For the photos below:
#1 -- Jack actually took down the guy who's carrying the ball. See the little legs with gold socks back there? That's Jack. He tackled the guy, held on, and slowed him down enough for another Solebury player to come help finish bringing him down. Post tackle, Jack had to lay on the ground for a minute and then limped off to the sidelines.
#2 -- This is proof that Jack actually had his hands on the ball this season! The photo's so blurry 'cause I think I was so surprised. The Solebury kickoff returner bobbled the ball and dropped it and Jack had the presence of mind to grab it and run. He only made it two or three yards this time, but, believe it or not, the same thing happened on another kickoff and Jack gained almost 10 yards, giving them position for a touchdown run on the next play.
#3 -- Another don't-forget-how-tiny-Jack-is photograph. Most of those boys are fifth graders who weight 15-20 pounds more than Jack. In physics, momentum equals mass times velocity. Jack is quick, but I don't think he'll ever be able to generate enough velocity to make up for a guy whose mass is 25-30% more than his. But, Jack just grabs hold and hangs on, and eventually the guy comes down or one of Jack's teammates comes over to help. The guy Jack's about to slap hands with is the one he tackled in photo #1.
#4 -- Fiona spent a lot of time during Jack's game sampling, and guarding, the team's snacks. She also plays with all the big kids like she's one of them. Last week, she "worked out" with the U14 boys soccer team that practices after Jack's practice. While we were waiting for Jack to finish up, I looked over, and Fiona was kicking the ball around as part of a group of five or six teenagers ... wait 'til she starts playing football!
#5-- After football, we had to rush Jack over for his travel team's soccer tournament. They won the game and Jack is starting to play more aggressively, although why he needs that tongue out all the time, I don't know. As I've said before, I guess if "tongue out" worked for Michael Jordan, it's OK for Jack. He also logged some sideline minutes this game after taking a kick to the "personal area."
Last photo is from Owen's flag game this week. Over the season, I've noticed that when Owen is standing on the line before the play, he keeps taking his mouthpiece out. It's become apparent that what he is doing is "trash talking" before the play. With the number of tackles he's made, I guess it's working, although I question whether it's sportsmanship-like.
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