Post by Tiff'blz on Oct 3, 2007 19:21:47 GMT -5
The quiet side of the game
The Vikings of TSD gather for their pregame prayer before taking on Arkansas School for the Deaf on Sept. 15.
By Dave Ford
D.Ford@TheKnoxvilleJournal.com
Their world is silent, free of onfield trash talk. They react by sight and instinct. When the whistle blows, they keep hitting until they see their coach waving his hands to stop. They’re underestimated and underappreciated by the so-called main newspaper in town, yet a member of their team has attracted a few Division II recruiters.
They are the Tennessee School for the Deaf football team.
TSDs Tyler Antrican sheds the tackle of Arkansas’ Raheem Brown en route to a big gain in the first half of the Vikings’ homecoming game.
Tennessee’s John Darr drags this defender on his way to the goal line. His run set up Tyler Antrican’s first touchdown of the game. The world of these young men is not much different from the ones that bask in the lights of Friday night football games all around Knoxville and the rest of the country every season. These young men play on Saturdays and instead of the standard 11-on-11 format, they play 8-on-8, mainly to accommodate the lack of players on each roster. And instead of the coaches and the quarterbacks yelling out the plays at the line of the scrimmage, these players use hand signals, not so the other team won’t steal their plays, but they do it because they have no alternative.
On this night, Sept. 15, TSD (1-2) welcomed the Arkansas Leopards for the annual homecoming game. The visiting Leopards (2-1) only have 11 players, while the host Vikings have just 19.
The pregame emotion involves chest-bumping and a team prayer, which are two aspects of the game that can always be seen week to week, but this game is different. The addition of emotional facial gestures and fast, efficient signing accompany the final thoughts of these teams about to go to battle.
The emotional leader of the Vikings seemed to be No. 50 Jacob Huff, a senior at TSD. By pounding his teammates’ shoulder pads, crashing other helmets with his and wildly jumping around, Huff’s passion for the game was very obvious.
The game starts off quickly for Arkansas, as it recovers its own onside kick. Shortly after, Marcus Henderson recovers his own fumble and runs 42 yards for the score. The Leopards go up 6-0.
While the action on the field continues, the action off it is just as fast or faster. Little by little, the crowd grows, the stands fill to capacity and spill over to the area behind the fence.
Arkansas recovers another fumble, this time by the Vikings. Henderson breaks away again for a spectacular 57-yard touchdown run to put his team ahead 12-0.
The action off the field continues to grow, hands and fingers swirling so fast they make a sound like that of a moth to a flame. The community of the deaf as well as those that sign but have the ability to hear, speak to each other with such happiness as expressed in their faces and gestures, as if they are truly glad to converse with each other.
Tennessee fumbles the kickoff return, the Leopards recover. Raheem Brown runs off the right end for a five-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion is good and they extend their lead to 20-0.
Friendly faces greet one another and old friends meet once again, as the emotion of the game has no effect on the catching up going on off it.
The Leopards score again, but TSD strikes back with its main man No. 21 Tyler Antrican, the one who’s getting some attention from the next level. Antrican scores from two-yards out and also sticks the conversion. The Leopards lead 26-8.
But the lead gets bigger.
Brown puts together back-to-back runs, one for 55 yards, to put the game out of reach at 40-8 in the second quarter.
And after the defensive coordinator for the Leopards signs the play “Big Monster,” Antrican breaks a huge 62-yard touchdown down the left sideline to slightly bridge the gap at 40-16 at the half.
The homecoming court is introduced and the crowd reacts as each individual signs her name and where she is from. Flashbulbs pop and smiles can be seen all around. Watching the deaf communicate is nothing like these eyes have ever seen.
Henderson catches a 45-yard touchdown pass to open the second half and extend his team’s lead once again to 48-16.
Antrican makes his presence felt again, this time on a halfback toss play to No. 4 Heath Tripplett for the score. The Leopards’ lead shrinks to 48-24.
But shortly thereafter, Arkansas’ Nathan Burleson runs nearly the length of the field for a touchdown. With less than eight minutes to play, the game was no longer in question, but to those that attended the event, other than the players for TSD, no hearts were broken, no tears were shed.
The Vikings will pick themselves up and play another day, and the community of the deaf will continue to gather at their games and enjoy each other like the rest of us should. Lessons can be learned from watching these silent yet emotionally loud people.
One individual in the press box said, “I’ll probably be here awhile, if you let them, they’ll stand around here and talk all night.”
We should all be so good to each other and so happy to see one another just to share a few thoughts. Those of us that can hear are truly blessed, but those who cannot are blessed with something more.
On this night, the young men on that field proved they are not so different from the ones that get all the press. They played with just as much emotion, heart and determination, and they wanted to win more than anything.
They are talented.
They can play.
They do matter.
The Vikings of TSD gather for their pregame prayer before taking on Arkansas School for the Deaf on Sept. 15.
By Dave Ford
D.Ford@TheKnoxvilleJournal.com
Their world is silent, free of onfield trash talk. They react by sight and instinct. When the whistle blows, they keep hitting until they see their coach waving his hands to stop. They’re underestimated and underappreciated by the so-called main newspaper in town, yet a member of their team has attracted a few Division II recruiters.
They are the Tennessee School for the Deaf football team.
TSDs Tyler Antrican sheds the tackle of Arkansas’ Raheem Brown en route to a big gain in the first half of the Vikings’ homecoming game.
Tennessee’s John Darr drags this defender on his way to the goal line. His run set up Tyler Antrican’s first touchdown of the game. The world of these young men is not much different from the ones that bask in the lights of Friday night football games all around Knoxville and the rest of the country every season. These young men play on Saturdays and instead of the standard 11-on-11 format, they play 8-on-8, mainly to accommodate the lack of players on each roster. And instead of the coaches and the quarterbacks yelling out the plays at the line of the scrimmage, these players use hand signals, not so the other team won’t steal their plays, but they do it because they have no alternative.
On this night, Sept. 15, TSD (1-2) welcomed the Arkansas Leopards for the annual homecoming game. The visiting Leopards (2-1) only have 11 players, while the host Vikings have just 19.
The pregame emotion involves chest-bumping and a team prayer, which are two aspects of the game that can always be seen week to week, but this game is different. The addition of emotional facial gestures and fast, efficient signing accompany the final thoughts of these teams about to go to battle.
The emotional leader of the Vikings seemed to be No. 50 Jacob Huff, a senior at TSD. By pounding his teammates’ shoulder pads, crashing other helmets with his and wildly jumping around, Huff’s passion for the game was very obvious.
The game starts off quickly for Arkansas, as it recovers its own onside kick. Shortly after, Marcus Henderson recovers his own fumble and runs 42 yards for the score. The Leopards go up 6-0.
While the action on the field continues, the action off it is just as fast or faster. Little by little, the crowd grows, the stands fill to capacity and spill over to the area behind the fence.
Arkansas recovers another fumble, this time by the Vikings. Henderson breaks away again for a spectacular 57-yard touchdown run to put his team ahead 12-0.
The action off the field continues to grow, hands and fingers swirling so fast they make a sound like that of a moth to a flame. The community of the deaf as well as those that sign but have the ability to hear, speak to each other with such happiness as expressed in their faces and gestures, as if they are truly glad to converse with each other.
Tennessee fumbles the kickoff return, the Leopards recover. Raheem Brown runs off the right end for a five-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion is good and they extend their lead to 20-0.
Friendly faces greet one another and old friends meet once again, as the emotion of the game has no effect on the catching up going on off it.
The Leopards score again, but TSD strikes back with its main man No. 21 Tyler Antrican, the one who’s getting some attention from the next level. Antrican scores from two-yards out and also sticks the conversion. The Leopards lead 26-8.
But the lead gets bigger.
Brown puts together back-to-back runs, one for 55 yards, to put the game out of reach at 40-8 in the second quarter.
And after the defensive coordinator for the Leopards signs the play “Big Monster,” Antrican breaks a huge 62-yard touchdown down the left sideline to slightly bridge the gap at 40-16 at the half.
The homecoming court is introduced and the crowd reacts as each individual signs her name and where she is from. Flashbulbs pop and smiles can be seen all around. Watching the deaf communicate is nothing like these eyes have ever seen.
Henderson catches a 45-yard touchdown pass to open the second half and extend his team’s lead once again to 48-16.
Antrican makes his presence felt again, this time on a halfback toss play to No. 4 Heath Tripplett for the score. The Leopards’ lead shrinks to 48-24.
But shortly thereafter, Arkansas’ Nathan Burleson runs nearly the length of the field for a touchdown. With less than eight minutes to play, the game was no longer in question, but to those that attended the event, other than the players for TSD, no hearts were broken, no tears were shed.
The Vikings will pick themselves up and play another day, and the community of the deaf will continue to gather at their games and enjoy each other like the rest of us should. Lessons can be learned from watching these silent yet emotionally loud people.
One individual in the press box said, “I’ll probably be here awhile, if you let them, they’ll stand around here and talk all night.”
We should all be so good to each other and so happy to see one another just to share a few thoughts. Those of us that can hear are truly blessed, but those who cannot are blessed with something more.
On this night, the young men on that field proved they are not so different from the ones that get all the press. They played with just as much emotion, heart and determination, and they wanted to win more than anything.
They are talented.
They can play.
They do matter.
