December 2, 2011
I attended my first WCAC Football Championship on the Saturday before Thanksgiving weekend. I had been at all but one of our home games, including the comfortable regular season victory over the Gonzaga Eagles, our Championship opponent.
I think it is fair to say we figured to win the game. And we did. The boys, with guidance from Coach Bob Milloy and his staff, shut the door on Gonzaga early and closed out a spectacular undefeated season that included wins against two teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally and, at the time of writing, a national ranking of #5 in the ESPN Poll.
The way the Falcons put the game away early may have been anti-climactic for some. I, however, was a very grateful head of school well before kickoff. I marveled at the pre-game atmosphere. Clearly, I'm still the new guy as I had no idea to expect such a large and lively show of support for the team. Folks were wrapped up in their Falcon gear and it was inspiring to see "Good Counsel" spirit everywhere you turned in the parking lot of Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Our fans were just as wrapped up in anticipation of the chance for a three-peat.
Lately, the news has been filled with reports from the college level where the influence of sports has been so great that ethical priorities have been all out of order. On this day in Annapolis, we celebrated getting it right. Warm fellowship and a healthy sense of being bonded to a school that achieves excellence on far more than just the football field were on display. I was proud to be a part of it.
Let's do it again next year!