Standing in the Warriors’ shoes

On Friday night, I traveled to Columbus to watch Brookwood in the GIAA Basketball Championship.  As I drove there, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my senior year, when the Deerfield Windsor Knights went to play for the state championship at Mercer.  It was a Friday night in March 2013. I had just finished keeping the kids I took home from school when I headed to meet my friends and hop in the car for the drive to Macon.  They had waited for me to get done babysitting, but that meant we were way behind and were going to need to book it to get to Macon in time for tip-off, and still be able to eat at Five Guys.  We made it Cordele when we hit our first bump in the road.  Everyone who has ever traveled through Cordele knows it’s a speed trap. I don’t condone speeding, but you can guarantee the minute it turns to a 45 a cop is waiting in the median and you will be pulled over.  We were immediately pulled over.  We thought a speeding ticket would be bad enough, but no it only got worse when the cop asked for our friend’s license and he realized he had left it at the house. He claimed he had to rush out the door because of me and couldn’t double-check.  That’s when the cop made us all prove we had on seatbelts and someone else take over the driver’s seat.  After a hefty $400- plus fine, we were back on the road, where things were silent for a while, but then we realized we needed to shake it off, we had to bring good energy into Mercer. We could deal with the ticket later.  We finally made it to Macon and Five Guys. We got our snacks and were ready to cheer on the Knights to victory.  When we arrived, it was a sea of white.  Deerfield was known for its “Bleacher Creatures.”  Every home game had a theme, and the creatures met the theme head-on. Someone was even designated each year as the ringmaster. That person would lead the cheers and announce the themes. It was like a miniature version of the “Spike Squad” at UGA. Much more miniature.  For Deerfield’s last ride though, it was a whiteout.  Brookwood had the same idea, I photographed the student section decked out in white with homemade posters.  As a student, I remember being in that same position, cheering, and screaming for my team. I was a senior. This would be the last time we could cheer for our team, as students. Sure we could come back as alumni or maybe one day cheer on our kids, but this was our final showing.  As I watched the Brookwood student section, I knew they must be feeling those same feelings, and as the clock ran down, I knew they would soon be feeling the way we did in 2013.  I didn’t mention it in the first paragraph, but in 2013, DWS fell in the state championship to Loganville Christian, 65-74, ending our 19-game winning streak.  I watched my best friends who cheered on the court for the last time cry, I watched my guy friends hug each other and shed tears over a memory they so desperately wanted to make.  I saw those same tears on Friday and it was hard to shake that feeling. I wanted to hug these kids and tell them I knew those feelings. I knew what it was like to be so close, and yet so far away.  Most of these players don’t know me from Adam. But, I hope they will believe me when I say they should be so proud. This season was nothing short of amazing. They have nothing to hang their head about.  I know they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and they feel sad and disappointed they couldn’t give their school, fans, and teammates the championship they so desperately wanted. But, I promise the fans and friends are not mad. They are so thankful to have seen the team make it this far, to make memories on the car rides there, and to have memories of cheering on their friends in a venue teams that came before them wished they could play at.  Walker and Byrdie, I am sure you two took the loss the most difficult, but this loss doesn’t define you, and you two will excel in whatever your next journey may be, and we can’t wait to follow that. We’ve enjoyed covering you guys and wish you the best of luck at Ole Miss and ERAU.  Warriors forever.