Players and coaches then head energetically to breakfast. They later get their ankles taped by trainers Marcie Dyer and Brian Coutell and break for last-minute meetings with their coaches, after which a noticeably quiet group of players begins assembling in the lobby for a bus ride to the Silverdome. They dress quietly, almost somberly. It's a major moment in the life of a teen-ager, taking the same field where Barry Sanders played 48 hours earlier. It leads 12-0 at halftime and seems in control with quarterback Steve Slowke hitting receiver Markus Curry on one big pass play after another.
Some players cry, uncontrollably.
Others, more composed, sit in front of their lockers with heads down in despair. I know it's tough, but I don't want to make this a crying session. The tears flowed. The smiles, as they inevitably do at Bishop Gallagher, would come later.