On Friday, I was at Gustafson stadium as the Jay Mustangs hosted the Del Rio Rams. Last week, a nonsensical incident happened at the end of the Jay game that got national attention, and I was expecting the stadium to be packed with people waiting for something else to happen. The Jay side of the stadium was ¾ full and Del Rio was ½ full. The Jay fans provided great support for the team as they got several rounds of applause during the game.
I arrived at the game about 2 ½ hours before kick-off. Under normal circumstances, I flash my badge and have access to everything. That wasn’t the case on Friday. I had to sign in for the first time ever at a high school football game and was given a memo from the Northside ISD explaining some security precautions regarding media since they were expecting national media at the game. I even asked one of the athletic officials if I could run around on the field before, during, and after the game for pictures like I usually do and he told me that all media with still or video cameras were only allowed in the North end of the stadium in a roped-off designated area.
I was disappointed but compliant and didn’t want to make a big fuss about it. Right after Del Rio scored with about 3 minutes gone by in the first quarter, it started to pour and we had a 30 minute lightening delay. Luckily I was in the press box, armed with a very good camera with a powerful zoom.
I wasn’t in the normal media press box booth with Ben Baby and Tom Osborn from the San Antonio Express News. I ended up in the press-box on the 3rd floor that was reserved for out of town media. I was really excited because I am very friendly and outgoing and would’ve definitely helped them with whatever they needed. Unfortunately, I was alone all night long – except for a very friendly Northside ISD employee with whom I talked through the first half.
I need to give huge KUDOS to the entire staff of Northside ISD. They did a fantastic job of managing the game from beginning to end and didn’t allow anything to get out of control. One of the Northside athletic press box attendants told me, “Hopefully, next week, we can [go] back to normal operations.” I wish I had the names of the officials because they were put in a difficult situation but they did their job wonderfully.
By the way, absolutely nothing happened besides a football game, awesome band performances, unbelievable moves by the cheerleaders, and lots of fans from both sidelines cheering for their teams.
The final score was Del Rio 37 and SA John Jay 14.
Next Friday, I will be at Canyon Lake high school as the Canyon Lake Hawks host the Wimberly Texans. On Saturday, I will be at Comalander stadium for the Reagan Rattlers and the East Central Hornets.
You can follow me on twitter @statmanspeaks for game-day updates, stats, photos, and more.
Below are a few teaser photos:
