The Swinger
"de Golia! This side!"
Head Coach Terry Thomas yelled at me.
And when coach yells......you move.
I sprinted over to the other side of the field.
Every summer, the Beaverhead County High School (BCHS) football team holds a three-day mini camp. It's a time to get acclimated for the upcoming season. More importantly, going to the camp gives you first dibs at equipment, ensuring you get the right hip pads (not the big ones that stick out), best face mask/helmet combination, and above all, jersey number.
Earlier that summer , I also attended Griz Football Camp, a weeklong endeavor hosted by FCS powerhouse University of Montana Grizzlies in Missoula, MT. Four kids from Dillon, MT went to Missoula that summer, one of them being Andy (one of the Homies ). Because BCHS didn't bring a full team, like a lot of the other Montana High Schools, we were a part of the "Renegades" which was a hodge podge team of kids from other small schools across the state along with all out of state players attending.
It was really cool to play with athletes from all over. A few of which I'm still friends with today. One of them, from Alberta, Canada, went on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL). And even though we were only together for a few days, the Renegades still competed at a high level, beating teams that had played together for years.
This call from coach on day 3 of mini camp was unexpected.
Because he asked me to come to the varsity side of the field.
Coming off of a solid Freshman campaign , I was looking forward to continuing my growth as a football player with my sights set on being a starter for the Froshmore team as a Sophomore.
I remember going through mini camp practice feeling like the juniors and seniors were so big......and fast. Doing my best, I felt out of place on this side of the field.
Little did I know that this "call up" was a permanent thing.
Freshman year, I was randomly assigned number 9 for games after selecting 85 for a practice jersey. In 2003, a graduating senior vacated number 9 and therefore it was available on both Varsity and Froshmore. A lot of the other Sophomores played with their selected number for Froshmore but had to settle on a different number for Varsity.
Luckily for me I was number 9 for practice, Froshmore, and Varsity. Solidifying 9 for the rest of my BCHS career .
The Senior class, 15 players, was stacked with talent. For a Class 'A' school I'm sure they were the best athletes in the state and are still some of the best in BCHS history.
The junior class was a dwindling group. Most of the kids in this grade were more interested in partying than playing sports.
That gave me and another 8 sophomores the opportunity to play up. It turned out to be invaluable experience for us.
For the next 4 months in 2003, I was a part of 18 high school football games.
I got really good at changing my pads from practice uniforms to game jerseys and back.
Most of the Sophomores on Varsity were what we affectionately called ourselves as 'practice bitches' because of the work at practice we put in only to not see the playing field for games.
Each week, the Varsity schedule was as follows;
Monday; film during lunch for post game self-evaluation. A practice in helmets, shoulder pads, and shorts for the up-coming weeks game plan installation, and then sprinting 1,000 yards (lovingly called the '1,000 yard club').
Tuesday and Wednesday were full pad 'thud' work days.
Thursday was film at lunch to study our up-coming opponent and then a pre-game practice in the same Monday fashion.
Friday was the game.
But that was if you were Varsity only. If you were a "swinger" then you would mix in a Tuesday or Thursday game for the Froshmore team.
All of the swingers would practice on Varsity and then jump into the Froshmore world to play games. Toward the end of the season, we even had a Froshmore game followed directly by a varsity practice.
It was a demanding year physically and mentally.
I was one of the swingers that mostly practiced and warmed up for Varsity games. A lot of us 'PBs' got garbage time game action. Which happened to be a lot since we had such a good team. I ended up playing in 6 of 8 regular season games.
The year before, in 2002, the varsity went 8 - 0 on the regular season winning the Southwest 'A' Conference, clinching home field advantage and a first round bye in the playoffs.
In the Quarterfinal Round, our star Quarterback dislocated his hip and the team ended up losing in double overtime trying to convert a 2 point conversion to win the game. Heartbreaking.
Our QB was returning for his senior year and healthy. He started at Wide Receiver as a Freshman on Varsity and was on the first State Championship team in school history in 2000. After the '00 season, he converted to Quarterback and was QB1 for three years. The '03 team was out for blood based on the '02 finish.
And we made a run again, going 8 - 0 and for a second year in a row clinching home field advantage, winning our conference (6 - 0), and earned a first round bye in the playoffs.
As a Froshmore team, we didn't experience the same success. It was disappointing since we had a good group of Sophomores and a really talented Freshmen class. For whatever reason, our combination was a work in progress. We ran the same spread offense as the varsity. In 2002, the Varsity ran the spread for the first time and the Froshmore team ran the previously used pro-style.
Maybe it was the new playbook, the lack of chemistry with the swingers mixing in, or maybe it was just that our classes hadn't played that much together. Whatever the reason, it yielded a 2 - 6 (2 - 4) record.
I was able to start at Wide Receiver on offense, Cornerback on Defense, returned Kicks and Punts, and was on Kick Off and Punt?Coverage units on special teams.
Lots of playing time on Froshmore gave me, and the other swingers, a solid amount of meaningful reps. I was able to contribute on the field by making catches at Receiver and tackles on Defense.
Varsity was a constant athletic push and competition that mostly yielded mental game reps as the season progressed into the playoffs.
I remember being totally burnt out on football after the regular season. But we still had at least two more weeks with the first round bye and Quarterfinals. That also meant extra full padded practices with games on Saturday. Two weeks turned into three weeks, and eventually four weeks as we advanced to the Semi Final round. The Dillon Beavers then hosted the State Championship. A tough fought game against Miles City which resulted in a 19 to 15 win to move to 11 - 0 on the year and be crowned State Champions.
领英推荐
Before this season, I never truly prepped my body to play sports relying only on my natural ability. But after the grueling year, coaches constantly encouraging me, and seeing the older guys dedicate themselves, it taught me the importance of taking care of your body through lifting weights.?
Since 2003, I've worked out 3 days or more a week for the last 22 years without fail.
With the marathon season that it was, I remember contemplating not playing as a Junior. Looking back, I thought I was called up to Varsity as a Sophomore simply as an extra body.
In reality, the varsity coaches tagged me as one of the key pieces for the future. Without even knowing it, I got a chance to witness the Dillon Beaver culture, follow the examples of the Seniors, be introduced to the importance of taking care of your body, develop in the system, and see what it took to become a Champion.
I was a work in progress for sure, but I wasn't a part of the team by a fluke.
I was there for a reason.......
?Alex de Golia
2003 Froshmore Dillon Beavers Schedule:
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at Butte High – L – 0 – 39
vs Frenchtown* - L – 30 – 38
at Stevensville* - W – 38 – 16
vs Hamilton* - L – 22 – 30
vs Butte Central* - W – 35 – 28
at Corvallis* - L – 25 – 46
vs Butte High – L – 6 – 34
vs Anaconda* - L – 14 – 20
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2 – 6 (2 – 4)
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2003 Varsity Dillon Beaver Schedule:
at Bigfork – W – 47 – 20
vs Polson – W – 45 – 7
vs Frenchtown* - W – 37 – 20
vs Stevensville* - W - ?42 – 12
at Hamilton* - W – 40 – 7
at Butte Central* - W – 28 – 6
vs Corvallis* – W – 32 – 0
at Anaconda* - W – 35 – 0
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First Round Playoffs
Bye
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Quarterfinal Playoffs
vs Billings Central – W – 22 – 20
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Semi-Final Playoffs
vs Belgrade – W – 28 – 10
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State Championship
vs Miles City – W – 19 – 15
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11 – 0 (6 – 0)
Montana Class “A” State Champions
Southwest “A” Conference Champions
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*Indicates Southwest ‘A’ Conference Game