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2021 Week 6 (New York & Pennsylvania)

2021 Week 6 (New York & Pennsylvania)

If any week didn’t go as planned, it would be this one. It started out with plans to see a Thursday night game in New York, a Friday night contest in Smethport, and then back to New York for an afternoon game between St. Joseph’s and Erie, and head back to Erie for a night game at Mercyhurst Prep. All four games would’ve been new places for me.

But, then those preliminary plans started unraveling. First, the Thursday game was cancelled when Gowanda/Pine Valley was unable to complete their game with Fredonia the week prior. And took the forfeit against Southwestern for Thursday night. Continue reading “2021 Week 6 (New York & Pennsylvania)”

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2021 Week 5 (Pennsylvania & New York)

2021 Week 5 (Pennsylvania & New York)

As has become a custom, this week did not go as planned. The schedule mostly went as planned. But, Saturday night threw a monkey wrench into the plans. Cochranton was hosting Northwestern. Though I’d have seen both previously, and had been to Cochranton for a rare Thursday game years ago, it worked with a trip to Panama, New York and a short drive home Saturday night. Continue reading “2021 Week 5 (Pennsylvania & New York)”

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2021 Week 4 (Pennsylvania)

2021 Week 4 (Pennsylvania)

This week went a little off-kilter compared to the original plans. I had planned a Thursday night in Ohio. And my Saturday was a bit different. Schedule wise, things went a bit well after the initial upheaval. However, I did have some issues along the way. Mostly on Saturday. But, in the end, Pennsylvania was on tap for four games and a Browns game Sunday to cap the weekend. Continue reading “2021 Week 4 (Pennsylvania)”

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2021 Week 3 (Ohio & Indiana)

2021 Week 3 (Ohio & Indiana)

Week 3 was a long awaited return to Indiana for myself. After COVID had restricted opportunities to visit the Hoosier State, a trip back to Muncie for the CIC Day was circled on the calendar the moment we saw it posted on the schedule.

The CIC Day is when all four league games of the Central Indiana Conference are played at Scheumann Stadium, the home stadium of Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. With that, came finding games to go with it. And an obvious one was on the docket: Delta hosting Yorktown. Continue reading “2021 Week 3 (Ohio & Indiana)”

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2021 Week 1 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)

2021 Week 1 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)

This week was supposed to be much different than what it turned out. I had planned a weekend in New Jersey for the 11-game Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. I had arrangements made a few months in advance and had a great rate for a hotel to make it worthwhile. However, while in Georgia, the hotel cancelled my reservation. Hotels.com was useless as they claimed since I wasn’t charged anything for the room, there’s nothing wrong with them cancelling. However, they didn’t cancel due to overbooking or a clerical issue. It was because with the COVID-19 protocols loosening in the Garden State, that they could now charge more. Much more. Almost four times more than I had originally booked. And with last minute rates ridiculously high, I made the decision to not make the trip to New Jersey.
Continue reading “2021 Week 1 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)”

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2021 Week 0 (Georgia)

2021 Week 0 (Georgia)

The offseason wasn’t nearly as long as I thought it’d be. Though I wasn’t wrong on the dates, it still seemed to fly by. I did do a bit of work related travel. Saw a few baseball games along the way. Including games in Willmar, Minnesota and Spearfish, South Dakota. And I had considered once again starting my season in Utah. However, some personal reasons made me want to pass up a Utah/North Dakota split weekend for a trip with my daughter. I had been in between North Dakota, Minnesota, and Texas since mid-June. And I didn’t want to stay away for a very good reason. Continue reading “2021 Week 0 (Georgia)”

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2020 Year In Review

2020 Year In Review

Unlike in past years, I can safely say that 2020 was a year unlike any other. As the season neared, there was an increasing likelihood of there not even being a season. Covid-19 was having its way with most everyone’s plans. And at some point I had resigned myself to just going with the flow and see what happens.

And for better or worse, 2020 had turned into one of my most memorable and somehow enjoyable seasons I’ve ever had. My third full year covering games for PA Football News took me on a wild ride to places I both wanted to go but hadn’t and places I never knew I wanted to. And I managed to knock off a few bucket-list worthy locales along the way. Continue reading “2020 Year In Review”

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2020 Week S15 (New York City)

2020 Week S15 (New York City)

I was rather certain that Week S14 was going to be my last possible week of high school football of the extended 2020 season. A trip to New York City isn’t cheap. And for just two games it was more for the novelty of it. I had wanted to see a PSAL game for a few years, so it was definitely a consideration. However, just like trips to Virginia to start the spring season, the cost becomes a issue. However, there was a new twist. There was an additional game on a Thursday afternoon. The schedule had showed Abraham Lincoln hosting a game on Friday afternoon at 3pm. Which would mean a slightly earlier start from home. But, there was a Thursday game at 4:30pm in Brooklyn. Now, three games, and with some planning ahead for a hotel, should make things a bit more manageable. It was just a matter of getting access to that game. Continue reading “2020 Week S15 (New York City)”

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2020 Week S14 (New York City)

2020 Week S14 (New York City)

I wasn’t expecting any more football for the 2020 season. It was already the end of May when I found out that I was wrong. And I found it almost entirely by accident. After Section 6 of New York had completed their season on the 15th, I was mildly curious if any other sections had yet to finish their season. I was certain that the state as a whole had set the mid-May deadline for games in the Fall II season. But, I went to Maxpreps of all places and searched for NY schedules. Continue reading “2020 Week S14 (New York City)”