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Authors: Chad Kultgen
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physical encounter with Brooke until she forced the issue. Then he would tell her how he felt and endure whatever her reaction might be, presumably a breakup.
The parents of the players clapped and cheered at their appearance on the field. Kent took out his telephone and thought about sending a text message to his son, Tim, to tell him that the game was starting. He put his telephone back in his pocket without sending the text message, assuming there was no point.
The two Olympian co-captains, Danny Vance and Chris Truby, walked out to the fifty-yard line along with two players from the Park Panthers and the referees. Danny called heads to win the coin toss and elected for the Olympians to receive the ball first, and a few moments later the game was underway.
Chris Truby, as the fastest player the Olympians fielded, served as their kickoff and punt returner. The opening kickoff of the game was a line drive that bounced several times before finally making it to Chris, who returned it for twelve yards before being brought down in a dog pile near his own thirty-five-yard line.
As Danny Vance and the rest of the Goodrich Junior High School offense took the field for their first drive of the season, Coach Quinn pulled him aside. Despite the fact that it had already been predetermined that the first play of the game would be the X fade, a passing play designed to deceive the defense—making them think all of the receivers were running short routes while Chris Truby stalled on the line and then sprinted down the sideline as the primary receiver—Coach Quinn said, “Danny, let’s switch it up. Run the seven-three-nine flip.” Danny had no time to protest Coach Quinn’s decision to go with a running play as the first play of the season. He ran out onto the field, into the huddle, and said, “Okay, seven-three-nine flip on one. Ready—break!”
The abrupt change of play caused some minor confusion. Danny quelled it by saying, “I know we were supposed to run the X fade, but Coach Quinn changed it. So let’s do it. Hit your blocks.” They ran the play for a loss of one yard, as a result of Randy Trotter missing his block assignment and letting one of the Park Panthers’ defensive ends straight into the backfield.
From the sidelines, Coach Quinn sent in Tanner Hodge with the next play. It was the four-two-six pitch wide right, another running play. Danny ran the play as Coach Quinn requested, for another loss, this time for three yards, as a result of Tanner attempting to run through the incorrect hole. The third play was another running play, this time executed for a gain of four yards leaving the Olympians with fourth and ten. In spite of the fact that little more than forty-five seconds had passed in the first quarter of the game, Danny called a time-out and went to the sidelines. He approached Coach Quinn, who immediately said, “What are you doing?” Danny said, “Coach Quinn, don’t punt. Let me throw. We can get a first here with the Xfade or a deep cross. Just let me hit Chris. We can get this.”
In the stands, several parents of the other players made comments in Jim’s general direction like, “What’s your kid doing calling a time-out, Vance?” and “Does he think he’s in the NFL?” and “It’s the first goddamn quarter.”
On the sidelines, Coach Quinn thought about the likelihood of Danny completing a pass to Chris Truby for enough yards to get a first down. He knew the Park Panthers wouldn’t be ready for a pass play. They already had a player lining up deep in anticipation of the punt. It seemed like it might work, but more important to Coach Quinn was making Danny understand that he couldn’t undermine a decision that came from the coach and certainly couldn’t undermine a decision that cost his team a time-out.
Coach Quinn believed he was more than just a football coach to the players on his team. He believed he was teaching them skills that they would carry with them into whatever
The parents of the players clapped and cheered at their appearance on the field. Kent took out his telephone and thought about sending a text message to his son, Tim, to tell him that the game was starting. He put his telephone back in his pocket without sending the text message, assuming there was no point.
The two Olympian co-captains, Danny Vance and Chris Truby, walked out to the fifty-yard line along with two players from the Park Panthers and the referees. Danny called heads to win the coin toss and elected for the Olympians to receive the ball first, and a few moments later the game was underway.
Chris Truby, as the fastest player the Olympians fielded, served as their kickoff and punt returner. The opening kickoff of the game was a line drive that bounced several times before finally making it to Chris, who returned it for twelve yards before being brought down in a dog pile near his own thirty-five-yard line.
As Danny Vance and the rest of the Goodrich Junior High School offense took the field for their first drive of the season, Coach Quinn pulled him aside. Despite the fact that it had already been predetermined that the first play of the game would be the X fade, a passing play designed to deceive the defense—making them think all of the receivers were running short routes while Chris Truby stalled on the line and then sprinted down the sideline as the primary receiver—Coach Quinn said, “Danny, let’s switch it up. Run the seven-three-nine flip.” Danny had no time to protest Coach Quinn’s decision to go with a running play as the first play of the season. He ran out onto the field, into the huddle, and said, “Okay, seven-three-nine flip on one. Ready—break!”
The abrupt change of play caused some minor confusion. Danny quelled it by saying, “I know we were supposed to run the X fade, but Coach Quinn changed it. So let’s do it. Hit your blocks.” They ran the play for a loss of one yard, as a result of Randy Trotter missing his block assignment and letting one of the Park Panthers’ defensive ends straight into the backfield.
From the sidelines, Coach Quinn sent in Tanner Hodge with the next play. It was the four-two-six pitch wide right, another running play. Danny ran the play as Coach Quinn requested, for another loss, this time for three yards, as a result of Tanner attempting to run through the incorrect hole. The third play was another running play, this time executed for a gain of four yards leaving the Olympians with fourth and ten. In spite of the fact that little more than forty-five seconds had passed in the first quarter of the game, Danny called a time-out and went to the sidelines. He approached Coach Quinn, who immediately said, “What are you doing?” Danny said, “Coach Quinn, don’t punt. Let me throw. We can get a first here with the Xfade or a deep cross. Just let me hit Chris. We can get this.”
In the stands, several parents of the other players made comments in Jim’s general direction like, “What’s your kid doing calling a time-out, Vance?” and “Does he think he’s in the NFL?” and “It’s the first goddamn quarter.”
On the sidelines, Coach Quinn thought about the likelihood of Danny completing a pass to Chris Truby for enough yards to get a first down. He knew the Park Panthers wouldn’t be ready for a pass play. They already had a player lining up deep in anticipation of the punt. It seemed like it might work, but more important to Coach Quinn was making Danny understand that he couldn’t undermine a decision that came from the coach and certainly couldn’t undermine a decision that cost his team a time-out.
Coach Quinn believed he was more than just a football coach to the players on his team. He believed he was teaching them skills that they would carry with them into whatever
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