SACCO: The battle to remember

By Jim Sacco

Published: September 11, 2008

The boyish glee that broke out over their faces was astounding.
It was one of those moments that writers struggle to capture and the players never forget.
The smiles, the giggles, the tears.
“Excuse us for a second,” we thought to ourselves, “are we covering a cheerleading meet or a football game?”
In the rough-and-tough world of plastic slapping plastic and bones jarred from hits, those smiles, giggles and tears aren’t the norm. They’re the exception.
And that’s what made the 2004 edition of the Battle for the Ball one of the more memorable ones. It was the last time the annual Target Turnpike slugfest had that kind of Old-Oaken-Bucket feel or that Commonwealth-Cup craziness surrounding it. 
Nobody is to blame for that. Only the scoreboard.
Since the last time the Little Giants held onto the coveted Ball in 2005, the games haven’t exactly been the most electrifying to watch.
But thank the football gods for that 2004 game. The game that introduced the term “B gap” into River City lexicon and sent seniors the likes of Jordan Purvis and Stanley Barbour into a hissy-fit of hugs, giggles and, of course, those uncommon tears at a football game.
It was exciting.
It was moving.
It was 33 seconds left to play.
It was fourth-and-1 for Stuarts Draft on the Waynesboro 1-yard line.
It was the Little Giants holding precariously on to a five-point lead, 28-23, after watching the Cougars, in the first year of the Jake Gray era, score 17 unanswered points in a fourth quarter that could have sent shivers down the spine of jellyfish — if they had one, of course.
It was Purvis, the lineman they called “Bacon” (and if you saw him then, the name was as form fitting as a Speedo), rushing through the Cougars’ line to stop Isaiah Miller — then a freshman — in the backfield.
It was Troy Vest joining after Purvis’ initial hit to make sure Miller, even a squirmy scamperer at that age, couldn’t wiggle his way free. With those two guys it wasn’t going to happen.
It was a sideline exploding. It was watching stone-faced Waynesboro coach Danny Dorton finally smiling.
And it was watching Barbour, seconds before Miller’s fateful run, waving his hands in the air furiously to amp up the Waynesboro crowd. They followed suit, led by what seemed to be the whole Waynesboro boys’ soccer team with non-athletes thrown in here and there.
“I love it,” said Waynesboro quarterback Jamar Bowie. He was snuggling that trophy like a baby leaving all to wonder if he “loved” the experience, “loved” the atmosphere, “loved” the Ball or all of the above.
It was the first time those Waynesboro seniors touched the darn thing. It was a win that also showed how close — despite losing seasons — that Waynesboro team was.
“That’s my boy,” Barbour said, glancing back at midfield where Purvis was surrounded by reporters. “We’ve been through it all for years. That’s what we’re all about. We play together. We practice together. We live together. We’re a family. That’s that never gonna change. Not ever.”
Here’s hoping they meant it.
The Little Giants would win it one last time in 2005 sans the last-second excitement. That game was a 30-0 blowout during Draft’s notorious 0-10 season.
The Cougars, with coach Rod Bowers onboard in 2006, would win it 22-7 and keep it by whitewashing the Little Giants 52-0 the next year.
Sorry, but all the battles after 2004 were just nondescript sidebars in a 10-game season.
We’d love to see it bring out some boyish glee once again, and have it brought out in everybody.