crusaders. the undefeated season.

maybe you've noticed i haven't written much about josh's football team this fall.
or maybe not. :)

to be completely honest, his team has been doing so well that i was afraid i would jinx them.
this saturday was his last game.
the last game--and if they won, they would have an undefeated season!


coach jupin was excited. he worked on his offensive lineup most of the morning.
i love this picture of my boys.


it rained the night before and the morning of.
the fields were a big soppy mud pit mess!
but the boys didn't care at all. and ben loved squishing up and down the sidelines.

the next few pictures are of josh scoring one of his touchdowns. (he had 2)
see if you can follow him...




josh isn't in the next picture, but check out the muddy rear ends and big soaking puddles!
the field (and our boys) was a MESS!


our team dominated the first half.
but later in the second half, the other team started to come alive.
they were marching down the field as the clock was winding down.
their best player was getting first down after first down.
josh tracked him down, forced him outside, and made a diving slide tackle to get his flag.



i don't care how blurry the picture is. i caught it.
and it was so cool.
my heart was in my throat the whole time. i was swimming in pride.

when the clock ran out and refs blew the final whistle to end our season, it was almost too much for me to handle.
we won--20 to 6.

the teams stayed out on the field and together prayed.
i always get goosebumps when they do this.


coach shrontz kept our boys together and congratulated them.
he barely cracked a smile all season.
today, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face if he tried.

he told them about the movie remember the titans.
"none of us are perfect. but, together, as a team, we are perfect."


then it was time for celebrating.
the parents cheered like wild things and the kids ran around like wild things.


most of these boys have played ball together for three years now.
last year, they lost so many games by just a few points.
it was heartbreaking. and a good lesson for each of them.
this year, together, they are PERFECT.

the undefeated season.
how cool is that?!