[Orange Blaze]

I was on a 4th seed team one year in the 4 Class system an we had only won one district game in a 6 team district that year. This was when you had to actually win to go to the playoffs. We lost our last game of the season which was also a district game and everyone was ready to pack it up and call it a season. Just as the seniors were getting ready to give their final senior speeches the coach walks in and tells is that we made the playoffs because the district team we had beaten won against another district team beat us thus putting us in the playoffs. The coach told us that we would be playing against Newport Central Catholic who would eventually become the state runner up that year. I cannot explain the sense of dread that was in that locker room because no one wanted another game after the terrible season that we had and we all know that we were going to get crushed in the playoff game. This attitude was also shared by the seniors who got one more week to play.

For those of you who say it is for the players to get to enjoy playing one more game I can tell you from first hand experience that there is absolutely nothing enjoyable about having to play a game that you have no chance of winning especially when you were ready to call it a season in the first place.