Bloomingdale came to Strawberry Crest just before Halloween, but gave the home team's fans more tricks than treats.
Although the Chargers' recent offensive scheme change worked pretty well against the East Bay Indians two weeks ago, the Bulls had no trouble stopping it in their 43-3 win. Their current three-game hot streak may not matter in the eyes of the district, now that the playoffs have been set, but that team looks poised to go into its first offseason under new head coach Max Warner with some momentum.
As I wrote last week, it's not like Crest is beating itself up too badly over this season. I could tell on the sideline that losing this one hurt more than most, since the kids had built up some confidence going into the game. The frustration was visible on everyone's face. That's not to say that the Chargers gave up once they found themselves down, say, 24 points in the third quarter – they had rallied from being down 28 the week prior – but I could tell when some kids started thinking about this week's upcoming game at Gaither.
Knowing what I know about Gaither, I'm still liking Crest in its one last chance to snap its losing streak. But, for more insight on that, you'll have to check out this week's Gridiron Report online.
Writing about high school teams that often lose is no easy task when it's a large part of your seasonal beat. I know the kids remaining at Crest haven't quit on the program because, every time I go there, I see it for myself. They're not winning, but not for a lack of trying. And I know there are good things happening beneath the surface, beyond what most people see, which is why I went there last week and wrote the feature that I did. Some of those kids really do look like they could be something in the future: Boosie Narine, Frank Murphy, Braxton Plunk, you name it.
But there comes a point in time where the losses pile up and you wonder what to write about next. I've beaten the "rebuilding program" angle about as thoroughly as the New England Patriots beat my Buffalo Bills this past Sunday, Oct. 30, to the point where I don't think I can say anything else about it without repeating myself. I've stressed the need to have patience for this team several times on the Gridiron Report podcast and, even at this point in the season, I see no need to change my mind there. And it's tough to highlight anyone for performing well on the field when it's clear that the majority of the roster is still learning out there.
That program's been through some unenviable situations, but I'd say the worst is already behind the Chargers. No one wants to go through what that team had to deal with between the 2015 season and the early 2016 offseason. But I'm of the opinion that Crest has been moving in the right direction since then and, at this point in the season, the kids who are still on the roster will likely remain there beyond this year. The foundation is there and the upcoming talent has flashed at times throughout the season, so the future will come down to how the coaching staff develops these kids.
I don't know exactly when I'm going to write about the Chargers finally winning a football game, but writing about something different will be almost as satisfying for me as winning will be for them and their fans. Until then, we all just have to be patient.