|
|
|
Just what the title says, I've got one last game tomarrow. For those who are curious, I mean one last Football game in my career. It's been four years since I first started.
This will be a general lookback at what I did, and the history of the Teams I played for...
Year One
It all started when one summer day my Dad came home from work and asked if I'd like to play football. I said yes. It was for a League team as I was in the 6th grade and the school had no team.
It was a week into practice already and I was only aloud to play because they were short on players. They had specificaly said that they were looking for a Tight-End, and I tried out for the position. I performed decently and was told that I would most likely start at Tight-End.
To my suprise I was switched to the interior line on both Offense and Defense for the first 3 weeks of the season. Midway through the season I was switched to Tight-End on Offense, and I played both Defensive-End and Linebacker on defense.
We won our opening game 12-0, but it was a sloppy game. Our Halfback scored all of our points wich would be the story for all of the season.
The following week we lost 21-14 in double overtime. It was a draining game emotionally and physicaly and the opening play defined the game. The opening play of wich I speak was the opening kickoff we ran back to the 3 yard line. What I mean is we fell just short. (we didn't get into the endzone from the 3 yard line)
Next we replayed the team we beat 12-0, and lost 14-7 in overtime. Yes overtime was going badly for us.
This game was the most important of the season, because to make the playoffs we had to finish the rest of the season undefeated. I was to play Defensive end, and well as the team ran to the edges most of the time.
Both I and the other Defensive end performed very well, and we won 42-6.
This game set the tone for the rest of the season as we won the nest two games 42-7, and 56-14(it was in this game I scored my first points, in a go for 2 situation.)
Going into the last game of the regular season we were arrogant and it almost cost us the playoffs. There was walking on the kickoff, terrible blocking and almost no passing. We won 13-0 but it might have been the closest 13-0 game ever. (again I scored on a point after touchdown play. note that kicking got you 2 points, running or passing got you 1)
So we were in the playoffs. We were ranked #3 and we were to play the #1 ranked team. Only four teams make the playoffs so there's only one round of playoffs before the chmpionship.
It was a rainy day, and the game will go down in Junior leage History as one of the grittiest playoff games ever played. We got the ball first and we were eager to score. However on our first offensive play of the game Ball Control would be the name of the game.
Our all-star half back (seriously he had just over 1000 yards on the season) broke through the line a ran for what would have been a 40 yard run. I was acting as a downfeild blocker and turned just in time to see the ball slip out of his hand. The defense recovered it.
However, only plays later they would fumble and we'd recover the ball. Then we fumbled it again and they recovered. It was after that fumble that they scored the first touchdown of the game. They scored another touchdown before we answered with a touchdown.
Down 14-7 to open the fouth quaretr, we drove down the feild and scored a touchdown. We didn't score on the PAT and they took the ball for nearly the whole quarter. We managed to get the ball back with nearly 2 minutes left in the game. We had to score, and while the drive started well, it stalled near mid feild. After running the same play three time in a row for now gain, we turned the ball over on downs and lost the game...
It was terrible to make the playoffs the way we did, and lose. However, the team that beat us won the Championship so we lost to a good team. And the fact that we made the playoffs after a 1-2 start, and were the leagues highest scoring team so I'm still proud.
Year Two
I would return for the same team, as would nearly half of the team from the previous year. I would switch to fullback.
It was a tough year and we lost our first three games. One was a "non-confrence" game we lost to an out of league team. We managed to win the next game, but lost the next.
So we sat at 1-4 (1-3 in league) and yet we had a chance to make the playoffs. But we had to win the next two games, and we did. And we were primed for another playoff run, well most of us were. In the final practice before the game, only half the team showed up and it was announced that the other half had quit. Needless to say we had to forfit.
Year Three
The next year that team dissolved, and I switched leagues. I for the same city buck the coaches and players were different. To be frank the coach was an butt so I switched teams.
The next coach was a complete softy, and I think it was his light coaching style that lead use to a 1-8 season. Our only win came from an out of league game.
Dispite the poor season we traveled to Vegas to play in a Junior Tournament. Needless to say we lost both games by a large margin. We returned home beaten and tired.
Year Four (Current)
It was just before my freshman year that I quit football, wich went over poorly with my Dad. However he continued to coach (he was an assistant coach on all of the previous teams) and I helped out with practice. Almost everyone on the team wanted me to play as I'd done well on practice offense.It was a differant team than last year but some had played on the Vegas team.
They did alright and were 3-4 when I got a chance to play in the last two games of the season. One was a regualr season game and the other was a "Losers Brackett" for teams that didn't make the playoffs. I accepted and played in the regular game. We lost 28-12 as our blocking was WEAK. I played both Quaterback and Fullback.
They had lost to the same team earlier 28-0. Next we play the team that I quit from in year three. It's a full-circle moment because it's the same city of the team I first played for.
It's my last game, and I really want to beat these guys!
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bs_Lk5iQzc
|
|
