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By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune October 12. 2014 12:01AM A poor start can set up a great finish Sometimes all it takes is one stellar play to revive hopes and expand the boundaries of what’s possible. By the time this publishes, another Friday night of high school football games will be in the record books. Teams are suiting up for a new week and a fresh crack at victory. This Friday, I plan to attend the Eagle Point High School game because of the Eagles' win-loss record. Or, more specifically, because of one recent game. They were down 35-0 at the half and eventually went down 48-0, in a season that hasn't given fans much reason for optimism. But during the third quarter, something clicked. Together they executed just the right well-placed blocks and delivered one perfect spiral, resulting in a 79-yard touchdown. They weren’t finished yet, scoring another TD in the fourth quarter and laying claim to the final 13 points of the game. Sure, the ending score was 48-13. But where did those 13 points come from and why? Maybe it was because it was Homecoming, or perhaps the opposition fielding its second string played a part. I think it had a lot more to do with a decision that began inside the heads of the players. Despite ridiculous odds, they didn’t lie down and start thinking about the post-game pizza and hot wings. Instead, they tried one play a little differently. They fought against the aspect of ending up with a goose egg on their home turf on a special evening. What is it about a great fighting-the-odds story that we love? Because in sports, as in other areas of life, anything is possible — take the Arizona Wildcats, for example, who unwittingly set up the perfect fight-back scenario for the Ducks. Their loss could ignite the power needed for an even more impressive success or provide the poison for failure, should they opt to swallow it and roll over. Cheering from the stands while someone beats the odds, or at least challenges them, helps us believe there’s more to life than the expected. It means throwing the window wide open to fresh opportunities just when the doors slam shut, or because of them. Final quarters are everywhere — within a calendar year, we’re in one now. That gives me a glimmer of hope of having my Christmas shopping done early — a goal for which I pine each year. Success requires my deciding, planning and executing the plan. Wishing and dreaming will never get it done. As a former assistant to a high school athletic director, I’d like to share this. Though you may face a tough schedule ahead or suffer from a poor past performance, there’s much written in sports psychology about making changes in your thought patterns, and recognizing how you react when game or race situations begin to spiral down. This is true of all aspects of life. All poor or good decisions begin with a single thought and set your course toward action. It takes practice to make it a habit, but coming from the rear may actually become a spark plug instead of an anchor. It’s possible to learn how to use the adrenalin rush to enhance your performance rather than allowing it to drag you down. So, I’m going to this particular football game not in spite of the fact their record is behind, but because it is. I’ve watched many winning seasons of teams I liked. To be honest, that’s probably why I began following them. But how boring is it to hop aboard one cruise ship afloat after another and never join the crew that’s tilting and rocking in the froth, cheering for the glory of the fight? The 79-yard touchdown led to “an air of excitement and hope on the Eagles sideline,” wrote Tim O’Sullivan for the Upper Rogue Independent. Sometimes finishing well is as good as a win and takes a lot more guts. A good finish goes before as a witness of what we may be able to accomplish after all. So, here’s to great finishes everywhere. Go Eagles! And go Ducks! Peggy Dover is a freelance writer who works from a 1900 farmhouse in Eagle Point. Reach her at [email protected].       http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141012/NEWS/141019920 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->