Despite Mother Nature throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Bryan area on the evening of September 30, the 2016 Homecoming celebration, soggy that it was, went forward with minor alterations to the planned itinerary.
The east wind-driven rain that sought to drown out the festivities succeeded in ruining the countless hours of work put into the traditional homecoming floats, which were parked in the west parking lot of the new school. The traditional picture of the homecoming court was rescheduled to take place prior to the actual ceremonies, with the traditional field shot being substituted with a picture in the closest dry facility available…the weight room of the Mose A. Isaac Field House.
Almost as if maliciously planned, the winds became variable out of the northeast as the court marched out of the field house into the relentless rain. Despite the deployment of umbrellas, the shifting of the wind patterns made staying relatively dry a major challenge as each attendant and her escort was introduced. The stands on both sides of the field had plenty of vacancies, as the weather played a major factor in attendance.
The game itself was a low scoring affair, with the visiting Wauseon Indians scoring first and holding on for an 18-7 win that saw only four passes caught, and fourteen fumbles of the saturated football between the two teams. The game plan for both squads was dictated by the weather…run the ball. As a result, the field was a torn-up muddy mess by the end of the first half. The only score through the air was on a Wauseon pick six that again had a assist from the weather.
As the first quarter was coming to a close, the winds again shifted, driving the rain out of the north. Driving his team into the wind, Bryan quarterback Zac Nobis was hit in the process of throwing, and his pass became a wounded duck, staggering against an unforgiving headwind.
The lack of velocity, combined with the wind, dropped the ball into the awaiting hands of the Indians’ Brendan Wilson, ten yards shy of the intended receiver. Wilson returned the ball 40 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tribe a lead that was never threatened.
The rains finally began to diminish in the second half, but the Homecoming crowd in the Bryan stands did not depart with it. The Golden Bear faithful, soaked and shivering, stood by their team. It takes more than a monsoon to dampen a Bryan High School Homecoming celebration.
Timothy Kays can be reached at
tim@thevillagereporter.com