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By the time I’d arrived at the football field, I already knew who we’d play next. Central had defeated McNamara 21–17. All that stood between us and going to the State Finals were Beverly and Central. I thought both teams were very beatable. Then I mentally slapped myself as I remembered our last game. I needed to focus on Beverly.
Before going to get taped, I walked over to the hospitality tent to get something to eat. The boosters had done something different this time. Various food booths surrounded a huge tent that had tables and chairs set up so you could eat. A local radio station had a sound system installed; they were broadcasting live. The announcer encouraged their listeners to come watch the game and enjoy the pregame festivities. There was a booth where you bought tickets, and then you turned them in for a sample of each booth’s specialty. The proceeds went to the Booster Club as a fundraiser. I peeled off a couple of large bills and soon had a fistful of tickets.
As I wandered through, I gathered samples of just about everything. I smiled when they offered to take the food to my table. Several of the football players showed up and tried to steal my food. That was why I’d bought the extra tickets, though I found myself going through tickets at an alarming rate. I should have known to buy more. I spotted Mona and motioned her over.
“Here, go get more tickets,” I told her, handing her a couple more bills.
“What makes you think I’ll be your gofer?” she asked.
“Because you get to hand them out to whoever you want,” I said.
I knew she’d just been giving me a hard time. She bought the tickets and gave some to all the cheerleaders to hand out. I smiled when Brook took up station at the ice cream booth and handed tickets to any kids that didn’t have one.
Jeff Delahey appeared out of nowhere and stole my plate of chicken wings.
“Hey!” I complained.
“Word on the street is Coaches Diamond and Zoon have been offered jobs,” he said, making me suddenly forget about his theft.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“I heard Coach Diamond has been offered the head coaching position at Washington. Coach Zoon’s offer is still under wraps, but my source tells me that he’ll be the new linebacker coach at the University of Kentucky. I also heard that Tim Foresee received a scholarship offer to play linebacker from the University of Kentucky. That’s despite his injury.”
“Wow. That’s big news. When will they announce all this?” I asked.
“After the season. Can I count on a comment when the time comes?” Jeff asked.
“Of course. I hate that they’re leaving, but they need to look to their careers. I guess I’ve been lucky to have Coach Diamond for two years,” I said, and then figured Jeff might have more information. “Do you know who’ll replace them?”
“You didn’t hear this from me, but the defensive guy from Springfield you spoke so highly of is the top target to replace Coach Zoon. The only sticking point is money, but I’ve heard the Booster Club might be convinced to make up the difference. I haven’t heard a peep as to who might take over for Coach Diamond. My guess is Coach Hope already has someone but isn’t talking,” Jeff said.
I just sat there in stunned silence while I absorbed the changes that were coming. Coach Zoon’s departure really wasn’t a problem. Coach Hope’s passion was defense, so even if they didn’t get the guy from Springfield, we would be okay. What worried me was Coach Diamond’s replacement. I might be learning an entirely new offense again. Intellectually, I knew that was common during a quarterback’s career. Emotionally, I didn’t really want to change. A new offensive coordinator wouldn’t worry about my feelings. The best I could hope for was that they knew what they were doing and didn’t mess up our shot at a winning season.
“You ready to do your pregame presser?” Jeff asked.
“Sure,” I said, and he motioned everyone over.
The press soon surrounded me. I gave them the standard lines about how good our opponent was and admitted we were lucky to even be playing today. Quite honestly, I’d never seen anyone make the mistake the poor kid had made. It ranked right up there with the Michigan punter who had given the ball to Michigan State and lost the game.
“Any predictions?” Jeff asked as the last question.
“I think after last week I’m out of the prediction business. All I know is this team has more heart than any other I’ve ever been on. I believe Coach Hope had it right when he told me that nobody taught us to quit. I expect we’ll be ready. Beverly will be a real test for us, and I hope we pass it,” I said and stood up to walk out.
While I’d talked to Jeff, the crowd had grown. Mona stopped me, and I gave her more money. I would always donate to the Booster Club. This was my favorite way to donate: anonymous and able to see it put a smile on someone’s face. The small children who got ice cream showed I’d succeeded.
I checked my watch, and I had plenty of time. I went to get my ankles taped.
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For this game, the temporary bleachers had been installed. Our fans usually packed the place, but tonight it seemed like the whole town was in the house. There was nothing more exciting than playoff football. It was one and done. Someone would be eliminated and their dreams crushed, while the other would be one step closer to their goal.
Fox Sports was covering local football on their regional networks, and we were selected as one of their games. Another of their games that interested me was between Springfield and Bloomington. They’d played early in the season, with Bloomington winning. I wished I’d seen the rematch, because it was reported to have been a great battle, with Springfield turning the tables with their defense.
When it was game time, Yuri and I walked out for the coin flip. The team insisted that he and I would be the captains for the rest of the year. I would be willing to bet that no other team in the state had a junior and a sophomore as their team captains; that was typically reserved for seniors. We met Beverly at the center of the field, and there wasn’t any trash talk. You could tell they were a well-coached team. This was how I thought football should be played. Granted, I enjoyed some good-natured trash talk; it fired me up. But if I had a choice, I’d rather not.
We won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Beverly took the ball. As we awaited the kickoff, I looked around and savored the moment. Fans for both teams were on their feet to cheer their team on. Our fans had their cowbells ringing, and the cheerleaders and marching band had started the ‘Our House’ chant. This was why I played. It was this feeling, right now. I felt the hairs on my arms go up and got that queasy feeling of excitement. As our kicker ran up to the football, the noise hit a crescendo and then dropped off as it sailed through the air. I guess Derek felt it too because he boomed the kickoff through the end zone.
Our defense must have been feeling the excitement because they seemed to be nervous. Beverly took full advantage, marched down the field, and scored. I knew that Coach Zoon would get them settled down, and they would firm up. What surprised me was Beverly had opened up their playbook to accomplish the first score. They had actually passed the ball more than they ran it. Switching from a run-oriented offense to throwing the ball wasn’t easy. I wondered if they would continue.
We started on our own 20 after Ed downed the kickoff in the end zone. Coach Diamond had called the option as the first play. He knew I needed the contact to get settled.