We are the Champions.

The Lads' futbol team has done well this year. Colleton County is not very populous; consequently, there aren't a lot of schools. One high school and three middle schools, is all (plus the private school). Only three middle schools means only two teams to play, so you play each team three times (and have two bye weeks). The teams reflect the areas in which they are located: Ruffin is in "the Country". As silly as it sounds to people who live in real cities, the rest of Colleton County regards Walterboro, with its 5000 or so residents, as "the City". People in "the Country" regard city folks the way people in Rocky Creek used to regard people in Town and Country in Tampa back in the day: "Slicks". There aren't a bunch of farms in Colleton County, but Ruffin kids are essentially farm kids, and they're pretty tough, too. The Lads' team, the Forest Circle Middle School Falcons, have not had a storied history, I'm told. FCMS is located in what you might call "the Suburbs". While most white kids go to the private school, FCMS is about forty percent white, and mostly middle class. Before I sent the Lads there, I researched it, and also visited it. It's nice. The children are generally well behaved and respectful, and it seems to be a decent atmosphere for learning. The Colleton Middle School Bulldogs are the big dogs, I'm told. The school regards itself as "inner-city". It is overwhelmingly socially disadvantaged, and, one department of juvenile justice employee told me that most of the referrals they get are from Colleton Middle School. The Bulldogs pride themselves in being street tough. And they are. One school employee (and quasi-coach) told me that the Falcons hadn't beaten the Bulldogs in five years.

The Falcons beat the Ruffin Patriots both times they played this season. The first time the Falcons played the Bulldogs, the Bulldogs won 7-0 on the field (with a lot of help from the refs. Don't get me started...); however, the Falcons got the game back by forfeit when it turned out the Bulldogs had two players on their team that were overage (one, I think, was sixteen. A sixteen year old playing against 11-13 year olds. Geez, guys, this isn't the Beijing Olympics). So, their first win in five years against the Bulldogs came by forfeit. A win's a win, I guess, but it'd be nice to beat them on the field. In a game filled with more drama than you're likely to want to hear, the Falcons pulled it off. I was actually a sports writer for the Jasper Sun for one season, and I'd love to write about it, but, without an editor to cut it back, well... it was a good game. The Twins played pretty well on defense. They got roughed up a little on offense, but they both played their best when it counted. Taylor got a crucial sack on the second to last play, and The Lads' squad won 14 to 8 in overtime. They play each team one more time, but since the Falcons have beaten each team twice, no other team can have a better record, which makes the Falcons the Colleton County champs. Oh, yeah! Champs, Baby!