Stateline Preps: Why so serious?
There’s always something interesting that happens on “Photo Day” for the prep football teams.
While preparing to shoot individual head shots for each team, the scene is usually similar to any other scene before the photo shoot actually begins.
Goofing around.
That’s to be expected when you have a group of 15-18-year-olds unwinding from a long, grueling practice.
But then something happens out of nowhere — they turn serious.
The smiles and laughter that peremate their faces before the photo shoot turns into a stone-cold look that would make Dick Butkus smile (maybe).
For every athlete that had their photo taken, close to probably 90 percent of them wore a serious look for their photo.
Why? Perhaps it’s to show they’re not to be messed with or that it could be that when it comes to football, it’s not a game for laughter and smiles.
Who knows?
But, then one kid changed that perception.
Shooting photos of Parkview’s players on Monday, Zach Gordon flashed a smile only a mother could love.
With a tooth missing, Gordon was proud to display his imperfect smile that would have a dentist foaming at the mouth.
His smile drew a laugh from the rest of the team (and me) that brought things back to normal before the photos were being shot.
Gordon, who may have been channeling his inner-Michael Strahan, looked like a poster boy for hockey, but his, ahem, smile is what will be remembered.
See ya later this week for another edition of Stateline Preps!
