Exchange CO2 Bottles: $80 + Fuel Fill Air Tanks, Charge Batteries, Load Shirts, Check tire pressure, Secure equipment: 2.5 hours. Fuel: $200 Unload & Trek up/down massive Mustang Bowl Hill: Cramps & Elevated Heart Rate 350 miles with trailer in tow: 2 Energy Drinks Watching the Glen Rose Tigers win Area: PRICELESS Most of us parents have seen enough football games collectively to fill a 1999 Blockbuster Store from floor to ceiling with memorable football games. This time of year, we enjoy reminiscing back to where we played and who we have played against in the past. Occasionally, our minds become a congested traffic jam of recollections that we can’t quite straighten out how or when certain years’ events unfolded. But it’s fun to try, isn’t it? In a blink of an eye, forty-five minutes of Texas high school football last Friday joined the ranks of those memorable moments in the minds of some great families, friends, and fans that made the drive to Sweetwater. For those that really dive into Glen Rose Tiger Football, we knew this game would be a toss-up. West Texas teams are very hard to judge. You can venture into the forum and read the pollution of nonsensical garbage that comes from the minds of “expert” couch coaches destined to become the next high school football prophet. There are plenty of comparables you can analyze through, diving into who played who, injuries, scores, and statistical anomalies. It’s almost as complicated as building a family tree in Arkansas. You can compare all day long, but in the end, it’s the playoff season and no one wants to go home. There is no factor in the equation for emotion, heart, grit, and that special ability to grit your teeth and do what needs to be done to play on. The power of Will is the particular variable in the playoff equation that many fail to factor into their playoff predicting analytics. Willpower is what you witnessed on Friday as the Tigers refused to give up and go home. The true depth of their willingness to fight was on full display as we bore witness to one of the greatest games we have seen in 2024. Even as the men in black and white seemed determined to tip the scale in favor of West Texas, we still managed to overcome the imbalance thrown onto us. I truly feel sorry for the refs. They are very mistreated in some areas, and I do believe in cutting them slack when necessary. But like most of you, I have been around football for a while and this group of San Angelo zebras made it obvious. Even local Sweetwater attendees with no dog in the fight took notice of how biased this crew was. Whether you believe the referees were fair or not, in the end, we beat them both and that is okay. Our coaching staff and these battling Tigers figured it out. Each week I struggle to find the right words to describe the heroism of the Glen Rose Tigers. It's so hard to give credit to one individual when this team is filled with young men that want to win. You can rummage through the stats, like Canyon Evans breaking school records in passing and Ryder Ribitzki’s 18 tackles, or Brodey Bowman’s tide-turning fourth down stop or Cristian Ballesteros’ interception. The viral video of Kaiden Shannon was a proud moment for Glen Rose, as he toe-tipped his way into Friday Night Light fame. Sometimes the best of games keeps you on the edge of your seat but does not mean you have to like them. Personally, I despise overtime. I want the Tigers to win outright in a hurry and have us doing the two-step down the stands in celebration. I drove back from Sweetwater in a wide-eyed state of adrenaline infused delusion, with my mind racing through the events and how silly I must have looked jumping for joy. But hey, if I looked silly, so did everyone else! The Tigers will yet again face a talented team in Mineral Wells against an excellent Graham defense. The steers should be a great matchup for the Tigers. The Will to Win will be tested Friday as a great group of seniors have proven to be stubborn about going home. That summit is so close right now. Let’s toughen up, grit teeth, and find that deep drive to finish this out. Here we come Graham.