The Graduate

Last Thursday, my son London graduated high school. It’s quite the accomplishment. Not that any high school kid sees it that way. But he’s got every reason to be proud of himself.

Cleans Up Pretty Good

Yeah, that’s an old country thing. “He cleans up pretty good,” they say. Or they direct it at you or some third party. But that’s okay because we’re in the country. Which is weird because Louisville is the crossroads. Too north to be southern but too south to be northern. And so it will be with London when we goes off to wherever life takes him.

SKETCHBOOK: So This Happened Tonight

And so it goes… My little boy isn’t little anymore. He’s a young man and, if I do say so myself, a fine one. Tonight is his senior prom and here I am, bawling into my keyboard like a running faucet. 

SKETCHBOOK: London Has The Blues

Don’t get it twisted. When I say London gas the blues, I mean those snappy dress blues that you see in the photo above. He’s spent four years in Valley’s Navy ROTC so when you do senior photos, you have to include some of those shots.

SKETCHBOOK: Senior Night at Valley

What a journey it’s been. My son, London, joined the Valley High School football team the summer before his Freshman year, excited but nervous. He liked football but had no idea what to expect when it came to actually playing the game.

FOOTBALL: Valley vs Breckenridge County

The Valley High School football Vikings had to ride an hour away from their home base of Viking Harbor to meet the Breckenridge County Tigers. It was a fruitful trip for the Vikings record as they came away with the blow out victory 42-0. Valley dominated with smothering defense and a supercharged offense. In fact, it was the supercharged offense they started the season with before an epidemic of injuries sidelined amazing players for weeks at a time.

FOOTBALL: Western at Valley

The Valley High School Vikings took to the field at Viking Harbor last night to host fellow South End rival Western High School for a showdown. Was the game hard fought? You bet. Was it officiated fairly? Of course not. Did the Vikings make mistakes? Unquestionably. Did the referees look the other way on visitor penalties? Are you kidding me? They always do.

SKETCHBOOK: De-Fense…De-Fense

It’s another Friday game day for the Valley High School Vikings and they welcome Western High School into Viking Harbor to get this work. Or at least, that’s what us fans want to have happen, especially because it’s been a rough season with the Vikings playing through serious injuries.

SKETCHBOOK: Junior with Senior Skills

The moment Patrick Dumire stepped onto the field at Valley High School’s Viking Harbor he immediately represented an upgrade to the offense. And this was while he was an 8th grader. Now he’s a junior and he’s just getting better.