Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 1998, Page 67

Description:	Road to the DomeA Day by Day Look at the Football Teams Preparations for the State Championship GameFriday, Nov. 21The team beat Ben Davis, 28-7, in theSemistate game to advance to the Statechampionship against Penn. The game wasplayed at Fred Huff Memorial Field andthousands of fans attended.The excitement of the game against BenDavis was unbelievable. We knew it was thelast game we would ever play on our homefield so it was very emotional. The fans, noise,intensity and unity was amazing. It was atough game but we wanted the win more thanthey did. Our team dominated them on thefield. After we won the game and the fansrushed the field, having the whole team,parents and my friends celebrating with mewas great, senior Andy Dorais said.Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 26, 27To prepare for playing on the turf in theRCA Dome the team practiced in theMellencamp Pavilion on the IndianaUniversity campus. It was hard for the teamto get used to playing on the turf instead ofgrass which was what they had always playedon in the past.We practiced at the Mellencamp Pavilionfor two days before going to the Dome to getused to a dome-indoor atmosphere and get afeel for playing on it. We needed some time toadapt to the turf because I think it is harderto play on turf than grass. I think it gave usan edge going into the game getting topractice on the turf while Penn was outside. Itwas also something different and excitinggetting to practice in such a nice facility,senior Rob Dascal said.Friday, Nov. 28The team practiced in the RCA DomeFriday morning. After eating lunch at theSpaghetti Factory to load up oncarbohydrates, they watched the IA and 2AState final games before heading back toBloomington to get some rest for the game thenext day.Probably the thing I remember the mostabout the whole dome week was when theteam went to the Dome on Friday. It wasamazing. We walked in and nobody else wasin there; it was empty. You could hear everylittle sound, and then we got to practice there.The whole day was a build-up to the game onSaturday, senior Brad DeStefano said.Saturday, Nov. 29The excitement mounted and fans madetheir way to Indianapolis, following thepurple and white signs and balloons along thehighway. The team played the PennKingsmen in a tough, close game, losing 20-21.I couldnt believe the excitement as theteam ran onto the field. It touched me that somany people turned out to support us. Theteam tried to mentally prepare for the gamebut I feel we didnt do enough, and thats howwe lost it. The game was really intense andclose. The moment I realized we werent goingto win the game will always stand out in mymind. I felt we were the better team on thefield by far; the score just didnt show it,junior Andrew Danielson said.Saturday night, Nov. 29After the game, everyone gathered at theNational Guard Armory to socialize and talkabout the outcome of the game into the earlymorning hours. The parents providedrefreshments and a DJ for all the fans to enjoywhile at the Armory.It was very nice of the parents and fans tohave a get together at the Armory after thegame. It was good to see all the people thereeven though everyone was tired and bummedout. The fans put a lot of work into theArmory, the decorations and all the food anddrinks. I felt really bad when we got back toBloomington, but when I got to the Armoryand saw how everyone was in a good mood andcongratulating everyone else, it made me feela lot better, senior Kelby Waldrip said.Sunday, Nov. 30Sunday afternoon many fans and parentsattended a pep rally in Carmichael Hall totake a moment to look back at the season.Even though the season was over, there weremany high points to look back at.It was happy and sad at the same timewhen we all got to the pep rally on Sunday.The speakers had a lot of good things to sayabout the season. It was good to think aboutall of the great things we accomplished and toget recognized for them. All of the parents andfans there to show their support really got me.I guess even though we didnt end the seasonwith a winning game I still feel weaccomplished so much, senior Justin Maysaid.Senior Daniel Claybrook leaves the field with hismetal after the team loses to Penn 21-20 in the 5Achampionship game. Claybrook scored on atouchdown pass from junior Rex Grossman in thefirst quarter.Story by Andrea MorrisPhotos by Avery ThatcherCheering on their teammates, sophomores Chad Luck and DavidSchunk celebrate after a touchdown. However, Penn was the first toscore on a punt return in the first quarter, and this was the first timethat the Panthers had been down all season.After causing a fumble, senior Brad DeStefano looks to recover theball. DeStefano. who played free saftey, was part of a defensive unitthat led the state in scoring defense.Cheering on the team, junior Dathon Lawler and senior Todd Edwardsget the crowd pumped up during the game. There were approximately7.500 South fans at the game; many were equiped with BB-filled milkjugs.road to the dome 61
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/5567
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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