Football season is over

Well, football season is over. Chelsea's 2007 campaign ended last Friday night losing 24-16 against upstart East Lansing (9-3). The Bulldogs, unbeaten at 11-0 and ranked No. 1 entering the Division 3 state regional final (the state quarterfinals to all the old-school gridders out there), battled high winds and rainy conditions in the first half, falling behind 17-0 at the break. The last time Chelsea was behind 17-0 at halftime was...well...I couldn't tell you the last time, now that I think about it. Since I've been covering Chelsea (2000), the only instance I can recall a Bulldog team trailing by 17 points or more at halftime was their state playoff games against Farmington Hills Harrison in 2000 and 2001. Those Hawk teams, led by Drew Stanton, Agim Shabaj, Marcus Woods and Terrill Mayberry, all players who would go on to compete at Division I colleges, won state titles and ended up nationally ranked at the end of the season. If I'm remembering correctly, the 2001 Harrison team finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation by USA Today.

Anyhow, enough about Harrison, my point is that last Friday's 17-0 halftime deficit was something most Chelsea football fans (at least during the Brad Bush era) aren't accustomed to witnessing, especially at Jerry Niehaus Field. Of course, as one would expect, the Bulldogs, showing the heart of a champion, fought back in the second half and, with a minute left on the clock, had the ball at their own 40-yard line, trailing by eight points with a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime. Alas, the drive fell short, but it certainly didn't diminish the fact Chelsea had another stellar season on the gridiron. Losing for the second straight season in the regional final hurts, but I bet there are a couple hundred or so teams out there that would trade places in a heartbeat with the Bulldogs, simply for the chance to play in such a big game.

It was a great year. Is it August yet?