Sept. 28: West Fargo (20) at Fargo South (35)

Some football games are absolutely unforgettable.

Friday's game between West Fargo and Fargo South was not one of those games.

Not close enough to be exciting, not decisive enough to be a blowout, the game between the Packers and Bruins was, quite frankly, forgettable.

But some moments stood out, most of them unrelated to the action on the field:

• The Fargo South field apparently sits in the flight path for airplanes approaching Fargo's airport from the south. At least three airplanes flew over the field at low altitude and low speed. The first one came midway through the first quarter; we just figured the flyover was about 15 minutes late.
• I finally figured out why the opposing student sections always wear hunter orange when their teams play against South (I saw this with North's student body in the North-South game and with West Fargo's student section -- on South's home field, no less -- on Friday). They're hunting for bear.
• A classy move by the small Fargo South pep band, which played the fight songs of both schools prior to kickoff. And another metro school joins the "On Wisconsin" bandwagon, as South fans stood and clapped for the Badgers' traditional song.
• For the first time in, maybe ever, I saw two large schools "tunnel up" for starting lineups on the 50-yard line. Normally, with large schools, starting lineups are done from opposing end zones so the teams' tunnels don't run into each other at midfield. West Fargo and South almost joined to form one tunnel on Friday.
• As far as actual gameplay, only one play stood out in my mind. That came in the first half. Late in the second quarter, trailing 21-0, the Packers crossed midfield for the first time in the game. On their first play on the opposing side of the 50, they fumbled, and South recovered. That about summed it up. 

Proof I was there

As I left midway through the fourth quarter, with South leading 35-8, I reminded myself of several things -- one, it was a beautiful, calm, temperate fall evening; two, I got to spend quality time with my wife; three, I got to see at least one play that at least one person will never forget for the rest of their life. Who that is and what that play is, I have no idea, but every game has a moment that someone never forgets. In this case, though, I'll be hard pressed to remember anything I saw last Friday a week from now....

Next week: Fargo South at Fargo Davies.

--patrick