Speaking of Sports

By John Fragodt, Sports Reporter

I kept statistics for the Benson football team for 35 years and there wasn’t one fall/early winter where I didn’t have to fight the rain and/or snow.  This season was a first . . .

When I was keeping stats, I used the old-fashioned method of writing everything down on scratch paper and then totaling things up after the game.  I also tried to keep notes for a story that I’d include in the paper and of course, I tried to take some pictures.

Most times, I had no problem keeping up with things, but some times, when it rained, snowed or was very cold, things got a little harder especially when I had to work to keep my scratch paper(s) dry, my fingers moving and my pen working due to the cold.

There were a couple of times I remember vividly where I wasn’t sure if I’d have any information to compile after the game.  One of those times was at Minnewaska Area High School.

It was a driving rain from the southeast so I had to go to the Laker side of the field to try and keep stats, despite the fact I was covering the Benson Braves.

The rain continued to get worse as the game progressed and the umbrella I had brought to the game started to at first bend toward the sky before basically fall apart due to the howling wind and rain.

I remember trying to keep everything huddled under my hoodie and inside one of my coats.  I’d write down a couple of plays on a piece of paper and then fold it and put it in my pocket in hopes it would stay dry until after the game.  Taking pictures was pretty much out of the question.

That went on for most of the second half and thankfully, the sheets stayed readable until I was able to compile my stats, which normally took about 30 minutes before I’d call the West Central Tribune with the stats and synopsis of the game.

There was another time at ACGC when the field was basically a puddle of mud before the game even started and after a few plays, players from both teams were covered with mud and the numbers were basically unreadable.

Thank goodness I didn’t have anyone judging my stats afterward because there was a lot of (educated) guessing when it came to player numbers, field markers, etc.  That was a game I simply wanted to end . . . pretty much as soon as it started.

Without a doubt, those were the two worst nights I had in keeping stats during the 35 years and close to 350-400 games I kept stats at while working in Benson.

Yes, thank goodness the rain and snow stayed away this year during the football season.  And now, we go into 2025 with hardly any snow on the ground after a recent warm stretch.

Of course, that won’t last long, but it sure was nice going through the football season without any moisture.  Any chance we can do that again next year?