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| Mary Hardin-Baylor and Texas
Lutheran tried multiple times to get their game in on Saturday
night before it was called off. Photo by Joe Fusco, d3photography.com |
By Joe Sager
for D3sports.com
Mary Hardin-Baylor talked about overcoming adversity leading up to its first-round playoff game against Texas Lutheran.
The Cru just didn’t imagine the scenario it had to conquer for a 27-20 victory.
A pair of lengthy lightning delays in the middle of Saturday’s contest forced suspension of the game until the next morning.
“That’s a first for me and most of the guys around there as well,” Cru junior quarterback Zach Anderson said.
Both teams played through Saturday’s first quarter in some inclement weather. The first lightning delay hit with 11:21 left in the first half. That interruption lasted six hours and 19 minutes before the teams were cleared to get back on the field to resume the game. The squads played 2:41 before lightning struck again and sent both teams scurrying back indoors with 8:40 left in the second quarter.
After a few attempts to get back on the field and warm up, the weather in Belton, Texas, did not clear and the game was suspended finally at 9:35 p.m. – nine hours and 35 minutes after it first kicked off.
The teams returned to action the next day at 11:30 a.m. and continued without interruption. The contest wrapped up at 1:39 p.m. – a full 25 hours, 39 minutes from the original start.
“No, no, no I have never been in anything like that and never hope to experience it again,” longtime Cru coach Pete Fredenburg said. “The not knowing was the worst part (on Saturday). It was constantly keeping up with the radar and seeing what’s happening and trying to keep the guys from going stir crazy in the locker room. It was a real tough.
“The response we got from the players was incredible. They just hung in there and did everything they could to win the ballgame.”
Faced with a 10-7 deficit after the first quarter, the Cru went up, 14-10, just before the first lightning delay. When they went to the locker room, they had no idea they’d be trapped there for nearly six hours.
“It was something else. No one has had to go through that. It was all new to the coaches as well,” said Cru junior linebacker Trey Thedford, who finished with a game-high 16 tackles. “I think we did a good job staying focused. The coaches did a good job keeping us focused. It all turned out great.”
Except for that part where the players had to sit around and wait for what seemed like an eternity. But, the players persevered.
“There was a lot of different stuff going on when you put 50 guys in one room,” Anderson said. “We were trying to stay mentally ready, but we kind of let the edge off. We tried to have a good time and hang out and make the best of it. There were times where we didn’t know what to do.”
Naturally, the team came up with an activity to keep their competitive edges sharp.
“People were bowling with oranges, knocking over Gatorade cans. It was quite entertaining,” Thedford said. “They couldn’t really tell when we’d go back out there. We were just sitting there waiting it out. It was boring and got old. We thought we’d end up staying there until midnight.
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| Malcolm Miller had five
carries for UMHB in the game vs. TLU, all of them on Sunday, in the
gold uniforms. Photo by Joe Fusco, d3photography.com |
Fortunately, the players didn’t, but they did eat dinner in the locker room.
“At first we had some snacks, but you’ve got linemen waiting for something more,” Thedford said. “Eventually, they made the decision to keep waiting out the lightning and they brought us a little meal.”
Fredenburg was happy with the way everyone stepped up in the unique situation.
“It was a time you really see your support staff and all the people that help our team in action and the incredible effort they gave and you appreciate it so much. I think our players gave a phenomenal effort to keep it from being a distraction.”
The game was halted with the Cru clinging to its 14-10 lead. Once the game resumed the next day, they built a 27-13 before settling on the 27-20 triumph.
“We had been talking about overcoming adversity all week. That situation built right into that,” Anderson said. “To start the game in the middle of the second quarter took a lot of mental toughness from our guys. We overcame well and got the job done.”
Although getting out of bed Sunday morning wasn’t easy for Thedford and his teammates.
“I felt it. My body was sore. Just like everybody else, we were all hurting the day after. It wasn’t anything different, though. The adrenaline takes over,” he said. “It’s definitely something I will remember and everyone else will, too. It challenged us to focus on the task at hand. It could have gone one of two ways and it ended up going in a positive way for us.”
The situation gave the team an unexpected chemistry boost, too.
“I think so. We really saw everybody had what it took to stick in there and keep their minds prepared,” Anderson said. “We really had to draw on each other to finish the goal there.”
Now, UMHB (11-0) has to prepare to meet Linfield (9-1). The Wildcats have a 2-0 record against the Cru, including a 28-21 triumph in the 2004 Stagg Bowl.
“We understand the significance of playing a team like Linfield. They are one of the premiere programs in the United States,” Fredenburg said. “I think it’ll be a special occasion. There’s no rest for the weary. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We have a lot of work to do. When you prepare for a team like Linfield, you have to do all you can.”