What a game. Down by 10 early in the second quarter, but clawing back to within three at the half. Down by 10 again halfway through the third quarter but within three just 20 seconds later. Down by another ten early in the fourth quarter before storming back to win by four.
This, fellow Bobcats, was only part of the story that unfolded on Saturday at the historic Garcelon Field.
No, Garcelon Field is not where
Garcelon Field is our home football stadium and since it was built in 1899, it has seen great players and fans come and go. After our football team sent Bowdoin back to
Wait, what’s that? We won? Yes, we won and that joke is old. Sure, the program’s history is not dazzling. There is no disputing that. We all know that a two-win season is a good season. No one expects to run the table and go an unprecedented 8-0 because that has never happened here (although the 1946 team went 7-0).
But I am not here to talk about wins and losses. The football team showed something on Saturday that I have not seen in many home football games. They showed resilience, fight and effort. They overcame turnovers, missed routes and dropped passes. They showed pride and that pride was, above all, more important than the outcome of the game.
They could have let up at any difficult moment on Saturday, but it was not an option. With 15 seniors playing the final home game of their Bates careers, losing was not a thought in their minds. They could have played Texas, Florida or even the New England Patriots, and I can all but guarantee you that the team would have put forth the same effort (though we know the result would undoubtedly be different).
With an estimated 1,800 people watching the final home game of the season, the Bobcats were out to show everyone that we are not the joke of the NESCAC. These guys were not playing for a spot in any sort of playoff, championship or post-season award ceremony.
But they won, and as the excitement of the game became almost unbearable in the fourth quarter, I saw 1,800 people act like this was the Super Bowl. It was not, but for the first time in my four years at Bates, I can honestly say that I was amazed by the atmosphere at Garcelon Field.
When Bowdoin had their golden opportunity to take the lead 30-28 with 4:06 remaining (all they needed was one measly yard), people in the stands started the universal sports chant of “
Whether or not the chants or noise making were heard on the field is neither here nor there. What matters is that for once, we as a student body showed some serious support for a team not named men’s basketball (you know you guys hoard the fan support, Chris Wilson ’10).
For a while this fall, it felt like we came to accept mediocrity as a collection of fans. While our fall sports collectively had an extremely disappointing season, I cannot say that we did much on our part to help them out.
I am not a model citizen by any means, and if you need clarification on that you can call my mother at 207-846-6…yeah right.
But I will admit that I tried to support our athletic teams as best I could. My friends and I often discussed our school’s frustrating fall sports records. We did not do so because we enjoyed trash-talking our teams when they lost, but rather because we wanted to see some change. We noted the lack of wins, but also the lack of fan support.
While the former is what we all care about, the latter is directly related. Our support can and will help our teams win games in the future. Still aren’t convinced? Just ask football Tri-Captain Tom Beaton ’10.
“It was awesome to see all of the support that the parents and fans gave,” said Beaton. “To be honest that support truly does make a difference to the players on the field.”
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