Result from Friday August 31, 2007:

Lindsay 7- Tom Bean 0

Cats Come Up Short in Season Opener

            It was every Texas high school students dream. The field was painted and the smell of grilled burgers and hotdogs was in the air. As the band warmed up, early arriving spectators were witness to the Tomcats’ first pre-game preparation. The signs were painted, the tunnel was aired up and ready. All that was left was the first kick-off.

            Football season has arrived, and for Coach Sanders and Tom Bean it began with a home game against early season rivals Lindsay. Expectations were high, but so were the confidence levels. It also helped that Cody Ottmo returned the opening kick-off to almost mid-field. However, the elation was short lived. Nathan Parish’s first league pass as quarterback was intercepted and returned to give Lindsay an early 7-0 lead. By half time, the score was the same after Tom Bean provided the home crowd with a defensive effort worthy of all sorts of praise. The offense, however, failed to get anything going save an occasional quarterback keeper by Parish which lead to a couple of first downs.

            The second half was more of the same, but with a little extra offensive kick from the Cats. Coach Sanders’ shot-gun style offense did seem to work, but the finishing product was just not there for Tom Bean on this night. After a late offensive ended in a turn-over on downs, Lindsay held the ball until the end. It was a result that seemed familiar, but one out of which came many positives.

            When asked about the Lindsay game, Coach Sanders said that it was “Disappointing to have lost”, but he also felt that his team had improved. Although after watching the video he did feel his team should have won, Coach also believes that the performance this week will be “better than last”, and that the team will have “no trouble competing with Lone Oak”. This would be an even greater accomplishment as the Buffalos had a great season last year.

            The players can also pull some positives out of the loss. For one, it did seem like players and fans alike were pumped for the game. Lineman Zach Behrend said, “There was electricity in the air. We should be pumped up because we are a brotherhood, and this is the new Tom Bean. This isn’t last year. This is this year, and that’s what we’re living it like.”

            Being a fan myself, I couldn’t help but notice the “electricity in the air” that Zach was talking about. So, how much does this help the players? Let’s ask Zach.

            “You wouldn’t believe. It gives us such a sense of town pride. We are representing Tom Bean, Texas, and they come to support everything in athletics. To have that town pride helps us to kick it up a notch.”

            Drew Hodge played and important role last Friday, drawing the plaudits for outstanding play on both sides of the ball. So, after this game, how did he feel going into this week.

            “We feel better this weak because our defense did well last game. So, we can build off of that and have a little bit more confidence going into the next game.

            The main story is that the players are more confident and this is turning in to more town support. This also says that Coach Sanders and the rest of the coaching staff are doing there job. Not only can we draw plenty f positives from the Lindsay game, but we can now forget about that game and focus on the game against Lone Oak, Sanders’ first road trip. One thing is for certain: the town and players are ready for the “New Day”.