The Day Of Love And Romance

I walked off the floor with sweat dripping from my hair. So many thoughts flew through my head that I couldn’t focus on anything. My junior year of basketball felt like it ended as quickly as a blink. It was as if in seconds we went from the stars of the state tournament to the embarrassments of it. I tried to forget the disappointment of it but it still will not leave. My desire and love to win games comes from the more apparent hatred of losing them. Junior year we had a chance to win a state championship, but we lost that chance. That was when I realized that I had one chance left to win. Senior year our basketball success would only be as rewarding as we would make it. The pressure placed on ourselves was substantial, and we faced trials on the road to success. In the end, we stood alone, crowned as the champions, not letting our chance slip away.

About three weeks ago, the Packer Varsity baseball team beat Berkeley Carroll school for the first time in twelve years and in glorious fashion. Tears streamed down my face as our winning run crossed the plate in extra innings, dust flying up as my teammates and I mobbed each other at the plate. Yet a few short days later, our team was blindsided by the news that St. Ann’s had pulled off back to back upsets to squeak their way into the playoffs ahead of us - just as our season seemed to be looking up, it was over.

With the Christmas tournament aside, we entered the post-season without a loss. We had a plan for each playoff game from districts to regional. We never deviated from the plan, keeping our eye on the target –

March is one of the craziest, fun-filled, exciting months of the year, especially for people who love basketball. St. Patrick’s Day arrives, the warmth is just starting to come back; but that is not the best part, it’s all the March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Tournament brings happiness, laughter and upsets to some people and teams. Every Division 1 Basketball team in the country plays to eventually make it to the Sweet Sixteen on the bracket, in hopes of being the new NCAA Basketball Champions. Some teams struggle, while others come out on top. “The Game That Saved March Madness” written by Sean Gregory, Time staff writer who has been

The day College of Faith football team played, Missouri S&T was in the fall of 2015, it was cold. At the time me and my brothers on the football team came off a big lost to the Cougars of St. Francis. The St.Francis Cougars Are located in Fort Wayne, Texas. They are a very big school, the cougars were undefeated the whole year round. After the 65-0 lost to the cougars, we the College of Faith, had a game against Missouri S&T. I felt like a raging superstar on field, I had 8 tackles, 1 big blindside sack and 1 pass deflect, it was very cool and also sunny. Unfortunately, we got demolish, the whole team quit.We lost 64-0 Football taught me to value my life more and be more ongoing to learn new things.

I watched the ball roll into the back of the net; it was 12-12 in overtime against Cardinal Gibbons. This was my last game with my brothers, best friends, and a family I will cherish for the rest of my life. I not only let my teammates down, I let my family down. We lost against Cardinal Gibbons in the 2015 3A State Championship game 13-12 in overtime. When they scored their final goal I immediately dropped to my knees and began to sob, I was not upset that I lost, I was upset that I let my family down and that was the last time I would ever step on the field with

The first almost massive upset occurred between “the one-seed Georgetown Hoyas and the sixteen-seed Princeton Tigers” (Gregory and Wolff, “The Game That Saved March Madness”). Coming into the game, “Georgetown was a national championship favorite, who featured one of the best players in the country in Alonzo Mourning. Small schools such as Princeton had been clobbered for years by teams like Georgetown, which resulted in many fans and NCAA officials wondering if these small schools belonged in the tournament in the first place” (Gregory and Wolff, “The Game That Saved March Madness”). Princeton’s players gave the effort of their lives, as they battled and fought with heavyweight Georgetown up until the last shot. Despite the fact that “Bob Scrabis’ game winning shot was blocked by Mourning”, Princeton had proven to the critics that it was possible for an unthinkable upset of this magnitude to materialize. Fast forward twenty-four years, and a new small conference underdog, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, became the talk of the entire country after “they became the lowest seeded team to win two NCAA Tournament games and make it all the way to the Sweet 16” (O’Halloran, “Cinderella Story Florida Gulf Coast Has Its Shining Stars”). No one could have predicted that this unknown school that “had never even made it to the NCAA

In 2016, more than ever, the team was committed to and had one goal of winning. One of our biggest rivals was St. John’s College High School (SJCHS). My doubles partner and I played the last match of the WCAC championships against SJCHS. During the season, SJCHS was one of the hardest competitors we faced but walking onto the court on the final day of championships, my partner and I knew we would fight and win. After 45 minutes, I hit an ace and we won the match that put us in the lead to win the championships. October 30, 2016 was the single most exciting and overwhelming day for the team all season. Everyone’s hard work paid off.

In life, you encounter many situations and people that aid in molding you into the person you are meant to be. When these instances in time occur, we may not realize it, but looking back they made a huge impact on our lives. For the past four years, I have been a member of the Navarro Runnin’ Lady Panthers Basketball Team, and while the sport itself taught me many lessons and skills I can use to be successful, there was one coach that managed to do the same.

It is the first round of the Basketball State playoffs, and with eight seconds left, the talented Northwest team is down by three. The star point guard speed dribbles up the court, the tension on and off the court is immense, the pressure is even greater. Everyone during and prior to this game, had witnessed a season full of promise, and the consensus conclusion for most recognized this team as the best team to have ever come out Northwest High School. This was our best and likely only chance for success. So as the point guard puts the ball up, time nearly stops, it has a chance, but in like in life, the game of basketball is unforgiving, he misses. As most made their pre-conceived predictions of the future, or lack thereof, a young sophomore and his Junior Varsity teammates, we were inspired by our elders walking off the court, and the doubters going home. Bonded together, and we believed we were destine for something historical, and mythological outside our small circle. Thus two years later the 2016 Northwest Varsity Basketball team, the discourse community, where I developed relationships with the people I still call my brothers. A community which has shaped my work ethic, and has given me the knowledge of the amount of effort and work it takes to be successful. All of which was in efforts for a goal not even pronounced among our teammates, to us the future was still a mystery, only realized to us a one

Both the Boys and Girls basketball teams have trained intensely to come with many big wins. For both teams, this season was not how they expected it to be due to unfortunate losses. However, they have managed to put through the season with great wins. According to most of our players, the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Knights are the biggest and toughest competitor because “Kennedy is always and probably always will be a tough rival simply because of the fact that most of the players are close friends of mine,” says Xavier Hilbert (Senior). “We've played together and against each other for a long time now so each time we play one another we want to show how much better each of us has gotten.” Overall, this season is something different than our past

It was 7:00 in the morning when we arrived at the Johnston City High School. Once everyone arrived at the high school, we got on the bus and headed off to Benton. As we stepped foot on the bus, we all sat there quietly, nervous about the results of this game. This was the game that determined whether or not we went on to state. Coach Simon and Coach Shane gave us one of their what we like to call "before the game warm-up talks". We were all nervous of course, but we were all determined to win this game. We had been looking forwards to winning regionals and going to state the whole season and that day was the day that we gave us the opportunity to go to state. After the thirty minute bus ride, we finally got to Benton and once we got there,

Overall, this story reminded me of how bad I wanted it. My time in Miami was a huge and inspirational turning point in my life. Meeting the players would pull at my emotions, I was happy, encouraged, and had a competitive attitude to the game like never before. Time flies from the summer of 2012 to now. I am so proud of how far I have come and can’t wait to see where the rest of my years take me at Neenah High. Playing the sport that I

Running into the gym with my team, knowing it was my last middle school basketball game, but first championship game I felt elated and truly blessed. My knees quivered with anticipation after seeing all the bleachers filled with people. After realizing even the press and other media was in attendance I grasped the moment like a newly elected president at his inauguration. I am warming up doing basketball drills, when I began to look at the flags on the gym wall depicting the history of the basketball team. The years and dates of the last championship game, Historically a championship game had not been won since 2007 . The more I stared at the flags, the more it made me want to win this game and make history in this gym. As the crowd and cheerleaders start to chant, cheer and get loud, I started to feel more comfortable and rowdy more than I had ever felt in any other game that I’ve played. Waiting for the referee to blow the whistle for jumpall to start. I felt my fingertips tapping the side of my leg, which for some reason gives me a sign to myself that I am pumped up and ready to play!

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1 :6