The Game

Arjun Rao

Rader

1/5/16

The Game

I looked over at the scoreboard. 14-14 showed brightly in pixelated red. Six minutes left in the season closer, and… 3rd and goal. As we gathered in the huddle, we could see the sweltering heat had gotten to everyone. From crossing, to diverging, to deflecting, our hard-earned 14 points had been a team effort.

Wiping the sweat off my brow, I looked over to Coach Tracy to call the play. As she looked down at us to make the call, we could all see the mischievous glint in her eyes that told us she was cooking something special up for the Packers’ defense.

She began to whisper the complex play to us. “ Hudson, Sutton, Arjun, trips to the right. Stowe, slot left. Sam, QB, and Kennedy, center. Stowe come around on the front of Sam for the reverse. Arjun, go 3 yards behind Sam to take the pitch from Stowe. Sutton, Hudson, run nines. Kennedy, run a 5 to the right.”

I felt like butterflies on a sugar rush were zipping around in my stomach. Could I really pull off the play, I thought to myself. Coach saw the look on my face and pulled me over. She told me encouragingly, “ You can do this. You’ve already pulled off the play once this game, you can do it again.”

I thought about this, and thought about the tying touchdown I had scored earlier in the game. 1st and goal, from the twenty(flag football plays with the first down at midfield and about 25 yards each side). As I jogged back to the huddle after my 10-yard run, Coach Tracy was looking hyped. She clapped me on the back and yelled, “ Let’s go, that’s how we do it!” I was happy to hear the praise from Coach but I had a nervous feeling in my gut as one of my teammates trash talked the Packers corner. As I had feared, the whistle blew, and a flag was thrown. The referee gave us a 10 yard penalty, and we were in a hole now. I was mad. Mad at Parker, mad at the ref, mad at Coach Tracy. As I caught the screen that the play had called for me, I used that frustration in my game, making a precise spin move and then outrunning everybody down the sideline. As I ran past the pylon my anger evaporated, and I gave the ball to the ref and then let out a yell of my own, overjoyed to get the touchdown.

My mind came back into focus, and I yelled, “READY, BREAK!”

When I jogged out to my position for the third and goal, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. “Ready, set, hutt, hutt!”

The ball was snapped, and as I sprinted from the wideout towards Sam, I felt a rush of excitement overtake me. I caught the pitch from Stowe, and spun out the corner, making him go head over heels. It felt like everything was going in slow motion as I raced down the sideline, quickly cutting in to juke out the linebacker. Finally, I was one-on-one with the only person who could stop me, the Safety. I bull-rushed him and then nimbly cut out right before impact, striding into the end zone.

A sea of red 49ers jerseys surrounded me as I received a tsunami of backslaps and high-fives. I handed the ball to the ref, and as I jogged back to the huddle for the conversion, I promised myself that this touchdown would end the hard fought game of flag football, which it eventually did. “READY, BREAK!”, I yelled and then jogged to the slot.