there are not going to hurt us when we can come right back from an opponent’s score and send Bowman 67 yards for his second touchdown of the night. In Betty Crocker fashion, Bowman laid down the dough as if he has been baking pies all his life. Gabe Diaz proved he could add his spoonful of sugar too, as his situational awareness was on key, picking up an extraordinary interception. Baking flour was in the air with Josiah Groeneweg and Luke Males making quick work of rolling the dough. Josiah brought out the silverware and set the table, with Raymond punching another ticket with an easy walk-in touchdown for six. The Bobcats scored the last points of the night, after a few crucial mistakes allowed Benbrook to light a small sliver of hope. The referees decided to disrupt the kitchen with some calls, no calls, missed calls, and downright oddities that had Coach Watkins running a 40-yard dash in frustration to plea to the sideline ref who failed to notice what was directly in front of her. I will swear my oath to secrecy and stay silent about the exchange of words as Watkins was not happy about the cumbersome drive that led to a field goal and the only injury of the night. A fall by Watkins had him limping in pain, but in true Tiger fashion, he kept on trucking. The second half had the pie in the oven as Kaiden Shannon denied the Bobcats’ hopes and dreams with a big pick six for an 85-yard return. Brodey Bowman added insult to injury forcing a fumble, which allowed Raymond to recover, resulting in Colton Andress to pad six under his belt for a touchdown. Defense stepped up to “put out the fire” in the red zone proving they could hold the line when under pressure. The defense did a fantastic job of keeping cool heads, with an inside informant explaining the situation on the field as “dirty and trashy.” Obscene cheap shots were handed out from the Bobcats Offensive line with a player attempting to even twist the ankle of one of our defensive linemen which can only be interpreted as a blatant attempt to break his ankle. Luckily, it takes more than unsportsmanlike conduct to phase these guys as Evans tossed a perfect pass to Adrian Sanchez, shutting off the oven as the trusty kicker Jorge Mendoza pulled the pie from the oven to seal the score at 52-14; The Glen Rose Tigers served the Bobcats that humble pie and secured the district championship for the ninth year in a row. There are so many talented players on this team who make things happen. On both sides of the ball and special teams, we have outstanding young men who outshine every team we play. From the outstanding ability of the O-line to protect Evans, to the unsung heroes who do their jobs, allowing plays to develop. Football is a beautiful team sport. You are only as strong as your weakest link. That speaks volumes to the integrity of this group of young athletes. With one more game to play in the district, these boys are approaching that sacred time of the season when dedication is critical to success. Each week could potentially be the last game of some of these players’ lives. We are quickly arriving at the time when all fans need to make a decision. Are you watching from home or coming to fuel the win? On the extracurricular thought of the week, my least favorite place to travel during district is Fort Worth ISD. The confusion, miscommunication, and soldier-like enforcement of the rules and regulations leaves a sour taste in the mouths of good folks like us. Do not get me wrong, many of the guys I had conversations with were great. However, many of them are so accustomed to the prison walls of the FWISD and the chokehold of their tyrannical-like management. They function as though they cannot distinguish between good and bad. A part of me understands the dilemma, while our cheer coach casually picked up spent handgun ammunition along the fence line. However, where my concern lies is that they do not have the ability to discern between good country folks and troublesome city folks. Like a herd of cattle through the corals, we are prodded through metal detectors, even sending Ms. Jackie aside for a double pat down as if she were smuggling in an arsenal of deadly weapons. Even simple parking of the trailer consists of one person telling you where to go, while another asks whether I had “permission” to do so. No one can get on the same page because there are too many pages in the rulebook. I am not blaming the workers, because like sheep, they are just doing what they’re told to do. However, in my opinion, the Fort Worth ISD needs to realize that we are not terrorist infiltrating your high school stadium. We will talk to our boys at the fence after the game, because they are OUR boys. WE gave them life. They are OUR children, not yours. This is a free country and a free state. I understand you do not want to allow music to be played besides yours. However, the excuse of “I don’t know what you’re playing, and I can only choose what’s being played,” sounds more like the government nonsense that we have been dealing with the last four years. What am I going to do? Play obscene music in front of the young children of Glen Rose? Word of advice, not everyone is bad. Glen Rose is most certainly not Fort Worth. The last home game of the season is next week. The last home game for many of these boys. Let’s show up and support our Tigers and we attempt to secure the ninth undefeated district championship. Here we come Dunbar. On a side note, this week was our turn to feed the coaches lunch on Saturday. It's an honor to do this again this year. In her hectic rush to prepare the dessert to her high standards, she forgot one of the key ingredients to her famous banana pudding. So, give her a shout and ask her what ingredient she left out!