All I could think of was that about 20 years ago, I wouldn't have this problem. There was no overtime then.
In seven years of covering football, high school and college, I remember covering two overtime games.
In the last three days, I've had three.
For fans, overtime games are thrilling, the pinnacle of excitement on the gridiron.
For a reporter, they also are fun - except that you keep looking at your watch (or cell phone, as today's technology dictates) to see if you can make deadline.
Nevertheless, Tiffin University's 34-27 double overtime loss to Malone on Thursday was a maddening game, in the sense that every time it looked like one team had secured momentum, there would be a turnover or a big play and everything would change.
After talking to Tiffin University coach Gary Goff, I left thinking the game might be the most exciting that I'd see all year.
Turns out it wasn't even the most exciting in a 24-hour span.
That's because Friday night's game between Columbian and Mansfield Senior was probably the best football game I've ever covered. It had everything - a big comeback, breakout performances, a questionable call by the officials and a thrilling finish.
Then came Heidelberg's 34-28 OT win over Alma (See related story). But back to high school for now.
Columbian could be on the verge of something really special this year. Jonah Boyer has had special games in back-to-back weeks, each time reaching 100 receiving yards.
On Friday night he caught three touchdown passes from QB Ben Davis and may have done it against the best defense the Tornadoes will see all year.
The scoreboard said the Tygers allowed 30 points, but that's a misleading number. One touchdown came a play after a blocked punt deep in Mansfield Senior territory, and another came in overtime, when offensive possessions start 20 yards from the goal line.
In addition, Columbian won - by a large margin - the field position battle. The Tornadoes were continually deep in Tyger territory - on one possession getting two first downs inside the 10 because of penalties - but were unable to put away the Tygers, despite leading 23-7 early in the fourth quarter.
If there's one thing TC has struggled with in its first two games, it's been completely putting away its opponents. On the surface, that sounds ridiculous since it won both games. But Friday night, as well as in the Week 1 win over Clyde, the Tornadoes built what appeared to be big leads only to give up a pair of TD's. It also allowed a back to gain more than 95 yards on the ground in the second half alone.
It didn't cost the Tornadoes in Week 1. It almost did in Week 2.
But perhaps that's over analyzing. TC played a pair of good teams, and Friday night, had to deal with the second half emergence of Chekiah Washington, a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore who took over at quarterback for the Tigers. Washington, along with star running back Terrell Dorsey, practically took over the game for a quarter, and Mansfield Senior scored 16 unanswered points to send the game to overtime.
I wrote earlier that there was a questionable call. That came in the extra session, when a potential game-tying Tyger touchdown was negated by a holding penalty. It was "questionable" because of the timing. I was watching Washington with the ball and missed the hold. It may have been egregious, and Tyger coach Chioke Bradley didn't criticize it after the game, saying the referees have a tough job.
They do. But if there was one problem, it was that afterward, people would be talking about a call and not a play. That's the unfortunate nature of officiating. We expect referees to get a call right, then we complain that they should swallow their whistles at certain points of the contest.
It's a no-win situation. But it was a big part of Friday night's game.
A positive from having three overtime games so close together, is that it shows fans and media alike what the teams involved are capable of.
When you get to overtime, especially on hot nights like we've had recently, the pressure is relentless, and only the players on the field and former players can really recognize the type of mental and physical focus it takes to get through games like these.
I can certainly appreciate it, even with an eye on the clock.
