A Goal for Joaquin
Page 14
All eyes turned toward Julio. He paced nervously in front of the group. His sober expression couldn’t conceal the tension he was feeling inside. “Get your shooter out here, Coach!” The referee shouted.
Buzzy patted Julio on the shoulder and said something in a voice too quiet for the other players to hear. Julio jogged stiffly toward the referee. “Come on, Julio, you can do it!” Joaquin yelled. Julio took his place behind the ball and waited for the referee’s signal. When the whistle sounded, he moved slowly toward the ball. This time he hit the ball squarely with the inside of his foot. The ball stayed low and headed toward the right goal post. The Lakeshore keeper leaped toward the ball. He got a hand on it, but the spin on the ball caused it to jump and bounce toward the goal. There was no time for the goalie to get a second swipe at it. The ball bounded slowly into the net. Julio’s eyes looked as big as tennis balls. The referee raised his hands to signal a goal.
Joaquin couldn’t believe his eyes. Wild cheers and hollers erupted from the Willowdale players and from the fans in the bleachers. It was over. Willowdale had defeated Lakeshore. Tears were creeping down his cheeks as Joaquin threw his good arm around Julio. It looked like the team had just won the state championship. It seemed like everybody understood how much this game meant to Joaquin. Everyone shared in his excitement. Joaquin was so happy he didn’t even think for a second about running over to say something nasty to Coach Sommers. That didn’t matter anymore. His experience with that team was light years away now. He ran over to Coach Budzinski and shook his hand. He wanted to say something about the pep talk he had gotten earlier in the game, but no words came out. He found Cocoa and hugged her. She was soaked with perspiration. Joaquin was glad because he knew she wouldn’t be able to feel his tears falling on her shoulder. He wished he could tell her how much he was inspired by the way she played. He wished he could thank her for knocking some sense into him in the first half. But all he could say was “We did it! We did it!”
By the time his parents and Jessica and Brian made it down on to the field, Joaquin was totally drained. The adrenaline had run out. The pain in his wrist came back in great throbbing surges. He looked around at the chaos in front of him. He saw Monte and Kari dancing in a circle with several players and fans. He wanted to join in, but he couldn’t force his body to move. He slowly collapsed on the ground and simply absorbed the sights and sounds of the celebration. He was tired and sore, and the pain in his wrist was almost unbearable. But he was the happiest he had ever been in his life. The celebration lasted for nearly an hour.
Afterword
Willowdale’s soccer season ended two days after the victory over Lakeshore. The Shamrocks dropped a close match in the regional finals to Clayton 2-1. Joaquin, of course, was unable to play because of a broken wrist. He stood on the sideline, however, barking out words of encouragement and cheering loudly every time his teammates made a solid save or a threatening run at the opponent’s goal. He was no longer burdened with a blinding passion to get even with his old coach. Now, as Coach Budzinski had taught him, he saw soccer as a game to played for the sake of playing. He couldn’t wait for his senior season. He knew he was going to savor every minute on the field. Joaquin had learned a great deal in the year and a half since he left San Diego. He realized that when it comes to soccer, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Mexican-American transfer student, a Wisconsin farm boy, a beautiful girl with long golden hair and big dark eyes, a wild-eyed skateboarder, or a sixty-year old janitor. The only thing that really matters is how you perform on the field.
During his senior year, Joaquin’s team won nine games, lost three, and tied two. The Shamrocks made it all the way to the sectional finals before losing 2-1 in overtime. The chance to play in the state tournament would have been a great experience, but none of the players on the team hung their heads after losing. The coach and players had struggled through many conflicts in the efforts to build a team. They had succeeded in not only building a winning soccer program but also in earning and maintaining a feeling of pride and self-respect. Everyone on the team walked away a winner after that last game.
* * *
Three years after the battle with Lakeshore, new faces and personalities fill the green and white soccer uniforms. New stories are emerging, and even though the original cast of characters have drifted off in different directions, the impact of that first season will live with them forever.
Though he never received a college scholarship, Joaquin Lopez is currently the starting center forward on the varsity soccer team at a small state university in northern Wisconsin. He plans to major in Public Relations or Social Work.
Kari and Meta gave up competitive organized soccer and now play in the city recreation league in Madison where they both attend a local technical college. Kari coaches an under-eight youth team on weekends, and Meta works part-time as a referee.
Catherine (Cocoa) Mareno was the first girl in Wisconsin history to receive all-state recognition on a boys’ athletic team. She was named to the second team All-Wisconsin soccer team as a senior. She currently attends the University of North Carolina where she is a second string midfielder on the defending NCCA national championship team. She is working toward a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Julio Rodriguez retired from soccer after his one-year stint as a high school senior. Currently attending the University of Wisconsin, he is a member of the track team and a sports writer for the university newspaper.
After attending high school summer session and one additional semester, Monte Rose received his diploma. He moved to Chicago where he is back-up goalie on a semi-pro team. In his spare time he works as a disk jockey for dances and weddings.
Buzzy Budzinski retired from the Willowdale School District after two years of coaching and over twenty years as a custodian. His players gave him a farewell party that was attended by half of the people in town. He and his wife Martha spend most of their time at their lake cottage. Buzzy’s living room wall displays two prominent pictures: one is a glossy shot of the six-pound bass he caught on Willow Lake, and the other is a photograph of Coach Budzinski and the Willowdale soccer team.
Jessica Logan, who never played soccer after her freshman year, attends a small state university in northern Wisconsin. She is majoring in veterinary science and works as a volunteer at the local Humane Society. She never misses a varsity soccer match.
The Lopez family still lives on the small farmette outside of Willowdale. Miguel has been promoted to Computer Supervisor. Maria is active in the 4-H program and has won numerous ribbons at horse shows. Louisa now works as an aide in the elementary school library.
Mr. Tobias has recently taken a new position as Superintendent of Schools for the Willowdale School District.
After numerous complaints from players and parents, Coach Leon Sommers was relieved of all his coaching duties by the Lakeshore School Board. He is currently looking for work.
– THE END –
Jerry McGinley was awarded the Kohl Educational Excellence Fellowship and the Jarvis Bush Award for Excellence in Teaching Writing (Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English), and recognized as “One of the Top 100 Most Inspiring Teachers in the United States” by Newsweek.
A Goal for Joaquin is also available
in audiobook format (full theatrical
production) from The Fiction Works.
http://www.fictionworks.com/aagoalfor.htm