Football Team-Personal Narrative

The stands were already getting packed and the crowd getting louder as we all walked off of the buses and into the locker rooms of Doc Harris. Inside it was as quiet as a library. My teammates quickly started to strap their gear on and do what was necessary to prepare for one of the biggest games of the season. As I did the same, I thought back to that week of practice and remembered that most of the players that played varsity at my defensive position were hurt and a big part of me hoped that this would be my chance to start in my first varsity football game, a dream that had consumed my mind since the end of the previous football season. After everyone was dressed and ready to warm up, we all walked out of the locker room holding hands
in two single-file lines onto the field. Even though everyone knew that the Camas football team was a lot better than ours, you could feel a certain excitement and energy from not just the players but the two crowds as well. This was going to be a battle no matter the outcome. After getting a team break, we proceeded to do our pregame drills, which consisted of shuffling, chopping, and sprinting through imaginary cones.
I quickly became conscious of the fact that I wasn’t nervous whatsoever but actually very alert. A combination of aderol, and extra strength 5 hour energy had completely wiped away my fear and replaced it with a feeling of confidence, strength, and pure energy. My mind flashed back to about 30 minutes earlier when I tossed the aderol tablet in my mouth and then downed it with the energy shot. This probably wasn’t the healthiest combination of substances to take, but at the moment it was the least of my
worries. Before I knew it, warm ups were finished and the game was about to begin. Both special teams quickly lined up in their formations and awaited the referee’s whistle. After the referee finally blew the whistle, we kicked the ball. The returner caught it and attempted to dodge and weave but was swallowed up by multiple defenders and quickly brought down. Now it was time for our defense to go out. At this point I had no clue who was starting at my position, so I stayed on the field just in case it was me. “Better to be out there than on the sideline!” I yelled to my teammate. This lack of communication from the coaches was irritating. We were only a few seconds from the start of the next play and I finally came to the conclusion that it would have to be me getting to start! memories of the months of working out and getting stronger for these kinds of opportunities flashed through my head. As the Quarterback slowly walked up to his center I sprinted to my position behind the defensive linemen in the middle of the field.
“Down!” he screamed. My feet were planted in the soft turf, ready to spring off and make a tackle. “Set!”. My muscles tensed, ready to perform whatever task I required. The dazzling stadium lights danced on the shiny helmets of our team. Somehow all of the shouts and cheering were blocked out of my ears and the only noise that was audible was the other players. It was just me, my teammates, and the other team. “Hike!” I leapt forward with amazing speed, anxious to perform at my
best. The quarterback turned and handed the ball of to the running back in a routine fashion. He then dashed towards the hole with the ball tucked securely in his arm but was quickly engulfed by multiple defensive linemen. This created a dog pile that I just had to contribute to. Going from a low-bent over position my body launched on top of several other people. Just a puny sophomore trying to make a difference against nothing but upperclassmen. Eventually the referees came running in blowing their whistles to break up the play, and it was over. A successful first down stop and the fact that I hadn’t sustained any injuries gave me loads of confidence. “I’ll be alright” I said while sprinting back to where I needed to be. This is when the game shifted from being scary to fun and everything would turn out to be just fine.