4th & Long: Rangers turn golden, beat Pieper to claim championship
The anticipation of Super Bowl Saturday out at Jumbo Evans Sports Complex had the Greater Bulverde area buzzing with excitement throughout the week as three Smithson Valley (SV) Rangers teams set out to end their seasons perfect (Freshmen Blue, JV A, and Varsity 5th A). They did just that. All three teams winning their division championship and finishing a combined 29-0 on the season. The Freshmen Blue team started the day off with a 39-18 win over the Pieper Warriors to claim the first title of the day for the SV organization and sent the fans into a frenzy on social media in the immediate aftermath. Let’s take a look at what some of them had to say.
Let’s take a look at what went down on Saturday. The Rangers received the ball to start the game but stalled in Pieper territory turning the ball over on downs. On the ensuing possession, the Warriors took their second play from scrimmage around the edge for a rushing touchdown to take a 6-0 lead. The Rangers quickly responded with a touchdown run of their own from Christian “Johnny Red Gloves” Jordan. Jordan busted through the defensive front into the secondary where multiple defenders had a chance to make the tackle, but he would not be denied as he dragged two defenders en route to the endzone, making the score 7-6 in favor of the Rangers. The Warriors were forced to punt on their next possession which led to another touchdown run by the Rangers to push the score to 13-6 in the second quarter. That’s when the chaos started. Looking like the Warriors would run out of time before the half, clock ticking down second-by-second, Pieper snapped the ball right as the clock hit zero, right before the offense even got set. There was confusion by everyone on the field. The offensive line didn’t block, the defense didn’t tackle, the referees couldn’t remember where they parked, and the quarterback wound up in the endzone. The result was a touchdown and the fans helping the referees locate their vehicles. The Rangers took a slim 13-12 lead into halftime.
Then came the second half. Much like the rest of the season, the Rangers put their intense conditioning to work and took command of the game. The first play of the second half was a fumble by the Warriors that was recovered by the Rangers. The Rangers turned that into points and never looked back. Scoring on nearly every possession, the Rangers offense ran wild behind their determined offensive line. Jordan ended up with 4 rushing touchdowns on 364 yards rushing. Boston “Moolay” French added two rushing touchdowns of his own from behind center.
One of the bright spots on the day was the play of John “Barnito Supreme” Barna on the offensive line. Barna played a role on the offensive line and had an affect on the run game. “This was it, right? I get to keep my ring and I don’t have to run anymore sprints, right?” said Barna grabbing a hold of my arm. “What kind of material is this shirt?” he asked but continued without an answer “I’m allergic to chocolate, so I can’t eat those rice crispy treats they give us at halftime. I like turkey though. Excited for Thanksgiving.” he added before catching Tripp “I Only Sprint For Glory” Shepperd walking by. “Tripp! I don’t think we have to run anymore sprints!”
“I had so many touchdowns today. I lost count.” said Christian Jordan with a big smile on his face. “It feels good to a champion, to be 10-0. I’m glad Coach clarified what the best thing about being 10-0 is. I started to yell ‘the chance to be 11-0’ but that didn’t make since because we aren’t playing anymore games.” he continued before a look of confusion quickly took over. “Wait, we don’t have to play anymore games, right? I mean, we’re national champions. Do we play in the world championship or something?” he asked before being told this was it. “Good. I’d hate to play Chinese-Taipei. They’re really good in the Little League World Series. I can only imagine how good they would be at tackle football.”
Taking home the JYD (Junkyard Dog) belt was Dylan “Babbelbekkie” Butz. Butz, missing the last several weeks with a broken arm, was unable to participate in the championship. “It was an honor to be able to stand on the sideline with my brothers. Sad I couldn’t be out there on the field today, but I had all the faith in world in my teammates.” Butz said with a look of pride. “I haven’t been able to practice since breaking my arm, but I did get some good footwork in. That’ll help with soccer….and next year as the kicker.” he continued. “I’m just glad you get a whole trophy, err ring, even though I only played half a season. That’s like when I only play half a game but get a whole snow cone. I love that pink lemonade flavor they have over at the Kona truck. You would think the inside of that truck would be freezing, wouldn’t you?” he said as his curiosity seemed to take over. “I don’t think I’ve seen them wear any kind of long-sleeved shirt though. Weird.”
At the onset of the season, Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Defensive Coordinator Scott Shepperd challenged this young Rangers team to be perfect, to become winners. Not knowing what it takes to be perfect and become a winner, the players blindly agreed because Coach Shep seemed trustworthy. There were many times along the way when the players questioned their life choices, but they accepted the challenge. The result? They finished as winners. They finished 10-0. They finished as champions of the HCYFL Freshmen Division Champions.