No drama here - the final score: UW HUSKIES 36, ARIZONA WILDCATS 33. What?
Now for the real events of the weekend:
JASON JOHNSON'S University of Arizona Wildcats (3-1)
vs.
GEORGE CONTRERAS' University of Washington Huskies (2-2)
My grandfather, hall of fame football coach Frosty Westering, always told me growing up that the, "The Scoreboard is for losers." He said that if you work hard and focus on giving it your best shot, that the result will take care of itself. I've found this to be true 99% of the time. The other 1% happened on Saturday night as my alma mater Arizona Wildcats traveled to Husky Stadium to take on the University of Washington for the second annual JOHNSON-CONTRERAS BOWL.
Frosty and me give the thumbs up. Photo Credit: Contreras
The day started promising, as a number of my family members came over to catch the Internet live-streaming broadcast of Pacific Lutheran taking on Gustavus College in Minnesota. The Lutes - who were coached for 32 years by my grandfather and are now guided by my uncle - got off to a fast start. It was fun to have George and Laurie meet my family and share different stories from the football world. Unfortunately, the game would end with a shocking 34-33 last second defeat. It was an ominous sign of things to come... but off to Seattle we went.
Mark Johnson. Photo Credit: Contreras
We arrived to the University district hours before kickoff in order to "tailgate" at the home of Mark Johnson (no relation). I'm not sure if it is still technically tailgating if you are inside of a large home, but it was a good time nonetheless. Mark is one of George's longtime friends, dating back to their days together at the UW. His home backs onto the Montlake Cut, a famous stretch of water that runs adjacent to the university - and where the boats come to the game from Puget Sound. I'd never seen this aquatic procession before, and it was cool to watch boats in all sizes parade towards the game with their flags and horns at full power!
Husky Fans prepare for the game...
... while a DAWG of a different type works on some agility. (Murphy was the next-door dog and happens to participate in competitions!)
GAME-TIME!
The first half was a back and forth affair, with Washington's quarterback Jake Locker delivering a fantastic 70 yard touchdown scramble for a 14-10 lead. I was impressed by the play of Arizona, especially young quarterback Nick Foles who was making only his second career start, and new the tide would soon turn for the Wildcats.
Laurie Contreras decked out in her purple and gold topped with a trendy hat...
... while Christie sported the OFFICIAL 2002 GAME-WORN ARIZONA JERSEY of one Jason Johnson.
Halftime cheerleader INSANITY was foreshadowing of what was to come...
Arizona got the ball first to start the second half and immediately drove down for a 9-yard TD strike from Foles to WR David Roberts to make it 17-14. This was followed by a short Alex Zendejas (there are more of them?) field goal and a 1-yard Foles TD run to make it 27-14 Arizona. Locker countered with a 29 yard TD pass to Devin Aguilar to bring the Huskies to within 6 at the end of the third, 27-21. I wasn't nervous at this point.
Arizona red... (Photo Credit: Contreras)
... and Husky Purple. Good times indeed! Photo Credit Contreras
Two more Zendejas field goals gave Arizona a commanding 33-21 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Fans started to stream out of the stadium. The energy in the building seemed to be gone. Unfortunately, no one told the Huskies that. Locker immediately drove the purple & gold down the field, before firing a laser to Kavario Middleton from 25 yards out for a TD. Arizona 33, Huskies 28. There were 2:55 minutes showing on the clock, but Arizona still had the game in hand. All they needed to do was run out the clock...
Taking over at their own 37, Arizona came out in a "Trips" formation that sent three receivers to the right hand side of the field. It was a formation that gave the Huskies trouble all day long, as Arizona's Foles had been able to flip short passes to his receivers out-leveraging the defense for easy gains. Instead of running the ball as the normal procedure would imply, they tried this short pass again. Only this time, the Husky defense forced the QB to double clutch the ball and throw it late, where it BOUNCED OFF THE SHOE of the Arizona receiver and directly into the hands of Husky linebacker Mason Foster. It was at this moment that Arizona fans around the globe let out a collected, "SHIZER!" With nothing but space in front of him, he easily galloped the final 37 yards into the endzone for a stunning touchdown that gave Washington the lead.
One in a million: off the foot...
... and into the arms of Husky LB Mason Foster for the game winning score.
The Huskies added a 2-point conversion for insurance, and Arizona's final drive in the closing seconds ended with an interception to seal the game.
Final Score: HUSKIES 36, WILDCATS 33.
Shell-Shocked by the ending (Pboto Credit Contreras)
The spoils of victory - a bottle of red wine
As is the tradition, I was forced to pay up with the annual bottle of Red Wine for the victor. In this case, the Italian label, "Il Bastardo" was appropriate...
The Cats and Dawgs will both live to play another day, and I must be honest that no matter what the scoreboard said, it was a FANTASTIC TIME with our good friends, and this is what we will remember years from now.
~ J. Twice
(Ok, I'll probably always remember that the ball bounced off the shoe for the interception that lost the game, but it won't hurt as bad in the future...)
And yes, George your photography skills are getting so good I had to use a number of your pictures!
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