Game On!

Matthew's long, prestigious football career has finally begun! I signed Matt up for flag football back in February, and at the end of March he had his first practice and first game. This organization is sponsored by the NFL, so all the teams are NFL teams. Matt plays for the Panthers, and he and his team are up against the Giants and the Texans this season. Repeatedly. For 6 weeks. He was SUPER excited the first day of practice. He got his game-day jersey and his flag belt. At practice I learned he needed a mouth guard, so afterward we went in search of one of those. 5 & 6 year olds need a mouth guard? What kind of game is this?? He's still getting used to the thing. Practice was hilarious; no one knew what was going on but they were all so enthusiastic about playing. Matt was totally bragging to all his new friends that he was a super fast runner and that he had played football before. If you count playing in the backyard with your dad and little brother! Their first game was the following morning.

Matt was all set to go. I expected pure chaos on the field because these kids don't even know the fundamentals or rules of playing the game. There's only one kid on the team that has even played before.

Matt had quite the fan club present that morning; Team Rener, Grandma & Grandpa, Poppi & Grann, and Uncle Tim & Aunt Pam. Steven caught most of the game before having to leave for work, wah-wah. I'm pretty sure he was the only dad on the sideline wearing a tie. :)

Coach Ryan did his best to prep the boys for the game. He really is a sweet, patient man and is perfect for working with these little boys. I am just pleased that Matt listens to him and does his best to follow his instructions.

When really, that first game, all the kids were preoccupied with their mouth guards. Hilarious.

Watching the game was like watching a blooper reel; the snapping of the ball and QB to center exchange, the handoff from QB to RB and repeated dropped balls, the "take the ball and run that way!!!" yells. So, so funny. Matt's first run with the ball he totally ran in the wrong direction. We were all beside ourselves and yelling like crazy. He finally headed back in the right direction and ended up scoring a TD.

The kid can run. He's pretty fast once he knows which way to go! He said his favorite part is defense where he gets to try and pull flags. This week at practice the coach really focused on the fundamentals, and we saw some improvements at this week's game. These kids still have a lot to learn, but they are having a blast.

Steven is having a hard time reconciling his high expectations with the reality that these are 5 & 6 year olds playing football for the first time. Kids standing around and running the wrong way drove him up a wall yesterday. I thought they did better. And Matt scored another touchdown. It's funny, when Matt told his Aunt Sarah that he had scored a touchdown, he was sure to say "and my Daddy never scored a touchdown, but I did!". That's right, Matt. It's going to be a great season. Go Panthers!