The Game

THE GAME

The silence was so loud. You could hear a sweat drop onto the cold concrete of the floor that day. 72 heartbeats almost in sync with one another, but 72 minds each in its own place of solitude. Focused and consumed by a drive to be the best. It was intoxicating, it was like everything else had vanished and there was only one thing to worry about. Without this we had nothing else. Moments passed as we got closer to our destiny, but it felt like eternity.

Finally, the silence was broken, by what seemed like the roar of a lion. A speech, given by the most outspoken of our captains. They were his words, but it was like something straight from a movie. It was deep and powerful. You would have thought he wasn’t expecting to make it out alive. We believed every word he said. Every person in that room that day was convinced and had bought in. We were all ready for war and the time had come.

As you can imagine we had done everything we could do to physically prepare for the fight ahead. Now we had to prepare mentally. We found ourselves huddled together in the middle of the room. “All I do is win” by DJ Khaled blasting in the background. I remember feeling the rumble from thousands of screams and cheers coming from the anticipation that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Sweat began to build above the bulge of my eyebrow. I could feel my heartbeat slowly began to increase as the anticipation and nervousness began to settle in.

We all began to speak, 72 brothers sounded like one. “We are the Clovis Wildcats a team with one goal pledge to be a band of brothers 11 helmets one heartbeat. Taking one play at a time one game at a time until there is victory.”

Everything we had ever worked for had led us to this moment. It was time. We headed for the door, two by two, each pair holding hands to remind us of who we were fighting for. It wasn’t about you or the name on the back of our jerseys. It was about the guy next to you. You had to be willing to lay it all on the line for them. To leave it all on the field.

We burst through the locker room door into the brisk air. It was nighttime, but the stadium lights lit the night so perfect. Screams and shouts began to grow as we walked the pavement that led to the turf where the battle would take place. We crossed the barrier that separated spectators from the athletes and that’s when you knew everything you did from this moment mattered. Again, we huddled together, this time inside our home tunnel. It sat in the endzone underneath the scoreboard and began to fil with smoke. It was our last chance. No turning back and anything you needed to say had to be now.

“Dear Lord, the battles we go through life.” We repeated. “We ask for a chance that’s fair a chance to equal or strive a chance to do our dare. If we should win let it be by the code faith and honor held high. If we should lose let us stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by. Day by day we get better and better until we can’t be beat. Won’t be beat.”

You couldn’t see because of the smoke, but you could hear the cheerleaders screaming and cheering as they lined up just outside our tunnel. The band had begun playing and the crowd was even louder now. I could feel what seemed like the ground was shaking. I was shaking. I wasn’t afraid, but excitement and nerves had overcome me.

The announcer said our team’s name and we flew from the tunnel. Just as we emerged from the smoke a loud cannon had been shot and the entire place erupted. There was no feeling like the feeling we had in that moment. Running onto the field in front our home crowd alongside the people we grew up with and had bled for.

Little did I know this would be the last time I would ever play the Game.

TO be Continued…