Taking Care of Business

There certainly wasn't much drama, but that's okay. Today was a day to go out and get the job done. The Pioneers certainly did that.

Today's 34-8 pasting of Cathedral is a measure of how far the Pioneers have come. Not so much in the result as clearly the struggling Panthers were no match for the Pioneers, but in the overall way they handled the game.

They came in facing an opponent they were clearly superior to and grabbed them by the throat and never let go. No letting them hang around and start thinking upset. Knock them down quickly and keep them down. That is what good teams do and the Pioneers are continuing to look like a good team.

You can read all the details in my game story in the Villager on Wednesday, but suffice to say that this one was over quickly. No fuss, no muss. And you didn't see a lot of whoopin' and hollerin' on the sideline. The Pioneers have matured to the point that they knew that this was a team they should beat and they went out and beat them. Convincingly. No carrying on. Just doing their job.

Another positive was the fact that the younger players were able to get another couple of quarters of varsity experience. Don't underestimate how important that is to the continued growth of the program. For the third time in four weeks, the back ups were able to show the coaches, and themselves, what they could do against first teamers. That is much more important than playing the other team's second stringers. That experience will pay huge dividends later in the year should injuries strike and most importantly next year.

Kudos to the Pioneer crowd that showed up in dreadful conditions to cheer the team on. The Pioneer cheerleaders also stuck it out to offer full support despite the rain. Nice job.

Good win. Book it. Let's move on. Next week a stiffer challenge in Danvers. Check back later for more on the Cathedral game, news from around the league and a closer look at Danvers.

For any feedback, I can be reached at tcondardo@gmail.com