Touchdown: A Short Story

We walked together to the field, the spikes on the bottom of my cleats clicking with each step on the parking lot pavement. A huge field with onlookers filling the bleachers on the far side came into view, lit up by the soft evening light. I spotted the girls on my team and my tired looking grey-haired coach. Me and my dad split up, me going to warm up with my team and my dad going to sit with the team parents. As I was passing with my teammates I watched the opposing team carefully. I observed how neat their drills were and how accurate their shots and passes were. They all looked so athletic and that really made me doubt myself. How was I supposed to prove to everyone that I was a good player if I had to play against a team this good? What if I mess up and the other team completely destroys my team? The loud buzzer that ended the warm ups sounded and both teams went to their side of the field. My coach called today’s starters out, and luckily he didn’t choose me. Relieved, I went to go sit on one of the hard metal chairs they provided for the teams on the sidelines. The chairs were uncomfortable but that didn’t bother me. I had other things on my mind. I sat shivering watching the events of the game

The day the team got together and fought threw a tough battle facing pinnacle high school. It was our second home game and our record was 1-2. After all of the hard work we had put in over summer, we realized we could not lose, especially in front of our home crowd. At the beginning of the game we did our usual warm-ups, I have never felt so much adrenaline pushing threw my veins in my life. After the warm-ups the whole team got in a big huddle, we chanted a chant that will never be forgotten and one day make history for the pride. After the chant we got ready for kick-off, lined up and ready to go. The crowd started cheering at the first 2 seconds of the game “go pride go, go pride go”. This made the whole team nervous, not just because there was so many

It’s the last game of the season 1 minute left in the fourth quarter. You have the football in your hands; you weave in and out of defenders trying to score and BANG… You get tackled and slammed to the ground causing you to bounce your helmet off of the hard turf. You're slow to get up and you’re coach pulls you out for a play to check to see if you’re ok. You tell him you’re good that you simply just “got your bell rung”; you tell him that your team needs you. He questions the decision, but he tells you to strap your helmet back on and get out there. The next play you feel sluggish but you play through it, the quarterback snaps the ball and hands it off to you, running straight through

I worked out everyday and practiced every chance I got. When the first day of tryouts came around again, I woke up that morning like every other day, but I knew today was different. I knew that today was the day I was going to redeem myself. When I got to the field most of the guys looked familiar, a few of them even joked around with me and asked "you're back for more?" Unlike the previuos year, I was ready for this tryout. I proved to everyone that doubted me and said I couldn't and I earned my spot on that team. The moment I saw my name on the team's roster was one of my proudest

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.

Finally in the bottom of the ninth I took the mound to end the game.We had a 4-3 lead. I threw the first pitch… “Crack.” The ball went straight up in the air and I ran 10 feet to my left to catch the pop

The boisterous music is blasting while our coach and the captains try to have some thoughts about the game. “Turn the music off guys, it’s time for our speech”, he shouted across the locker rooms. Everyone went forward to the board while he stand and waited for his team to listen. While he went over our goal for the day and tell us that we shouldn’t play below our standard there is a look on each player face like they are ready and prepare for anything to happen on the field. After that motivation speech we all tuck our shirt in our shorts and simultaneously lace our shoes.

With the opening my interception play had given my team a moral boost to a point I’ve never seen my teammates play before. The game was electrifying the parents and all enjoyed watching. You could tell from all the noise it was exciting to watch us play. I was proud of myself that day. To be the weakest link on the team to becoming a leader a positive influence, from that day forward I knew football was what I loved to do and play.

I can remember two plays vividly. The first was when I played fullback. It was third and long which is more times than not a passing situation, but this time the coach put his faith in me to make the first down. I remember getting the hand off and was running to the left. I got through the hole and saw a defender. I lowered my shoulder and ran over him, but I wasn’t to the first down yet. All of a sudden there were four people on me and I had my mind made up that I wasn’t going to let my team down, so I kept my legs driving carrying people and finally made it to the first down. Right there I knew that I could be a great player. The second play was a defensive play. The opposing team was up by three points and time was running out. The coach yelled from the sideline “We need a play,” so I took it upon myself to be the playmaker. The ball was snapped, it was a toss to my left. I saw the running back sprinting out and I took my pursuit angle. I met him head up and he started to go down and in the back of my mind I heard my coach’s voice and that made me do something I had never done. I stripped the ball out of his hand and ran for a touchdown. My team won. The next phase of my football career was about to begin now, middle school.

I had turned on my Stone Age Xbox and begun to play the newly minted Madden 09 video

I watch the clock tick second, every single second felt like an eternity, the referee blow the whistle. I sprinted to the ball fastest I can. I put every single piece of my body muscles to my leg. I ran for my life! I was one of the best basketball players in town. My school finally was able to compete at the championship. I arrived at the garden grove gym. My heart started beating fast, I felt butterflies in my stomach, rumbling, my legs and arms felt as heavy as 100 kg block of solid metal(Concrete). My body sweated like a huge waterfall. The game started, we form a defensive formation, the other team ran through us like an angry Taurus. My leg was shaking but my closest teammate, Jerry shouted “Sangwon watch out for the ball!”It was too late, the ball struck my head like lightning bolt. I was unconscious for the rest of the game. Finally, I woke up, the game had ended, it had ended 2 hours ago, I saw Jerry, our coach, and his daughter, she was the most beautiful girl I ever seen, she was like the rainbow after a destructive rainstorm.

Then we slowly ran onto the field as both fans were cheering for their team. As we were on the field in our formation it was dead silent, so quiet you could hear your own heart beating faster and faster as the referee was getting ready to blow the whistle to indicate the start of the game. During the first 5 minutes of the game it was nonstop running with sweat running down your face due to the rough heat. After the first 10 minutes we were already really tired

It was Nov.16th, 2014; my last football banquet at Lima senior, they called up the Biggs aka lineman. I felt so nervous and kind of deprived of the moment. We all went up together; it was intense, I really felt helpless because I didn’t know what was going to happen or expect. I stood on the stage, just sweating, thinking, and looking confused. “This can’t be it,” I thought. “My football career cannot end this way.”

It finally came into action the first play we are on defense you could tell that half of us had that stupid feeling in your chest and stomach known as butterflies. It made most of the team a little scared and needed a wake up call which there was, when that first play is called they got a touchdown… that was a wake up call to everyone that had those butterflies still, that play itself told everyone on the team that they need to get things going and it did. That play had got called back, our defense had another chance to redeem ourselves. The first couple plays where

My team the Battlefield Bobcats were never the underdogs going into a championship game. The clock was ticking down, there were only 12 minutes left in the game. My legs were tired, body aching, I was drenched in sweat and my team 's energy was nowhere to be found. Every pass my team would make would not be completed. It was either a sloppy pass due to exhausted legs or intercepted by the other team. My head was down with frustration and my spirit was broken. I wanted to just fall to the ground and crawl into the shade. I felt defeated.