Newcastle Football
The Newcastle Bobcats season came to a heartbreaking ending last night. With Saint Joe and Perrin Whit facing off against one another this past Friday, with different scenarios of the outcome determining who moves forward and who would finish the district in what place.
These scenarios were incredibly confusing, given that the Bobcats ONLY loss in district play came against Perrin Whit by only FOUR points on the road where the officiating crew was doing the Bobcats zero favors the entire evening. There were three different ways this could go….if Saint Joe wins by 15 or more, the Bobcats would be finishedwhich is what happened with Saint Joe beating Perrin by 20 when Perrin DELIBERATELY gave up, knowing they would make the playoffs in they lose by 15. This put Newcastle at a significant disadvantage because of scheduling, given that these teams played each other on the final day of the regular season with Newcastle finishing their schedule off the previous week against Saint Joe, a team they dismantled and was not even as close as the score indicated.
In this three- way tie with Sant Joe beating Perrin by 20 points, this meant that each team finished the district with one loss. Saint Joe was beaten by Newcastle by nine points, Perrin was beaten by twenty to Saint Joe, and Newcastle was only beaten by four points to Perrin. I speak for all Newcastle Bobcat fans when I say, in what world does this make sense? Especially when Perrin played Bryson at home, only winning by four points. The Bobcats destroyed their rival, the Bryson cowboys by 45 on the road at halftime. The team that should have been left out was Perrin, who got rewarded for holding on every single play in a game they won at home by four points. The way I see it, the Bobcats had to play against two teams in Perrin that night, first Perrin, while the other being the officials…who I think were much more difficult to beat than Perrin by itself.
At the end of the day nothing can change this decision, but this can be a VERY valuable life lesson for this team, especially the seniors. Sometimes in life, things are just not fair….especially when you give it everything you have for so long, but it is how you respond in life that defines you. These seniors have been playing football together many many years and DESERVED this opportunity, but as they all move on to new chapters in their lives, things will not always go your way, control what you can control, and show everyone that you are above it—and that you won’t give up when something like this happens, keep moving forward postively. I believe this Bobcat team can come back next season looking for revenge….led by Case Strawbridge and Ryan Blair. But on a another note, at least the season finished with a win on your home field, in a game you will never forget. To the seniors, the community of Newcastle thanks you for your continuous effort every game for many years, the entertainment you consistently brought, and thank you for the memories… you will all be missed on the field.