I have a confession to make. For the most part, I really like sad movies. I am not taking an Earth-shattering stand here. Just about every movie has some element of sadness. Every plot needs conflict. Even Adam Sandler had to overcome losing a mentor…
And facing the disapproval of a parent…
Many extremely popular movies be considered sad movies, including two in my top-five all time favorite movie list…
Let me clarify to take more of a ‘controversial’ position. I even like those intense dramas with very little light at the end of the tunnel, the beginning of the tunnel, or anywhere in between. These movies can just wear you down. For example, any time I come across The Pianist on TV, I have to watch for a while. What he goes through to survive the Nazis really moves me.
Even lesser known dramatic, tragic movies catch my attention. Seeing characters courageously face extreme adversity inspires me, and also makes be better appreciate all of the blessings in my life. In fact, there are three movies that every person should be required to see at some point in their life:
This movie truly wipes me out. It’s portrayal of extreme Nazi evil against an entire race. We might want to forget evils like this, but we need to always remember tragedies like these in order to prevent them from happening again. This movie affects me deeply in so many ways. It reminds me that the difficulties in my life are not so difficult.
Saving Private Ryan: the opening battle scene should make every American better appreciate the courage and sacrifice that our troops have made to protect our great nations and its freedoms. Students sometimes coast through school, or life, because it is hard or boring. Watching this film should make every student want to do your best with the opportunities they have, educational or otherwise, due to all of the horrors that soldiers have faced.
The Passion of the Christ: for Christians, this visual portrayal of Jesus’s sacrifice for our salvation should inspire our faith and encourage us to carry out His teachings.
Losing a game is a drop in the bucket compared to these and other tragedies in life. But losing, like sad movies, is a dish that most prefer to skip. I, however, can find some satisfaction in a game where my team ends up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Now it’s definitely not something that I want on the menu for every meal. Watch the Browns for the last 15 years makes losing about as appealing as a can of Sardines.
Question: do people actually eat sardines, or is that just an urban legend?
And before you slap the ‘loser’ label on me, let me point out that, as a coach, one of the main points that emphasize to my players is to ‘hate losing’. I have told this to my senior football players, my kindergarten baseball players, and just about every age in between. No, I am that not psycho, ruthless, crazy coach that tells 6-year-olds to trip opposing base runners to get an advantage. I always explain to my players that ‘hating losing’ does not mean cheating, arguing with a ref, or throwing a temper tantrum. It means you are going to try as hard as you can every moment until the end. And that is a mentality they should have not only for games, but for every drill and repetition in practice, playing X-box and ping pong at home, and even shooting a crumbled up paper into a trash can. Push yourself to maximize your potential. That is how I measure success in athletics. Some, like Jordan, Kobe, and Lebron, become legends by combining world-class talent with a hunger and drive to be the best that they can be. On the hand, there are elite professional athletes that I would consider failures because they don’t stretch to reach their potential. And I have coached kids that have been the among the last guys on the bench for my teams that I admire and consider a great success since they pushed themselves to be the best that they can be.
I have been to numerous high school football games as a player, coach, and fan. Many of those have been blow-outs where my team cruised to victory. Highlight moments abound, stats get piled high, and smiles and laughs are in abundance. But those victories can sometimes feel like eating this…
or watching one of these sequels…
They don’t really fill you too much.
I have sat through many ‘cotton candy’ games in Crater Stadium over the years. Dover’s 5-wide receiver offense has sliced and diced through many an inferior opponent. There is nothing wrong with that. Coach Ifft, his staff, and his players have worked extremely hard to become the elite program that they are. They can only play who is on their schedule. But, just like watching the Buckeyes roll the likes of Kent State on a sunny Saturday afternoon, ‘cotton candy’ football leaves me hungering for a real meal.
That real meal is what I found in the Tornadoes 42-32 loss to Austintown Fitch Friday night. Yeah, losing stinks. And it does nothing to help your play-off chances. In fact, that is the glaring one flaw in the computer rankings. It rewards you more for beating the smallest team in the state than for losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius in double overtime. That is why I think that for losses, you should still get 20% of the computer points. It would encourage teams to take more chances on their schedule.
But Dover’s loss to the big-school Falcons was one of the most impressive games I have seen them play. When we face an obstacle that seems bigger than we can handle, we usually have two options in handling situation. One is to avoid it. We do that by backing down, quitting, complaining, blaming, or just riding out the moment until is over. That tends to be the popular choice, one that I admit to making too many times. But the road less traveled is to man up (or woman up), face the challenge, and give it your best shot. Reach for your potential. These are the moments when we often grow the most. When my team loses while playing close to their full potential against a superior opponent, I do find enjoyment and admiration for the exhausting mental and physical effort spent and giving it your best fight for a chance to win.
I felt that the Crimson and Gray (or is is Grey?) did that Friday night. Fitch had elite size and speed that truly over-matched their opposition. The previous year, Fitch used that talent advantage to overwhelm the Tornadoes, 41-7. And in this year’s match up, their quarterback and tailback displayed college Division I talents that Crater Stadium fans have rarely seen. The Youngstown squad put on some jaw-dropping plays on offense and some cringe-worthy hits on defense that gave the Tornadoes every reason to just weather that night’s storm and live to fight another Friday.
But the boys from Dover have been coached and trained to realize what it means play with D-O-V-E-R on the front of their jersey, and they manned up to go toe-to-toe with the ferocious, phenomenal Falcons (how about that use of alliteration!!!) Throughout the first 3 quarters, they answered every Fitch blow with one of their own. And even as the superior Austintown talent took over, the Tornadoes continued to fight, giving themselves a chance to win in the final minutes.
Senior quarterback Merrick Mamarella really put on a show against an elite Falcon defense.
Merrick has been in and out of the line-up as starting quarterback the last two seasons. That situation can make it very difficult for a quarterback to develop consistency and confidence. Having two older brothers who were stand-out Tornado QBs likely has added a little more pressure onto the little brother’s shoulders. (being the oldest of 3 lefty QB brothers myself, the Mamarellas have always held a special place in my heart. Brotherhood in sports will be a fun blog for another day).
But Merrick’s performance ranked right up there with all of the elite QBs of the Coach Ifft era. His precision on crossing routes was a thing of beauty, in spite of the intense pressure and tight coverage of the Fitch Defense. It’s easy for a good quarterback to look great when there is no pass rush and receivers running wide open down field. But it is very hard for even the greatest quarterback to look good when he has guys in his face and only slivers of openings where to place the ball. Just ask play-off game Peyton Manning. But Mamerella made the crucial throw right on target time and time again throughout the night.
I am sure Merrick would be the first to tell you that his success is all because of his teammates around him. And he would be right. The offensive line of Myers, Sudduth, Miceli, Hammons, Heidi, and Yackey did a great job of protecting him throughout the game. As he does every game, Cory Contini displayed why he is an all-state wide receiver. Two-way player Evan Snyder showed true grit throughout the game, even carrying a pile of Falcon defenders another 10 yards down field after a catch to bring the Tornado fans to their feet. Tight end Austin Laughlin made some catches in traffic that reminded me either of All-Pro Saint TE Jimmy Graham, or the All-Federal League TE for the legendary 1988 undefeated Lake Blue Streaks (you will have to ask Austin about that).
There were many other big contributors on both sides of the ball. Two Dover defenders seemed to epitomize the efforts of the team that night. Alex Bowman took a vicious hit from a Fitch ball carrier, causing his helmet to fly off in the air. After sitting out a play by rule, Alex came sprinting onto the field, eager to jump right back into the battle. And seeing my old buddy, 5’7’’, 170-pound sophomore linebacker Drew Nolen, fly around the field and hang with a giants of state power football team shows that the biggest hearts are not just in the biggest bodies.
The Tornadoes did not play that game for a moral victory. A loss is a loss. But hopefully, this September L will be on that they will remember as a key building block for many November W’s.