Our expectations are always high at this time of the year for the boys wearing the pads. More than likely those expectations will not be met by season’s end. I for one don’t necessarily know if I have high expectations for my team, Clemson, or if they are just high hopes. While my hope that the Tigers will end up playing for the conference championship and a BCS bowl game, I realize just hoping for a decent season is more of a reality. For Georgia fans your expectations are much higher, hoping that the Dawgs will return to the place they open the season in a few weeks, Dome sweet Dome. An appearance in the Dome’s SEC title game and a trip to a BCS bowl game and possibly a national title are what the people in red and black hope for at season’s end.
As for the Madison County Red Raiders, their season kicks off Friday night at Flowery Branch. Are your expectations on a high level for the Raiders or are you just hoping for a decent season? Madison County, already in a tough region, will face off against very tough competition in teams such as Flowery Branch, Rockdale, Loganville, Salem, Apalachee, and our friends from Clarke County: Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central. Some of the questions entering this year’s campaign include: are there any soft spots in this year’s schedule? How will the Raiders respond to our expectations? What will be the keys to success for our guys in red and grey? Why are the coaches doing this or that?
All of the questions and expectations we have held inside, regardless of the teams we follow, are all usually answered within the first three weeks of the season. As for the Raiders, we also hope and would love to see them take a trip to the Dome for the state semifinals. But are those hopes of making an appearance in the Dome that far out of reach for Madison County? We will know right away as there will be little room for error in a tough upcoming season for Raiders.
As for the fans who have the high expectations or even those that would just be happy if we beat the much-hated Clarke County teams, will we still be there to support our team if things turn sour? Over the summer I have heard a few complaints about lack of fan support not necessarily in numbers but in noise. Some have compared Raider stadium to a graveyard due to the quietness of the crowd. There is nothing wrong with having high expectations. But will the unmet expectations of our teams cause us to just be a bunch of cardboard cutouts that attend the game only because our kids are playing and no other reason? Or will we be there with the same hype and making the same noise as we were at the start of the season? Will we still support the coaching staffs or will we question them if we get off to a 1-2 or 1-3 season? I am guilty of all the above just as some of you may be. It’s on the job description of being a fan right? It’s just what we do. But the question remains: does it do anything to help the team?
Just as Texas A&M considers its crowd and student body as the 12th man, this should be the same feeling at Madison County not just in football but in other sports as well. In college or professional sports, a winning team will sell the tickets and fire up the crowds. Lose two or three games and we tend to feel the season is a loss and out the window go our expectations. Regardless of the outcome of the first three games of any team we follow, the guys on the field will demand our respect and support.
Negative fan opinions or some who see school sports as too political will affect the kids involved. As a result, they don’t play together as a team, win as a team, or lose as a team. Those problems are everywhere from the large cities to the small towns schools. You’ve got to respect those kids who can play through adversity and any negativity that follows the game from the other side of the fence.
As football season prepares to kick off Friday night, it’s time for the Raider faithful to get loud and proud and support the Raiders and Mustangs. The first three games usually set the tone for the season, but even if our teams stumble out of the gate our version of the 12th man will always be needed. A friend and former Raider player summed it up best with this post on my Facebook page, “The Raiders ain’t ever lost….only run out of time sometimes.” On the other hand, I always like what Larry Munson echoed when in the lead late, “Run you stupid clock!”
My prediction of records after the first three football games: Raiders 1-2 (defeat Winder Barrow), Mustangs 3-0, Georgia 2-1 (lose to South Carolina) and Clemson 2-1 (lose to Auburn).
Dallas Bordon is the former sports editor for The Comer News/Danielsville Monitor.
