Will is a 10th grader at Penn High, in, you guessed it, Pennsylvania. He was a dirty blonde young looking kid, a baby face as his buddies called it. His legs and arms looked the exact same, but that didn’t keep him from being an athlete. Cameron once said, “How do you gain so much speed on stilts?” Will didn’t have an answer, just shrugged and looked on the clueless look he usually gave. He was a soft-spoken kid and didn’t really have many friends, other than the couple guys in his group, mainly Cameron. But boy, he was quick. Fast was probably the only way to describe Will. If he raced Tyreek Hill he could probably beat him, that's how speedy Will really was.

He wasn’t the biggest, standing at only 5’7 and weighing about 150 pounds, but boy could that kid fly. Playing football his whole life, from flag to tackle and beyond, nobody could touch him. He didn't have to worry about injuries or getting hit because nobody could get behind him. It was incredible, he once scored 4 touchdowns in one game simply because he could hit the outside and nobody could catch him. It was that this kid really was doing it. Pennsylvania High was a big place too, lots of guys went on to college and even the NFL with how incredibly they played. This wasn’t about college though, this wasn’t about the pros. This was about varsity football. As a sophomore, generally you don’t play too much. Will knew this, and he would take the JV route, the JV route being the route you take and you play for as long as you need to before giving up or moving on. Varsity was another level, every guy there was skilled, and most were hungry for little kids like Will. Will wasn’t scared, as he proved the first day of practice he deserved to be there with everyone else. Running the ball out of the backfield, catching, you know. It was incredible, until the drops started coming, the fumbles, the negative yards. It all started to crash down onto Will like a wall, and he was so tired by the end of the day, he couldn’t handle the disappointment.

Cameron played varsity, varsity on the o-line and d-line. he played varsity as a sophomore. He was incredible, the way he ran and would just go take someone head on every single play was incredible. It could be some random nobody or the best linemen in the state, but you need to watch out for that big fella. Standing at about 6’4 and weighing about 250, he was as big as it got in high school. The boys together really made something special. Maybe even as far back as elementary school, it was Will grabbing onto Cameron and running through the hold until he could break free and get to the next level. Gone. Always gone. Those guys were bread and butter together, insanely good how beautiful the two of them could play. But that was the problem, they weren’t playing together.

“Missed the game man,” said Cameron.

“Been missing it more than you, I bet,” Will smirked. He jogged onto the field and strapped up his helmet, looking to get into the scrimmage against his other teammates. Just maybe. The heat was coming down hot on the turf, the summer sun beating down on the kids as they ran around, running through plays and taking each other down every chance they got. Their division was very tough, 9 out of 10 times the team who wins the division wins the State Championship of Pennsylvania. So many good players, so many good coaches. Penn High was very prestigious and to play there meant a lot to most of the guys there.

“Beautiful” Will said, strutting out onto the practice field.

‘I missed this’ Will turned to face Cameron, he was washing his face out in the hose, making sure he got every spot perfectly. He wiped the remaining water off of his face and proceeded onto the field. The first day of practice was always a rough one after all summer working your tail off to get onto the field during the season, it meant a lot to some kids to be out there four hours a day, every day of the week. Will was one of these kids. He wouldn’t skip a single rep, and that would go a long way he hoped. During camps, he would run until he puked, and then get back up and keep running.

Camp week was brutal for the kids, running so much it forced some kids to quit. Scrimmages against other teams were especially hard, but Will was up for the task then. He would take the ball out of the backfield and sprint 70 yards for the touchdown. There were flashes of greatness in every snap, but sometimes there were some mistakes that a varsity running back should not be making. Fumbling the snap, running sideways instead of vertical, a lot of different factors went into the way he felt, especially the heat, but anytime that boy made a mistake he would take the next run 100x harder than before.

Will was built to be that kind of kid, but it was rough that he wasn’t built like the senior running back in front of him. Jared Roughtown, 6’1 170 and could run pretty well. He wasn’t amazing, wasn’t nearly as fast as Will, but he could run. He just didn’t have that explosiveness that a back in their spread offense needed. Jared had no prior varsity experience, had played JV his whole life and wasn’t looking very good when with the varsity. Even with the way he played, It sounded crazy, there was no way a sophomore was gonna start over a senior like him, especially when he looks pretty good on tape. The coaches adored him.

But it wasn’t over for Will, he wasn’t gonna give up. Anytime Jared made a good play he would make an even better one. Something would light a fire in him and he would take the ball and go all the way.

The practice was rough that day, the kids grinding it out every second they were on the field just looking for a spot on the team, anywhere. Will wasn’t afraid of what was happening with the defense, the best in the conference, as he would fall behind the lineman and sprint through to get a good 11 yard gain. The team was very talented, and all-state quarterback in Joey Reynolds and a great line, behind a receiving core that worked. It was just missing that one key piece. Will.

Soon, Will’s life would change. Three weeks into the season, Will was shocked to learn that he was the starting running back, as the team's lack of running game had sent the whole team into a downward spiral, a 1-2 record facing the team head on. Will got his chance to shine, and boy did he shine.

Pittsburgh High School Minutemen, one of the best in the conference, was their next opponent. Inside the stadium, it was insane, the atmosphere of the stadium was so electric, you couldn’t believe it was just a high school game. No, this was something bigger. This was insane.

“You ready big dog?” Cameron said to Will before he ran out of the tunnel

“As ready as I can be.” Will shrugged, as the announcer screamed the Penn High Panthers were ready to go. They all sprinted out of the tunnel, screaming and yelling for the home crowd fans to get on their feet. The crowd roared and as Will looked up, he realized the entire town was there. The. Entire. Town. The student section was dressed in all white, most of the girls with paint on their faces and the guys with the paint on their bodies as they scurried out to the turf field before the game. They were ready, Will was ready.

First kickoff, boom. The entire crowd screamed as the opposing team's returner scampered around the field looking for an open hole before bursting through a gap and hitting the sideline, taking the opening kick all the way. The home crowd booed as he celebrated with his teammates. The extra point went straight through the uprights, and it was a 7-0 game after only 15 seconds.

Will then went back to return the kick, looking to find a hole and getting through a tiny gap, only to be blown up immediately, taking the ball to the 36.

Okay, first snap. Don’t get nervous, don’t get nervous..

“Set, go!” The ball was snapped and it went straight to Will on a dive play, and he took the ball, cut left, trucking a linebacker and hitting the outside. And that was all she wrote, as Will was too fast for most of the varsity kids, and he took it all the.

Boom. The ball popped out of Will’s hands on the five-yard line and into the hands of the safety who just took his lights out, and the safety took the ball all the way to the 50-yard line. Will went to the sideline and threw his helmet as he watched the defense get torched. A 7 play, 50-yard drive that ended in a halfback pass, touchdown. 14-0.

Will hid his face from the crowd as they were silent, and ran back onto the field to return the kick, taking a knee, forcing it to the 20-yard line. Going back to the huddle, Joe started to tell them the play.

“Base right, 47 right, on one, one one. Ready, BREAK!”

The boys sprinted to the line, a handoff, the coach already giving him a second chance, this time he wasn’t gonna screw it up. He took the handoff and sprinted past the defense, barely getting brought down by the safety. 15 yard gain, first down.

And that’s how the drive went, the whole way. WIll grinding out yards, 6 rushes, 54 yards, two catches, 10 yards. That was the stat line for Will when he jumped over the pile at the goal line for the touchdown, 7-14, they were right back in it. The game was sluggish for the most part until the fourth quarter, when the Minutemen scored a field goal, bringing the score to 17-7 with ten minutes to go.

“This is your time to shine,” Cameron said in the huddle

“Let’s go, baby.” Will grinned right back, putting his mouthpiece in and strapping up his helmet. He took the snap and took off, Will sprinting 60 yards before getting taken down barely from behind at the 2-yard line. From there, he held onto Cameron's shoulder pad as he scampered into the end zone untouched. 14-17 with 9 minutes left.

After two punts by both teams, the Panthers got the ball back. Will had his chance to win this football game and prove himself, prove he was the starter. The crowd was roaring, the air was cold and wet, the night sky somehow seems as if it was shining the light on the kids. It was beautiful, it was football. You could hear the sidelines screaming, could hear the cleats on the turf. Will got the call and lined up behind the center, two timeouts and 56 seconds left. He didn’t need any of it. Will got the handoff, a risky call that paid off, cut right and sped up, juking a kid and then spinning the next, heading to the middle of the field and took it 84 yards for the score. Walk off touchdown.

The crowd went insane, kids spilling out of the student section and the players on the sideline wanting to run down Will and hug him. It was amazing, the announcer screeched.

“TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS, WILL MUZIA WITH THE SCORE!! PANTHERS TAKE THE LEAD WITH 38 SECONDS REMAINING.”

And that was the best feeling in the world for Will. He finally did it, he made it. He went over to the sideline to be congratulated by his teammates, and Coach was the first one to see him.

“What an amazing game, how do you feel about starting for the rest of the year?’

“Nothing would ever make me happier, coach.” as Will embraced his coach, the crowd roared one last time, as Cameron intercepted the ball and fell down immediately, sealing the victory for the Panthers. They did it, they beat the best team in the conference, and Will was the starter. As they ran off onto the field to shake hands with the opposing team, Will felt good. He was banged up, he was sore, he was tired, but he never felt better in his life. He was finally the starter, and life finally fell into place.  “Good game, chief.” was the last thing he remembers hearing as he drifted off to sleep, knowing he was finally the one.