Tanner and Emily got married on July 2, 2016. That summer was a busy one for Jason. He was working at Reynolds and Reynolds, we had a bunch of mowing customers, and he was playing 7-on-7 football. He did not think he would be able to take a lot of time away from College Station for Tanner’s wedding.
In addition, that summer was the first class for the MS Business program that I was launching at Mays Business School. So, I also had limited time I could take away.
Annette and I decided that she would drive to Utah with the four littles for summer vacation and for the wedding. They would leave the week before the wedding. Jason and I would stay in College Station. We bought tickets for Jason and me to fly to Salt Lake City on Friday. Then we could go to the wedding on Saturday and fly back home on Sunday.
Because the Monday after the wedding was July 4, neither Jason nor I had work. So we were able to get the mowing done on that day.
The following weekend, July 7-9, was the state 7-on-7 tournament. The team picked up their gear on Thursday, July 7. This was the first year Adidas sponsored the event. They had a big shopping day, and each player got to pick new cleats, shorts, jerseys, and gloves that were customized just for the event.
Consol played three pool play games on Friday afternoon in a four-team pool, but ended up third. That meant they played in the Consolation Bracket tournament on Saturday, July 9.
The games started at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. It was a single-elimination tournament. If you won, you had a one-hour break until your next game. We expected Consol to win a couple of games.
In addition to any games Jason would play, he and I needed to do all the mowing on Saturday. At the time, we had six mowing customers: Arujo, Black, Harris, Henryson, Kratchman, and Nolley. So, we put all the mowing gear into the truck and drove to the game. We planned to mow one lawn after the first game, before the second game.
Well, Consol beat Willis in the first game. Jason and I went and mowed a lawn.
Then, Consol beat Pflugerville Hendrickson in the second game. Jason and I went and mowed another lawn.
Then, Consol beat Mesquite Horn.
Then, Consol beat Mercedes.
Consol was unstoppable.
Every time Consol won, instead of celebrating with teammates or relaxing in the shade, Jason and I got in the truck and went to mow another lawn.
Most players spent the breaks between games resting, hydrating, and staying off their feet. Jason spent them pushing a mower.
We dutifully mowed one lawn between each game. We had a little extra time between game three and game four, so we grabbed lunch at Subway in addition to mowing a lawn. I was texting Annette after each game, keeping her updated as Consol kept winning.
Finally, it was time for the Consolation Championship game. It was 2:30 p.m., right at the height of the day for heat and humidity. There was an oppressive, humid heat rising from the artificial turf field. The game was tight and went back and forth. Then, on our last possession, Consol threw a pick-six and ended up losing by 12 instead of having a tied game and going to overtime.
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| 2016 Texas State 7 on 7 Consolation Tournament Bracket |
Jason was a boss. By the end of the day, he had played five hours of 7-on-7 football in the July heat and helped mow five customer lawns. He was playing on defense and resting on offense, but five games in that heat was still a long day. Add the mowing on top of it.
We stopped for Taco Bell on the way home after the last mowing customer. Jason was completely worn out.
Looking back, I do not remember many details about the games. What I remember is watching a 17-year-old young man, the summer before his senior year of high school, spend an entire Saturday doing whatever needed to be done. He never complained. He just kept showing up for the next game and the next lawn.
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