From the Cheap Seats - The Anatomy of a Rain Delay

By Ryan Stonebraker

Sports Editor

For the first time in many seasons, weather claimed many football games in eastern Iowa last Friday.  Many started out as lightning delays, but ended up cancelling because of late delays or heavy rain.  Of the four schools, Durant and North Cedar got their games in, while Tipton and Wilton did not.  Tipton started and postponed their game with just over 6:00 left in the third quarter and up 20-0, but the Beavers did not even get to kick off their season opener.

I sat down with Wilton football coach Ryan Hetzler to talk about what the Beavers did to get ready for two opening days of sort.

Friday, August 28th

5:00 - Wilton varsity arrives at Williamsburg early and watches some of the junior varsity football game.

5:30 - Wilton varsity gets ready for their game - rain was intermittet in the freshman game.

7:15 - During warm-ups, and at the 10-minute mark on the game clock, lightning was spotted.  The Beavers were stretching, and about ready to go back to the locker room for the final pep talk from coaches before taking the field for starting line-ups.

Hetzler said that he has been part of delays before, “I have been part of lightning delays before, but, the game was always resumed.  It may have been late, but we kept going.  Friday, the radar was not encouraging.  Once it started raining, it was set in for the long haul,” he said.

8:30 - Williamsburg football coach Curt Ritchie and Hetzler meet.  First thought for them was do everything they could to play that night.  However, as the time kept ticking away and subsequent lightning delays, different action was taken.  

8:45 - Facing a start time of 10-10:30, a soggy, sopping field, and the possibility of putting kids in a bad spot where chances of injury could happen, the game was postponed to Saturday at 2:00.

10:00 - Wilton coaches convene to watch KWQC’s and WQAD’s High School Football highlight shows.  It is then that they realize the scope of the delayed games.  They watch channel 8 as rival Durant is featured.  They make some notes, they close the day out and look forward to Saturday.

Saturday August 29th

9:00 - Saturday Coaches meeting.  Coaches prepare for Williamsburg, refine game plans and ocasionally looking at weather report for the day.

Area games that were being played Saturday:

Lisbon traveled to West Branch, trailing 20-7 for an 11:00 a.m. start

Tipton traveled back to West Liberty ahead 20-0 for a 2:00 p.m. start

In a mega match-up that had an effect on the Tipton Conservative Football Contest, the highly anticipated game between CIML and power Dowling Catholic vs. Cedar Rapids Xavier was postponed and cancelled as Dowling did not want to make the trip back on Saturday.

**Before departing for Williamsburg, Hetzler tells his team, “This is a first for me (playing on Saturday after a postponement), it’s a first time for you, so let’s make the best of it and see what we can do,” he said.

11:30 - The Wilton varsity departs for Williamsburg for their 2:00 kick-off.

**Hetzler admits that he is concerned about his team and them getting mentally prepared to play for Friday, then the cancellation.  ‘How excited will they be when they get off the bus for the second time’ he wonders.

Warm-ups come - once warm ups begin, everything falls into place, and with no threat of rain, Game Day finally begins.

2:00 - Kick-off for the 2015 season opener - Wilton at Williamsburg.

4:30 - Final Score - Williamsburg 42, Wilton 0.