The Attack Of The Yard Line

As I stood on the field, sweat dripping down my face, it all came down to this moment. Going to practice for months, the bruises, the pain, it was all preparing me for this altering moment. I’m a soccer goalie, that in itself is a big responsibility, but tonight my team was counting on me to lead them to victory. We just played a full 90-minute game only to be tied two to two. I stood in between the goal posts, people cheering my name, as a member from the opposing team walked closer. Since we tied we are in a penalty shootout, the outcome of the game is decided on this one kick. See, being a goalie is a big responsibility, but during a shootout, that's when it gets unbearably stressful. The odds are not in a goalie’s favor. There is only an eighteen percent chance that the goalie will stop the penalty kick, but I was beating those odds because I already blocked two out of four shots. I just needed to block one more, one more and we win the gold medal, we win first place. As the player walks closer to me, the cheering of the crowd slowly dissipates. All I hear is my heart pounding out of my chest. It all comes down to this final whistle signaling the kicker to begin. I felt unstoppable, this was my moment to shine, this was when I became the hero for my team. The referee blew

The day College of Faith football team played, Missouri S&T was in the fall of 2015, it was cold. At the time me and my brothers on the football team came off a big lost to the Cougars of St. Francis. The St.Francis Cougars Are located in Fort Wayne, Texas. They are a very big school, the cougars were undefeated the whole year round. After the 65-0 lost to the cougars, we the College of Faith, had a game against Missouri S&T. I felt like a raging superstar on field, I had 8 tackles, 1 big blindside sack and 1 pass deflect, it was very cool and also sunny. Unfortunately, we got demolish, the whole team quit.We lost 64-0 Football taught me to value my life more and be more ongoing to learn new things.

Final minutes of the first half winding down, my team was marching down the field with a purpose. Across the gridiron was our rival team, Mayfield, who we had beat the previous year in the state championship game. It was a cold November night and the stage was set, playing on their home field, “The Field of Dreams,” in Las Cruses, New Mexico in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Up 14-0, we had the ball and were trying to score before going into halftime. I was handed the ball for a running play and then it happened. Falling to the ground as if I had been shot, I had completely torn my hamstring. I was in complete shock as I lay on the ground. As the pain

It was that time of the year again, football season. Football is a sport in which I am very passionate about, I never knew I could or would be so passionate towards something, until one very specific game. It was a Saturday afternoon, the breeze was just right, the temperature was just right; not to cold and not too hot. Being the first game of the season I didn’t know if I was going to play or not. However, I was proven wrong Coach Smith hollered “Shawn!” I stood up startled at first and right then and there I knew that was my moment to shine and shine is what I did.

It was a brisk fall evening, and my seventh grade youth football team and I had traveled to Aberdeen to play the undefeated Chiefs. We had worked harder and longer than we ever had that week to show that we were a threat in the league and ascend from our third place ranking. We knew it was not going to be easy; the Chiefs’ team had the fastest running back in our division, and they had scored more total points per game than any other team in the Southeast Idaho Youth Football League. The field was neater and greener than we had expected in this town. It was a great day for football, and I was with all of my best friends. I knew going in that it was going to be a learning experience whether we won or lost that night because the Chiefs were

I sprinted off, running a fade route into the endzone. I shook the corner with my speed and looked for the ball. It soared through the air right over me! I jumped as high as I could and my left hand found the ball just like a magnet to metal. Then I got hit. I had held onto the ball through the hit! I was coming down hard...and then it hit me I was falling into the ditch.

It was a cool saturday morning in february, as I was violently woken up by my alarm clock. I rose out of my bed, and started preparing for my championship hockey game later that day. I got up out of bed and refreshed myself as I stretched. I grabbed my dress shirt and my dress pants and went to my parents room to iron my clothes. Not knowing that the iron was already on and hot, I picked up the iron. The iron fell on my foot, and I frantically grabbed it off the floor. I hoped that it wouldn’t start a fire. My foot was burning with pain. I knew in my head that today was going to be a struggle. Unfortunately, it had to be on the same day of my league championship game.

​The world spun as I got up off the ground, it felt like someone had hit me in the back of the head with a sledge hammer. I knew the play had moved down the field but I could not find it. The seconds seemed to take years to pass me by. I think I spun in a circle three or four times to find the huddle forming around the goal line for the field goal attempt. I half jogged, half stumbled my to the huddle barely keeping myself on my feet. I put my hand in the dirt, and watched the ball sail through the uprights. I miraculously made it back to the sideline, where the trainer could see that I was struggling just to stand. She made me sit on the bench and put me

The pain was nothing like I had ever felt before. I had never broken a bone so I didn’t know it would hurt like this. It felt as if the world’s strongest person had just punched me in the lower back. At the time the pain was shooting all the way from the bottom of my tailbone to my mid-back. There was a tear running down my face. Everyone on my team, and all the parents on the sidelines, knew Iam injured. They knew this because I would never cry during a soccer game unless I was in pain.

I recall arriving at the first game. The opposing team, although small, were almost two times my size. They looked intimidating, but I did not let judgement cloud my mind. When huddled together, our coach spoke to us, telling the team that we is what we practiced for, that the other team did not practice as hard as we did, even though he had no knowledge of the opposing team’s practice was. As he continued to intensify our spirits, a fire sparked amongst my companions. The plays flourished throughout my brain. I felt confident. Before I knew it, a whistle blew and I was fast forwarded onto the field

It was a cold, wet, and a windy day my Junior year. We had a football game about an hour and a half away from us. I started both on offense and defense, I also was on about every special team. We were losing 7-0, it was the 4th quarter with barely any time left and we were pushed up against the wall trying to fight back. We had the ball on our own 30-yard line and had to go the rest of the way and score to have any chance of winning. I don't know about the rest of the team, but at this point and time I was already dead, I was limping around and was sore everywhere, but I kept on pushing through it.

The time had come and I thought I had it but I was wrong. It was the last game of the year and it was one of the coldest ones yet. The coach called my name and told me to go out and play wide receiver. I ran out to my position and as I am running my heart sank as if I was on a roller coasters going down a steep drop. They told me the play and they were throwing to me and as I got set up my heart started racing. Then I hear “Down… Set… Hut!!!” I start running my route feeling the cool air hitting my face. I turn and see the ball coming way above my head. I put my hands up above my head and I feel the ball hit my hands and go flying. I felt so disappointed thinking if only I was bigger.

As we got to Metlife stadium, I thought it looked phenomenal! Many people were there, taking pictures, wowing at the marvellous, and ginormous stadium, and hoping that their team would win! There were green lights shining off the stadium, since it was a Jets home game. They were green as grass, and bright as the sun. We then started to walk up one big ramp to get to our seats. I felt like I had run a mile when we go to the top! When we got to our seats, I saw we were elevated above the ground, towering over the brawny players on the field. I didn’t want to fall and go “SPLAT!” on the field.

“Why wasn’t my midfielders getting to the ball?” I thought to myself frustratedly. I had scored at least one time every game, for my indoor club team, but the last game I couldn’t. For years I played forward or right wing. We needed help back on defense, so my coach asked me to go back to left back. I don’t play defense much, because it wasn’t my strength. As we were playing, the ball was kicked to center field, and no one on my team or the other team was getting the ball. I thought to myself, “even back on defense, I could still try to score or pass the ball.” As I ran up to the ball to strike it in the goal, a girl on the other team was racing me to the ball. I turned my whole leg so that the side of my foot would

I looked up at the scoreboard and the time read 8 minutes left. As I looked at the scoreboard I felt a jolt of energy enter my body. I had felt as if a fire was lit under me. My eyes opened as if I had just seen a ghost. I remember thinking to myself, “how can we lose this game?” I made a promise to myself that I would win 4 state titles while being at Battlefield High School. This was my sophomore year of high school and I had already won one state title, how could I give up now and let my dreams be crushed, I worked too hard for that to happen. In that moment I knew there was only one result I was going to walk off the field with, and that was with a win and another State Championship. I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “My team needs energy. They need a leader.”