sl.blog

Let’s back this blog up a bit. On the chance that we might be expanding our audience, I should probably reintroduce myself. At the age of 40 I decided to do the George Plimpton Paper Lion thing on a somewhat tamer level. In late May I went out for the Lafayette Lions, a semi-professional team out of the Mid States Football League. I couldn’t carry Plimpton’s jock as a writer, but I at least suspected I was a better athlete. Maybe not. New to blog world as well, I began documenting my experience here. Cue the trumpets… I am the Online Lion.

It’s hard to get Peoria out of the rearview mirror: the memory of a lopsided loss, a long haul home, and the pinheaded Illinois border patrol overzealous in their pursuit and ticketing for illegal transportation of cheap whiskey. I waited a week to sit in front of the keys. Counselors will tell you not to go to bed or blog angry. But last Saturday, a first-half defensive war of attrition split wide open and Mid State Steel slaughtered the Lafayette Lions 27-0. A different wordsmith might liken it to a successful day for gladiators and a final one for lions, but a lot of our guys felt like this was a close game that just went south.

Shall I compare it to a summer’s day? It was actually a beautiful night for football—mid-60s in the air, smash hits from the ’80s, and Mid State had about 15 cheerleaders. Too bad we weren’t playing them. The nearly 200 yards in penalties exceeded our offensive output on both the ground and through the air, and the Steel passing game eventually loosened up the Lions solid defense. Mid State didn’t score until the final play of the half, before adding a two-point conversion to go up 8-0 at the break. That second half was another story.

Bad breaks, bad officials (multiple penalties turned one first down into an eventual third and 42), and poor execution all contributed to the second-half breakdown. But for Coach Brian Schremp, it was simply an embarrassment. After the game, talking to some players as we prepared for the ride home, Schremp searched carefully for words. “I don’t like to use war analogies,” he said, “because people die in war. But you do have the chance for bodily harm in football. You need to be able to trust the guy next to you. We just can’t have guys yelling at each other and at the officials.”

Those mental breakdowns, that wasted energy, certainly couldn’t have helped the cause. While our defense could rightly sue the offense for nonsupport, there was enough internal struggle to lead to a Civil War miniseries. Old Abe Lincoln was actually using an analogy from the Bible when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

And now the Lions are back at home, looking to protect the house for two weeks. I don’t intend to throw stones. I did little more than sideline screaming Saturday. As a player, I’m better suited as an equipment manager and I only lead the team in blogs. But I know the Lafayette Lions are the only semi-pro game in town and there are a lot of people working behind the scenes to put together a team. That team hopes to come together on Saturday against the Seminoles from Kankakee. The action, which the coaching staff hopes will speak louder than words, begins at 7:30.

Way back in late May, when I thought I’d answer the call for the Lafayette Lions as an old-school, no-gloved receiver, I quickly learned how hard the two quarterbacks threw the ball. I also learned that my old school (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) neither sounded tough nor did much for my football resume. And I’ve since invested in some gloves.

The throwers in question—Carl Buergler and Marshall Keith—both joined the Lions the same year (2003), taking different roads to get there. Buergler, a walk-on at Purdue who played safety, linebacker, and ultimately two years of backup quarterback, brought a sense of professionalism and leadership to the semi-professional huddle. Keith, who played a couple of years at Tiffin University, found himself back in Lafayette after his mother died and his father got sick. A natural athlete (he’d run a 50-flat 400 meters and high jumped six-and-a-half feet), Keith cut his teeth with the Lions as a safety and a receiver.Even as a backup, Buergler wouldn’t trade his big-time college experience for anything. “People ask me why I wouldn’t go to a smaller school and start, but when you can walk out on the field at Michigan or Notre Dame, there’s nothing else like it.”

On a steamy Saturday evening the decidedly defensive-minded Lafayette Lions manhandled the Michiana Titans, making mincemeat of the visitors’ offensive game plan and capitalizing on seven turnovers to pitch a 31-0 shutout in their season opener in the Mid States Football League. Six picks by five different Lions, including those by Ernest Calloway, Jon Emmert, Jake Gilbert, Ashante Woodyard, and Mike Woodard (who had a pair), helped keep Michiana miles from the goal line. The offense, while not clicking early, eventually put points on the board.