Varsity Insider: One game remains
Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School and a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team. He helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.
As I walked off the football field Saturday night, there was a constant drizzle and an irritating glow of the scoreboard. It read Milford 267, Portsmouth 20 with zeros on the clock. The Clippers entered the game with a 3-5 record, having lost three straight, while Milford was 6-2 and had already clinched a playoff spot. Despite being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Portsmouth came out harder than it had all season. In a fight for pride, the Clippers played like Japanese warriors defending their emperor.
As a team on a three-game losing streak, there is always the need for a spark to turn the tides of fate. Our spark came on the very first play from scrimmage on a 67-yard touchdown pass from a sophomore quarterback to a sophomore receiver. An interception on Milford's ensuing drive led to another Portsmouth touchdown and a 14-0 lead. But with a junior captain quarterback at the helm, Milford chewed up the remainder of the first quarter with two long drives to tie the score, 14-14.
Milford then took the second-half kickoff and marched down the field on a nine-minute drive. Quarterback Jeff Agnew scored from the 1-yard line to make the score 20-14. Finally Portsmouth caught another break, intercepting a pass at our own 40 with four minutes to play. In a season-defining drive, the Clippers converted on crucial several third- and fourth-down plays, the equalizer coming with 34 seconds to play. In overtime, Milford scored in three plays, when it recovered a fumble in the end zone. After a sack, Portsmouth faced a fourth-and- 15 situation. In hopes for some Boise State magic, we threw a hook-and-ladder that was stopped at the 7-yard line. Game Over. Season Over. Career Over.
To be honest, that last sentence was a bit over dramatic. Our season isn't over and neither is my career.
Thankfully, the age-old Seacoast Rivalry returns on Thanksgiving Day, as Portsmouth faces the Division II Dover Green Wave. After a thrilling victory in last year's Turkey Bowl, Portsmouth will have the bull's-eye on its back, and a revenge factor should motivate the Green Wave. Personally, I am just excited over the fact that our season lasts almost a month longer than it would otherwise. I feel like a Division I football player, with the regular season over, but a month to prepare for our Bowl Game. That is how the team is approaching this matchup, since we have three more weeks of just PRACTICE. The coaches from Portsmouth and Dover realize that this is like the gift of spring football -- a chance to get back to the basics and an opportunity for the younger players to get more reps and improve their skills. For the seniors, it could make or break our year, for there is no better feeling than sitting down to a turkey dinner after a hard-earned victory.
And yes, even with the Turkey Bowl to look forward to, I am constantly brought back to reality. This loss was not as tough to swallow as some in the past, but it was still heartbreaking. I am NEVER satisfied with losing, but I was incredibly proud of our effort as a team. We outhit Milford from the beginning and never let up. The chance to win the game was there, but the bounces didn't go our way. Had we played with that intensity and effort all year long, our record might be in the positive. Instead, we finished 3-6, but with our pride certainly at our sides.
But there was still that irritating glow of the scoreboard: 27-20 ...so close, but so far. On the bus ride home, I really did not know how to react. I was miserably disappointed, but so very proud at the same time. The only consolation I could find as I walked away was in the lights. Those enormous bright white lights that had, for so many years, watched player after player, game after game, pass by. I knew those enemies of darkness had just witnessed a great one. I'll never for get those lights.
