Cape

If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed a dude actually making comments on my posts. That's David Cape, my high school football teammate. Snapped for my point after attempts and field goals. Later long snapped at South Carolina, then coached high school football. Decent, fun-loving guy. I stole this picture from him, from our football reunion a few years ago. Cape is at the back right.

Foreground: fullback Randy Rutherford in the hat. Once on a cheesehound rolling up the two lane highway from Macon to Augusta Randy Rut looked out the window and exclaimed "Hey! Look at those PE-can trees!" I thought to myself "It's pe-CAAN." 

Wingback Clement Troutman front left. 1975 AAA back of the year #11 Mike Jolly, who led us to the state championship and ran Pepper Rodgers' wishbone at Tech in 1976. To his left is tailback Ray Patterson, who later joined the Navy. #30 is partner in crime Tim Kurtz, who served with me on the school newspaper staff.

Backfield mates Rutherford and Patterson led our fabled 9th grade team to an undefeated, city championship season, including 66-0 and 96-0 victories over Georgia Military Academy in Milledgeville. They also were mean middle linebackers on defense. 

Back right: punter Johnny "Lightning Leg" Crawford, now a SEC referee (as the kicker, I was "Thunder Foot"). During practice I became adept at catching Crawford's punts, and he shagged my kicks. Once he decorated his practice helmet with lightning bolts fashioned from athletic tape. The next day I followed suit, adding two athletic tape stripes on my single bar practice helmet. Man I should've kept that old relic. Should've worn the single bar in games, but that would've just made my face a target to teenage opponents.  

To my left is tough as nails offensive coordinator Roy McWilliams, looking great for his age.

The tree next to our house had perfectly circular blooms.