It’s been a pretty hectic weekend for this sports fan

It started Friday evening with a trip to Northampton-East where I was assigned to photograph the first half of the Rams showdown with rival Warren County.

I was expecting a good match up and was not disappointed as both teams put on a first quarter defensive showcase.

It was around this time that the game was stopped for what I must admit was my first witnessed snake delay.

Apparently a copperhead moccasin had been spotted on the visitors sideline and the game was stopped as the local authorities dealt with the unwelcome spectator.

I have a huge fear of snakes yet somehow managed to ignore my instinct to forgo all appearances of masculinity and run to the car and hide until the snake had been captured and disposed of.

Between the killer snakes (all snakes can kill, upon encountering one I am more likely to die of a heart attack than I am of being bitten) and mosquitoes large enough to take down an elephant, the Rams have quite the home field advantage.

With East down 14-8 at the break, I made my way to Lasker to shoot the second half of the Northeast Academy – Saint David game.

By the time I had arrived the visitors had already built a commanding 28-7 lead.

I must admit however to being impressed with the Eagles nonetheless.

Don’t get me wrong, they have a long way to go before anyone will confuse them with being a football powerhouse.

What impressed me was their refusal to give up, despite having little to no chance of pulling out a victory.

The game also gave me a chance to hang out with Eagles coaches Collin Sneed and James Roberts.

Both are longtime friends and have made a visible impact on that team.

My hat goes off to both of them.

Saturday brought Ferrum College to Murfreesboro where Chowan looked to avenge last year’s 44-0 defeat on the road.

I wish I could tell you the Braves returned the favor but I can’t.

The visiting Panthers scored two fourth quarter touchdowns en route to a 43-26 victory.

I helped photograph the game and liked what I saw.

Even in defeat there was much Braves skipper Lorick Atkinson should be proud of.

Ferrum began play with a swagger that suggested that victory was assured and the game was little more than a formality.

Any such thoughts by the Panther players were soon replaced with the realization that this was not the same Braves squad they had so easily disposed of last season.

Chowan played with a tremendous amount of heart, a display not missed by the hundreds of fans in attendance.

I expect that as word spreads of this team and their efforts, an available seat in James G. Garrison Stadium is going to be much harder to come by.

I switched from football to futbol Sunday as the Braves soccer teams played host to Faulkner College.

I again was assigned to shoot the double header and despite a painful sunburn from the day before, looked forward to seeing my first collegiate soccer of the year.

The men played first and boy did they put on a heck of a show.

There must be something in the water on the Chowan campus because for the second day in a row I saw a Braves squad leave everything they had on the field.

After scoring with four seconds left in the match, the Braves sent the game into overtime eventually falling 3-2.

Their effort was inspiring, not just to me but to the Lady Braves who dedicated their play to the men in a pre-match huddle.

Apparently they were quite inspired as they rolled to a 6-1 victory in the scorching heat.

I look forward to seeing how both of these squads improve as the season goes on.

In the meantime, I am exhausted and so sunburnt I resemble a tomato with a goatee.

That’s ok though, I’m a sports fan and in three days I squeezed in three football games and two soccer matches

What a great weekend!