Monday, September 25, 2006
On Friday night, I watched from the sidelines, notebook in hand, as my beloved alma mater lost its homecoming game to the Tooele Buffaloes, one of the best teams in the state. It was the third straight game I’ve covered at Ogden High and I’ve seen them get progressively worse each week. When the team you’re covering loses 49-0 to an out-of-towner, there’s only so much you can write without sounding critical and it’s never a good idea to be critical since parents are quick to make phone calls to news editors. The previous two stories I’d written about Ogden were basically the same, highlighting the opposing team’s offense while trying to sound hopeful about the Tigers’ future, so I knew I needed something fresh.
Luckily, the Tigers helped me out a little. Midway through the first quarter, Ogden made a substitution at quarterback, putting in a sophomore to contend with the mighty Buffaloes. I was skeptical at first, since the kid’s name (which I won’t use here, for several reasons) was Hispanic and history has shown that Hispanics aren’t too successful on the football field. But he actually did a good job, much better than the guy he replaced. So I had my story: Sophomore quarterback makes varsity debut for Ogden and slows the Tigers’ bleeding while showing promise for the future. A little corny, but much better than the alternative. And why not boost a kid’s ego at the same time?
So the game ended, the homecoming crowd left, and I interviewed Ogden’s coach who said the sophomore replacement would definitely be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, quite an accomplishment for a soph, even for a crappy team like Ogden. It was good news for me because now I had some strong quotes to support my story, and with the Mexi on the field, Ogden was looking at possibly snapping its two year losing streak sometime this season. So I wrote the story, as planned, and even though the newspaper cut some of it due to lack of space, I was satisfied.
As I write this, Ogden’s new quarterback, the future of Tiger football, is currently fighting for his life in a medically-induced coma. Apparently, he, a date, and two other couples attended Ogden’s homecoming dance together on Saturday night. After some late night hijinks that likely included alcohol, the teens were headed home in a 2006 Hummer they somehow acquired. The driver (a female) was intoxicated, speeding, using her cell phone, and entertaining five noisy friends when the car somehow flipped, rolled five times, and ejected four passengers. A 16-year-old girl died. The sophomore quarterback was rushed to the hospital with extensive head injuries. The Deseret News reported that “The fate of the 15-year-old remained in doubt Sunday.” The other four suffered minor injuries and were released.
Not to trivialize the accident, but the Ogden High football team, already the worst in the state, seems to have lost any hope for the rest of the season. Much like me, the only luck the Tigers have is bad luck.
The girl who died is just another name to me, so even though her death is tragic, I can brush it aside without feeling much. The kid in the hospital, the hope of every beleaguered Ogden alum, is a different story. I’ve never said a word to him, never seen him without his helmet on, but I spent a good portion of Friday’s game studying him on the field and on the sidelines. I got his name printed several times in beautiful black and white, although I'm sure he'll never see his name in the Sports section again. Even if he does recover, his football days are over. It's pitiful, more than anything else. What a waste.
Here's a link to the short newspaper story: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193577,00.html
Luckily, the Tigers helped me out a little. Midway through the first quarter, Ogden made a substitution at quarterback, putting in a sophomore to contend with the mighty Buffaloes. I was skeptical at first, since the kid’s name (which I won’t use here, for several reasons) was Hispanic and history has shown that Hispanics aren’t too successful on the football field. But he actually did a good job, much better than the guy he replaced. So I had my story: Sophomore quarterback makes varsity debut for Ogden and slows the Tigers’ bleeding while showing promise for the future. A little corny, but much better than the alternative. And why not boost a kid’s ego at the same time?
So the game ended, the homecoming crowd left, and I interviewed Ogden’s coach who said the sophomore replacement would definitely be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, quite an accomplishment for a soph, even for a crappy team like Ogden. It was good news for me because now I had some strong quotes to support my story, and with the Mexi on the field, Ogden was looking at possibly snapping its two year losing streak sometime this season. So I wrote the story, as planned, and even though the newspaper cut some of it due to lack of space, I was satisfied.
As I write this, Ogden’s new quarterback, the future of Tiger football, is currently fighting for his life in a medically-induced coma. Apparently, he, a date, and two other couples attended Ogden’s homecoming dance together on Saturday night. After some late night hijinks that likely included alcohol, the teens were headed home in a 2006 Hummer they somehow acquired. The driver (a female) was intoxicated, speeding, using her cell phone, and entertaining five noisy friends when the car somehow flipped, rolled five times, and ejected four passengers. A 16-year-old girl died. The sophomore quarterback was rushed to the hospital with extensive head injuries. The Deseret News reported that “The fate of the 15-year-old remained in doubt Sunday.” The other four suffered minor injuries and were released.
Not to trivialize the accident, but the Ogden High football team, already the worst in the state, seems to have lost any hope for the rest of the season. Much like me, the only luck the Tigers have is bad luck.
The girl who died is just another name to me, so even though her death is tragic, I can brush it aside without feeling much. The kid in the hospital, the hope of every beleaguered Ogden alum, is a different story. I’ve never said a word to him, never seen him without his helmet on, but I spent a good portion of Friday’s game studying him on the field and on the sidelines. I got his name printed several times in beautiful black and white, although I'm sure he'll never see his name in the Sports section again. Even if he does recover, his football days are over. It's pitiful, more than anything else. What a waste.
Here's a link to the short newspaper story: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650193577,00.html
