Bonus thoughts from Tri-County.

Here are the stories behind the stories from the Tri-County-Old Colony game on the hilltop in Franklin today:

** What a difference from last year's game at Old Colony -- and I mean the weather. Last year, the temperatures were in the low 20s, possibly colder. This year, the temperature was pushing 60. This is the sort of global warming I can gladly accept.

Of course, I was overdressed -- long-sleeve polo, Martha's Vineyard sweatshirt, North Face fleece jacket. Felt as if I was sweating off those excess pounds by halftime.

The weather, however, did have a slight effect upon the game. Recent rains didn't drain too well from the Tri-County field, and because of its steep crown, the sidelines were soggy and slippery. Wisely, the Cougars avoided these muddy patches and gained the majorioty of their 296 rushing yards running right up the middle. And how often at this time of the year is the strategy the exact opposite, to take the running plays outside to get OUT of the mud and into grass?

** Tri-County didn't do too well in one key area of the game -- 1-for-6 in third-down conversions, or .167. So why didn't that thrust the Cougars into trouble?

Of their 14 first downs, one came on a first-down play, 10 came on second-down plays, one on third down, and two on three attempts to convert on fourth down. When you're getting first downs on your second-down plays, who needs third down?

Old Colony, by the way, was 1-8 in third-down conversions and 2-4 on fourth down.

** Of all the uniforms I've seen this year, Old Colony's white road jerseys had to be the worst. White with yellow numerals that were trimmed very faintly in red, and totally impossible to see from halfway across the field. I apologize for any statistical errors I may have made in the first half of the game, but I simply could not see the numbers (and my glasses are new!). It wasn't until I returned to the car at halftime and pulled out a small pair of Bushnell binoculars that I could vouch for the statistics over the second half.

** Just a note to Randy Hardy's mom -- thanks for reminding me that he's a junior, and not a senior as has been written before. The Cougars will not only be fortunate to have him back next year, but also, several of their stable of running backs and QB Steve Robinson will be back, too.

It really looks as if Dan MacLean has built a program at Tri-County -- and most people will tell you that one of the toughest things to do is to build a consistent winner at a vocational school, because the kids have so many in-school and out-of-school responsibilities that come as a part of their education. My hats off to everyone up at Tri-County for two straight years of excellence, and many more hopefully to come.

** I'm also a big fan of what the "Cougar Classic" has become. The folks at both schools have take a shared nickname and made it an event. It's personal, too. There's no aloofness or mechanical feel to the effort to make both teams feel as if they're sharing a special experience. The crowds are getting bigger, and both teams displayed outstanding sportsmanship. Maybe some of our established rivalries could learn a few things from these two schools.

** One last bonus thought for this week. Every now and then, some of the observers of this site like to accuse me of favoritism in the games I cover. So here's the updated list of how many times I saw each team:

Attleboro....................4
Bishop Feehan...........3
Dighton-Rehoboth....2
Foxboro.....................0
King Philip.................2
Mansfield...................5
North Attleboro........5
Norton........................1
Seekonk.....................3
Tri-County................2

Now, there are maybe two schools there that require some explanation. Mansfield, of course, is the school from which I graduated 38 years ago. Two of the Mansfield games involved other local schools (North Attleboro and King Philip). Two were big early-season games (Dartmouth and Franklin) and one (East Bridgewater) was a late replacement for a rained-out game.

As for Foxboro, it's a glaring omission, yes. But James Schneider of our staff also doubles as the writer for the weekly Foxboro Reporter, which we own, and he gets first crack on those games. As I've been trying to tell some individuals lately, you do what your bosses tell you to do, and that's that.