By Spring championship. We played for it and we lost. 17-14. The spring season had a compressed bracket — four rounds over six weeks — and we made it to the final and played hard and lost by three. This is part of the sport. Some years you win the last game. Some years you don't. What matters is what the players took from it and what I'll do differently in fall.
I didn't say much to the team afterward. I told them they represented themselves and this program with dignity, that the spring season was a gift nobody expected and they filled it with something real. I told the seniors — this spring format had a handful of players who'd used their extra pandemic year — that their careers at Eldorado Prep were the kind that made programs better permanently. I meant it. I always mean the postgame speech or I don't give it.
Diego played well. He finished the season with four touchdowns, 312 rushing yards in eight games. He's going to be a different player in the fall. He's already planning for it. On the bus home from the championship loss, he sat next to me for part of the ride — just sat there, quiet, looking out the window. I didn't interrupt. At some point he said, "We'll get them in the fall." I said I agreed. That was the whole conversation. Everything else was understood.
Made carne asada when we got home at midnight. Had it ready — I'd marinated the steak that afternoon out of hope, which is its own kind of preparation. Lisa stayed up. We ate standing at the kitchen island. Late-night carne asada after a championship loss. Some meals are for joy. Some are for getting through. Both kinds nourish.
The carne asada was the main event, but you can’t stand at a kitchen island at midnight after a 17–14 loss and not have something to scoop while the meat rests — and guacamole is the thing I always come back to, simple and grounding and ready in the time it takes to gather yourself. I’d had the avocados sitting out since that afternoon, same as the marinated steak, because hope is a kind of preparation, and preparation means having everything you need for whatever the night turns into. Lisa and I didn’t say much. We didn’t need to. The guacamole helped.
Guacamole
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
Instructions
- Mash the avocados. Place avocados in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and salt, then mash with a fork to your preferred consistency — leave it slightly chunky for the best texture.
- Season the base. Stir in cumin and cayenne, mixing until evenly incorporated into the mashed avocado.
- Fold in the fresh ingredients. Gently fold in the onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and chile pepper if using. Stir just enough to combine — don’t overwork it.
- Taste and adjust. Taste for salt and lime. Add more of either until it tastes right. This is the step that matters most.
- Serve immediately. Transfer to a serving bowl. If not serving right away, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole to prevent browning. Best eaten fresh, standing at the counter, with people you trust.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 138 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 105mg