Authors Note: This piece is a personal narrative about my first tackle football win
Sweat poured down my face as the national anthem ended. One
year of tackle football that had been anything but perfect, 0 and 6 to be in
fact. Well this year was no different after three bitter defeats everyone’s
morale was at rock bottom, I was too after, every heart
breaking lose, every oh so close, I was ready to throw in the towel, but I had a job to do and that was to play
every play, every snap with 110% and not to quit. As I snapped up my helmet and jogged up on to the field I
remember thinking “man another big team, another loss”.
The first series started as the usually
three and out. As I jogged up to the
line and took up my spot at left end, the other team broke broke the huddle and ran up
to the line I saw the biggest 12 year old boy I had ever seen, I mean 5’11
build like a professional weight lifter, looked mad too. He was ready to kill. My 5’8 scrawny frame made me look like a toddler next
to a grow man but if there’s anything my coach thought me is that that the
fastest guy wins. So will he tried to muscle me around I ran right around him
and made 2 tackles on that drive. We stopped them on the first drive and the
whole first half. Also we did the impossible and we were up seven to nothing,
but one major obstacle stood in our way and that was second half after we had
notorious collapse a fourteen point lead last game I wasn’t ready for that to
happen for a second time and 40 other individuals weren’t either.
After the speech from coach Ramlow that could have made a
motivational speaker jealous. I was ready, and it was about time we won. As the music finished, and the team got ready... I swear my
heart jump out of my chest every time the ball was snapped for fear of a
collapse, and on a 3rd and long it happened.The half-back broke two tackles and
was in to the endzone. The rest of the quarter was quiet as we rolled in to the
final quarter. I looked like I had been in a water park covered in sweat . On first, second and third series we were stopped dead in
our tracks and we couldn't move the ball one inch. Luckily the Black defense was
on there A game and had stopped their offence too. With 5 minutes left we made progress and got a massive first
down that spurred a rally in our team,
three plays later after a 2nd down stop that left us on the
away team's 30 yard line with two yards to go. As the X(wide receiver) ran in to tell the
QB our play. He called the 9-37 sweep with meant I pulled and Mike got the
ball. My heart stopped when I heard the play called out as the huddle was broke. Millions of thought raced a through my head all ended with me doing something
wrong. “Red, Set, Go” the quarterback called out and I raced across the line.
With Mike in toe, I leveled the free safety and Mike was gone. We did it, we
scored with three minutes remaining . As the other team tried with all their
mite they were unable to score and were stopped on a 3rd down, coach put me in and again I was nervous I was going to something wrong. With Mr.
Muscles lined up across from me I knew the
play would come my side. “Hike” said their QB and the Full Back came at
me like a bull in a china shop straight for me
and what happened… he got laid out. The game was won we stopped them but
with one minute left we had to chew the clock witch was no problem at all. 0:00 the scoreboard read as we
won. The next 30 second of my life were a blur and sweat was not the only thing
coming out of my eyes, I wasn't the only one ether, I mean everyone was crying except for
head coach Ramlow. After his finally speech and a team breakdown I ran up and
hugged him, He’ll deny this but I swear to this day he was crying.