Saturday, November 19, 2016

Proud Grandma

Today my sweetheart and I will be on the road again. We are heading to a town two hours south of our home together with other fans cheering for our oldest grandson's football game.  Rylan is a senior this year so his football career is coming to an end.  He's a star player for his high school team, The Crusaders, from Salem Academy in Salem, Oregon.  He has been a very important part of the team through all of his high school years and this year has been no exception.  Today he and his teammates will play in the Oregon State Football Championship Semi-Finals!  The winner of this game will go on to play in the final game.
When we attend the football games our eyes are always on #3!  We join his other grandparents and cheer and clap and hold our breath at times.  We are always proud of him - on and off the field - but at last week's quarter-finals game we thought we would burst with pride at his skill and attitude and faith.  The game was evenly played - the scores stayed very close.  There was less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter.  Our team was behind by a few points. Then we got the ball!  We knew it would take something very special to pull this one off and win.  Rylan is a wide receiver which means many of the passes are thrown to him.  He's in good shape and fast and has been dependable in some tough situations.  And that's what happened last week! 
With less than half a minute to go in the game, the quarterback threw a long pass to Rylan.  We held our breath because it seemed impossible - it was a risk.  But suddenly, the ball was in Rylan's hands on the two-yard line! He avoided the challenges of the other team and ran into the end zone - scoring the winning touchdown!
We were thrilled!  His other grandma and I were hugged and cried and laughed and clapped.  But what happened next brought more tears.  Rylan dropped to his knees and gave thanks to God.  His faith is strong and he knows the glory belongs to God.
And then his teammates were there to congratulate him and start celebrating.
It didn't take long for the team to share their joy about winning and moving on toward the championship game. (That's Rylan airborne on the left!)
So, you ask if I'm proud of my grandson? You bet I am.  He is a neat young man - very caring and kind. Motivated and disciplined. But most of all with a big, big heart!  He's a good sport on and off the field.
After the game - Rylan with his mom (our daughter-in-law), his dad (our son) and his little sister (our youngest grandchild). His two brothers were somewhere nearby.

(Photos courtesy of the press and our dear daughter-in-law)

4 comments:

  1. What a handsome young man! You have a lot to be proud of. It must be so fun to watch him play :)

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  2. Hi sweetness! Oh, how proud you much be of your handsome grandson! So blessed to hear he is so strong in his faith and not ashamed to give God the glory. So many kids this age are not very vocal about what they believe because of criticism or what! God bless him and his family! I wish you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving, Adrienne!
    You're always a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  3. Congrats to him for a good high school football player.
    One of our grandsons played all thru high school and the last game of his senior yr was very memorable for him...and us...it's always a bit sad when they know it's the last game. Have a good Thanksgiving

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  4. You have good reason to be proud of Rylan. He's a special young man. It was so neat to see all the photos, and I really enjoyed seeing Rylan with his mom and dad and sister. What a beautiful family. Hugs, Nancy

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