Another Football Title for the Mustangs

Last Thursday was the first day of the finals of the state high school football championships and for the third year in a row, Madison Academy was playing. The game was slated for an 11:00 a.m. start; so, my dad picked my brother up at 6:30 a.m. and then came to my house. My cousin Chris and friend Leah (whose husband is a coach) also came to my house and we finally got on the road at a few minutes before 7:00 a.m.

Chris decided to take his own vehicle since he needed to be back at a certain time and so my dad rode down with him and us "kids" rode in my car. We stopped at the Decatur exit and had breakfast at Hardee's and then got back on the road. The closer we got to Birmingham, the more traffic there was and at some point, I lost sight of Chris' vehicle. So, I had Justin call and tell them to meet us at the rest area past Vance before you get to the Tuscaloosa exits so we could regroup and have a natural break. 

We were at the rest area five or seven minutes before Chris and my dad arrived, but we were able to get out and stretch our legs for a bit which was nice. After our quick break, we got back on the interstate. I always take a back way into Tuscaloosa so as to avoid all the traffic on McFarland Blvd. and when I exited, Chris did not. Apparently he was in the other lane and just kept on driving. We headed on into town and parked at the Publix on the strip and were there for a good 15 or 20 minutes before Chris and my dad arrived. Chris, the consummate rule follower, saw signs that indicated the parking was only an hour there and asked some policemen about it who told him that vehicles would be told if there longer than an hour. So, long story short, we both ended up parking by The Ferg and walking a mile-ish to the stadium.

 

Once inside, we found seats at the 50 yard line and I made an immediate dash to the concession stand for a stadium dog. I haven't been to a game all season and it was all I had been thinking about for weeks. It was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped. The weather was warm. It was supposed to rain as well, but thankfully the rain held off. The humidity, however was off the charts and I felt like I needed 10 showers as soon as I stepped out of the car. I have always said that Tuscaloosa is the hottest city in the state and I still believe it now. Eventually the sun fell behind the stadium and there was a breeze in the air so the day was actually quite nice.

 

The first half was closer than some people in our party would have liked, but MA pulled away in the second half and won their second state title in as many years. While I'm thrilled the Mustangs won, it seems like last year's win was more special as it was the first ever not only for the school, but for all of Madison County. This year's we went down expecting to win so it was just like any other victory (kind of) so it had a different feel.

 

After the game, we regrouped with Leah (she had sat with her father-in-law) and parted ways with Chris (who was headed straight back to Huntsville) and walked back to the car. We made our obligatory stop at The Fish Market on the way home and enjoyed a delicious dinner. There was a lot of traffic in Birmingham when we left the restaurant because people were just getting off work so it took us a little longer than normal to get out of town.We dropped Justin off first since he had to be back at 6:30 p.m. and we got him back with two minutes to spare; then it was back to Five Points for the rest of us.

It was a nice way to spend a day off - with friends and family and a victory for the Mustangs!