Backing up the Beast

by Josh Anderson

  The defense holds the Jackals to a field goal, and it’s 7-3 when you get the ball back. Four plays later, you throw your second touchdown pass, threading the ball through a pair of defenders, finding your tight end, Liam Tormey, on a crossing pattern in the end zone.

  The rest of the game is a blur to you, but by the time it’s over, you’ve had one of the best games in school history. You throw six touchdown passes, and lead the team to a 63-28 victory.

  As happy as the team is about the victory, Coach Dankert appears in the locker room about 20 minutes after the game has ended. He looks like he’s just seen a ghost. He signals with his hands for the team to quiet down.

  “It’s a good thing the team played so well today,” he says. “Bobby Brownstein has played his last game for the Crocs, so we’re going to have to get used to playing with the guys we had tonight.”

  A loud buzz moves through the locker room. “What happened?” someone calls out.

  “Bobby was ruled ineligible by the league for making a deal with a sports agent,” Dankert says. The coaches make sure to warn the players over and over not to talk to agents who might show up at their houses, or walk up to them on the street. Amateur players aren’t allowed to have deals with agents, even if the deals are never written on a contract. “He’s probably not going to play college football either. When he heard that league officials were coming to the game tonight to tell me what happened, he went back home to hide out. Everything he did was both selfish and dumb. I’m proud that you guys won the game anyway.”

  You can barely believe your ears. The Beast is an institution at Murrow High. You can’t imagine seeing him in the halls of school without his varsity jacket. Most of the time, it feels like the Beast exists just for football.

  Coach points at you now, and your stomach drops. “Ten,” he says, calling you by your number, “you ready to be my quarterback? It’s been a long time since I’ve started a freshman.”

  You stand up. You know the team is devastated. The Beast may have lacked close, personal relationships with his teammates, but he gave the Crocs a chance to win against anyone. He was the team’s leader, even if not everyone loved him.

  “I’m not only ready, but I’m honored,” you say. “It sounds like Bobby let us all down. I can’t promise that I’ll do what he did on the field, even though I’m gonna try. But, I can tell you that I won’t let you down off the field.”

  Every player has their eyes on you as you talk. You’re the new leader, even if you are a freshman, and the team will only go as far as you can take them.

  It’s sooner than you thought you’d be starting, but you know you’re ready for this. And, looking around the room, you see that your teammates believe it too.

  THE END

  You call a timeout and jog over to Dankert. “Good decision. They were really strong on the left,” he says.

  Your next two plays fail to get a first down, and you punt the ball back to the Jackals with 2:10 left in the game.

  The Jackals score in two plays, when their all-state wide receiver jukes past three Crocs defenders on a romp to the end zone. It’s 38-34 Jackals.

  Using your final timeout comes back to haunt you: You take less than a minute to drive the team 40 yards down the field, but your receiver doesn’t get out of bounds after a terrific pass gets you to the Jackals’ 30-yard line. The final whistle blows as you’re sprinting toward the huddle to spike the ball and stop the clock.

  It’s not the ending you hoped for. But, the Beast is going to be out for a while, so you’ll get another chance next week.

  The team goes out to Original Pizza after the game, and from everyone’s mood, it almost feels like you guys won tonight. There’s a sense of relief that things didn’t fall apart when the star quarterback went down with an injury. The dream of a state championship is still alive, and the future is bright.

  Your night gets even better when you see Sara come through the door. She smiles when she sees you, walks over, and sits on your lap.

  “You rocked out there tonight,” she whispers to you. “You’re going to make a football fan out of me if I’m not careful.”

  You look around at your teammates and the beautiful girl on your lap and think about your own bright future. Whatever that future holds, though, you don’t want it to come too quickly. You’re pretty happy right where you are.

  THE END

  Coach Dankert’s eyes get huge when you tell him you don’t know the play. You know you’ve let him down, but you decided it was better to tell the truth late, than to never tell it at all. Running a play you don’t know could result in a turnover, and your team deserves better from you.

  “Simon!” he yells, calling over the team manager. Simon appears at Coach’s side within seconds. “Get me Juan,” he tells him, looking you in the eyes the entire time. “Reardon’s hurt, I need Garcia out there.” As mad as he is, it’s nice of Coach to pretend you’re injured and not embarrass you in front of the team.

  You start to walk away, your head on your chest, as Simon heads over to get Juan. Coach grabs your jersey. “Get your butt on the bench,” he whispers to you. “We’ll talk about this Monday morning.”

  Juan does a decent job keeping the Crocs in the game after replacing you, but the Jackals win 27-17.

  You spend the whole weekend dreading Monday. You have no idea if Coach will even want you on the team anymore. You wish you could just quit the team instead of having to face him, but you love the game too much.

  First thing when you arrive at school, you knock on the door to Dankert’s office, walk inside, and sit down.

  “What’s the issue, Reardon?” Coach asks.

  “I’m sorry,” You say. “It’ll never happen again.”

  “I’ve never seen a more dedicated player on the field. You hit the weight room before school most days. You stay after practice to work with the receivers. And, your arm! Your arm is the kind of arm people whisper about years after you graduate. I don’t believe you’re just being lazy about learning the plays. Be honest with me so I can help you. What’s the issue?” he asks again.

  There’s so few people who know about your ADHD, and you want so badly to keep it secret from teammates and coaches. But, truthfully, the people who do know about your condition have been so important to helping you work to overcome it. You decide to let Coach in, and tell him everything. You’re afraid he’s going to tell you that football isn’t for you, but he doesn’t.

  Coach tells you that he had a feeling there might be some other reason you struggle with the playbook, and tells you about a guy named Ben Mencken. Ben played quarterback for the Crocs a few years ago and goes to community college nearby. Coach suggests that Ben work with you a couple of afternoons a week on the playbook.

  You tell Coach that, of course, you’ll try working with Ben.

  As you’re leaving, Dankert tells you that the Beast will be out of action for a few games, at least. “So, it looks like I need a starting quarterback,” he says.

  You nod, expecting him to tell you that Juan will be the starter for now. His phone rings. “I’ve got to take this,” he says. “See you at practice, Ten.” Since only the starting quarterback is called by his number, you feel confident that Coach has decided in your favor.

  You can’t help but smile at him as you exit his office, wishing you could take the field as the Crocs quarterback that very second. Thankfully, you won’t have to wait very long at all.

  THE END

  You run the play Coach called. Leo, the fullback, surprises you and runs it in for the touchdown, plowing through a couple of linebackers on the way.

  Scoring early in the game sets the tone, and the Crocs remain in control for nearly four quarters. You now find yourself with the lead, late in the game, but it’s not enough of a lead.

  The Jackals have just scored to pull within a field goal. You’re up 34-31 with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter.

  When you get the ball back, your first play is a screen pas
s to your halfback which goes nowhere. The clock is running. It’s second down and 10 yards to go. You have the ball at your own 20-yard line. You need to keep the chains moving if you’re going to keep the Jackals from getting the ball back with a chance to tie or win. And, you need to avoid stopping the clock at all costs.

  Coach Dankert calls for an off-tackle run to the left side by your halfback, Norm Henderson. You’re slow getting to the line and see the play clock running down. 10 … 9 … 8 … As you bend down behind the center, you notice defenders stacked up on the left. You’re sending Norm into a world of trouble, and setting up a possible third down and long.

  But, burning your only remaining timeout would not only stop the clock, which you don’t want to do, it could also come back to haunt you if the Jackals manage to take the lead …

  GO TO PAGE 14. You call for a timeout.

  GO TO PAGE 55. You snap the ball and attempt a handoff to your halfback.

  You decide to tell the Beast what you heard. When you walk up to him, he’s tossing the ball and joking around with one of the offensive linemen, Oliver Pembratt.

  Even though you play the same position, the Beast hasn’t seemed interested in being a mentor. He doesn’t even seem to want to talk to you unless it’s absolutely necessary.

  The Beast doesn’t really seem to care much about anything other than winning football games, girls, and chatting with the various scouts who attend Crocs games and practices to watch the future first-round draft pick. Even though Bobby’s announced that he’s going to Michigan next year, coaches from Alabama, Florida State, and Georgia are standing around on the sideline, hoping to make a last-minute sales pitch. You know these people could be here to watch you in a year or two, but that’s hard to imagine right now.

  “Hey, Beast …” you say.

  “What’s up, Freshy Fresh?” he asks, using his nickname for you. It’s a reminder of your place in the pecking order as a freshman. In fact, you’re not even sure he knows your real name.

  “I, uh, just wanted to let you know … I, uh …”

  “Just say it,” the Beast says.

  “You know Jake Douglas? The Jackals linebacker?” you ask.

  “Uh, yeah,” Beast says.

  “I heard him, and a few of their other guys saying they were going to try to hurt your knee and knock you out of the game.”

  Bobby catches the football and holds it as he looks down at you. “Is that right?” he asks.

  Pembratt, the Crocs’ center and the Beast’s best friend, is the biggest guy on the team. He hears your conversation, and looks over at Jake and the group of Jackals defenders. “Let’s go have a chat with them, Bobby Boy,” he says. Pembratt calls over a few of the other offensive lineman. Before you know what’s happening, a group of your teammates is headed over to the group of Jackals. You just stand there with your mouth open, until …

  The Beast turns back and points at you. He signals for you to join them. “Get over here, Fresh.”

  Now, you’re standing at the back of a group of Crocs staring down about eight Jackals. The Beast turns and looks for you. Then, he pulls you forward by your jersey.

  Jake Douglas denies everything. The Beast looks at you. In fact, everyone is looking at you. The Crocs and Jackals have never liked each other and you get the feeling most of the guys here would be happy to settle this with their fists. “Before we mess these fools up, are you positive you heard what you think you heard?”

  You look into the stands. Sara’s there already, sitting with a few of her friends. You can see her poster board sign, which reads “REARDON #10.” She’ll be the only one in the stands with a banner cheering on the backup quarterback. You don’t want her to see you involved in a fight. But, you know what you heard …

  GO TO PAGE 7. You repeat what you heard again, and stand your ground.

  GO TO PAGE 62. You say that maybe you heard wrong, even though you know you didn’t, hoping to avoid a fight.

  You decide to try to “thread the needle” and get the ball to your tight end, Liam Tormey, in the end zone.

  Normally, from this distance, you’d loft the ball up high and let Liam use his height to gain an advantage and pull the ball down. But, you can see that the safety knows exactly where the ball is going and you want to get the ball there before he arrives.

  You throw a laser beam at Liam, and the ball arrives to him more quickly than he expects. Although you put the ball right into his chest, he can’t get his hands there fast enough. The ball hits Tormey’s chest and falls to the ground.

  You’ve got one more play to run. It’s fourth down, and if you don’t get at least a first down here, the game is over.

  Dankert calls for a similar play – a deep passing route to try for the score.

  Moments later, you snap the ball and watch as most of the defense drops back guarding against the pass. As you check down your receivers, you see that there’s no one open.

  The pocket is starting to collapse, and you’ve got no more time to wait. You tuck the ball under your arm and decide to run. You’ve got to get to the 21-yard line for the first down. At first, it looks like you’re going to make it, and be able to get yourself out of bounds just ahead of the first-down marker. But, just before you get the first down, you feel a pull on your leg. A Jackals linebacker pulls you down from behind, a yard short.

  The game is over moments later. You want to feel great about playing well in your first game, but losing stings.

  On your way out of the locker room later, Coach Dankert puts his hand on your shoulder. “You and I,” he says, “we’re gonna win a lot of games together. It may not be until next year, but I know it. And you’ve gotta know it too.”

  You nod your head. Tonight, the losing hurts. But, you know Coach is right.

  As you head out of the locker room and find your bike outside, you hear someone behind you. “Pssst … ”

  You turn around and see that it’s Sara. You haven’t thought about anything but football for the past few hours, but it doesn’t take long for the sting of losing to fall away when you see her.

  “Just tell me one thing,” she says.

  “What’s that?” you answer.

  “Are all of the games that exciting?” she asks.

  “No,” you say with a laugh. “I don’t think Coach’s heart could handle it if they were.”

  “Okay,” she says, “because I was thinking I might have to become a football fan.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” you say.

  Sara walks closer to you and puts her arms around your neck. “Well, you know I’m a Scotty Reardon fan already, don’t you?”

  You smile. You close your eyes, and you lean in to kiss her for the very first time.

  THE END

  You call the play from Coach Dankert: a Quarterback Bootleg Left. The play calls for you to hold on to the ball and try to run around the defense and up the left sideline. You’re pretty much expecting to get hammered by half of the Jackals’ defense, but you want Coach to know he can count on you to execute his game plan.

  You snap the ball and hesitate for a second, waiting for your blockers to get moving.

  Leo Ralphie, the fullback, puts a bone-jarring hit on Jake Douglas. Your tight end, Liam Tormey, blocks two defensive linemen at once. You make a spin move and twist yourself away from a cornerback who managed to get a grip on your jersey.

  All of a sudden, most of the defense is behind you and there’s open field in front of you, except for one Jackals safety charging in your direction from the other side of the field like a Formula 1 racer.

  You tuck the ball under your arm and run up the left sideline, determined to score. You’ve got 30 more yards to go, but the safety is bearing down on you. He should cut you off around the 20-yard line. If you want to score, you’re going to have to get around him … or through him.

  You get to the 20-yard line, and the safety – a big junior, named Shane Ryan – is only a few feet away. He plants his feet, ready to
dive at you …

  GO TO PAGE 41. You keep running for the end zone. At the speed you’re going, it’ll take a perfectly timed hit to stop you.

  GO TO PAGE 54. You play it safe – for now – and run out of bounds at the 20-yard line to avoid a huge hit from the safety.

  You decide to sleep so you’re well-rested for the game. There are a few things you’re shaky on. You promise yourself that this will be the last time you don’t know the playbook before kickoff.

  You wake up feeling great. The crisp fall air you breathe in on your walk to school this morning feels like it was made for football.

  It’s going to be an adjustment standing on the sideline, knowing your chance might not come until next season, but you feel ready if you have to take the field.

  The strange thing about your condition, ADHD, is that concentration and focus are never a problem for you on the field. Even though there are a thousand things happening at once, when you’re the one holding that ball, everything feels like it’s happening in slow motion. You can almost always make the right decision, and then execute it.

  But, when things are still and quiet, the noise in your mind is louder than a fighter jet. You’ve managed to get decent grades by working hard with a tutor three times a week. But in football, you don’t want to clue anyone in to your condition. So when it comes to the hours and hours of studying necessary for a quarterback, you’re on your own. You decide to stop beating yourself up. You did manage to learn almost all of the plays before the season started, which took a ton of hard work.

  The school day is a blur. You’re thrilled to see Sara wearing a purple sweater, supporting the Crocs. Even though you’re just friends right now, it means a lot to you that she’s going to the game. You feel like a celebrity walking through the halls in your number-10 jersey. Older kids you don’t even know wish you luck and high-five you.