Even in loss Trojan kicker came through

Published 3:00 am Thursday, September 1, 2016

One of the things many of you don’t know about me is that I enjoy writing. I like to write about things that pop up in my head, whether it’s a ballgame Friday night or something I did when I was a kid growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Most of what I’ve got to say will bring back old memories of the past living in Troy.

What a football game Friday night with two very good football teams – one from Mobile and the other from Troy. It went down to the wire and it looked like a young boy with long, blonde shaggy hair was going to be the hero of the game when he kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:24 left on the clock. It was Cameron Bush’s first-ever field goal and it looked like it was going to bring victory to the boys who wore the orange and blue of Charles Henderson High School. Bush was writing a storybook finish to a season-opener. He was a soccer player who came out for football at his daddy’s suggestion last spring, and now he was a hero in the making with his first-ever field goal.

But just like all good teams do, UMS Wright – a strong private school from Mobile – had other plans, driving down to the CHHS 35-yard line and calling time out on a 4th and 10 yards to go, with 9 seconds left. They brought in their kicker, senior Walker Shaw and he split the uprights from 42 yards away to win the game 32-31.

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You could have heard a pin drop on the Trojan side of the field. What a heartbreaker for the guys in the blue jerseys. For those that were watching in the stadium and those that were sitting in their easy chairs at home they saw one great football game to open the season.

Yes, it was the first-ever live telecast of a high school football game in Veteran’s Stadium and from what I’m hearing, from those who watched, one of Troy Cable’s best.

I got a call from an Ozark man Saturday morning and he thought it was a college game. Congrats to Spencer Thomas who put it all together. CHHS’s game this Friday night at Carroll of Ozark will also be a live production for all those who can’t make it to the game.

Back to the game last Friday night at the stadium. I was so proud of those young men on both sides. They all sacrificed a lot all to provide us great entertainment on the football field. Cameron Bush – what a kick under extreme pressure. That’s what heroes are made of and, yes, you are my hero.

Until we visit you again next week, I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Mike Amos is a guest columnist for The Messenger.