Cheering for sports and for school

One of the biggest cheers at Friday’s football game didn’t have anything to do with the Rockets’ 31-0 destruction of Manitowoc Lutheran.

The Cedar Grove-Belgium Gridiron Club paid for student tickets, and plenty took advantage. Public address announcer Dave Claerbaut, who teaches history and directs plays when he’s not firing up Friday night crowds, said how great it was to see students back at games, drawing a small-to-medium “yay” from the teen fans.

Then Claerbaut said how nice it was to see students back at school. That triggered a serious “hooray” from every parent within earshot.

Those fans braved on-and-off rain and mosquitoes — the bugs punched in for work when the showers went on break.

Rocket softball coach Scott Soerens joked that it was softball weather, only warmer. We shared a good laugh. It’s funny because it’s true.

What wasn’t funny is rain calls for me to break out my special attire. I presume I looked like Chris Farley from the pre-flight safety instructions scene in “Tommy Boy” trying to put on a poncho that has snaps of about the same quality as those rubber bands on the back of plastic Halloween masks. I went with a spring coat instead, which I was able to slip into about four hours faster.

Nonetheless, it was Soerens’ birthday, and his second-oldest offspring Deven game him a splendid present of knocking over Lancers when he had the ball and knocking them down when he didn’t, including a perfect read and execution on a fake punt.

While Ozaukee’s football team didn’t get the result it wanted a day earlier against Hilbert, the Warriors at least got to play. Kudos to Athletic Director Andy McKee and the officials who scrambled to fit the game into their schedules. Along with Covid-19, nothing stops high school sports faster than not having referees, so be nice to them. They’re in short supply these days.

At Port Washington’s game at Waupun, I’m told a bat swooped across the field, one week after a doe held up the second-half kickoff in Port. What beast will attend this Friday in Berlin?

So this is the column in which sports editors are to share their “expert” NFL picks. I usually send mine to my uncle via a private email server and he can’t stop laughing at last year’s predictions. Or the year before that. And two years ago.

Enough of that silliness. I’ve got to go upgrade my rain gear.