Short Story: the Championship Game. Most of us slept on and off during the three-hour bus ride to Beckley for the championship game. During the ride, the bus driver found a couple of great radio stations for us despite the mountains. “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart was the big hit and we all sang along. As we arrived in town, Chicago’s “Questions 67 and 68” was just finishing and “I’d Love to Change the World” by Ten Years After had just started.
As we got off the bus, a stiff and biting cold, early November wind hit us in the face and awakened us to the task at hand. This is the moment that we had been waiting on our entire young lives. As we were lying down in the locker room before the game, I thought about the regular season that got us here. Two a day practices in the heat of August. The close opening game. The tie game at Boyd County when my pass in the end zone had been intercepted. The most significant game during the regular season was at Ravenswood. It was a must win for us. We were down in the 4th quarter and had to make a long drive to win the game. I looked at everyone in the huddle at the beginning of the drive.
“Our season is on the line right here and now. All that we have worked for since we started playing football depends on us driving the ball down the field and scoring. Remember that this is our moment. Every one of you, do your job!”
We drove down the field and scored. We went on to finish second in the state and qualified for the championship game. In the championship game we faced a very talented and speedy Oceana team. I ran the Oceana offense against our defense in practice, but it was impossible for us to simulate the speed we would face in the actual game. Most people believed we couldn’t beat them.
Coach Ward had yet to announce the starting quarterback. Tommy and I had shared the quarterback duties throughout the season and we were team captains. We were friends but competitive with each other. He was much more athletic, faster, and could pass the ball better than I could, but the team responded better under my leadership. I sorely wanted to start and play the entire game today. As we got ready to go onto the field, Coach pulled me aside and said Tommy would be starting. Disappointment would be a vast understatement of how I felt and I’m sure it was written all over my face. I tried my best to hide my feelings as Tommy and I met the Oceana captains at midfield for the coin toss. I went to the sidelines and purposely took a knee away from most of the team. That’s where I watched us win the state championship my senior year. Tommy made a game winning pass against a very stiff wind at the goal line in the 4th quarter. I honestly don’t know if I could have made that pass.
All of our families, friends, and fans rushed the field in exhilaration as time expired on the clock. The band played our fight song. All my friends, Mom, Dad and my brothers hugged me. Yes, we were bringing home another state championship for our small community. Honestly, I had very mixed feelings. I was both terribly excited and relieved that we had won, yet upset that I had not gotten to play. I purposely stayed away from the throng of fans at midfield. Assistant Coach Craycraft, my history teacher and always my favorite, someone who had become a mentor to me, walked up, put his arms around me, and looked at me straight in the eyes.
“Cliff, get your head up. We are state champions. This was a team victory, everyone had a role. That’s what football is about, that’s what life is about. I know you are terribly disappointed that you didn’t get in the game, but I want to you to remember that you played a major, if not the major role in getting us here and in the victory today. His tone then changed when he said, "I expect big things from you in the future. I know that you will make your own mark. I know that you will make a difference in the lives of others. I just know it.”
His words rang hollow that day, but later as I left my small community I would sometimes think about them. As I got older, his words came back to me quite often. Years later I returned for Coach Craycraft's funeral. Those words were foremost on my mind when I whispered to him, "Coach, I hope that I've lived up to your expectations of me and thank you."
Comments