It was one of those July days in Middle Tennessee. The punishing kind, where shade is at a premium, no one's clothing stays dry and forearms are seared by leaning against metal fences.
Between those fences, 24 high school football teams had braved the blistering sun for hours, contesting a 7-on-7 tournament. It had, mercifully, ended by the afternoon, and 23 teams had long since vanished from Lebanon High School's campus into the air-conditioned comfort of a ride home.
But not Pearl-Cohn.
On an otherwise empty field, the Firebirds were crowded under a tent. Heart-to-heart sermons from ***** istant coaches to players, preaching toughness and dedication, rolled without an end in sight. "They got to hear it right now," Pearl-Cohn coach Tony Brunetti said, watching approvingly from an adjoining tent.
Crazy thing was they hadn't performed poorly in the tournament. Pearl-Cohn reached the championship game before losing to powerhouse Oakland High. Nothing for the Firebirds to be ashamed of in that showing, but to Brunetti, it was the way they lost.
#firebirds
Between those fences, 24 high school football teams had braved the blistering sun for hours, contesting a 7-on-7 tournament. It had, mercifully, ended by the afternoon, and 23 teams had long since vanished from Lebanon High School's campus into the air-conditioned comfort of a ride home.
But not Pearl-Cohn.
On an otherwise empty field, the Firebirds were crowded under a tent. Heart-to-heart sermons from ***** istant coaches to players, preaching toughness and dedication, rolled without an end in sight. "They got to hear it right now," Pearl-Cohn coach Tony Brunetti said, watching approvingly from an adjoining tent.
Crazy thing was they hadn't performed poorly in the tournament. Pearl-Cohn reached the championship game before losing to powerhouse Oakland High. Nothing for the Firebirds to be ashamed of in that showing, but to Brunetti, it was the way they lost.
#firebirds
2 months ago
