* Spoiler alert: We won!
September 27
[As is now custom, Homecoming weekend begins with the Education Foundation Hall of Fame luncheon at Broadway Ballroom . . . ]
[Assembled diners looking for a table with a view . . . ]
[EFoundation Executive Director Christine Reilly . . . ]
[The high school carolers entertained . . . ]
[On to the football game, beginning with the Homecoming Royalty . . . ]
[I admit I skipped the parade this year. The weather was what I would call iffy. Iffy is what people my age call it when I wouldn’t have gone to the game either except we have a good team that’s fun to watch . . . ]
[The band was on hand to greet the team out of its . . . tunnel?]
[And here they are . . . ]
[We kicked off; Brainerd a 3 and out . . . ]
[We marched down the field. Here QB Matthew Carlsen (7) handed off to Nolan Morical (5) who appears to have a nice opening . . . ]
[A nice gain . . . ]
[And Morical again . . . ]
[Carlsen launches a pass (ball, upper right) . . . ]
[If not on this play, the Cards scored on a pass from Carlsen to Krisen Hoskins (13). Cards were up 7 – 0 and it appeared to be easy . . . ]
[But the Warriors scored on a long drive, and then kicked off to Hoskins . . . ]
[Kristen headed cross field . . . ]
[And found a lane up the left sideline . . . ]
[A long return to near midfield . . . ]
[The Cards held a 20 – 7 lead at the half, though Brainerd controlled the ball for much of the time . . . ]
[Homecoming Royalty was introduced at the half . . . ]
[The young ones appeared in awe of their elders . . . ]
[I missed photographing the 2nd half kickoff. I have been to two home games, and both times we returned the 2nd half kickoff for a touchdown. This time on a reverse, with Morical pitching to Hoskins who took it all the way . . . ]
[Some times you just have a feeling. I started shooting this play in an expectation that Morical might break it . . . ]
[And he did, almost all the way . . . ]
[Of course, we continued on for another touchdown . . . ]
[A Morical run . . . ]
[Followed by another Morical run . . . ]
[And Will Heydt (38) finished the TD drive . . . ]
[I thought this was going to be the final score . . . ]
[But Colton Schabel intercepted a pass and returned it 4 yards for the final score. Another big win for the now 4 – 1 Cards . . . ]
September 28
[The next day we voted in the morning . . . ]
[Then joined Karin & Dave at the winery on beautifully chilly September day . . . ]
[For the musical stylings of Elsa Lee . . . ]
[She said her fingers thawed out by the next morning . . . ]
[We dropped by Mom’s old neighborhood, lushly green from a wet summer . . . ]
[Then to the Lure Lakebar for music with Greg Donahue and Erik Schultz . . . ]
[They drew a good crowd, some going next to the Buddy Holly concert at the high school auditorium, while the Super and I matriculated to . . . ]
[Where the Homecoming weekend began the day before . . . ]
[The Super came home with six bottles of adult beverages . . . ]
[And we were joined for a while by the school’s professional photographer, Mark Ripley. See you again next year!]
As truth be told, homecoming never gets old. ~
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