“I have to go into the game thinking I’m going to win it. I’m going to do it for my team. For everyone.”
“That’s my boy. Don’t be a pussy. Pussies don’t win. Now go to sleep, you have a big game tomorrow.”
We won the first game 48 to 28. I threw for 220 yards and 3 touchdown passes. I was on top of the world. I was king of the school, and I had never been happier. My coach told me to keep my cool around all the hype and everything, but I couldn’t contain myself. I got hotheaded and it ended up biting me in the ass.
The next week I went into it thinking I was the best quarterback in the world. I thought the next game would be a cakewalk. I was wrong. We ended up losing by 21. What my coach said to me the previous week was one of the most important things I could’ve learned. Keep your cool and don’t underestimate your opponent. I took these words to heart and, just like that, the team started running on all cylinders again. We won 10 straight and found ourselves in the CIF Semi-finals. We were up against a team that was regarded as one of the best in all of California, but my team remained