Matthew Osborne
Who wants to see a bye week after putting up 42 points? I sure didn’t, the coaches at Habersham Central didn’t and the Raiders didn’t.
It seems like a million years since the White County game, as college football has played two full weeks since. We had to sit through the awful Nebraska-Northwestern game on the day after the last Raider win and wonder, is this really football? I am sure the Irish did not appreciate us sending our two weakest examples of Power 5 American football.
Then we got in a whole true week of college games, which saw Georgia and Florida send the Pac-12’s best home crying for mommy.
That’s all fine and good, but it’s time to get back to business on Friday nights.
I’ve been trying to bide my time with other sports watching, but the Phillies had an awful week on the West Coast and we’re not on full speaking terms right now.
I participated in two fantasy football drafts, and I question whether either was a particular success.
Lately, I’ve been watching more soccer than usual. (That is to say, usual for me until recently was none.)
I told my friend Mark from England that I wanted to take an interest in the English Premier League, and he invited me to his “fantasy football” league. I had to dial it back a bit, though, not knowing anyone in the entire league. That would have been jumping in with both feet but not knowing whether the pool had been completely filled.
But I have been slowly watching a match here, a match there while doing other things around the house. It’s actually quite a relaxing sport if you are not emotionally invested in every play, like I would be with the Eagles or other Philadelphia-based franchises.
I have latched onto Tottenham Hotspur as the team I want to follow for now, and yes, that was before they ran off seven unbeaten matches.
Tying this back to the Raiders, I am already excited for soccer season in Habersham County, where we should have two exciting squads in 2023.
But before then, we need to get back to our American football with the boys in orange and blue. (Speaking of colors, I told you those blue uniforms with the orange swath on the sleeves were razor sharp, and they did not disappoint in their debut. Like Billy Crystal once said, look good, feel good.)
Let’s see that same kind of crowd energy we had two weeks ago and we will all forget how long it seemingly took us to get there.
Matthew Osborne is the editor of The Northeast Georgian. He was about to turn to crossword puzzles but fortunately, Friday night football is back tonight.