228: First sign of fall!

The boys started football practice on Friday. Just a few more weeks till my favorite time of year.

204: Football Camp

246: Football v Eureka

Tough game against Eureka today.

I like how this picture looks like Israel is running away from home (in full gear with his football).

Sort of weird when you live close enough to the school that your home shows up in football pictures.

242: First Fall Football Road Trip

Zoran taking a break from watching football and his own sideline football games to hang out with his sister so I could take some pictures. (He actually came and asked if he could take her for awhile.) After this Azia took her and feed her. It's so nice for both me and Zayda that she has such great siblings.

We had a super long road trip (3+ hours, one way) to start off the football season. I was surprised my younger kids actually wanted to go. We almost decided not to at the last minute, but then they were sad they were going to miss Israel's first football game of the year. I actually don't mind the drive to Eureka, at least I wouldn't it I was someone who liked drives at all. It's really pretty getting there and the town is in a great area. . . if it only wasn't three hours away. Although having kids that want to do sports in rural Montana is improving my hatred of driving. My kids are so much better at road trips than I am. They like going places and they're all getting pretty knowledgeable about Montana geography, too. Lex likes to memorize the order of little towns along each long route. They're all collecting favorite stops in some of the towns we pass through more often.

204: Football Camp

Robbie, Coach Ferris, Israel

Israel has had football camp the last couple days. I can't wait for fall.

Football season (and weather) seems so much better than this hot, smokey summer!

289: stealing the turf at half time

The high school boys had their last football game tonight against Ronan.

At the moment it seems sort of sad and depressing that the senior boys won't be back again next fall. So instead of dwelling on the sad things about all these kids getting older, I'll think about all the fun still in store with these younger ones who will still be around for another decade or so. . .

278: Stiff Arm.

Possibly my favorite football of Israel to date. In their win this evening over Troy.

277: Punt Pass Kick

Azia won the local Punt Pass Kick competition and the opportunity to compete at the sectional competition. She didn't place at that level, but it was a fun afternoon watching her compete with all the other kids from Western Montana.

Also, I don't think she did too bad at all considering the week before she came home from school and asked me, "Hey, Mom, what's punting?"

Not too bad for a beginner!

271: MHS Football Team, 2022

a collection of little brothers on the sidelines; Missoula Loyola JV game

They're all watching their older brothers, getting ready.

254: Still Fire Season

It was sort of eerie out when the football game started. Normally it would be regular daylight this early in the season. Instead it was this strange sort of twilight--the sun was so hazy it almost looked like sunset (a few hours before the sun was actually setting). The air didn't seem that bad in Mission, but it was so bad in Missoula they actually cancelled all the day's high school athletics. I guess it was bad all the way into Arlee. So many parents complained about the awful air quality there, they even cancelled soccer for the whole valley the next morning. 

240: Israel's First High School Football Game

Mission had their opening football game tonight. They did really well against Plains and were up 22-0 by the half, so the second half a lot of the younger kids got some good playing time.

Israel did really well. He moved to running back this year and it seems to be a good fit for him. He isn't found of me saying I'd prefer if he was bigger to play running back at the varsity level, though he's pretty fast and was dragging around some other players attempting to tackle him pretty well for a less-than-140-pound guy. He had 20 yards with his 4 carries which isn't a bad start to a high school career at all. The most exciting moment of the night (and sort of the most disappointing one as well) was his run that was literally inches (6? maybe 8) short of a touchdown.  So, so close. . .

227: MHS Scrimmage

Israel's first time in a high school uniform!

Just practice uniforms and just an informal scrimmage, but the team looks like they're getting off to a good start. Their first game is less than two weeks away.