County athletes were good boys and girls this year
‘Twas Christmas morning, and all through the county,
Boys and girls hopped out of bed, rushing down the steps to check out the bounty,
The packages were wrapped, all under the tree,
Wow, they thought, which ones are for me?
Many slept soundly, with dreams of Christmas filling their heads,
Except Steeler Nation, who tossed and turned in their beds.
Thoughts of playoff scenarios bounced around, disrupting their sleep,
Wondering how it might be happen, with their season such a heap.
Yes, they know, a lot of ifs must occur,
And, then they wonder, just what is myrrh?
One of the faithful awoke, from a deep winterĢƵ slumber,
Unable to let go and erase that playoff magic number.
He went to the window, nary a snowflake in sight,
And through bleary eyes, peered into the night.
He rubbed his eyes, espying shadowy figures,
His eyes squinted and strained, as the images got bigger.
Is it the sleigh? Can it be the reindeer?
He studied the landscape, as the images drew near.
He didn’t see antlers, nor a jolly elf in red,
No, what he witnessed, wasn’t a sled.
Instead he saw, a runner, no two,
Wait, thereĢƵ more, that can’t be true!
There was Mason and Hope, Ryan and Charlee,
Jolena and Zach, soon joined the party.
Viva, Emily, Laci, Ana, and Lexi, kept pace with the pack,
While Leyton and Nick, Kolby, Matt and Luke, were right on track.
Whoa, our observer, not believing what he witnessed,
WhatĢƵ next he wondered, a somersaulting gymnast?
With the Steelers on his mind, he envisioned a field,
And, again, he couldn’t believe what was revealed.
There was Devin and Rodney, and uniforms from all around,
As other players gathered and filled the ground.
Our observer just shook his head, and thought to himself,
Runners and quarterbacks, but whereĢƵ the Christmas elf?
Wait, whatĢƵ that, as he cleared the glass,
ItĢƵ Jensyn and Ella, joining friends on the grass.
A pickup volleyball game, how about that?
His disbelief, well, it woke up the cat.
WhatĢƵ that glimmer? Oh, itĢƵ the pond,
No, it can’t be, he can’t even respond.
ThereĢƵ Ian and Maria, is that Ella again?
Boy, thatĢƵ a lot people in my little glen.
A crash, whatĢƵ that, glass hits the floor,
ItĢƵ a golf ball, but, wait, I didn’t hear “Fore”!
Was that Adena? Or, maybe Megan or Tyler?
And, now whatĢƵ that, a Christmas choir?
The players gave way to the other “football,”
Olivia, Ashlyn, Morgan, Farrah and Mary Kate,
Hey, itĢƵ Eben, Daniel and Matt, go open the gate!
Maybe heĢƵ dreaming, this all can’t be true,
He wonders if itĢƵ the affect of too much ‘Dew.
Bounce, bounce, bounce, whatĢƵ that sound?
A basketball, of course, oh, itĢƵ so loud.
Rodney and Devin, Keondre, Owen and Nate,
Josh and Dylan, Tre and Brandon, wow, thatĢƵ great.
The girls are waiting, for their game to begin,
Look thereĢƵ Aeranna and Emma, Gianna and Bryn.
Of course, itĢƵ a dream, so thereĢƵ a baseball field,
I’d pick Joe first, he tossed a perfect game, it was revealed.
Wait, whatĢƵ that, whatĢƵ with the whistle?
The coaches are here, now itĢƵ official.
Exhausted and tired, our observer returns to bed,
Thoughts of NFL playoffs again filling his head.
(My sincerest apologies to Clement Moore. ItĢƵ quite a rhyming scheme.)
The young folks mentioned are just a few of the highly successful and competitive athletes our coverage area produced in a pandemic-ravaged year.
On behalf of Rob and myself, we wish all our readers, athletes, coaches and athletic directors a very, Merry Christmas and the hope for lots of shiny medals and (covid-free) health for 2022.