Never ending season for Bucs

By Bob Kopp

BDR Sports Correspondent

It echoes throughout Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois, and beyond: “Once a Buc, Always a Buc!”

If I have to explain that to you, you wouldn’t understand.

While Harlem and Hononegah have learned valuable lessons from Belvidere’s comparatively large school district establishing two separate high schools, Buc identity and pride still run deep in the veins of the community; even as Belvidere and North are developing mutual respect and increasing cooperation.

Yes, there was a playoff game between the Bucs and Woodstock Marian Central Catholic on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the Hurricanes dominating the second half after a closely contested first two quarters for a convincing 41-7 win and the privilege to travel to formidable Joliet Catholic Academy in the second round.

Rain, wind, cold, and a mud bowl masquerading as a football field greeted both squads for their Saturday afternoon match-up.

Senior Emitt Peisert ran for 210 yards on 17 carries and TD sprints of 9, 13, and 6 yards and caught a short pass on the second play of the second half and dodged and darted 75 yards to stake the Hurricanes to a 27-7 advantage that put the game in their rearview mirror.

The Bucs knotted the game at 7-7 in the second quarter on a bestial bolt up the gut for a score by senior Austin Ziraxe.  Never sniffing pay dirt again, the Bucs were limited by the playing conditions and junior all-conference quarterback Austin Revolinski could not throw to his deep and talented reservoir of receivers to mount a comeback.

It was sadly paradoxical to learn the IHSA forbade Woodstock from their traditional opening prayer while seemingly unconscious to the gross eligibility inequities between public and private schools.  While this correspondent’s spiritual empathies are with the Christian private schools of all persuasions, public education has always been the backbone of America as it levels the playing field and offers relatively equal academic and athletic opportunities defying socioeconomics.

Though applauding the academic and athletic excellence of private schools concomitant to confident and unashamed Christian confessionals, the playing fields are not equal because of eligibility inequities.  Like baseball records asterisked by chemicals, public and private schools vying for the same championships is questionable at minimum.

Yes, there was a playoff game between the Bucs and Hurricanes on Saturday in Woodstock; but a much bigger story of the never ending season for Belvidere was evident on the host’s marshland long after the clock expired.

With Woodstock Marian’s coaches, players, and fans long gone along with most of the Bucs crowd that filled their side of the field to almost capacity and dwarfed the host’s attendance, the Bucs coaches, players, and many parents tested the patience of the Hurricanes maintenance crew by a stunning display of fraternity, affection, respect, and loss not of a game but of the opportunity for this particular team to ever stride into action again.

Strong men embracing in tears with unashamed expressions of love humbled the remnant of hosts and reporters still within sight and heralded a tradition, family, and hope that continue the never ending season for Belvidere.

Scoreboards are fixed for brief moments in time.

Spiritual bonds are eternal.

That’s why the never ending season for Bucs continues long after the final play in the rain, cold, and mud of Woodstock Marian Central Catholic High School.

“Once a Buc, always a Buc!”

If I have to explain that to you…