I arose at 5:30 this morning and as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes my right hand reached for the blinds. My fingers parted the blinds as I searched for a sliver of sunlight. Nothing. It’s still too early. I consulted the weather report which predicted “beautiful weather’ for the entire day.
I exited the housewith the last of the items to get packed into the car for the drive to “the Dome.”. As I looked East my eyes widened as I saw the sunrise. Beautiful is not a word which can adequately describe what I saw. I was happier yet when I recalled the drive to Syracuse is East and that beautiful sunrise would be with us throughout the drive. A good omen I am sure. I brushed tears away as I thought of our boys, already in Syracuse knowing today was going to be a good day. The happiness I felt for the boys was immeasurable.
I secretly thought of our coming drive and the happiness I would feel watching our son and his team play for surely what is the greatest glory in high school football; a state championship.
As we got on the road, coffee in hand and our caravan of family and friends in tow we made our way through the suburbs of Buffalo searching for the entrance to the NYS Thruway. As we entered the thruway and traveled East, I found myself daydreaming and looking back at the years successes for this team. I smiled widely and proudly.
As I was not bestowed the luxury of a sideline pass the photos I have chosen to share here are not action shots per se, but the action in the stands provided by the ever present and supportive North Tonawanda Fans. These are the shots that demonstrated the “fun and excitement” of the day.
I hope you enjoy reading this and viewing the photos as I enjoyed making them and reliving the wonderful events of Sunday afternoon. Please leave any comments at the end of this post.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
The team gathered at center field one last time before the opening kickoff.
Kujo, Shreve and Tuzzo met the opposing team captains at centerfield for the coin toss. North Tonawanda won the toss and elected to kickoff.
The Lumberjacks gathered on the sideline before the opening kickoff. The excitement was about to begin!
I think the sign says it all. The Lumberjacks came, dominated and were victorious!
The chant of “NT”, “NT” could be heard throughout the Carrier Dome. North Tonawanda fans traveled to the tune of approximately five thousand to watch “their” team vie for the chance to be identified as “Class AA State Champions.”
This shot is just, well…interesting.
A unique configuration of flags hung at center field.
Kujo runs back toward his team from a brief meeting with the opposing team’s captain before the opening of the second half.
The Jacks did just that!
It is “How we roll!”
The final score said it all…
The NYS Class AA Champions! Congratulations boys! You deserved it. All of the hard work on and off the field has paid off. For those players returning next year, rmember the feeling and the hard work and bring it back again. Lumberjack Pride!
The game was a clean one. Few penalties and clean play. Great sportsmanship! Greater game!
Congratulations again boys!
Nancy had to clean off the rear window of the car and repaint it for the ride home. I was reminded several times to not use the rear window wiper if it began to rain.
There it is. There is no clearer message. Thanks to all of my readers who have endured the love I have for the boys who play on this team, their hard work and their 100% effort. I am most proud of you Stephen. The award your received for sportsmanship means more to me as a parent than any award. It means I have taught you well. Congratulations!
Casey Shreve, Kujo and Kyle Shreve. The Tonawanda News named these three players, among others from NTHS to the WNY All-Star first Team. Congratulations boys! You deserve the honor.
Notice the coach from Lancaster. He’s holding his heart because he can’t believe Kujo just broke that tackle and now has a clear shot at the goal line. A 41-yard TD run.
Kujo just wasn’t going to let that cast stop him. The announcer from Time-Warner kept referring to the cast as “The Club.”
When Kujo plays fullback he just keeps running. It’s all that work in the weight room during the off-season. Coach Jantzi keeps telling these kids about the importance of keeping fit and staying in the weight room. The kids get it and it shows throughout the season.
Kujo met with a reporter after the game and accepted the award on behalf of the team. Go Jacks!
Norm Shreve is the father of Casey and Kyle Shreve. Today he was also known as the “Grill Master.” Nice job on the hamburgers and hot dogs Norm. The food we had was tremendous. I heard something about chowder and gumbo for next week. No wonder I enjoy football games so much or maybe it’s just the tailgating part. No, the football was excellent too.
The Lumberjacks have dominated every team they faced this year. This lead the team to an 11-0 record. The depth of this team at many positions is quite remarkable. Thankfully the team has not known many injuries during their campaign for the 2009 State Championship.
The team fought a difficult battle against a very worthy foe. North Tonawanda fought through many penalties and miscues to be victorious. This victory ensured the team would move on to the next level and continue to advance toward the coveted State Championship title. Winning this contest also gave the ‘Jacks title as the “Section V/VI Regional Champions.” There has not been a previous Lumberjacks team that has ever advanced to this level. Congratulations boys! You, your coaching staff have done a fantastic job. The unbelieveable NT fans will continue to make the trip down the I-90 to support you!
Kujo playing both sides of the ball very effectively.
Kujo was thankful his “O” line did such a fantastic job blocking and opening up running lanes. Seriously, this is a good team!
Kujo broke away from tacklers to secure some of his 174-rushing yards.
