Boy, did we have a fun FNL season this year. About a year ago we decided to leave the team Madden has been playing on since first grade. Jake had been assistant coaching and just felt like it was time to move on. Last spring we landed on a great team and had one of the best seasons Madden had ever experienced but unfortunately we couldn't stay with that team because several of the boys were a year older and they moved up. We were once again without a team and stressing that Madden wouldn't found a team to play on. Then luck fell our way and Madden's buddy Ian had a spot on his team and we were in! Jake being the awesome guy he is, reached out to the coach of the team letting him know he would be more than willing to help out with practice, etc. Two weeks later the coach text Jake, told him he didn't have the time and that Jake was the the Head Coach. So we went from almost not having a team to having a team and Jake now head coaching. Jake had been a assistant coach for several seasons so he was more than happy to step up to the challenge, and boy, a challenge it was..haha! Several of the boys on the team either had never played or hadn't play for many years.
The first couple games were rough to watch and I was already planning our exit for when the season was over. Jake seeing the struggles and if you know Jake, hates to lose, really took the time and worked with our team. Half way through the season the boys got their groove. The highlight of the season for me was when we played the team we had left and we beat them. We ended the season winning 5 straight games and had a ton of momentum going into the playoffs.
The playoffs were amazing, they had us playing back to back games and we were dominating each team. The first round I believe we were scoring 40+ points and the boys were stoked. After 5 playoff wins we were in the championship game! Madden has been playing FNL since kindergarten and had never won a playoff game and now he was in a championship game. In the end we lost and were the runners-up, but boy, it still felt like a championship win to me. From seeing where the boys started to being in the big game was just amazing.
I couldn't of been more proud of Jake and Madden for all their hard work and commitment.
Very nice write-up of the football season. Great pictures of Madden and his team. Great job coaching, Jake. Madden is quite an athelete. Congratulations to the whole team on a great season. Love, Grand-ma
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