BEEP BEEP BEEP!!! The alarm goes off. I wake up ready for the first day of summer practice. We are just in helmets and it's as hot as the surface of the sun. The weather is great for summer practice, I can feel the grass in hands when we were stretching. The whole team is ready for practice and ready to start the season. Screaming and just ready to go get the pads on and hit. We practiced and then started two a day's start. We practice long and hard and I can't wait till we play the first game of the season. We have a week till the first game and I am nervous and excited all at the same time I can't wait to see what happens, how much playing time I will get and what will happen.

We start the first game it's a perfect night for football the perfect temperature that feels amazing and it's just perfect the stands start to fill in on the away side we are getting pumped up in the locker room just itching for the kickoff. I think man its time its time I am ready to rip someone's head off. We run on to the field as the crowd is cheering for us.

“We are on defence first” coach screams.

We kick the ball off and we start the game. I am ready to get in the game it's the first one first time on varsity. Not scared, but ready I don't get in till the 3rd defensive drive and i'm ready to go make a play.

The ball is snapped the quarterback rolls out its a pass no it’s a run. Everything freezes for a minute in my mind, I have to think I see him in my path go and it's like slow motion everything is just slowing down and I go running to make the tackle I hit him bringing him to the ground and then bam everything goes back to normal speed. The game continues it's almost over and we are losing you see it in everyone's faces we didn't do it we couldn't pull it off. Players thinking was it us did we not play hard enough or were they better than us or was it the coaches did they not prepare us? I just think to myself that's on us they played better they beat us, we made too many mistakes they beat us but we are better we need to play better. 

The second game goes it’s the first home game. We are playing Parma. We prepared in practice all week for Steal Fortes. He is Parmas quarterback one of the best throwing and biggest quarterback in the league, he is a one man team. And we couldn't beat him. He put another lose in our column that shouldn't be there everyone saying I thought this was going to be the year I thought that we were going to be undefeated.

We go through another week of practice and it's the third game against undefeated coldwater that no one thought we had a chance against and they were going to run all over us. But it's the first week I get to start and I was feeling it this week and I thought I was going to make a difference I am going to be the one that helps get the first win. I we start the game and we come off strong and we are winning and we go into halftime pumped up because we are winning. We come out  and they are inching their way down to the touchdown…

So they drop back to pass and I have to drop into my hook zone and go and make a play I read the quarterback's eye when he throws the ball I go and get it I pick it off and start to run it back the crowd goes wild and we get the ball back. We all think that we are going to win this game and we are rolling. Then the offence stops moving the ball they can't score the second half and we are not looking so good. They have the ball on their 10 yard line with a two minutes left on the clock. The punch it in and then go for the two point conversion they win. It's a sad, sad ride home everyone played hard and they just punched it in at the last second and we couldn't stop them.
The next week we had to get a win, we needed it bad we just had to do it.

Now we are getting ready for the  4th game practice is good all week. I am thinking I am going to start again because I played well in the last game and no I was wrong and mad. Now we play in this game and we come out strong and we play well I get in and make a few tackles and make a few plays. The whole team just came out and decided we need a win and we need one tonight and that's exactly what we went out and did. We got the first win of the season. Now after the game everyone is happy we got the win at home and everyone is happy, but I walk over and helmet still on and not really wanting to talk to anyone.

Mom asks me, “What is wrong? You guys won.”

I respond, “Yeah we won I just didn't play much and i'm just not used to not playing and I think I should play more, but they only want to play the seniors on both sides of the ball so they are tired and we don't play good.” But we got the win so I couldn't be too mad.

It's the middle of the season now.

Its harper week, but I just really don't feel it anymore, I feel like I should be playing more, but won't no matter how hard I practice and everything I won't get the playing time I want so I just don't feel like practicing so I used up all the 35 minutes we had between school and practice and I would just go in the locker room nice and slow and just get ready for the pointless practices.

Looking at the dreadful walk coming up out to the practice field for the rest of the season.

It feels like the longest walk to the field as I slowly walk out there wishing practice was already over. It's 5:15 and practice is over and we run inside to the locker room to get home and we just keep on moving through the days. Even though it is Harper week it doesn't feel like I wanna be here.

We get to the game and I could already tell it was going to be a bad one we came out soft and not hyped up. All the coaches tried to hype us up just I don't know what happened just I couldn't get hyped up knowing i'm not going to play. We ended up losing and I was about done with the season.

We went on the next game to which it was homecoming and it was a exited night for everyone and we all go to play even the kids that didn't play at all still go to play why the score was like it was and why we played like crap in my opinion. We still came away with the win and a win is a win so we were happy.

The next game was Hasting and it was another not so good for the defences. I got to play more because the other linebacker was messing up, but I still keep getting pulled when I was doing good. Finally, I was put in at the end of the game at safety, but walked up as a middle linebacker.

But then..

We are about to get the stop and turn the ball over for them on the close game to win and then I jump off side. I couldn't believe what I just did I pounded on my helmet and just blocked everything out and waited for the quarterback to hike the ball. I went flying up just ready and wanting to kill someone. They ended up scoring and I couldn't believe it. Thinking to myself we lose and it's all my fault I jumped off sides and couldn't just watch the ball. They need the two point to win and they have got them all night and I knew I had to stop them or I wouldn't ever forgive myself. I had to play out and make up for my mistake.

They line up to go for two and the quarterback hands the ball up and I see the whole open and I see the ball carrier and I get the feeling in my body and I say its time and I stick the kid blowing him back away from the goal line stopping him from winning the game. Then running to the sideline just happy that I didn't blow the game for us. We get the ball back and run out the clock and we get our third win.

With two more games left, we all say we need to win, we need them all to go to the playoffs and we have lumin cristy. This game had it all on the line, play offs or not and now we need to win. We come out and then..
We couldn't pull it off we lose the season is over we have no chance of going to the playoffs and all the seniors crying and hurt because they know the season is over. Now we are on the last week and the only thing we have to look forward to is the new jerseys and ruining olivets perfect season.

We all know we could win if we really wanted to but I don't know how many seniors really care anymore because they know the season is already over and there is really nothing fighting for. So now with just one game left who knows we will happen, I hope we will play like we can but I don't know if it will happen because there isn't much to fight for.