Friday Night Lights With Eldred And Chester Football
Friday night, Eldred hosted Chester in their first game under the lights on the new field. Having photographed there the last time nearly 4 years ago, I can truly say that it has come a long way!
After a nice warm day, the evening cooled off quickly as the sun left an amazing glow after setting below the mountains. As we got to the field, Eldred and Chester were finishing their warm-up routines and getting ready for a good football game. After the toss, Eldred elected to receive the ball – but was quickly stopped by Chester. When the ball switched sides, Chester quickly scored and repeated it again before the half.
As half time approached, we moved over to the other side of the field to gain a slightly different view of the plays. As the field cleared at the end of the third quarter, we were all surprise by a mask semi-streaker as he sprinted across the field, taunting the Chester players as he passed by and disappeared into the woods.
All in all, we got some great shots of Eldred’s first “official” Friday Night Lights game. Unfortunately, they were unable to score against Chester the entire evening. Hopefully, they’ll close out their season against Millbrook with a win!
Burke-Catholic Versus Liberty Football
I love photographing football. I love photographing Saturday afternoon football even more! While Friday Night Lights games are great, I am always forced to slow down the camera so I can capture enough of the available light. With Saturday afternoon games, I am free to shoot at over 1/2000 … capturing perfectly crisp shots!
Yesterday, I took the long drive up to Liberty NY to cover the a few of the Burke-Catholic players in their away jerseys which look much nicer than their home ones! It was a beautiful day – mid-60′s, a light breeze and not a single cloud in the sky. It was also my first chance to use the new 300mm 2.8L lens and 1.4EX II extender I recently purchased.
After the first kick to Liberty, Burke quickly took control of the ball and scored two touchdowns before the end of the first quarter. While Liberty would have the chance for a few of their own TD scores, they would never recover.
When I got back to the office and downloaded the memory cards, I realized that I shot nearly 1,000 images by myself – and the majority of them came from the body with the new lens. As I started browsing through the shots, I found each one to be amazingly sharp and now I can’t wait for the next game!
Goshen Versus Wallkill Football
For a late September Saturday, it was hot. There were a few breaks from the sun as clouds passed through, but for the most part, it was a day to get burned.
Unfortunately, it was the same case for the Goshen Gladiators. In the first two minutes of the game, Wallkill scored twice, pulling out an early lead. Like the Minisink game the night before, this game had its fair share of calls and turnovers.
While we didn’t stay for the entire game, it ended with Goshen scoring only one touchdown.
Minisink Valley Versus Valley Central Football
Louie Walther, #42, is on fire this season! Nearly every game we’ve covered for Minisink Valley has had Louie run the ball for the majority of the game. Even after the other team figured out who they should give extra coverage to, Louie still seems to slip by unnoticed!
This past Friday, Minisink Valley squared off against Valley Central at home in Slate Hill. The game was filled with touchdowns, turnovers and some interesting calls. However, like the Middletown game the week before, the game came down to the last few minutes.
Minisink was trailing Valley Central 32-35 as Kyle Cazzetta stepped up to a long field goal attempt. Having recently set a record for the longest field goal made, there was a lot of pressure riding on this kick – and a quick glance at the stands showed it. The ball was snapped, set, kicked … and the field goal … was no good. With just a few second left, Valley Central took possession of the ball and let the time run out – leading to Minisink’s first loss of the season.
All in all, it was a great game to photograph with some incredible plays!
Minisink Valley Versus Middletown Football
Thursday was one of those days – it started out with beautiful sun in the morning and turned into a chance of thunderstorms by late afternoon. Thankfully, I love photographing football so much that the threat of rain was going to do little to deter me from a game!
Using a 400mm 2.8L lens, I positioned myself near the ends of the field for the majority of the game. This gave me the chance to capture both sides without having to continually pace up and down the sidelines.
Like most of the recent games, things were pretty much the same going into the half – which had both sides tied at 7. Just a few minutes before the teams came back onto the field, the light drizzle started – so I knew it wasn’t going to be long before the steady rain showed up to soak me and my gear. When it comes to that type of weather, I typically cut my coverage short because shooting a 400mm lens through layers of rain tends to leave the images with a gray haze.
However, as the fourth quarter progressed into the final two minutes, with the score at 19-14 Minisink Valley and Middletown in possession of the ball, I knew that I would be there until the very end. A long pass put Middletown within striking distance of a touch down and as the clock stopped with 1.5 seconds left, they were only three yards from a win. The whistle blew … the balls was snapped … and Minisink Valley stopped Middletown before they reached the goal line. It was one of those games that had everyone standing …
As I walked off the field, soaked to the bone from the rain, I thought back to the same kind of a nail biting game that Minisink Valley had when they played against Newburgh for the Section IX title.