Saturday morning thoughts 8/21/10

It's been a loooooong time since I've taken the time to post some thoughts but this muggy Saturday morning is as good a time as any to get back at it. This brief scrimmage edition of my Saturday morning thoughts looks at last nights Jamboree at Don Paul Stadium.
As I pulled into the parking lot at the Don it was heartening to see so many people already in their seats. Fans from four schools, Ross, SJCC, Lake, and Toledo Waite, were all there to watch their favorite squad in preseason action. I bought my $5.00 worth of 50/50 tickets not caring if I won at all. I knew the money was going to a good cause, the recovery of Lake High School from the devastating tornado damage suffered in June. I dropped some cash at the booster store buying a new Ross flag to fly from my home up here in Michigan, as well as some new shirts. I also bought one of the jamboree shirts to benefit the Lake recovery effort. Sales looked brisk and that was a good thing to see as well. When the 50/50 was drawn, the Fremonter who won showed his Little Giant class by donating his winnings to the Lake Schools.

Moving onto the Ross-Waite scrimmage the word dominant comes to mind. The Little Giants allowed the Indians to cross the 50 just two times. In two quarters Ross rolled up 35 easy points. The offense Coach Derek Kidwell has chosen to run this season was put on display and was very effective against a weak Indian defensive effort. Greg Brown put the first points on the board with a 55 yard run for a TD in the first quarter. Brown was then on the receiving end of a 65 yard pass from T.J. Wolf for the second Little Giant score. Trent Stout and Tyler Trautwein both had good nights with strong runs. Trautwein, as well as Jared Ballenger scored TD's. I must admit I do not have the young mans name but our kicker this year is an exchange student from Brazil and he did a good job last night. His kickoffs were crisp and he made all but one PAT.

Back to Greg Brown for a moment. Most of last season and into the postseason, the young man was the subject of a lot of criticism for his attitude both on and off the field. Fans from Fremont as well as other communities(including myself) were hard on the young man for what was seen as selfish behavior. Well last night the future Wolverine provided some proof that he has grown up and moved beyond that kind of attitude. The Greg Brown I witnessed last evening was a TEAM leader. I saw him working hard, slapping his teammates helmets, encouraging them. He seemed to be getting up when plays were complete, going back to the huddle, without the actions that created so much controversy last season. It's early in the season to be sure, but what I saw last night was the kind of Senior leadership out of an incredibly talented young man that will be needed for a successful 2010 season. Let's hope it continues.

All in all a successful night at the Don all the way around. Good luck to the Indians, our friends at SJCC, and best of luck on a great season and continued recovery to the good folks up in Lake Township. I'll see my fellow Little Giant fans at Spartan Stadium next Friday night!