Of all things a Wellington freshman basketball game. Man-oh-man, was I impressed.

I arrived as the teams were finishing up their warm-ups and had a seat in the stands, with the 50 - 75 other parents.

Looking over the two teams, two words came to mind ... Uh oh.

I looked over to the Wellington side and I saw basically the same thing I did when I worked on my high school basketball team. Mind you, worked, not played, just so we are clear on this. The team just did what the coach told them to do. Drills, drills, drills. Boring for us to watch.

Looking over to our oppenent's side I have to say I was amazed. The opponent team players had basketball skills that were absolutely incredible for their age. I mean, these kids were fantastic. And I said to myself, well, this just may be our first loss of the year.

Then the horn blew and the game was underway. And it was back and forth and pretty close for the first half.

Then teamwork overtook individual skills. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Wellington freshman began to pull away. It wasn't a blowout by any stretch of the imagination. But it was a great game. Exciting. Fast-paced. Poor officiating both ways in some cases. Overall, a wonderful game. I definitley will be going back to see more.

I think the difference in this game came down to coaching.

One approach was the Cowher (as a lifelong Steeler fan, I love this guy) approach ... jaw jutting out there, spit flying from his mouth when he was yelling ... that whole intimidation thing going on.

The other approach was the Tomlin (as a lifelong Steeler fan, I am loving this guy, too) approach ... quiet, confident and instilling confidence in his players each step of the way. Firmly guiding them down the path he wants them to go.

Guess which one the Wellington coach reminded me of?

If this coach and team stick together for the next four years, basketball at Wellington High School could be a thing of wonder and magic.

I can't wait.

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I know what you're thinking and no, I wasn't on the side of the road working with a bunch of other guys, chained at the ankle. I was, however, chained to a guy 10 yards down the field.

That's right, we work the sideline of the Wellington High School football game manning the down and distance markers. What a great new experience.

These times on the sideline bring back some memories ... really good ones. I remember high school football and the promise it brought each fall. Yes, my high school days in Indiana, PA, just northeast of Pittsburgh, were great.

The leaves started to change colors, there was a cool nip in the air that brought out some amazing sweaters! And, the ski season was just around the corner.

There were some other memories, too: that crush I had on one of those really cute cheerleaders, the players dressed in a shirt and tie (yes, in school) wearing their varsity jackets, the pep rally on Friday afternoon, trying to find a parking place at the school Friday night and the sheer joy of the game and the experience.

It really didn't matter if we won or lost. Afterwards, we just went and hung out at McDonald's. In our cars that we thought were oh so cool. Of course, we spent almost every cent we made on those cars.

It was a right of passage, these high school football nights.

So when was the last time you went to a high school football game?

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