When Tanner was a senior in high school (2012–2013), the fourth game of the football season was against Lake Travis, a relatively new high school in the greater Austin area. Lake Travis had won the state championship as a 4A school in each of the five years before we played them. That season was their first playing as a 5A program.
They were not just good. They were a powerhouse. Nobody expected A&M Consolidated to win that game. But we did.
Annette and I traveled to Austin to watch the game and left the other kids at home with Jamie.
The Tigers jumped out to a 9–0 lead in the first quarter. Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter, giving the Tigers a 23–14 halftime lead. Each team scored seven points in the third quarter. Lake Travis added another touchdown in the fourth, but the Tigers held on for the win.
One detail that stuck with me: within about ten seconds of the final buzzer, Lake Travis officials turned off the scoreboard. They did not leave the score up long enough for many pictures.
After the win, we started the drive home.
Several years later, after Baker Mayfield became the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, we realized he had been the quarterback for Lake Travis that night. As a starter at Lake Travis, Baker was 25–2. One of those losses came at the hands of A&M Consolidated during Tanner’s senior year. Baker would go on to win the 2017 Heisman Trophy and become the number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
I told you that story to get to this story.
On the way home, I had the cruise control set at 75 mph in a 70 mph zone as we traveled along Texas 21 through several small towns. As we approached one of the small towns, possibly Manheim or Old Dime Box, I missed the sign where the speed limit dropped to 60.
Suddenly, the red and blue lights flashed from a car coming toward us. My heart sank. I slowed immediately and pulled over.
The state trooper asked where we were headed. I told him we were driving home after a big high school football win at Lake Travis. He congratulated us on the win, then said he would let us off with a verbal warning because we slowed and stopped so quickly that he did not have to chase us down.
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