THOMSON --- When the lights went out, David Harbeson made his move.
Harbeson, the youth and music minister at Dearing Baptist Church, took advantage of the stadium's lights going out for 17 minutes to talk to Talles Cardoso, the Thomson kicker and Brazilian exchange student living with him this academic year.
What he heard and saw surprised him.
"I was under the impression he would not play Friday night," Harbeson said. "We saw him dressed, and not in street clothes. I was curious from a parent's standpoint."
Cardoso, whose quad was sore because of all the kicking, did play, but only on field goals and extra points.
After he kicked an extra point in the third quarter, another chance presented itself, and Cardoso was called on late in the fourth quarter. Despite not kicking a football until last month, he delivered a 20-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining to beat Lakeside, 10-9.
The kicker said he wasn't nervous, mostly because he knew he could make it.
Thomson coach Luther Welsh said football has come natural for Cardoso.
The native from right outside São Paolo -- the largest city in the Americas -- has been an unlikely hero for Thomson.
Cardoso, who has been speaking English for only two years and understands it better than he speaks it, is in America to get an education. Harbeson said Cardoso would be considered a senior back home but is recognized as a sophomore in Georgia. He is taking classes he needs to fulfill his class requirements in Brazil.
Harbeson and his wife, Chanda, have been involved with student exchanges for five years. He considers it to be a reciprocal learning process, with him learning about the student's country and the student getting introduced to the United States.
Harbeson said Cardoso will stay with him until after Memorial Day.
"By Christmas, his English level will seriously grow," Harbeson said. "By year's end, he will have a slight accent -- a Southern accent."
Despite all the new experiences, Cardoso doesn't seem too overwhelmed. While he came from a city larger than New York to a small town in Georgia, Cardoso said he likes Thomson.
Although he hasn't played football for long, Cardoso said he likes to watch the NFL. A Patriots fan, Cardoso was interested in trying out for a sports team when he arrived, and Harbeson said it would also be a way for Cardoso to meet more students.
Harbeson heard Thomson was in need of a kicker. So he made arrangements for Cardoso, who helped his team win a city championship in basketball in Brazil, to try out before school started.
After just three kicks from Cardoso, Harbeson said the coaching staff had big eyes and smiles.
With the stage set last Friday, neither Cardoso nor Harbeson was surprised when the kicker made the field goal.
When Cardoso arrived for a postgame meal at Waffle House, players and families broke out into a cheer.
"The attention he has been getting because of two weeks of kicking very well has been very unusual for him," Harbeson said. "But it's not going to his head."
Instead, Cardoso seems more focused on soaking everything in, from American culture to meeting new people.
"Everybody knows who he (is), but he has to learn everybody else. He's making great progress."
Great story, but I would have liked him better if he had missed that fieldgoal.
From the conversations I hear about Talles from the kids at THS, he is a very likable kid and all the kids like him. The kids say he has a great personality AND a great sense of humor. I know they are learning just as much from him as he is from them. My daughter said when someone made the statement to Talles that "HE" won the game....he said "No, the Thomson Bulldogs won the game". Now that speaks volumes.
We listen to the games on-line and this was very exciting. I wish I could have been there for the past two games and the rest of the season. Great job to all in involved! Good luck for the rest of the year. We will be listening and cheering out here.
We are the parents of Talles, Aderson and Marly. We are delighted by the reception of students from Thomson to our son. He is very special to us. We feel very honored that he was part of the Bulldogs team and fans have already organized here in Jundiai, a city that lives tall. Our thanks for the love and respect all of you
Great game! Great kick! I was talking to some players and they really like Talles even though he doesn't speak English very well. They say he uses hand signs but they can understand what he means. Great story!
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