Author's Note: A reboot of one of my earlier fanfics, I hope you enjoy.
In 1920, there was once a small Western Texas town called Meadowbrook, and with the Roarin' Twenties starting, things were great. Meadowbrook enjoyed the Roaring Twenties, the town was living it up like there was no tomorrow, living a happy life.
But when the Great Depression took America by storm, things were not great. Millions lost jobs, hundreds died of starvation or suicide. But once WWII started, many got jobs and were able to pay their debts, and Meadowbrook started to take a turn for the best, and they benefited from it, especially in the 50's, where the baby boom happened, and Meadowbrook couldn't be more populated than ever.
But before the depression, during the 20's, a group of elementary school students started an after-school program called, "The Backyard Football League". At first, the school staff thought it would be a failure. But to everyone's surprise, it became a success in the school district within a week, garnering millions of school students to play in the football games.
Back then, each season consisted of 9 games, and had 1 championship game, where 2 of the best teams in the school district, eventually the state starting in the Great Depression, would go up against each other at a high school stadium for the championship, however, some teachers seemed this was unfair to the teams that had good records and had to miss the championship, and insisted to have some form of Playoff bracket. Which was good, because by the time the Depression era was midway through, the BFL was spreading across the nation, with the USA having their own BFL leagues by 1938.
After summer vacation in 1941 and discussions were made throughout the school districts in terms what to do with the growing popularity of the BFL seasons, the states decided to have playoffs, which would consist of 4 games, a 1st round, 2nd round, quarterfinal, and semifinal. The winners of the 2 semifinal games will go head-to-head in the championship game. And the BFL increased in popularity and by numbers in the 1950's as well.
And in Texas, whether it's Middle School, High School, or College, or even the NFL, they take football seriously. Because why? Everything's bigger in Texas. Even Football. So big, BFL games get televised throughout the State on a weekly basis every Saturday Night, or even Friday Nights if there was a big Rivalry Game.
Since 1966, the BFL Season expanded in Texas to 10 Regular Season Games. Starting either on last or the second-to-last Friday of August and ending the regular season in Late October. The Playoffs ran from November to December, and the State Title Game would be played on the weekend before Christmas Eve. During the playoffs, the games would be held at College Stadiums like Texas University's Memorial Stadium, The Cotton Bowl and the list goes on and on.
However, for a Meadowbrook school, the experience of being a champion never came to be, and that school went by the name of Bradley Elementary. From 1925 in their inaugural season to the 1950 season, the Bradley Tigers had a losing season every year, ranking dead last in their conferences. When the 60's began, the school's BFL team has been mediocre, posting 5-4 and 4-5 records every year.
That changed as soon as 1975 rolled around. In their 50th anniversary season, the team managed to achieve an 8-2 season, and reached the Semifinals, only to come short and lose 9-14. However, they became a playoff caliber team since then, with their traditional sense of winning improving more in the 1980's.
They were a dominant team in the 80's, but they were one of those teams that never won a championship, no matter how good they were, always coming up short. Losing in the Quarterfinals in 1980, 1982, 1986, losing in the 2nd round in 1981 & 1984, and losing in the 1st round one time in 1983, but they managed to get to the Semi Finals in 1987, where they lost to Dougal Elementary in double overtime by the score of 18-33.
However, the story I'm going to tell you, is the story of love and loss, friends and family, fathers and sons, trust and betrayal:
This is the story of the 1988 Bradley Tigers Season.