I woke up early for what would be the longest ride of my life. As I piled into the car, we all looked at each other and knew what was to come. I sat, wishing that the ride was soon going to be done. I was sore and tired. The road was as rough as Braille. We’ve been sitting forever. Just nearly half way we all became to grow anxious, all wanting to get out. As time passed we all grew more and more stressed, all looking like we had ants in our pants. Finally my dad spoke those magic words that every kid loves to hear, “We’re here!” On that note I flew out of the car, like birds being freed from a cage. It was the greatest feeling in the world. I was about to embark on the biggest journey of the season.

It was early. I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock blaring in my ear, loud as a train horn. It was a new day and a new start. My journey has just begun. As I lied in my bed struggling to get up, I knew it was game day. We’ve been practicing all week working on learning new plays, preparing ourselves for what coach said would be the, “biggest game of the season.” When I walked down the hall that morning, I saw the anticipation on everyone’s faces, knowing that everyone had the same feeling as me. We all wanted to win, not only because they were our biggest rival, but we have not won a home game in five years, making a win that much more needed.

School took forever. First I had English, then Pre-Calculus, and Principals of Technology. As I waited for school to be over, it felt as though we had been waiting forever; each class felt like an eternity just like the feeling one gets waiting for a rollercoaster. I met with the team after school for one last meeting before the battle that was to come. We had only a couple more hours till the game started at seven. I had to blow off the time somehow. I had no clue what to do. I was juggling the fact of doing homework or just going to be with friends. Just like any other person, I choose to go with friends. We came together at five fifteen. After throwing on my uniform, we met in the gym. There we had our pregame. We ran over plays and relaxed. We also had talks and prayers to help prepare and motivate us for what was to come. Soon it was game time. We walked down to begin our stretching. It was hot. We did offensive fundamentals then defensive. To finish we ran through some offensive plays. We were sharp. When the warm up clock finally hit 0 we knew it was game time. As we lined up for kickoff, our nerves peaked, and the adrenaline flew through our veins, we were ready. Then the kick, the ball soared through the air, like a bird on a warm summer day. It wobbled as it waited to land in their arms. We were on defense; it was time to put our skills to the test. When it came in time for our offensive drive, we proved how hard we’ve worked preparing for this game. Soon it was the end of the half, we were up, all of us celebrating and acting like we were back in grade school. It was only halfway over. We felt confident in what we achieved, but we knew that we couldn’t let up. We have played this team before and knew that they could come back at any moment. As I charged back onto the field with the rest of the team the crowd roared, everyone was cheering us on for the second half of our game. It was the third quarter. That’s when I heard, “Schlitz”. Whenever I hear that, I know that it’s time to go.  I had to go play the position of right tackle for the offensive line. I have never felt such a rush my entire high school football career. It was the first time I ever got to play for a varsity team. Every snap felt like a whole new game. We were all having a blast, flying around and gaining yards. Then the call came in from the sideline, 31 Stretch! The ball was coming to my side of the field, just then thoughts started to race through my head. I started to wonder if I was going to be able to execute the play properly, or was I just going to mess it up for the whole team, it was the best thoughts I have ever had. Down! Set! Hit! The ball was snapped and I started to run to the right to block the first guy that I saw. The played happened in the blink of an eye, and it was over. I looked to see that we had gained a first down. Now all my confidence was back. We kept driving the ball forward, play by play, snap by snap. With every yard we got closer to the touchdown, and I became that much more excited. I’ve never been on the field when we have scored a touchdown, so I was hoping that the time was now. We crept closer and closer, there was no stopping us now. We were on the 10 yard line looking in. It was second down. The call was to run the ball up the middle.   Down! Set! Hit! We push for the end zone, all of us picking up blocks and pushing people around fighting for those 10 yards. We came up short. The ball was now on the 4 yard line. This was our last chance. If we didn’t make it we would have to settle for a field goal. The ball was snapped and we started to break out left. Scrambling for an opportunity, the quarterback found his man standing in the end zone. Touchdown!

Just like any car ride, the journey can be long and hard. It’s full of hardships and experiences. Each step can be harder than the last, but I have to keep pushing. Though, when I am called up to help the team I have to do my best. Our hearts raced for those final seconds, for when the last whistle blew, we had the greatest feeling of all: victory.