Senior Year Box Set

We walked through the Washington facilities as Coach Diamond told us what was planned. We ran into Gabe Verity, the starting quarterback for Washington, and he knew Wyatt.

“Hey, you little traitor. Does your dad know you’re wearing Lincoln gear?”

“He put on a jersey David gave him.”

“Well, it’s okay if it’s for David,” Gabe conceded.

“Hey, good luck today,” I told Gabe as we shook hands.

“Take it easy on us. I think we might actually beat you today.” Gabe said and then left to get taped.

After the tour, our buses arrived, and I left to get taped. Jill was a sport and taped Wyatt’s ankles.

We had some time, so Jeff suggested that Wyatt interview me. Jeff offered to hold the phone so the feed would go out live to the world. I shook my head when he handed Wyatt a list of questions, just in case. I think Jeff figured I would be more open with Wyatt than I would be with the press.

The remarkable thing was, Wyatt knew a lot about football because his dad was a coach. I think he’d listened in more than even his dad realized. I hoped Washington’s coaching staff wasn’t watching because Wyatt got me to explain what I planned to do today. Though I wasn’t too worried because they only had an hour before the game started. There wasn’t much they could change game-plan-wise at this point.

He then asked me about recruiting, and what I thought about the schools I had on my list. I was sure this would find its way back to those schools, so I made sure I didn’t say anything negative. I shared that I would make my decision in the spring. Many schools had been pushing for a fall commitment so they could leverage me in attracting other recruits.

I took Wyatt back to my locker and helped him put on his football gear. I then got dressed.

Because of his heart condition, Wyatt wasn’t able to run. Coach Hope said he would walk Wyatt out as I led the team onto the field for warm-ups. I motioned for Wyatt to join me, which made his day.

It looked like Washington expected a big crowd. I think they’d learned their lesson from our baseball game last year. They’d installed temporary bleachers all around the field. I would guess they had seating for four times their regular capacity.

Caryn had told me on the drive over that most colleges weren’t able to send recruiters this week because they had games to play. There would be a ginormous contingent next Friday when we faced Unity, our foe in last year’s State Championship game.

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“Today begins our journey back to win a third consecutive State Championship,” Coach Hope said. “I’m proud of all the work you boys put in to get ready for today. I want you to know that we’ll have a target on our back for every game this season. Washington will be out to prove something today. If they can beat us, it will be the signature win for their season.

“I want to send a message to each and every opponent on our schedule. When you play Lincoln High, you’re playing the best. We are the best conditioned, have the best coaching, the best fans, and the best players. I want them to think they’ve lost the game before they even step on the field.”

I cringed a little, knowing that Wyatt was streaming that out live for me. Coach just gave every team on our schedule material that would be put on a giant poster the week they played us.

Wyatt led us out of the locker room. We joined arms and walked out like we owned the place. Once we made it to our sideline, the Washington marching band began to play their school song. They had a huge banner that the cheerleaders held for their players to run through. The place erupted when the Washington team charged onto the field.

Coach Hope backed the Make-A-Wish experience, so I took Wyatt out to do the coin flip. We made sure that he was the only one announced. Both groups of fans stood and cheered him. It made my heart feel full when I saw the look on his face.

“Take it in, buddy. It doesn’t get any better than this,” I said.

“Lincoln High, call it in the air,” the referee announced.

“Heads!” Wyatt called.

“It is tails. Washington, what is your call?”

“We’ll defer,” Gabe Verity said.

“We’ll take the ball,” I said to get the game started.

The opening kickoff bounced out of bounds, so we began our first series on our 35 yard line. It felt weird, watching Trent trot out to take my place. Roc, Phil, Yuri, Tim, and Wolf came to stand with me in solidarity.

Ty Wilson had transferred to Lincoln from Washington last year. Freshman year, he and I both found ourselves playing varsity ball. Ty was probably the best running back in the state. I think everyone in the stadium knew that he was going to run it on the first play. Coach Mason had told Ty that he would give him every chance to win this game today.