Gamecocks have nothing to be ashamed of

The fine line between tears of joy and tears of sorrow in sports is razor thin.

This past Friday, at Gamecock Stadium, the latter flowed from New Brockton players like the Alabama River.

But can you blame them?

If you weren’t there, the New Brockton Gamecocks were driving down the field and were in prime position for a game-winning score, whether it be a field goal or touchdown, and move onto the next round of the Class 2A state playoffs. With less than 20 seconds left, Tanner Oakes, who had been solid since taking over for an injured Dalton Adkinson, took a chance and made a throw to the right side of the field looking for a receiver to clinch the win.

The throw was complete, but it was not to someone wearing the Gamecock colors.

I was just feet away from where the play occurred, thinking in the back of my mind, “Free football? As fun as this game has been? Sign me up.”

But the fun would be short-lived.

Terrell Flavors weaved through a horde of players on his way to a 99-yard walk-off pick-six.

But wait, off in the distance, there was yellow on the field. A sign of hope that maybe this play was just a mirage and that the overtime I was promised would ensue.

No dice.

Turns out that the flags had been called for dead ball fouls and that they couldn’t be enforced since the game was over.

Heartache on one sideline. Emotional relief on the other.

It’s hard to describe what followed. New Brockton players gathered around in a tight circle. Stunned, speechless, fallen to the ground and broken down emotionally. It was like a nightmare they couldn’t wake up from. You couldn’t go two yards without not seeing a dry eye.

Players, parents and coaches stood around for at least 10-15 minutes after the game was over, still wondering what had happened.

Finally, a supporter exclaimed to the team how proud these young men had made the community and that they had done something special this season.

He would’ve been hard-pressed to get a disagreement from someone, especially from me.

If you’re a New Brockton player (especially a senior), supporter, or coach and you happen to read this, know you have indeed made the town proud. Murphy’s Law may not have gone your way on that last play, but one play doesn’t define a season.

A 9-2 record doesn’t happen by accident. Averaging nearly 50 points per game, including scoring 60 or more on three separate occasions, doesn’t happen by accident. Shutting out half of your opponents doesn’t happen by accident. The first home playoff game since the 1980s doesn’t happen by accident.

The Gamecocks were not only a good football team, but one of the most level-headed I’ve ever witnessed.

Your midseason allegations were handled with class. You could’ve just turned it in and pouted, but instead you carried on and kept doing what you were doing best: winning.

Allow me to share with you a personal story that happened to myself in high school quite similar to the situation at hand.

I was a member of the LaGrange Academy basketball team in high school for a couple of years. One of those years, 2005 to be exact, we made it to the state championship game.

Down by a couple of points and with the clock winding down, we call a play to get our best player open for a 3-pointer.

The trifecta is good, putting us ahead by one point, and there’s genuine belief that we had just been crowned state champs.

Not so fast.

Turns out the other team, Pinewood Christian, had called timeout as soon as the ball had gone through the cylinder. The Patriots were given 1.4 seconds.

I’m sure you can guess what happened next.

The doppelganger Grant-Hill-to-Christian-Laettner heave to the free throw line was executed and the dude banked it in to win the game.

I was crushed. I didn’t talk to anyone for two days straight. Not my parents, not my friends. No one. It was a dark period in my life.

But I had to quickly get over it and move on. Dwelling over the past wasn’t going to make it go away. In fact, the loss made me stronger as a person. Much stronger than any state championship would’ve done.

I believe that the same will happen to you.

I know this isn’t the way you wanted to end your season, but there’s a lot to look forward on the horizon for Gamecock football. You will continue to grow from this experience, and I look forward to seeing it.