Before I say anything else I need to address the devastating Madden loss the other night. As Chris danced around the RV like a 10 year old who finally beat his older brother, I sat in shock and defeat. In an instant my record winning streak was over and I had to listen to Chris brag about overcoming computer assistance and bribed digital refs. Bottom line, my man Brett Farve played well, but the Packer D couldn't come up with the key stops and Chris inspired his Panthers to the W.
Anyway, back to reality. The halls of McKinley are lined with hundreds of posters, the windows are painted in the school colors, and the campus is loaded with excitement for this Saturday's battle. McKinley's run at a state title last year was ended after a shocking upset by Massillon who McKinley defeated earlier 38-8 in the regular season. Many members of this year's undefeated squad have last year's playoff loss fresh in their minds and despite Massillon's 5 and 4 record, you can be assured that McKinley will take nothing for granted this weekend.
Watching the Bulldog's practice was a spectacle in itself. Their stadium seats 24,000 and hosts the inaugural Hall of Fame game every year, which is the first NFL preseason game. Directly behind the visiting stands is the actual Hall of Fame that Chris and I visited when we first got into town. While Massillon boasts a history that includes Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown and arguably the most history laden program at the high school level, McKinley is not short on tradition either. Furthermore, in recent history McKinley has taken home the coveted Ohio State Title on multiple occasions and has won the last two regular season battles in this rivalry.
So after all this, it was time for us to head over to downtown Canton's Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the World Series on one screen. On another screen we checked out Lufkin High School take on The Woodlands, who we saw in week 1. This made for another great night. We talked it up with the locals about Saturday's game, ate greasy food that would make Jenny Craig chow down, and it was a sweet ending to another day on the trip of a lifetime.
As we get ready to write predictions now is the time to chime in on this game, the looming playoffs, or whatever you want!