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 Prior to the start of Thursday night's game between Calvary and Evangel, the Eagles were on the field for warm ups much longer than the Cavaliers. One may have been wondering if Calvary coach Bo Meeks was trying to prevent his young Cavaliers from seeing the giants across the field during the light of day. Sometimes stadium lights can seem to be less intense than natural sunlight. The Evangel football players, coaches and fans have one goal in mind when football season starts each year, and that is playing in the Louisiana Superdome the second weekend in December. Why, they did so well at accomplishing their goal year after year, that the big boys in 5-A convinced each other to boot the Eagles down to 2-A. What's that about a rising tide brings up all the boats? If you can't beat 'em, kick 'em out of the league and make 'em play the North Caddos, the Lakesides and Northwood Lenas--that'll teach 'em. Plain and simple, the Evangel Eagles are giants both in tradition and in physical appearance. With all that said, it would be easy for a Calvary team largely made up players who still have to get mama and daddy to drive them to and from school each day, to become intimidated by the invading giants from Broadacres Road. The history books prove that Evangel usually wins the game against Calvary by a blowout, with two exceptions--a 1-point win three years ago and a Cavalier win 28-21 in 2007. The consensus on the Calvary side when the Evangel Eagles all came out of the locker room at once was that Nick Saban had somehow managed to sneak in the Alabama Crimson Tide for a trip to Louisiana just to tick off the LSU fans. (I mean the first few bars of the Evangel fight song were borrowed from the University of Alabama.) But the Calvary fans were wrong. What they saw was not the University of Alabama football team, but their opponent for the night--the Evangel Eagles. Thursday's contest was just another game for Evangel--another step toward, what many feel is, the inevitable season finale with John Curtis in the Superdome. Ho-hum! But Calvary's Meeks has said from Day One that he will accept no excuses from his team and that youth and inexperience will not be a reason for lack of performance and effort by his players. Using the excuse that the two leading rushers on the team are out for the season, along with the top pass defender and punt returner and another defensive back being gone for the year would not be an option for Meeks' kids either. With no other options, the Cavaliers put on their pads and colors proudly and ran, like David did toward the giant, onto the artificial surface of Jerry Barker Stadium with every intent on slaying the invading giants. David did it, we can too! It was not to be though. Evangel would go on to win the game by, what would appear to be, a lopsided score, thanks to a pair of late scores. However, even the Eagles' head coach John Bachman admitted on live television that the score was not indicative of the competition on the field that night. "We have a very young team that plays extremely hard. Our coaches have done a wonderful job with them," Calvary Athletic Director Johnny Booty said. "Our fans continue to be the best. We have a very bright future," he continued. Kathy Rutledge, who teaches yearbook, speech, drama, Bible and anything else they offer her at Calvary, is one of the biggest fans the Cavaliers have--though many will argue that they are right there with her. "All week long I had faith that our boys could come out and play with the best, and they proved they could," Rutledge said. "But, I have to say that when I saw the pre-game warm ups by the 'giants' on the visiting side of the field, my stomach did flips," she said. "Could we stand toe-to-toe with those boys? Absolutely! They may have been much bigger that the Cavs, but our young team had the heart and soul to pour out all they had to play an awesome game." "I was very proud to call myself a Cavalier," Rutledge said. Rutledge has her heart and soul invested in the Cavalier football program--literally. Her oldest son Kyle was the starting center for the team when football was resurrected in 2004 and he played there for four years, missing only one game due to injuries. Nathan Rutledge, her baby, is also a Cavalier football player, the smallest of all the offensive linemen for the Calvary team. What he lacks in size though, he makes up in effort and output and has done so all season long. Seldom do offensive linemen get the glory, but his name has been mentioned quite often during the football game broadcasts after running backs follow his blocks for vital yardage. Nathan's older brother Kyle, who graduated with honors a couple of years ago from Calvary, is still a die-hard fan of his Alma Mater. "When I played for Calvary, our offensive line went into every game with size, strength and experience. This year's line goes into every game with heart, and that's it, all heart," Kyle Rutledge said. "And boy do they have more heart that I could have ever dreamed of having," he went on to say. "I am a veteran of high school football. I've won awards and honors and played in some of the biggest games in the last few years that this state has seen." "And yet, when I look down from the stands and see this year's line holding off guys twice their size and with three times their strength, I look up to our young O-line more than they could ever know," Kyle Rutledge explained. Philosophers and teachers often try to explain the difference between one's character and one's reputation. Character has been defined as to what you really are, while reputation is what people actually think about you. Calvary's 2009 football team is not the biggest, baddest show around; but the foundation has been established for success by a bunch of over-achievers who have the character it takes to be successful both on the field and off. Perhaps the simple black and white t-shirts being sold as the concession Thursday night said it best. "Calvary . . . the best show on turf!" One loss does not make a season boys. Very few of those people hollering from the stands right behind you ever expected you to win more than three games, if they will be honest with you. You have proven yourselves to be winners. Don't be discouraged by Thursday night's loss. Keep on pressing on toward the mark and give God the glory. |
  
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