As the game clock closed in on triple zeros to end the brutal match-up, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback bounced the pigskin off an opposing player and into the hands of Franco Harris for the game winning touchdown.

The Steel Curtain’s first ever playoff victory in the team’s forty year history was one of the topics of conversation when my Dad and his brother-in-laws met for an impromptu gabfest two days after the infamous catch.

Shortly after our little family arrived at Aunt Kathy’s house in North Huntingdon on Christmas Day, the religious leader went into the kitchen to place Grandma Farrell’s holiday cookie tins on the counter.

The blue-eyed blond ran into his Italian brother-in-law Angelo Pomposelli, who was taking authentic Italian lasagna from the oven while keeping his special sauce warm on top of the stove.

“Hey there, Cecil,” exclaimed the dark-skinned young man as he placed the glass casserole dish on the cutting board next to the kitchen sink. “Happy holidays.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Big Ang,” noted the 32-year-old slightly lifting the variety of metal containers in each hand. “Just point me in the right direction as to where to put Mom Farrell’s famous baked goods.”

“I made space for them over on the other counter by the window wall,” commented the black curly-haired chap as he took one of the haphazardly stacked storage canisters from the Bible scholar.

Walking through the back hall after using the facilities, Harry Farrell stepped into the heart of the home to greet the newest arrival to the annual family gathering.

“There’s my favorite brother-in-law,” remarked the U.S. Army veteran as the two men exchanged pleasantries. “I’m going to need a couple of those cookies to tide me over until it is the adults turn to eat dinner.”

As the father of three retrieved a couple lady locks, pecan tassies and thumb prints from one of the tins, he put them on a small paper plate before handing it to his wife’s brother.

As the three men chuckled as to who was the favorite among them, Butch Fenske walked into the kitchen eyeballing the scrumptious treats on the saucer in his new brother-in-law’s hand.

“So… this is where the party’s at,” pronounced the strapping young man pointing toward the appetizing pastries. “I thought I saw Cecil traipsing through the house with those legendary delectable delights.”

The father of two boys extended the plate of flavorful delicacies toward the young blonde-haired fellow with a goatee, who quickly popped one of the syrupy-filled flaky tarts into his mouth before licking his fingers.

“Did you get a chance to listen to the Steelers game on Saturday,” questioned the brown-eyed fellow with chiseled features as he looked over at the tall clergyman. “That would have been such a great game to have watched on television.”

“It was nice to finally see Pittsburgh win their first playoff game after forty seasons,” declared the former high school quarterback looking at his captive audience. “I also listened to their first playoff game back in 1947 when I was a kid growing up in Perry County.”

“Of course, they lost twenty-one to zero to my Philadelphia Eagles,” he added with a gleam in his eyes before polishing off one of the tempting sweets.

When Little Angelo and Patrick Pomposelli gallivanted through the kitchen on their way to the dining room after washing their hands, their two uncles standing near the hallway entry attempted to block their path without success.

“I remember that game,” interjected the balding young man as he bit into one of the cream-filled pastries. “Although I didn’t listen to it firsthand – I was only three years old – I remember reading about it in a sports magazine back in high school.”

“I wasn’t even born yet,” revealed the blue-eyed truck driver pointing his finger into the air after devouring an apricot-filled cookie. “But… that was the time both teams were tied for first place in the division with a record of eight and four.”

“They had to play a tie-breaking playoff game at Forbes Field,” he added before licking the fruity juice from his upper lip.

“That’s what made their win on Saturday so special,” announced the self-employed bar owner while opening the oven door to put in another lasagna. “The immaculate reception by Franco Harris finally broke the curse of forty years of loss; so the spell was finally broken.”

Thinking the uncles had two more challengers for their blockade, my big brother John and I sidestepped the kitchen and ran through the living room to the dining table around the corner.

“I thought the game was over,” admitted the blond-haired minister after tossing his empty paper plate into the trash can. “With the Steelers down by one point in the hotly contested match-up with the Oakland Raiders, no one thought they would be able to pull that off.”

“It was fourth and ten with Pittsburgh on their own forty yard line and only twenty-two seconds left in the game,” he added before wiping the crumbs from his mouth.

“I couldn’t believe Terry Bradshaw was able to get that pass off,” mentioned the former military man as he finished off the plate of his mother’s holiday treats. “When I heard it bounced off a Raiders safety and into the hands of Franco Harris, I jumped out of my chair as he ran for the touchdown.”

“Best game ever,” divulged the gent with the handlebar mustache patting his wife’s brother on the back. “I was jumping for joy when the Steelers won the game thirteen to seven.”

When Aunt Kathy hollered from the dining room full of hungry youngsters, the boys in the kitchen scattered as the Wilmerding native grabbed the oven mitts and took in the warm lasagna to feed the ravenous grandchildren.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of this story in my column next Tuesday.

Mark S. Price is a former city government/county education reporter for The Sampson Independent. He currently resides in Clinton. If you’re interested in reading the extended version of this story in his novel titled, “Little Church at the Top of the Hill,” just type the title into the Facebook search engine and scroll down to Chapter 36, The Immaculate Reception.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Call: T: 910-592-8137 F: 910-592-8756 Address: 109 W. Main St. Clinton NC, 28328