These are the RAMS we celebrate,
These are the RAMS of 2008.
As the basketballs rolled out for another new year,
we were anxious to watch and ready to cheer.
It began with an O-4 start at the Alton Tourney,
we learned right away that this was an up-hill Journey.
But as the South-7 opened and the Rams hit the floor,
fans came in bunches through the Changnon Gym door.
The Cahokia Commanches were the first team to fall,
It was text-book Rams defense and take care of the ball.
A road trip to Belleville Althoff was next on the list,
the Crusaders played poorly and the Rams couldn’t miss.
The Terriers now waited in Carbondale land,
The Rams didn’t worry, coach Creel had a plan.
The Centralia Holiday Tournament brought Miami to town,
It was another Rams win, we weren’t messing around.
After winning 4 in a row, O’Fallon now loomed,
But they hit 9 three’s and the Rams chances were doomed.
A Saturday morning breakfast with Centennial was next,
A Double overtime loss-- just like last year’s weird Hex.
Back to Changnon we go with Marion in town,
A close 2-point win sent the ‘Cats home with a frown.
#4 ranked Madison brought their team into the Vern,
They walked off the floor early, when will they learn?
That’s two Ram wins in a row and now Carbondale was back,
The Terriers lost again and fell near the end of the pack.
Salem Invitational Tourney matched Charleston with us,
Revenge from playoff football was discussed on the bus.
Undefeated Edwardsville thought they would butcher us like cattle,
Another double-overtime chess match, wow what a battle!
The Knights of Triad stood in the way of Third Place,
Our shots fell from everywhere, even outer space.
#1 Ranked Eisenhower brought an unblemished record to town,
E.J. Randolph made Mr. Robinson look like a clown.
Their point guard was speedy- he was absolutely a blur,
But the Rams took them out of their game and caused quite a stir.
With 9 seconds left we were just one point down,
The final score raised eyebrows for many miles around.
The Orphans came to Changnon looking for the sweep,
They pounded it inside and also hit shots from the deep.
The Rams got out to another 10-point lead
We just didn’t make the free throws we need.
When the buzzer finally sounded, it was a bitter 2-point loss,
A tough pill to swallow even though it wasn’t Coach Moss.
The Effingham Hearts paid a visit to our gym,
Our Rams moved the ball well and scored close to the rim.
A crazy ending to a game that added "phantom" time.
If we had lost this game it would have been a real crime.
Against Marion in the Regional officiating was unbearable,
In fact, Coach Gamber said it was absolutely Terrible!
We spotted those Wildcats a 16-point lead,
Everyone stepped up in a desperate time of need.
E.J. and the T-Man said "we’re not going down like this,"
Badger hit six 3-pointers, he simply couldn’t miss.
Mitchell was magic with a steal and a great pass to Rush,
Our student section went crazy—they were the Orange Crush.
Randolph got busy and went to work in the lane,
Kujawa sent us to overtime, it was insane.
Ryan Quick played aggressive as everyone could tell,
Kyle Martin scored a bucket and hit two free throws as well.
While it took a second overtime to get the job done,
Fans chanted"bring on the Orphans-we’ll see who is #1"
Centralia shot 2 of 22 in the first half of the title game,
We knew they were too good to keep shooting the same.
The Seniors stepped up big with the game on the line,
They wouldn’t lose to these guys for the third straight time.
The Orphans led briefly but the Rams won the crown,
Now it was time for the Sectional on the floor at C-town.
Jerseyville faced us first and the Ram players were ready,
The offense ran smooth and the defense was steady.
Mount Vernon avenged that early season loss,
And Logan Murphy was rockin’ in the 3-point toss.
Cahokia was the opponent for the Sectional Championship plaque,
And Darrell was smooth, taking the ball to the rack.
We beat them three times which was very hard to do,
These RAMS Reached a level achieved by a very few.
Let’s Shout it out loud so everyone can hear,
Doug Creel should get the vote for Coach of the Year.
A run to the Elite-8 in the brand new Class 3A,
It was time to drive up to Springfield and play.
Champaign Central was the team on the docket,
The Rams kept it close hitting deep shots from the pocket.
Deaton blocked a shot and scored a bucket as well,
The Rams gave the cheerleaders a reason to yell.
E.J. kept on scoring despite their overwhelming size,
We were 34 seconds away from pulling a big surprise.
There are no 6-10 giants on the Rams Roster of players,
Just tough blue collar workers sitting in those team chairs.
There were people that criticized the Rams 0-4 start,
But they just didn’t understand the measure of their heart.
A Never-Say-Die attitude swept over this crew,
They didn’t give up like it would be so easy to do.
We have no Division 1 recruits and no diaper dandy,
But we did play our last game in front of Billy Gillespie.
The 30-game season is over…it’s now in the past,
But the fond memories of this team will forever last,
These are the RAMS that we Celebrate,
These are the RAMS of 2008.
