Maquoketa Valley Heading to State Tournament!!

Congratulations to the Maquoketa Valley girls basketball team for punching its ticket to the state tournament in Des Moines with a 39-30 victory over North Butler!

The Wildcats (19-5) and ranked 15th in Class 2A overcame a slow start and knocked off the 5th ranked Bearcats in the Class 2A Region 4 final.

I had the opportunity to photograph this exciting night for the Wildcats and it was awesome to say the least.

The anticipation could be felt from both sides of the gym from the moment I walked in. Both sides filled the gym with bodies and a buzz that is hard to put into words.

Even during warmups you could tell these fans were ready for the game of the year for their teams.

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As a photographer, I try not to get caught up in the game. I'm there to capture photos.

But then again, I'm human.

I have had a connection to Maquoketa Valley for almost a decade now and I cheer for them as if I an alum. I used to work for the Manchester Press as well as the Dyersville Commercial years ago in the sports and news departments so I have made some close friendships and connections there so of course when I see the black and yellow I can't help but cheer (even if I don't show it while working!).

Especially when you see the parents and families and realize that these aren't a bunch of hot shot, star athletes. These are kids that have spent years playing together in their backyards, at the city parks, in AAU tournaments--and maybe not, who knows?--so to see the sheer joy in their parent's eyes when they succeed is something you can't put into words.

There is just something about high school sports, especially when a trip to the state tournament is on the line. There are many schools that don't come close to where these two teams were last night and I can tell you their fans looked like they appreciated this fact completely.

There was never a dull moment last night. It was easy to get engulfed in the emotion of the night and hope for the Wildcats to pull out the win. They brought nearly twice as many fans (although North Butler did a fantastic job in causing noise with the amount of fans it had there as well--especially their neon covered student section).

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There came a moment in the game where Maquoketa Valley had essentially put the game away and this is where my heart really started racing.

As a photographer, I try to put myself in the perfect situation, the perfect angle for the best shot possible.

If you had the opportunity to check out any of my images from last night, it looks like I was everywhere but believe me, I'm already kicking myself for a few shots that I missed. I either had a shot of it but it was blurry (yes, photographers take blurry photos from time to time! Haha!) and there were also a few shots where I took a bad angle and got the back of someone's head (during a celebration) instead of the front of it.

You live, you learn I guess. That's what I love about photography the most. No matter how many games I photograph, no matter how many years I've been photographing games, every game is different. Every situation is different.

So you keep shooting. You keep shooting to get that perfect shot.

And as I put on my Facebook page, I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to do what I love. My photos from last night aren't just sports photos. To those in the photos or that were there last night, these are memories of a very happy night that they won't forget for a long time. Or ever!

I'm just happy and proud to say that I got to be there for these kids' and families' big night!

JScott