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'CHRISTMAS MIRACLE': Jets Happy To Be Playing
 POWERS---Maybe the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visited somebody in Lansing. Maybe it was the impromptu "Let Us Play---Part Deux" rally that made the difference. Maybe it was neither. Either way, the North Central High School football team doesn't care. All the boys know is they have a chance to finish what they started during this crazy 2020 season, The Jets returned to the practice field on Monday after being shut down by the Whitmer Administration's restrictions for nearly a month. And, at least for now, the guys are back, and ready to finish what they started after being allowed to resume their football season with a relaxing of the "pause" that halted the team's preparation for the state semifinals on Nov. 15.  "Man, this is crazy," a smiling Jets receiver Alex Naser said. "I'll be honest. I didn't think this was going to happen. I mean, she (Gov. Whitmer) allowed it once, but I wasn't sure she'd allow it again with all the restrictions that have been going on. But, like Carter said, it's a Christmas Miracle to be back out here and playing. You know, even if it's in the snow, it's alright, because it's football season, and we've got something to finish." "Literally, this is like the first day of the season all over again," NCA quarterback Luke Gorzinski said. "This is what we hoped for. This is what we went down to Lansing for those two times now (to "Let Us Play" rallies on the Capitol lawn). It's awesome. To be out here with these guys again, it's a blessing." The Jets had just whopped Cedarville in the regional championship game on Nov. 13, and were getting amped up to welcome the Marion Tigers from Lower Michigan in the state semifinals, when Whitmer, citing rising coro0navirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, unveiled a wide range of restrictions that included shutting down all high school sports in Michigan.  They joined an estimated 400 other supporters at a Lansing rally a few days later, repeating a rally that happened back in August that the boys feel saved their original cancelled season. And, sure enough, last week, the green light was given to finish the football, volleyball, and swimming tournaments. That with a pilot project for rapid COVID testing that will likely be used during the still-shut-down winter sports seasons. Did the boys really believe that the second rally would have an impact? "I mean, I had no reason to doubt it," Gorzinski said. "It worked the first time. But you never know with anything these days. There's no reason or rhyme to anything nowadays. But you're just hoping and praying. They (prayers) were answered, obviously." And the boys got some more good news Monday at practice. NCA Athletic Director Randy McLeod confirmed that the semifinal game against Marion will be played inside Northern Michigan University's Superior Dome, rather than in the freezing cold in Powers.  "I think that's going to be amazing," Naser said. "Turf can sometimes be slippery, but we've just got to chop our feet, and with us being a fast team, I think it's really going to help us." "I think it's a great thing," Eichmeier said. "I think you're really going to see our 'trips' (three receiver set) shine. We're going to open it right up and use our speed." Some big questions remain. Will the Jets need more help from the Three Spirits of Christmas on or before Jan. 2? Will Jayme Andel McElvany, the mom from downstate Milan who organized the two Lansing rallies, be needed to do a thrd rally? Will these sometimes-unreliable rapid antigen tests keep people from playing due to false positive test results? Who will win the team's snowball fights at practice? Will the Jets be able to hit the NMU carpet and try to finish what they started? Buckle up. It's going to a crazy holiday season. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from the practice, and see/hear interviews with the NCA players.  |
