Armchair Quarterback: Cinderella story has a happy ending

Livingston Academy goes to remind us the underdogs still win once in a while as they won the state 3A football title last week after barely making the playoffs.

I think there were very few believers at kickoff last week when the Wildcats took the field against state power David Lipscomb. However, by the end, Livingston Academy, with a 28-13 win, had finished their rags to riches story, crawling from the cellar of the state playoff brackets to the top of the heap, winning their first state championship.

Actually, their 5-5 regular season record was the exact same as our Warren County Pioneers; however, in Livingston’s case, they were seeded dead last in their division meaning they had to take on top-seeded Carter in the first round. Warren County was seeded third in their first visit to the post season in over 20 years. However, that high seed did them no favors with a first-round matchup against a quality Wilson Central team.

Long story short, Livingston beat Carter 27-24 and advanced to the second round where they played Austin East, a team which had beaten them by a touchdown in the regular season. They dumped Austin 18-15 and advanced on to play Knox Catholic, who had also beat them in the regular season. Livingston beat them 24-20 in what was a major surprise seeing Knox Catholic had proved a powerhouse all year.

Then there was undefeated Notre Dame in the semis who had crushed everyone. They stood between the Wildcats and an improbable title bid and no one gave them a chance. End result was a 48-34 beat down and a bid to the 3A title game which they won.

Let me tell you, seeing a team like Livingston Academy win after posting a 5-5 record made me feel good about the state of high school football. And, they weren’t pounding lesser teams, they were nipping teams with superior athletes, playing tough defense one week in a defensive struggle against Austin East and then winning a shoot-out a couple weeks later against high flying Notre Dame.

It seems too many times you get these talent-filled powerhouse teams which steamroll their way, year after year, to the state title. Hey, I know there’s a lot of blood and sweat that goes in to making a powerhouse, but I also know there’s programs which recruit kids, enticing parents into even moving at times to get their boys into a big-time program. This reputation helps fuel these powerful programs since every one wants to play for a winner.

However, you don’t see parents moving their kids to Livingston to play football. Instead, someone simply lit a fire under a mediocre team making them believe they could achieve the impossible. I suspect some coaches around the state will be trying to figure out what secret the Wildcats used to turn their season around. I’d be curious to know myself. I guess it goes to show us that all bets are off once the playoffs start. Everyone comes in 0-0 with a chance at the prize.

Hey, just look at Riverdale. They got beat by another powerhouse, Oak Ridge in the semis. Then, Oak Ridge went on to lose to a school that’s only been around for three years as Ravenwood claimed the 5A title. I do love the underdogs.