Sun, Fun and Junior High Football

September games in torrential rain, October games in freezing cold and snow. How strange was it that the Jr Hi Lynx boys ended their 2019 season on a gorgeous, crisp, sunny fall day last Saturday in a thrilling match against the St. Regis Tigers?

If you missed the kick off, you probably also missed seeing St. Regis score seven points in the first minute. The score was 0 - 34 at the half and the mercy rule was about to let the clock run.

But wait. At the start of the third quarter, the Lynx began making deep forays into enemy territory and the crowd suddenly got louder. Then the scoreboard started putting up points on the "home" side, 7,14, 20, 22.

Wow, it was turning out to be a real gridiron contest after all.

Led by quarterback Roegun Dietz, the team began to eat up the turf as they plowed down the field toward their goal line. Eighth grade running backs Logan Joyce and Wesson Dempster had mostly short carries, but with blocking from center Andrew Brown and tackle Noah Barnett they slowly marched from first down to first down. The Blue Collar way.

Center duties were shared by big men Trever Tolan and Tahvo Lattin, who could flatten the average Tiger just by falling on him. (Brown was the main center, snapping the ball.)

In the second half, the Lynx field position was regularly helped along by penalty after penalty against the St. Regis players.

Dietz completed several passes to Joyce and Dempster but most of the Lincoln yards were gained the hard way: they earned them in the mud.

Time ran out for the Lincoln Lynx to catch up to the Tigers on the scoreboard but there were lots of smiles on the last play of the game when Lynx Noah Barnett sacked the St. Regis quarterback right at the buzzer. The 22 - 46 final showed that the junior high squad is learning their assignments and looking forward to next year.