The Crowd Was Going Crazy Screaming About #21

2008 Friday Night Lights – Week 10

In many ways the season ended the way it began, in many others; it was very different. Playoffs time in high school football is high energy- from the coaching staff to the players to the fans. Most of the team sported mohawks. B and a few others opted for a tight crew cut. They watched tape during lunch, team meals, and countless motivational speeches by the coach. Our competition was a bit unknown: a team in a different league in a distant city.
We arrived early enough to claim our usual seats and for me to make the long walk to the popcorn stand. Coming off of last week where B never left the sidelines, I wasn't sure what to expect. He was convinced he would be playing more this week. The loser out fate made this night different than the others. For the seniors, it would be the last time they hit the field, the last time for most of them to play the game.
B told us to watch for him on the first offensive series. We held them on our first defensive series. They kicked off; starter stud Rowe returned it for a touchdown- 80 yards. Before the offensive team hit the field, their job was done. The next offensive series, we did see #21 run onto the field for a few quick plays. We scored again, missing the extra point, we were up 13-0 by the end of the 1st quarter. Things were looking good. B continued to play several plays of each offensive series. Mostly he ran a decoy route. He looked sharp, and was wide open. A friend came over during half time to tell me the crowd in her area was going crazy screaming about #21 being wide open. I had to laugh. "I know. I know." "I see that."
Our opponent found it's offense in the 2nd half. We misplaced our defense, and were stale offensively. We were down 13-28. B was still running routes on a lot of plays. Out of nowhere a pass went his direction. He caught it, and just as quickly he was taken down. Good enough for a first down. The next play, a pass across the middle was caught by his teammate; a clutch block by B resulted in a touchdown. This was pretty exciting for B's cheer section. Unfortunately the 4th quarter was filled with missed opportunities. B never saw a pass again. The game ended. The season ended. I was bummed.
Although B had a great end to his junior year, I was sad to see it be gone. For him, pushups followed the post-game meal at home, and he was up at 6:30am Saturday morning to play basketball. The end of football season is defined by B as simply the beginning of basketball season.
Go Team!