Mother Nature once again had reared her head. A bit of morning drizzle may have delayed our start, but it certainly didn’t dampen Gray’s spirit. They had turned it around late yesterday and Harry’s Gray team was still flying high. The morning “psyche up” circles were charged with energy from both teams. Will’s Red team may have been stunned by the flip, but he and his leaders let their boys know that they fully believed in them and what was inside each of their followers. “In the heart, in the heart!” they chanted before heading out for Day 3.
Here’s the way the day played out:
Gray continued their command down at Trickey Pond. On paper, Red Sophs had a swimming powerhouse, and it showed as they stroked their way to a sizable lead in the Swim element. However, Gray edged them out in the timed Kayak races, then did the same at the Ski dock to win Sophomores Waterfront. Up on the Bunkline Football Field, Gray’s defense told the story as ballhawk Julian had 3 interceptions in the first half alone to stop potential Red scoring drives, and key another Gray victory.
When Gray won Juniors Tennis, Red was looking for a spark, and it came from their youngest in the Cubs/Lions Division. Cousins Benny and Seth (B3) became the unlikely heroes who provided it. First Seth showed some real savvy in winning 2 of the 3 sets with superb Bocce throws in the Garden, then Benny came back from 1 down with 2 holes to play to win his first ever golf match on the Links, 1 up – securing both wins for Red.
Gray then answered right back with some heroics of their own in Tigers Hoops, but it took all three games to do so. After each team got a blowout win on the outdoor courts. Gray’s overall teamwork, and a little extra boost from Bud in the Gym’s “rubber game” was just enough to overcome Alexander P’s remarkable one-man show, winning it 16-15 and the Tigers Basketball point. The Seniors then split a pair of games in the Hockey Rink, where goalies Alex S and Dillon W shined on one end, and Luke S (hattrick) and Jackson C (twice) on the other.
Lastly, the Captain twins went head-to-head in their favorite sport over at the Hejduk. Both are destined for stardom at the next level, but it was Bobby’s hattrick and Henry B’s outstanding work in the cage that proved the difference in Red’s bounce-back 9-6 victory in Stars Lacrosse. We had reached the halfway mark of this Color War when we broke for lunch, and Gray had padded their lead just a little bit more.
After Songs and Cheers practice, Gray laid down the gauntlet by racing further ahead with wins in Seniors Lacrosse and Tigers Soccer. In Lacrosse, Red put up a great fight and led by 2 before being outgunned by Will A’s 6 goals in a very entertaining 9-7 contest. Their Tigers cruised in Soccer on the Bunkline pitch, 4-1.
Gray Hoopsters looked unbeatable on the upper court in a big win, then saw their Soph teammates knock down a couple of late buckets on the lower court to preserve the full point win in Sophomores Basketball.
Down but not out after Gray won Freshmen Bocce, Red’s heart began to surface just when they needed it most.
Their Freshmen duffers made short work of Gray on the SkyHills Golf Club links to start their own comeback, It continued with a big win in Cubs/Lions Tennis on the hard courts in Sky I and the Har-Tru at Sky II.
You could really feel Red coming on when they finally broke through down at Trickey and captured their first win in the water this week. It wasn’t easy, but Zane’s ski run was just enough to put them over the top and take Stars Waterfront.
They clawed right back in this thing with the most exciting contest of this War, witnessed by several hundred fans who packed the Arena over at the Rink. All the day’s events were complete, including the first 2 of 3 games in Juniors Hockey. Gray had won Game 1, despite the efforts of super netminder Thomas T, credited with at least 20+ mostly spectacular saves. Red came back to take game 2 with a couple of goals from Jordan G and Jackson J, 2-1. Each with a win, the Game 3 winner would decide it, setting up the scene for the most dramatic finish seen in years.
The contest remained scoreless through the first 2 periods, which only served to heighten the magnitude and importance of this game even more as the crowd had grown to capacity. Each shot and save brought screams of support from both sides. The noise level intensified as the clock ticked on. Just a few minutes left and still neither side could finish their chances. Goaltenders Leo S and Ben W had stood tall, each withstanding a barrage of shots from all angles, including several point-blank attempts. The spectators had become so enthusiastic that crowd control from Hockey Director/Referee LJ was needed to back them away from the boards. Then, with just under two minutes remaining, a screened slapshot from the point by Henry L slid by into the lower left corner of the net to give Gray the lead, and the jubilant Gray backers went bonkers. Less than a minute later, Red answered when Teddy dug the puck out of the corner and fed the slot where Jake M snapped a one-timer into the back of the net, sending the frantic Red fans into a frenzy. A tie looked inevitable. But less than :20 seconds later, Jake once again hit the net, this time unassisted, setting off an emotional celebration explosion to win it for Red, 2-1. You’d have thought they had just won the Stanley Cup, only better! Red had indeed come back to win the afternoon and was very much right back in it. So on we go....
A much needed respite from the Red and Gray activities of the day brought everyone together in front of the Rec Hall stage tonight for this summer’s second theatrical production – “Peter Pan”. The cast, crew, set/tech team and directors did a remarkable job. What’s most impressive about these actors was how on earth they had time to learn their lines in between days packed with sports. And by “days” we really mean two weeks to put the whole show together. How fortunate Skylemar is to have the best drama director in the world, Suzie. She’s magical, and can even make Peter Pan fly (with a little help from Noah, Henry, Dut and G).
