Cool Fools 3: Friday Night Lights

Junior year, Woody Anderson had been promoted to the varsity football team. But the leap from junior varsity to varsity was a big change Woody didn’t prepare for, or if he did prepare, he didn’t prepare for it well. He was second-string quarterback, but even so, he could feel the constant pressure of town’s expectation for the team to win the state championship. That year, their team had gone to sub-state, but for some reason, the starting quarterback James Royster had frozen up during the middle of the game. The coach pulled Royster out and sent in Woody, three minutes before the game was over…the score was 7-21.

After one failed pass, Woody assisted a touchdown. The score became 14-21 with a minute and thirty seconds left on the clock. The ball was punted for the rival team, but Woody’s teammate caught the ball and ran a first down. On the next play, Woody was pummeled by the defensive lineman before he could pass the ball. But the play after that, Woody narrowly sidestepped the linemen and went straight through the opening and ran all the way for a touchdown. With only 10 seconds remaining, the team went for a 2-point conversion. Woody managed to hand the ball to a running back, but the running back failed to make it to the goal line…so the game ended 20-21. They lost a chance to go to state.

James Royster and the running back found themselves chastised by the whole town, but suddenly Woody Anderson became the new hopeful for next year.

So now his senior year, Woody became the starting quarterback and a Captain of his team. He could just feel the pressure, the expectations, the demand of his hometown for the team to win the state championship. Southwind High School had the best records in the state’s division. For the last twenty years, they had never gone an average of more than two years without winning State. But the last time they had won was four years go when Ethan White was the star quarterback…and the high school and hometown wanted, needed the win this year!

At every game as he stepped onto the field, Woody could just sense…not just see, but actually feel…the hundreds of people’s eye dissecting him. Both people from the stands and from the sidelines figuring him out, trying to pick at his flaws. Under the school’s chants, under the noise of their claps, he could tell people were murmuring doubtfully at him: Lightweight. Not quick enough. Pathetic.

But there was on particular set of eyes, deep blue among the crowd, that wasn’t dissecting him, but rather, they were the force keeping his body from shattering into a million pieces. It was his clear strong baritone voice that Woody could hear rooting for him as he made his way down the football field. It was the voice still encouraging him even after he made a failed pass or got pummeled by an opponent. Woody never acknowledged his eyes or voice by looking at the man up in the stands, cause he had vowed to never have anything to do with Ethan White again.

****

Woody stood on the porch steps in front of a small white-sided house. He waited ten seconds but what seemed like perpetuity before the door opened. The tall, handsome man behind it tilted his head back, very much surprised, not yet believing that the person on his porch step was for real. “Sherwo—Woody?”

“I don’t know why I fucking came here,” Woody had told himself not to cry, but his eyes had already begun to water.
“Are you okay?” asked Ethan, “Do you want to come in?”

“No, I don’t!” Woody said shortly, his breathing became more erratic, “I can’t stand it no more. I can’t stand every man, woman, and child nagging me—telling me I have to win or else... It’s too much. I’m quitting the team!”

“You can’t! You’re going to sub-state next week!”
“You…it’s all your fault,” Woody accused, glowering at the college senior, “I keep hearing…they keep comparing me to you. They keep saying I’m not good enough…how could I be? I mean, your records…were best in the state…hell, it was the best in the fucking country. A 94% pass rate…that’s insane…I can’t live up to their expectations….I can’t live up to you.”

“Don’t worry…you haven’t lived up to me yet!” Ethan chuckled. “You’re far from it!”
“Fuck you!” shouted Woody, “I came here thinking you would say something supportive and you’re just being an ass.”
Ethan frowned, “Wait, you haven’t heard the story?”
Woody shrugged and shook his head, “What story?”

Ethan snorted, “If you don’t want to come in, stay here, let me go get something…”
Woody stayed put on the porch step, watching the tall college senior disappear into the dim living room. A moment later, he reappeared again, holding what seemed like a photo album. Ethan stepped out onto the front porch and flipped through the pages. It was actually a scrapbook with newspaper clippings, “My mom put this together for me as a graduation present. Read this article.”

“Quarterback hurls more than ball; his stomach-contents…” Woody quickly scanned the article, but the headline said the gist of it.

Ethan further explained, “Right at the first snap, vomited all over the ball and some on my teammate Wilson’s shoes. The coach pulled me out of the game and didn’t let me back in until there was only five minutes left in the last quarter. We lost…to say the least. It was in a crucial game too; it would have made us number one in the district. But since we lost, there was a three-way tie. So it came down to a coin toss…”

“A coin toss?” Woody was surprised.
“Yes,” Ethan nodded with a sigh, “The three leading teams tossed the coin to see which two teams would go on to the playoffs. Odd man out. It was pure chance that we got to the playoffs,” Ethan admitted, “You see, I almost threw up our chances at even dreaming about going to State…it was a coin toss that saved me from being stoned to death by the crowd. So relax, Sherwood, you’re miles ahead of me. I haven’t seen you taken a wrong step this season. You’re the most graceful player under pressure I’ve ever seen. I don’t know who you’ve been listening to, but everyone I’ve talked to thinks you’re amazing.”

“Thank you,” Woody put on a smile, “I appreciate you telling me this.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll glad my barfing could cheer you up.” Ethan said. “Do you wanna come in?”

“No, I’m gonna go out to the field and practice.”
“You know what? I haven’t thrown a ball in ages,” said Ethan, rotating his throwing shoulder, “Can I come with and pass a few balls around? I’ll show you exactly where I puked!”

Woody found himself nodding slowly, and couldn’t believe he did so. The last time he was with Ethan, a year and a half ago, it was the most humiliating moment of his entire life. He had given himself to the man, but the older man wouldn’t accept it. He had sworn to never speak to Ethan again, and now he found himself riding in the blue-and-white Chevy truck…the same truck where he began forming this unmentionable feeling for the driver. Soon, they were out of the truck and on the green field, running up and down it passing the ball to each other. Every once in a while Ethan had suggested the younger man a technique to better throw the ball or avoid being tackled, but for the most part, they just played casually.

By the end of the day, Ethan was the first to talk about that incident, “I’m so sorry for what I did. I thought it was the best for us, but I know you’re still hurt. Still, is there a chance, a slight chance that you could ever forgive me?”

Woody gulped, shaking his head, “I don’t know…I don’t wanna think about it right now. All I know is that I need you to come to the last two games. I need to see you in the audience, cause you’re the only thing that’s keeping me together out there. Everyone else is just prying me apart…I need you!”

Ethan nodded and promised that he would be there for the last two games.

****

Woody led his team to an easy win at sub-state, and during that game, had looked up at least once to acknowledge Ethan in the crowd. Ethan was also there for the banquet before the big State game, making a rousing speech that even brought big, full-grown men to tears…tears of laughter, as he retold the story of the particular queasy game. For the majority of his talk, he was looking straight at Woody, sending with his eyes beams of powerful energy, radiating and making Woody’s body soar. Woody hoped this amazing energy could last forever, or at least til the State game.

As Woody changed into his uniform in the loud locker room, a fellow teammate tapped his shoulders and said that his cell phone was blinking. Woody sat down on the bench and flipped open his phone. It was a text message from Ethan. Woody opened the message: I’m sorry I can’t be there. Believe in your team. Don’t just lead them; let them lead you!

Woody could just feel his life-force draining as he read the message; his body was about to crumble even before stepping foot onto the field. As his team huddled together for prayer, Woody could barely form words to start it, and the coach had to start it for him. Woody was carried by the ocean of players out of the locker and into the field. Usually he would be first to tear through the banner, but now he simply walked out behind his teammates. Cheers and applause erupting at his entrance.

Woody looked all around him, one side of the stadium gold and green, the color of his school, the other side of the stadium purple and white, the color of the rival Knights. Woody desperately searched for Ethan, knowing full well he wouldn’t be found among the thousands of fans. How could he do this to him? He had promised he would be there for him. Woody had given him all his trust in knowing that Ethan would be there. And yet, he just sent a text massage saying he couldn’t make it, without a damn good reason. The more Woody thought about it, the more blood boiled in his vein, and the more he felt disgusted in himself. He had waited nearly eighteen years for this moment to stand in Angelo Dome, and so Woody closed his eyes and absorbed in the cheer of the crowd. There was no snickering or snide remarks…these were real cheers from adoring fans. And he wasn’t going to let one insignificant person ruin this for him…ruin his team’s chance for glory.

The ball was in the air and Woody ran to meet where it would land. He caught it, but soon three big bodies crashed into him, stopping him at the thirty yard line. The defense was stronger than Woody had imagined, he nor any of his teammates could move a yard before being pummeled. And soon after four failed plays, the ball was relinquished to the other team. But not two minutes after having the ball, the other team fumbled and Woody’s teammate recovered it. The game was a constant struggle for the ball, and by the end of the first quarter there was no score.

The spirit of the fans soared higher during the second quarter and fed the players down below, and in return, the player let the fans have what they came for, a spectacular battle of skill, strategy, muscle and mind, and soon touchdowns were being scored every few plays. Woody’s team Southwind Cougars were down by seven at the end of the first half…21 to 28. After the coach’s speech in the locker-room at halftime, Woody told his defense to kick it up a notch, not let a person or ball go past them, and his teammates did as instructed. The Cougars came back during the second half tying the game 28-28 before the clock turned 00:00.

It was win-or-lose, make-or-break, do-or-die time. In the last six years of playing football, all the games they have played have been practices…this was the one true game that defined it all. From middle school on, Woody had played with all the guys he saw in front of him, it was these guys that made the difference…not anyone in the stands. Before the start of overtime, he hugged each one of his teammates, knowing full it was them who had kept him together…not anyone in the audience.

Right at kick-off, Ethan caught the ball and ran for it but was soon edged out by the defense at the 50 yard line. Three snaps later, they were still on the 50 yard line. The defense was fiercer and stronger than ever before. If they failed at the fourth down, they would lose the game. At the fourth snap, Ethan caught the ball, trying to find an unguarded teammate. But no one was left open. Cradling the ball in his arms, he edged aside the defensive lineman, quickly jumping over another oncoming opposition and made it through the tight gap that his teammate—his great teammates—had opened for him. He was free from then on, the player chasing after him never got within five yards of him.

Touchdown! The crowd roared above the stadium. The SouthWind Cougars had won the State Championship!