Winning Field Goal - 7.3 Seconds
>> #3 Quince Orchard 23 to 21 over #15 Churchill – November 18, 2011
Sometimes the football gods are not fair. So would think those from Potomac, MD who support the Winston Churchill football program.
Churchill has a very good, Metro Area ranked high school 2011 football team. The program is rebuilding and though they may lose core seniors – it is only up for them. They played exceptionally error free football against the #3 Metro DC Area Quince Orchard Cougars and fell short by 2 points when QO’s Chris McPherson kicked a 24 yard field goal with 7.3 seconds remaining. At that point QO moved onto the State semi-finals. For the Churchill’s seniors, they suddenly left the season all on the field at that slice of life moment.
This year Churchill rediscovered football school spirit – in a student body that considers themselves first and foremost the “real-life 90210” model school. For those reading this blog – lookup the genesis of that teen throb TV program – and you will figure out what I mean.
After an early Saturday morning run on the C&O Canal from Old Anglers the day after the game I stopped by the Potomac Starbucks for a quick breakfast. In line was a Churchill student in a Lacrosse jacket. I chatted her up about the prior evening’s game – she felt sadden at the loss and yet proud of the team’s effort and the tremendous out pouring of support at the game.
In the one defining moment during this brief conversation she said sadly – “that we lead the entire game and lost it in the last 7 seconds”. I told her that I had photographed the game (over 1200 jpegs) from the sidelines. So rather than challenge her game-time memory, where it was a tied at half time and had three 2nd half lead changes – I kept quiet.
The football gods are fair. The spirit pixie dust they sprinkled on Churchill all season lasts beyond that final 7.3-second slice of life moment.
A Slice of Life Moment
