My goodness, there is a Santa Claus!

Remember that winless midget football team I wrote about in my last column? The one that I thought had a better chance of seeing Santa than winning? Well, you know what? They won their final game of the season over another winless team. But the kids didn't know that or care. You would have thought they won the Super Bowl.

I attended the game to take some pictures as a favor to my colleague, the head coach, and truly enjoyed myself. It was a nice reminder of what youth sports should be all about.

As the players arrived, rather than getting them immediately focused on the task at hand, the coaching staff let them be kids. After all, they were playing on the high school turf field as a special treat. I know I still get excited stepping on a nice turf field, and I've been on hundreds. Imagine how they felt. They warmed up by playing their own version of "smear the person with the ball."

Once it was time to get "serious," I watched the usual pre-youth sports event happenings: someone poked in the eye, athletic supporters readjusted, one boy wanting a donut from the box a parent brought for the children in the bleachers, and of course, one last run to the port-a-john.

Right after the coach asked who had not been a captain yet and every single hand went up, he made his pre-game speech: "Let's end today's game knowing we played as hard as we could. And most importantly, go have the most fun you've had all season." It was refreshing to my ears.

During the game I saw an accidental onsides kick recovered (and the coach apologize for it); a rare pass completion for a touchdown; a kids' version of an excessive celebration in the end zone; and two referees having more fun than when they are working varsity games -- and a writer/photographer doing the same.

But with all those classic youth sports moments, the best was saved for last. On my way home, I called my colleague and asked to talk to his son -- the team's starting quarterback. I congratulated him and told him what a great game he had played and how he must be so excited to win his first game. And then I added that it would certainly motivate him to practice in the offseason for next year.

His reply, in a perfectly nonchalant, so-be-it 8-year-old voice: "Oh, I'm not playing next year."

It was the icing on the cake for my perfect youth sports day. Mine and Santa's.

Reach syndicated columnist Jon Buzby at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.