The Malakoff Tigers won their first UIL state football championship 14-7 last Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. I went to the game. As I walked into the stadium I was overwhelmed by its size. I had been years ago, but it seemed even larger on this visit. We walked through the concourse marveling at the immensity. In the center above the field was a huge screen. It was hard to take our eyes off of it. While the crowd was enthusiastic, it seemed small in the cavernous space. Remarkably, the small band near us was able to fill the void with lots of sound.
The two teams were closely matched. In the playoffs, they had both posted high-scoring games. Malakoff averaged over 50 points per game in five games of the tournament. Franklin, near Bryan-College Station, also had an explosive offense. It looked like it was going to be a high-scoring contest. The Lions were the two-time defending state champions. The atmosphere was electric for the kick-off. It was really fun. Then things got serious.
It became clear that this game would be a defensive battle. Malakoff scored on their first possession, but after that, neither team was able to explode into the end zone. Time of possession was equal as they battled back and forth. Malakoff scored again in the middle of the third quarter and Franklin scored its only points near the end of that same period.
The rest of the game was defense. Over and over again they were challenged and they resisted. Parker Poteet was named defense MVP of the game. He had 13 tackles for the game, six of them solo. It seemed like his name came booming over the sound system after every play.
It was a fun game to watch. I tried to watch the players on the field, but my eyes kept drifting up to the huge screen. It was so much easier to see. The camera could get closer to the action. It had the ability to watch lots of different players at the same time. It had better sight lines. Immediately after the play, the big screen would show the replay. I realized that there were long sections of the game when my eyes were just on the screen.
It is hard to be present. To be in the moment. It is easy to be distracted and accept second best. We have to fight. We have to rise up and defeat the selfish urges within ourselves. It takes energy to listen to others, to love others, and to defend others. Too often we live in the fast past selfishness of our world. Christmas reminds us to take a step back and live for others.
"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul" (I Peter 2:11). You are in a battle. You need a great defense. You need Jesus on your team.
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