BY PETE MOHR | OCTOBER 10, 2012
Lights (Thursday, 7 p.m.) … Camera (Cox-7TV) … ACTION! “Senior Night” Falcons host Notre Dame Prep in AIA’s “Game of the Week”
Introducing new fan, Ms. Carolyn Smith
On deck for Senior Night – minus one. (Standing l-r) Head Football Coach Greg Davis, Cheer captains (and seniors) Emily Sill, Briana Vandibber, Noel Woolstenhulme, Shae Lowry, Brett Evens, and Head Spirit Line Coach Rika Cuff. (Kneeling l-r) Football Captains Matt Hartlen, Junior Brad Souva, Bryce Kinsler, Dillon Hasse, Kyle Hajek, and Kyle Gladstone, who will not play because of a recent concussion.
CSHS – Senior Night, Falcon Stadium, October 11 – Cactus Shadows seniors from Gary Wycoff’s “Fighting Falcons Marching Band” … from Rika Cuff’s Cheer … from Cindy Knuteson’s Pom … and from Greg Davis’ Football Falcons: All, presented by team and accompanied by proud parents and/or sponsors, will go to midfield for the pregame introductory recognition. Sonoran News congratulates each member. Collectively, you have provided rousing music, spirited athleticism and yes, competitive football that have entertained and revved up home crowds over your four CSHS years. You’ve made “Friday Night Lights” shine brighter!
And so, it’s Senior Night once again. The main event, Cactus Shadows vs. Notre Dame Prep, features 17 Football Falcon seniors, for whom it will be “put up or shut up” time for achieving their often-stated pre-season goal of winning on Senior Night and at Homecoming (October 26 against Shadow Mountain). Now an unexpected (and disappointing) 2-5 after last Friday’s 6-24 loss at Horizon, the ‘Birds will be playing for home turf pride – and to give CPR to their fading hopes of making the Division 2 State Playoffs. The Falcon are more than aware that to save this 2012 season, they must win Thursday night’s game. But defeating archrival Notre Dame Prep (3-4) won’t be easy – far from it. The visiting Saints have plenty of incentives.
For openers, Thursday night’s 48 minutes will represent NDP’s best shot to date at taking back to their north Scottsdale campus their first football victory at Falcon Stadium. Personally, I’m still enjoying two distinctly different memories of Notre Dame’s last football visit in 2005. The first of my two recalls is the hilarious pre-kickoff pursuit/capture of the streaker who, wearing little more than a facemask, leapt over the fence into the north end zone. He never made it past the goal line before being tackled by then Assistant Principal Clay Carpenter and Athletic Director Pete Gerlach, this unimagined trio forever recorded in this writer’s sports reporting history! I say, “Bravo to the streaker!” He had … heart!
My second recollection is football related. Triple competitive Michael Moorer (CSHS ’06) took the opening kickoff and raced 95 yards up the home sideline for a touchdown that provided the Falcons a wire-to-wire lead. Before an overflow crowd, what a Cactus Shadows night it was!
And Thursday night will mark the first CSHS-NDP meeting since the sudden death (to cancer) last January of Notre Dame’s first and highly-respected football head coach, (the late) Scot Bemis. Coach Bemis will always be remembered by the Notre Dame community. His spirit lives forever in the peace and perfection of heaven.
Now, it’s my privilege to introduce a new Falcons fan, one who has become special to me. She is Ms. Carolyn Smith. Most weekday mornings, I breakfast with “Miss Carolyn” (as she is respectfully addressed here in Virginia) and her wonderful guide dog, Faye. You see, Miss Carolyn is totally blind; and her left leg is amputated above the knee. In my 75 years, never have I encountered such an indomitable person! At her request, I’ve read to her all of the 2012 senior profiles that have appeared in this newspaper. Football seniors, Miss Carolyn “knows” all of you.
So it is that I exhort all Falcons to beat the Saints – not only for your pride, but, close behind, for Miss Carolyn. Come this Senior Night, she’ll be rooting hard for you – as I shall be too. “One ... two … three … FALCONS!”
