4th & Long: Battle for Smithson Valley JV Supremacy
The Ranger Reporter headed to Jumbo Evans Sports Park Friday night to camp out and claim a premium spot for the anticipated game of the week on Saturday morning. Turning up early turned out to be unnecessary. The chatter had been building from the moment the Hill Country Youth Football League released the schedule in late August. As each revised schedule was released, of which there were many, you couldn’t help but check to see if the clash between Smithson Valley JV A Blue versus Smithson Valley JV A White remained. The excitement for the matchup created quite the buzz on social media. The tags from local tweets have been flooding X, formerly known as Twitter, ever since.
This was a game that was both dreaded and relished within the Smithson Valley Youth Football Association. Coaches, players, and fans seen peeking over at each other’s practices to gain any competitive advantage, which wasn’t difficult considering they practice close enough to hear the displeasure of Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Defensive Coordinator Scott Shepperd announcing 6-inches after a hefty dose of conditioning.
The day started with both teams showing unity by running out of the giant inflatable SV helmet tunnel simultaneously. One team holding the American flag while the other an SV flag. A symbol of America’s sport racing across the field as the stars and stripes wave in the air on a very pleasant Saturday morning. The intensity of the matchup only ratcheted up from there.
Coaches from both sidelines providing their players with energetic words of encouragement. Assistant Coach/Encouragement Coordinator Ed Bailey, unfulfilled by his play chart duties, provided the strongest words of encouragement. It was almost a game within the game between the two coaching staffs to encourage the most.
The teams would exchange defensive stands on the first couple of possessions. This despite the referees being unaware of the subtle nuances of a forward pass. The scoring started when the blue squad finally broke through on a long run off the right side to put them up 7-0. JV Blue would never look back from there. Offensively, they added two more scores while defensively not allowing the white squad to get any kind of offensive momentum. Ultimately, the Blue squad walked away with a 21-0 victory over their SV counterparts. SV JV A Blue improved to 3-2 on the season while SV JV A White fell to 2-3.
We were able to catch up with some of the players on JV White after the game. “Not the result we wanted. Pretty disappointing.” said Kyle “I’m Not Related to Tina” Fey. “It was the biggest disappointment I’ve felt since getting a Hatchimal for Christmas two years ago. The thing never hatched!” he said as he seemed to relive the moment. “My dad had to use a hammer to open it! THAT was a disappointment. We wrote a letter to the toy makers and everything. Mom, have we heard anything back from the Hatchimal people?!?” he said as he walked away to solve the botched toy issue.
“It’s not a good day. I hate to lose. I hate losing more than I like to win.” said Tripp “Freight Train” Shepperd. “They say you either win or you learn. Well, I’m tired of learning. I do enough of that at school.” he continued. “The only positive thing about today will be Texas beating Florida this afternoon. It will take a little of the sting out of the loss today. It should be an easy win for the Longhorns.”
Taking home the coveted JYD belt for the game was Liam “Hendo” Henderson. “This symbolizes that hard work pays off and dreams come true. Bad times don't last, but junkyard dogs do.” said Henderson reaching for his best WWE reference before admiring the characteristics of the belt. “This belt really is heavy. Just so we’re clear, this isn’t an actual belt, right?” he continued looking around for confirmation. “Because my pants are still falling down.”
It was a battle for bragging rights. JV Blue came out on top. Both teams get another chance to improve next week at home. SV JV A Blue welcomes the Boerne Greyhounds at 9:00 AM while SV JV A White plays the Kerrville Antlers at 1:30 PM.