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oͦx|Ncoǭt 'EUyUW+Œ21$: Egmj7J \-t.9_UϖXO8|Qa,Tgœ\?oJfߗg_?c գ6숵F)lt` l #E@4n>*w~uyn$A]ɏ HGZxO ~q pH\ ę^Y 4An'֥׉n_~hwD 9=H'_2Xwt-fLUB ae M(_L;n%:A5*]\"- w!EPTI8 M.5bUWp?|=9zB^?Qⵖa#F*^-7 g&!)eR7I& fߜt3#{hi5 t҄d6dG:zЍkvFA^XwO&qWGG:GQy nћ]Ym|Aicw4RJ ( }umy" BXP6ZeÉd9>X^%;yd XCPwS]W]滑rGs^o y#tk̵Ldu8/,rN=] h<$J˹cc8;Dz ͓Mr#:T烞W- ~>7axaS>kZOKUy۫ko6$g U-Cĺe5Lt "w\Zݤve>b 8[+Q4[p[PxZh;U:cM𵾕#۝!6}P6rԔuei%_cD ٸΟڙ[)R2G@8j,H\ {=T#yUFTÕ'Srn<\Jծ,^YAF:gqx1!^I$f QtJPA,\mk$ۃ,L1jN-(֡;QSEX:=]\>ڬsNڠtYʊ$6㪜货DY'gt9TE3^\+۞Ȩ.@{-\v"(b5:ֳ5=5-L v(&4@8ޕb核q E88[A]db]1:B|B6x5E>`N #mB ؎W=5b'q}3U&vI5҇ԥU hZ$g ue3t.rqW)ciIR F{cxʭۯq\ Wi[lJڹ(ltbnVVݳ^)j˽f,/A֫\mnzQM9NTbL30>֮5m;V^ܲ繧D&=ߍn(TY>2ϑ>?:ӆO6@Qګ=t;XaPY3]9בIXwǯa\_wMpq#)K1p:zU$Σ\SN=b>*ז?%T.59&zS}j`6=N0JM8 QxT got the silt washed out of our clothes, we flew back to Anchorage rated number one in the state for the third week in a row. </P> <P>The next game was played on the astro turf in Anchorage.&nbsp; The opposite team had a new coach and was very optimistic.&nbsp; We beat them 28-0.&nbsp; When we stood next to them before the game I noticed that they were the same height as us but their jersey sleeves were half empty (not enough muscle).&nbsp; I took a second glance and saw that the entire team was too lean.&nbsp; As I turned to my players I said, "Boys, this is going to be a lesson in weight training."&nbsp; The game was not without event.&nbsp; Our running back, Yohance Humphrey, ran for over 200 yards but tore a corner off his medial meniscus.&nbsp; After being "scoped", he had to sit out for three weeks to heal.&nbsp; It seemed that God had a lesson to teach us.&nbsp; If we did not have a real sense of faith, we could have gone over to the dark side of despair.&nbsp; We had to keep our eye single to the glory of our goal.&nbsp; Now that we had lost 2 All-State players to injury, we had to decide how to use smoke and screens to hide our weaknesses.</P> <P>Our coaches convinced our players that they were going to have to pick up the slack.&nbsp; Our goals were team goals!&nbsp; So we prepared for the team that was third place in our conference.&nbsp; We did not allow them to cross the 50-yard line the entire second half of the game.&nbsp; The first series of offense we lost our All-State offensive tackle to a knee sprain.&nbsp; We did not skip a beat!&nbsp; We put in our second string offense tackle and he did a great job!&nbsp; Our kicker just kicked a 40-yard field goal to go ahead with 50 seconds left.&nbsp; Somehow, they managed to drive the ball down to our 23-yard line.&nbsp; With time running out while signaling for a time out, time expired.&nbsp; The place erupted with kids jumping all around.&nbsp; But the referees put one second on the clock, saying West High did call a time out before the clock read 00:00.&nbsp; With that second on the clock, they kicked a 23-yard field goal to win the game.&nbsp; Another test for the Mustangs.&nbsp; The only thing I could tell my team was God had something in mind for us. </P> <P>Now we had lost three All-State players but we shut out the next team by rushing for 268-yards using 10 different backs.&nbsp; Even though we had some key players out, due to injuries, the team improved and continued to win.&nbsp; Our All-American running back had four carries for 76-yards, but was still limping.</P> <P>The play-offs started with a few of our hurt players coming off injured reserve.&nbsp; Star running back, Yohance Humphrey and All-State player Roger Patterson had recovered from knee injuries and joined a team that won two games without them.&nbsp; Our experience really paid off this year.&nbsp; Before, it seemed like we were asking people to give blood at the hospital.&nbsp; We kept getting better through the play-offs, even winning in a snow storm.&nbsp; But it was not over yet.&nbsp; The Semi-final game also came down to the wire.&nbsp; Our running back ran for 311 yards and looked like he was about 90% in comparison with his usual game performance.</P> <P>The state championship game came down to the two best teams; champs and runners-up from last year's performance, Chugiak's Mustangs and Palmer's Moose.&nbsp; Each team had two great backs, two excellent quarterbacks and each offense accustomed to getting its way on the field.&nbsp; The defenses on each team were loaded with talented players.&nbsp; Each team had healed from earlier injuries.&nbsp; The team who wanted it the most and