Friday Night Lights

Football season is a favorite time around the Newton household - particularly the high school games. No big endorsements or contracts, just natural talent that is still learning, making for some interesting and occasionally entertaining plays.

Thousand Oaks High School is having a great season (6-1) and they have some players who seem likely scholarship bound for college. Friday was the last home game of the season and it was against cross-town rival Westlake High School...it was a game that could not be missed!

The attendance had to be something of a record. The bleachers on both sides of the field were packed and there were enough people milling about on the perimeter to make me wonder if we were in violation of some fire codes! Westlake Village got on the board early, playing very strong and making the Thousand Oaks fans a little nervous about how this game was going to turn out.

Holly was once again up in the booth, filming the game and calling the shots with the other students on site to help capture the footage. David and I sat about 6 rows below her and I only turned around 7 or 8 times to catch her eye and wave. I am sure that the people in the row behind us thought that I was a little bit obsessed!

The 2nd half of the game was all about T.O. and they ended up winning the game 28-16, putting them in the playoffs. As the alma mater played and the people who knew the words sang (do not count me in that group - I have been going to these games for 4 years and for the life of me I can't figure out WHAT the heck any of the words are!), I felt a little sad, maybe even a little teary eyed that this is it - Holly's last at-home football game of her high school career.

As the crowd jammed the aisles to exit, David and I climbed up the bleachers to visit with the video producer, who was telling everyone how to pack up (a girl after my own heart, I have no idea where she gets the gene to boss people around!), I asked Holly if she felt sad that this was the last home game. The non-nonsense reply was, "No. They are in the playoffs, it's not that big of a deal."

Apparently the sentimental gene skips a generation.