Interest #2 – Football
I played football for twelve straight years. From the time I was five years old running around and trying to rip one of the flags from another kid’s belt to when I was seventeen and playing in front of thousands on a cold blistery Friday night. Football was my life for so long and I completely devoted myself to it by training year around for it. Even though I don’t play anymore I still love to watch my old high school team. Easton was not your typical school. We have tradition. We have pride. We have the Thanksgiving Day Game.Easton vs. Phillipsburg
Every Thanksgiving morning, whether it is raining, sunny, snowing, or any combination of those, there is a game that takes place on Fisher Field at the Lafayette College campus. It is the Battle at the Hill, the Turkey Day Game, or simply the Easton-P’Burg Rivalry. For 106 years these two teams have met, usually in front of sold out crowds of 15,000 to partake in this annual tradition. I was fortunate to play in the 104th game and though we lost in heartbreaking fashion in overtime, I will never forget the experience, and the lead up, to one of the greatest events I will ever be a part of.
The Preparation
The week leading up the big game is pretty wild with a ton of events involving the whole school. On the Monday of game week, Easton and P’Burg battle each other in powderpuff football games to kick off the week. The next day, on Tuesday, all of the seniors spend the day preparing the bonfire. They do this by creating a huge pile of wood that ends up being dozens of feet high. That night, all of the seniors who spent the day building it up, sleep out around the bonfire to ensure that no one from P’Burg prematurely lights it. On Wednesday, the student body gathers in the gym to have a pep rally for the football team. It involves a lot of dancing, cheering, and speeches. That night is when the bonfire is finally lit. Thousands gather around to watch it and it is a great time for many people to catch up with those they haven’t seen in a while. And, finally, it is then game day on Thursday.
A typical night before Thanksgiving in Easton
The Game
I will talk about my direct experience with the game during my senior year. It was actually the first game I started in my varsity career because the kid in front of me blew out his knee in the District Semifinal game the week prior. Needless to say I was extremely nervous and anxious during the ride over to the stadium that morning. We had our locker room in the basketball court area and all I remember is sitting there and my legs just shaking the whole time. Fast forward to when we ran out for the actual game. It was raining and snowing and an absolute miserable day to play football, but when I walked around the corner and the stadium opened up before me with 15,000 fans both cheering and booing for our team, I knew why I stuck with playing for all those years when I didn’t get a lot of playing time. The game itself is a blur considering how high emotions were running that day, but what I do vividly remember, and I will never forget it, is after P’Burg kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime I saw my friend at mid field on his knees, crying. At that point I finally realized it isn’t just a game. It is a memory that will stick with all of us forever. I still can’t shake the feeling that I let down my fellow teammates, my classmates, and the community. Fortunately for us, we had our District Finals game that Saturday and we won, which was an amazing feeling after such an agonizing defeat. That following Thursday, at practice for our State Quarterfinal game, I dislocated my knee cap and it was the last time I ever stepped out on a football field with pads on. I played for twelve years and that was the only catastrophic injury I ever suffered. It was a horrible way to end my days of football. Our team lost that game in the quarterfinals and just like that football was completely erased from my life.
Triumph After Defeat: Winning the District Finals game just two days after losing on Thanksgiving.
Football allowed me to become the person I am today. I am disciplined, hard working, and goal oriented. More importantly though, football gave me some of the best memories of my life. Whether it was out on the field, in the locker room, or in the weight room, I was always surrounded by great friends that have impacted my life. It is hard to explain to people why Easton is the greatest place in the world, but there comes a point when explaining it is no longer good enough and the best solution is first hand experience. Easton football and the whole community will always have a special place in my heart.