up in the locker room. Coach Strager
gave us our pep talk. We said our prayers and headed to the
field.
Throughout the game, defense made big plays.
Halfway through the first half, our number two back turned his
ankle. He was out for the game. I thought I’d get a chance to play.
Coach Strager decided to go with just the main back.
We went into the locker room at halftime in a
scoreless tie. I knew that if we were going to win, we’d have to
control the ball. Which meant no action for Jeff.
The second half continued where the first
left off. No scoring. With five minutes left in the game, our star
back took a hard hit on third down. He bruised a rib. He was out
for the game. That meant I was the number one back now. But it was
fourth down, and we punted. The only way I would get in was if we
got the ball back.
Their team drove down to our two yard line.
We put up our goal line stand. Three tries to get two yards. They
gained nothing. Fourth down. They tried a field goal. I figured a
nineteen yard field goal, a chip shot, it was sure to be good. He
kicked it. Wide right! He missed it.
We got the ball back. I went into the game.
There was 1:39 left to play. There wouldn’t be much running here.
Ninety-eight yards for a touchdown. We only needed a field
goal.
Our quarterback hit receivers left and right
with precision sideline passes. He ran for ten yards. The drive
stalled at their forty. Pass for five yards on first. Two straight
incompletions. Fourth and 5. Twelve seconds left. Too long for a
field goal.
Coach Strager decided to run. I was not
scouted. How could they scout me? I’d never touched the ball. If I
didn’t make the first down, we’d go to overtime. If I did, we’d
stop the clock and kick the field goal. I started getting
nervous.
We lined up. Quarterback took the snap and
put the ball in my breadbasket. I started to the outside. No room.
I cut back to the inside. Big hole. I ran as fast and hard as I
can. I slipped a tackle. I got the first down, but I was not
stopping there. I was thinking touchdown. I ran right down the
middle of the field. My receivers threw some key blocks for me. I
was running out of gas. They were catching up to me. So, at the
three, I dove with what I had left for the end zone. As I hit the
ground, time expired. Touchdown! We won 6-0!
The next thing I knew, everyone was running
toward me. They picked me up, players, cheerleaders, fans, band, up
on their shoulders and carried me off the field. In that brief
instant, I went from a nobody to the most popular kid in school. I
knew then that I could get any woman I wanted.
I took a shower, got dressed, answered a few
hundred questions from the press, and went to the bus. As I got on
the bus, the cheerleaders pulled me off. They told me I was riding
back with them. Four hours with cheerleaders. How could I resist
ten of the most beautiful women in the school?
They surrounded me on the bus. Kisses from
everywhere. Touching from everywhere, on everywhere. Overall, four
hours of total pleasure.
The next night, there was a party to
congratulate the team on its first state championship. The party
was going okay. Then the man of the hour, me, walked in. Again, I
got mobbed. Kisses from every woman there. Handshakes from every
man there.
Coach Strager called me up. He presented me
with a plaque: “MVP of the State Championship 1988". The crowd
applauded. I was speechless, for a while.
“Thank you all. I had to wait four years for
this moment, to touch the ball. With this type of reception, I
couldn’t have picked a better time to do it. I regret that I did it
at the expense of my teammates. I don’t deserve this award for just
one play. These guys got us this far. I just finished it off. So,
I’m going to share this with my fellow teammates. Again, thank
you.”
I received a standing ovation, not that they
were sitting anyway. I mingled with the crowd. I went inside to get
a breather. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked
J.H. Knight
Stan R. Mitchell
Jeff Inlo
Paul Kleinman
Gwynne Forster
Sandra Parshall
Graham Masterton
Matthew Stadler, Columbia University. Writing Division
Alexandrea Weis
Carolyn Keene