The Long Run | Teen Ink

The Long Run

January 29, 2019
By jec443567 BRONZE, Indianapolis, Indiana
jec443567 BRONZE, Indianapolis, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

As Jeff runs down the field with the ball in his hands he dodges defenders left and right, making defenders look silly. He gets to the 40 yard line with nobody in front of him and nobody behind him. It feels as if he is running free and not on the football field at all, as if all the things that have happened to him have gone away. Then he gets hit from behind and tackled, what he doesn't realize is that it is his teammates piling on top of him because he scored the game winning touchdown. Once the pile clears he hears his Mother's distinct voice yelling "Jeff, Jeff wake up it is time to go to the doctor." Jeff wakes up and reality hits him and he realizes that he never will be able to feel that feeling that he did in that dream. Sarah, Jeff’s mother, walks to Jeff’s bed and helps him roll over and get out of bed and to the crutches that have been embedded into the daily life of Jeff for the last year of his life, Jeff hates to remember that dreaded day a year and  half ago where it seemed that everything was going for him. It was the first game of his sophomore season, the school was buzzing with excitement. Jeff just couldn’t wait to get out on the field and show why he wa one of the top ranked quarterbacks in the nation. Jeff was so ready to get through the day and play. Once last period hit he knew it was inching closer and closer to gametime. Then over the PA system they hear “Raiders are you ready for tonight, head to the gym and fill the stands it is time for the pep rally.”

At first glance any viewer would only be able to see one color, RED, the red was so intense and then the football team comes out and the crowd goes wild, because when you live in the state of Texas high school football is second to none, to some the order of importance of things in life goes, God, High School  Football, family , then education. As Jeff takes in the awe inspiring experience of the whole school rooting for him he remembers to switch his attitude because it is almost game time. The clock reads 6:45 and Jeff dials his focus strictly to the game. He faintly hears his coach yell “5 minutes until we roll out, Suit up.” Jeff is already suited up and ready to go. Once they get out there Jeff soaks in the pump up speech given by the seniors that he looks up to and aspires to be. After the coin toss Jeff was told that his team was getting the ball and he knew his chance of playing was closer than ever. On his first play of varsity football Jeff completed a pass for 40 yards and he knew that he was in the zone. As the game went on Jeff got better but the other team was torching the Raider defense. As the game was coming down to the last seconds came dwindling down and the score tied 42-42, Jeff’s coach called a timeout and drew up a trick play that was bound to work. He was going to have jeff hand the ball off then run out wide and catch a pass and it would be wide open and he would score a touchdown to win it.

The coach was right the play worked and Jeff was wide open and as Jeff ran down the field with the ball in his hands he dodged defenders left and right, and made them look silly. He got to the 40 yard line with nobody in front of him and nobody behind him. It felt as if he is running free and not on the football field at all, as if all the things that have happened to him had gone away. Then he gets hit from behind and tackled little did he know that he got the ball across the goal line before being tackled. As he went to get up to celebrate with his teammates he realized he couldn’t move anything in his body except for his neck but event that caused excruciating pain. Jeff’s teammates were all surrounding him and celebrating like they had just won the super bowl. It was then that Jeff realized he scored the winning touchdown as time ran out. He was excited for himself but freaking out about the lack of movement he had. Then the teammates were forced to leave the area so doctors could look at Jeff. When the doctors asked Jeff what happened, he explained to them that he had no idea. He had gotten up to celebrate when he felt a sharp pain from his back then everything went black. Then told him that a player from the other team hit him as he crossed the line and the way that he had been hit may have shattered part of his spine and paralyzed him. They wouldn’t be sure without x-rays so the rushed Jeff to the hospital. Once there he was put on a stretcher and rushed immediately to the x-ray room. All Jeff could think about was the cold, dark, and empty room that he was being rolled into. As the doctors prepped him he started getting feeling in his toes then it moved to his ankles and eventually he was able to bend his knee. But the doctors still weren’t sure of the extent of Jeff’s Injury. Once the x-rays came in Jeff was diagnosed with three broken vertebrae. This didn’t completely rule out paralysis but it did lower the chances. After many grueling surgeries Jeff was finally able to run again. Now a year after the dream that Jeff had that eventually changed Jeff’s mindset on this injury. Instead of him let it run his life he decided that despite what the doctors  he was going to make this goal to get back out on the field. And once he finally proved that he could get back out there the coaches gave him a chance. With many Division-1 scholarships hanging in the air and almost everybody in the United States rooting for the boy that had caught major media outlets all over the country to follow his inspirational story., Jeff had the game of his life, lading his team to a win over the number 1 ranked team in the state. He played not only for himself that he played for all the people in the same situation as him and to hopefully push them forward in their fights.


The author's comments:

I am a senior at Southport High School in Indianapolis, IN I wrote this piece for an assignment in my Creative Writing class and our teacher encouraged us to share so I decided to submit it. 


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