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| Hitman salutes real-life heroes |
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Posted: Friday, August 24, 2012 6:32 am
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The Hitman humbly and proudly steps aside this week to heap praise on a collection of true-life real heroes.
While the objectivity of this particular job allows for no cheering for any particular team or individual, I was among the many of our community who clapped wildly and for all to see in a public setting a week ago today for a tightly-knit bunch in my favorite colors.
The 913th National Guard Engineer Company returned to Obion County to a richly-deserved parade of well-wishers after a year-long stay that had soldiers serving in both Kuwait and Afghanistan.
The unit’s Middle East time and work there, their sacrifices and the freedoms they protect and stand for, make the trivial matters that include sports rivalries and many other issues people put so much stock in insignificant at best.
Having stood last week just a few feet down from where I applauded you and your commitment when you left my community for your mission a year ago, I rooted happily with watery eyes and helped celebrate in your safe return on truly a job well done.
Yours is the only side I truly care to be on.
God bless the 913th.
And God bless the USA.
See you at the game.
UNION CITY @ WAYNE CO. — The Tornadoes hope to continue their revenge tour through a schedule that saw four different teams whip them by 29 or more points a year ago. Having already evened the score with county rival Obion Central, next on UC’s list is a Wayne County club that will look absolutely nothing like last year’s Class 1A state champion. The Wildcats lost each and every starter off both sides of the ball from that unbeaten Best-in-Class-1A team, and struggled mightily in a lopsided 30-point shutout loss to Moore County in their opener last week. Moreso than WC, the Purple and Gold should focus on themselves and improving its special teams while eliminating turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes that could haunt them when the schedule gets considerably tougher in the not-so-distant future. And if getting some more payback from a year ago and improving to 2-0 this season isn’t incentive enough, handling what has been a hostile environment in the Twisters’ other two visits there should be an even extra impetus and make for a shorter ride on the long trip home. — UNION CITY.
RIPLEY @ OBION CENTRAL — The Rebels need the old coaching adage of “a team shows more improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 than in any other week” to ring true. Be it typical first-game jitters, inexperience on the big stage or facing a superior opponent, OC had some glaring shortcomings vs. Union City that must be upgraded. There were a handful of bright spots to build upon, though, most notably promising running back Bryce Warner and the returning defensive duo of Nathan Spaulding and Trent Mann. One can throw out the first-game assessment of Ripley, which hung 61 on a notoriously-bad Memphis Northside team that has won just one of its last 20 games. While the Tigers will almost certainly be athletic as usual, new head coach Carey Craig will likely need a little while longer to rid the program of the circus-like variables that were part of Ripley’s football equation the last couple of years. Far more critical in OC’s’ big picture than the UC game, the Rebs would get a feel-better shot in the arm with a bounce-back win here. Given the promise surrounding the program from those inside throughout the offseason and in the preseason, a good dose of that medicine shouldn’t be a surprise. — OBION CENTRAL.
WEST CARROLL @ SOUTH FULTON — The War Eagles will provide the Hitman’s homeboys with a good measuring stick of where they stack up against some of the better rural 1A teams in West Tennessee. WC gave a pretty-fair South Gibson squad all it could handle in Week 0, actually leading into the fourth quarter before a three-TD Hornet barrage netted the expected result going in. Also as anticipated, the South Fulton tandem of J.P. Fowler and JaQuay Garmon showcased their multiple talents in last week’s opening triumph against Bruceton. Significant and widespread contributions from other Devils will be needed this week, though, especially in the trenches where SF is thin and somewhat unproven. But if the Big Red can at least hold its own up front on both sides, it’ll put a mark in both the “quantity” and “quality” section of the win column heading into an early district showdown with two-time champion Humboldt next week. A couple of checks for — SOUTH FULTON.
In other games, it’ll be — Huntingdon over Trenton, Milan over Humboldt, Gleason over Greenfield, Halls over Tipton-Rosemark, Lake Co. over Fulton Co., Camden over Bruceton, Dresden over Gibson Co., Westview over McKenzie, South Gibson over JCS, Covington over Munford, Crockett Co. over Jackson South Side, Liberty over Dyer Co., Jackson North Side over JCM, Chester Co. over Hardin Co., Adamsville over Bolivar, USJ over TCA, Lexington over Riverside and Ballard Memorial over Fulton City.
Published in The Messenger 8.23.12 |
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