Beaverton vs. Canby September 17, 2011

You'd think for someone who can remember numbers so well, I'd be able to recall the score of a game less than a week later. Somehow, I think that 54-10 loss by another team who shall currently remain nameless that occurred on the same night took over my brain, unfortunately.
What I CAN tell you, is that Beaverton won. Yay! They pulled ahead by a bunch, then it came as close as 32-30 before they pulled away again and won by about 10. Seems I really need to take a picture of the scoreboard at the end of each game, don't I? It wasn't a good night for any Cougars out there (Canby are the Cougars and their jersey's and cougar graphic look exactly like BYU's).
To make up for what Ty considers a great lack in how many and what pictures I take while he's playing, I resolved myself to keep the camera out the entire game and take pictures of each play he was in. So, somewhere around 50 pictures later (I get about one photo a play), I realized how important it was going to be to download these right away, so I could save them under a name that would remind me what he was up to, and the results of the really great plays. Being his first game (due to the concussion and WAIT! REWIND!. . .
So, you know that rule where, when you have a concussion, you don't practice with the team. At all? Ya, right. Two weeks ago, on a Friday walk through (no pads, just helmets), they decided to have Ty hold the ball for the kickers while they practiced. A friend of his (one of those who you would be totally intimidated if he was set directly across from you) starts begging the coaches to let him try to kick. Just once (can you see where this is going?). I guess he became so much of a nuisance, the coaches finally said, "Fine! Try one." Big guy, full force kick, Ty holding the ball (with just his pointer finger, trying to stay as far out of the way as possible, mind you. . .). Ball does not get kicked. The hand does. The right hand. The writing hand. The throwing hand. It's bad enough that he calls me to come and get him from practice, and it is completely swollen an immovable by the time I even get there. Ugh. After Dave talks to the Doc on call, and gives me instructions before he rushes off to work, Ty and I spend the night keeping it on ice, giving pain meds, and testing capillary refill. Thankfully, we were able to wait for xrays for the following morning. Surprising to us as well as the Sports Med Docs we were lucky enough to see, there was no fracture, the growth plates still looked great, as well as the tendons. Ty spent a painful week and a half, sometimes with a wrap on for support, but he's close to fully functioning again. It is still a bit swollen and tender, but he can use it, he can even Quarterback, although I'm sure his passes aren't quite where he'd like them to be yet.
Anyway. . .Saturday was the first game he's been able to play in and he had a fabulous time. He was not expecting to start at Safety, but for all intents and purposes, he pretty much did. He played corner several times, and was able to Qtrback a couple at the end of the game. The surprise to Dave and I was that they threw him in at Wide Receiver a couple of times. When we asked him about it later, he said that during those practices that he couldn't dress or practice with the team, the coaches would send him out on patterns and pass the ball to him. They were so impressed they decided to try him in the game. None of the plays he was in as WR ever progressed far enough for him to be thrown the pass, but I was impressed with my own football knowledge enough to recognize what they were doing with him when he was in position :)
Here's a sampling of pictures from the game. It rained all day, but was lovely and dry for us.

Ty is #5 this year. 

You can't see Ty in this picture, but he's in the process of

taking down the ball carrier. Safety saves the day. 

I love this picture, but you have to enlarge it to see his eyes.

"Oh, no you don't!" 

Ty is just to the right of the Chain Gang guy on the sidelines.

Nice catch on a kick-off return. 

Calling the TD. 

At Qtrback

This Saturday is one of TWO we have at home this season. Not sure how we drew that short end of the stick! Should be a great game. He's totally psyched about it.