My Shining Moment

My Shinning Moment

I glanced up at the scoreboard; the clock read 2:15 left in the fourth quarter. My team was down by 3 points; we had eighty-five yards to go, and had no time outs left. I yelled out the cadence and the center snapped the oblong ball into my hands. I took a short three-step drop I glanced to my left. The only object I saw were two beefy defensive linemen bearing down on me. Somehow I had released the ball; just in time, as I did my body was slammed to the freshly trimmed grass. Miraculously the ball found its way into number 88’s hands; he stumbled out of bounds at the 24-yard line; 2:05 left and the clock stopped.

I jogged to our bench, my coach waited on the sideline to discuss the most effective play for the situation. Upon my arrival I realized the scowl usually on my raging coach’s face had disappeared; in its place was a huge grin. He patted me on the butt and told me how good the offense was looking; the many things he had instilled in his players appeared to be coming together for at least four quarters. It was about time; we had suffered through four straight losses, and had barely put any points on the scoreboard all season. My coach brushed the few hairs that had kept their pigment through the painful slump of losses. He emphasized how much time was left and the fact that we had no timeouts. I rushed back to the huddle, “Alright guys, coach wants a Z-out, X-slant, Tom you go out to the left flat, we’re gonna stretch the defense out and I’m gonna dump you the ball a couple steps up field. After you catch the ball make sure to get out of bounds. Break!” My offensive linemen charged the line of scrimmage like five stampeding bulls. I lingered in the backfield to ensure the alignment was understood and there would be no glitches before the ball was snapped. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, and I stepped under center. The middle-linebacker called out, “Strong right, motion, shift right!” I exhaled a strong sigh of relief; the captain of the defense had read our formation as either a deep pass down the right side, or an out along the right sideline. The defense wasn’t expecting what was coming. My tailback Tom Galiver was foaming at the mouth, as he waited for the ball to meet with his fingertips so he can scamper up field and get out of bounds.

Once again I called out the cadence. The second