When it Pours...It's Raines

November 17, 2013
Terry Vaughan

Drip.....Drip....Drip.....

The leaks were evident early on. But the dam held up despite the constant wave of pressure.

Then it happened.

At about the 1:38 mark of the First Quarter, the flood began. Raines found the end zone and unleashed the storm-like fury. Like a man trying to hang on to a branch in a raging stream of water, the Tornadoes could no longer keep their grip and were swept away.

The mighty Vikings of Raines High School, on a field they call "The Graveyard", demonstrated why they tend to quickly drown opponents with a deadly cascade of talent.

By the 4th Quarter, 3rd string players not even listed on the roster were making plays for the Vikings. The problem was that these players bared an uncanny physical resemblance to the starters who were already taking off their pads.

There were no life rafts available and when the Raines had stopped, the Tornadoes were swamped 58-6.

Playing 4A postseason football in Florida is like trying to cross I 95 with a blindfold. You have the quick..and the roadkill. 11 time State Champion Bolles actually lost their District this year. And if Raines continues to advance to the State Championship game-they will likely face Miami Booker T. Washington-the USA Today #1 ranked team in the nation in all classifications. Kinda nice to see some real production out of a place called Washington for a change.

Bradford actually played hard and put up a fight. It is evident, however, that you can't survive a trip over Niagara Falls in an inner tube. Raines' talent was certainly more akin to a Nuclear Submarine.

It takes time to build a ship that can navigate the waters that are found in big-boy 4A football.

Steve Reynolds faces a huge task as he constructs the boat and sails ahead. But if resolve, hard work and drive mean anything, he will build the USS Tornado plank-by-plank until we have a vessel that can survive the attacks from the wind and waves.

Maybe even from Raines.