Second Football Game-Deer Park
Wednesday evening Weslee waves a white shirt in front of my face, "We got our game shirts, Mom!"
Not lucky number seventeen, which we wanted, last year's number, from when his team won the sixth grade super bowl. He Immediately flips the shirt on, it is number six.
"We can't roll our sleeves up, the shoulder guards will snap and hurt us tackling. We have to keep them covered. I guess six is okay."
His feet start weaving in and out of two tupperware tubs on the floor, he counts, he weaves, he maneuvers, he falls, and yells, "Touchdown!"
He jumps to catch the missile, he stutter steps, he prances like a Tennessee Walker, he races through the kitchen, then back through the living room, stopping only for a moment in the "Heisman Stance".
The game is tomorrow after school. I drive over to Deer Park to meet the bus and walk into the stadium. I see that the other Finneytown parents are really far away, on the other side of the field. I decide to take the steps to this side of the stands, nearest the bathrooms, and sit quietly amongst the Deer Park parents and friends. I will quietly watch from here, and not annoy them by showing my "enemy" colors.
The father and son next to me start a conversation, "I think we will win."
"I hope so."
"Forty to nothing, why not?"
I am sitting in the hot sun, watching a large team in bright red warm up. They seem more young men, taller and heavier than our boys. I am a bit concerned.
The pre-game show consists of the Deer Park Cheerleaders running to the other side of the field, leading a cheer, and then our cheerleaders coming over here to lead a cheer. They have three girls, we have about fifteen.
The game begins, and we have the first touchdown. We keep the other team from getting much yardage. They may be bigger, but we play very well. Weslee gets the ball, and makes a touchdown. I try hard not to yell or say anything. Afterall, I am in Deer Park Wildcats Territory!
After some time(I think it is coming to the end of the second quarter) Weslee steals the ball, and starts to high tail it for the end zone. Now I am yelling as loud as I can, "GO!!!KEEP GOING!!!" The people around me, are not yelling ,GO, but, "GET HIM!!!DON"T LET HIM GET AWAY!!!"
He keeps looking back to see if they are going to tackle him. He is home free. He makes the goal, but loud cheering as there is some reason the touchdown does not count. Another play, which ends the quarter with the score, fourteen to nothing.
I look around, and decide I have alienated the people around me, and do not feel comfortable in this section anymore. I slowly head down the steps, along the entire fifty yards of the field, up the fifty yards along the backside of the field to be seated with the Finneytown parents.
The second half of the game begins, and the other team comes on stronger. They are fighting to get some yards, to get on the scoreboard. Finally after a long run of nothing they get six points up but can't convert.
Again Weslee catches a long high throw, and runs right up to the goal line. A yellow flag in the back field and the play has to be redone.
"Too bad, it sure was pretty," says one of the dads.
And then we get another touchdown. In the end the score is twenty to six, and we go home to talk about our first game in uniform with our "real" numbers.
"Did you see my 'pic-n-six', they took back?"..
"Yes, I did."
"When those guys started talking we were scared. They all talked real low, and number twenty even had two REAL tattoos. It was weird. "
"But you all did just great."
"And they were swearing at each other, and yelling in the huddle..."
"They didn't like losing."
""I'm tired."
"Get something to eat, then go to bed."
Not lucky number seventeen, which we wanted, last year's number, from when his team won the sixth grade super bowl. He Immediately flips the shirt on, it is number six.
"We can't roll our sleeves up, the shoulder guards will snap and hurt us tackling. We have to keep them covered. I guess six is okay."
His feet start weaving in and out of two tupperware tubs on the floor, he counts, he weaves, he maneuvers, he falls, and yells, "Touchdown!"
He jumps to catch the missile, he stutter steps, he prances like a Tennessee Walker, he races through the kitchen, then back through the living room, stopping only for a moment in the "Heisman Stance".
The game is tomorrow after school. I drive over to Deer Park to meet the bus and walk into the stadium. I see that the other Finneytown parents are really far away, on the other side of the field. I decide to take the steps to this side of the stands, nearest the bathrooms, and sit quietly amongst the Deer Park parents and friends. I will quietly watch from here, and not annoy them by showing my "enemy" colors.
The father and son next to me start a conversation, "I think we will win."
"I hope so."
"Forty to nothing, why not?"
I am sitting in the hot sun, watching a large team in bright red warm up. They seem more young men, taller and heavier than our boys. I am a bit concerned.
The pre-game show consists of the Deer Park Cheerleaders running to the other side of the field, leading a cheer, and then our cheerleaders coming over here to lead a cheer. They have three girls, we have about fifteen.
The game begins, and we have the first touchdown. We keep the other team from getting much yardage. They may be bigger, but we play very well. Weslee gets the ball, and makes a touchdown. I try hard not to yell or say anything. Afterall, I am in Deer Park Wildcats Territory!
After some time(I think it is coming to the end of the second quarter) Weslee steals the ball, and starts to high tail it for the end zone. Now I am yelling as loud as I can, "GO!!!KEEP GOING!!!" The people around me, are not yelling ,GO, but, "GET HIM!!!DON"T LET HIM GET AWAY!!!"
He keeps looking back to see if they are going to tackle him. He is home free. He makes the goal, but loud cheering as there is some reason the touchdown does not count. Another play, which ends the quarter with the score, fourteen to nothing.
I look around, and decide I have alienated the people around me, and do not feel comfortable in this section anymore. I slowly head down the steps, along the entire fifty yards of the field, up the fifty yards along the backside of the field to be seated with the Finneytown parents.
The second half of the game begins, and the other team comes on stronger. They are fighting to get some yards, to get on the scoreboard. Finally after a long run of nothing they get six points up but can't convert.
Again Weslee catches a long high throw, and runs right up to the goal line. A yellow flag in the back field and the play has to be redone.
"Too bad, it sure was pretty," says one of the dads.
And then we get another touchdown. In the end the score is twenty to six, and we go home to talk about our first game in uniform with our "real" numbers.
"Did you see my 'pic-n-six', they took back?"..
"Yes, I did."
"When those guys started talking we were scared. They all talked real low, and number twenty even had two REAL tattoos. It was weird. "
"But you all did just great."
"And they were swearing at each other, and yelling in the huddle..."
"They didn't like losing."
""I'm tired."
"Get something to eat, then go to bed."
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