The Last Game

“TWEET” There’s one minute left in the 4th quarter 2-3 and we’re losing. Isaac, my lacrosse teammate, gets the ball from out of bounds and passes me the ball from behind the goal. All of my teammates are sprinting back and forth calling for the ball. The pressure starts to sink in, and my heart starts pounding out of my chest. I had a decision to make, pass the ball, or try and score. I noticed that my defender was cheating towards my teammate anticipating a pass, so I faked a pass toward my teammate and the defender fell for it and I slid right past him. Now, all I had left was one last defender, but he was much better than the other player and I knew I couldn’t cut towards the net, so I cut outside and shot. I remember not knowing if the ball went in the goal or if I missed. The wait felt like an eternity. Then I heard the whistle blow and the referee making the goal signal with his arms. My whole team ran towards me and we all jumped in a huddle. But this wasn’t the end of the game. It was 3-3 with thirty seconds left. We won the faceoff and Jackson, another teammate of mine had the ball and was running toward the goal. He approached a defender and ran him over. This made Jackson feel like if the defender would challenge him he could overpower them with ease. Fifteen seconds left, and I and another teammate of mine were wide open, but Jackson let his power go to his head. He was headed straight for the goal, 10, 9,8, and he had one defender to beat,7,6,5 Jackson went to truck his defender, 4,3, “BOOM” Jackson got hit harder than I have ever seen. The game ended in a tie with everyone laughing and disappointed simultaneously. 

This was the last game of the season due to COVID, and I had no idea. There is an old saying, “ Live every day as if it is your last”. Though I didn’t realize how important this philosophy was until my season was stripped away from me. I now understand that whether I am in a lacrosse game or school I need to try to put forth as much effort as I can. This experience not only sparked my love for lacrosse but made me realize that selflessness is a necessity for success. If everyone is not working together or one person tries to be the hero, the whole operation falls apart. I also learned that I can only do so much. If I want happiness and success in my life, I’m going to need help along the way from friends or family.