Chapter 8

Wednesday, March 17, 2032 – NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, PA

“Hey, Coach, got a moment?” Jeremy North asked as he popped his head into Kyle’s office.

“Sure, Jeremy. What’s up?”

“I just finished a very interesting conversation with an old teammate, Xavier Jones,” Jeremy said.

“Sure, I know of Jones,” Kyle replied. “He has done a bunch of Pro Bowls and is probably one of the top linebacker free agents this year. And the conversation was interesting because?”

“The Bears drafted Xavier a couple years before I retired,” Jeremy explained. “I became his mentor as he got accustomed to playing linebacker at the NFL level. Smart, a hard worker and he’s got great instincts for making a play.

“Xavier called to pump me for information about the Eagles,” Jeremy continued. “What are our offensive and defensive philosophies? What is our locker room like? We talked for about ten minutes in generalities. I suspected he had an interest in coming here, if a deal could be made. Finally, I flat out asked him if he wanted to play here. He does.”

“Interesting.”

“Was Xavier our radar as a possible free agent signing?” Jeremy asked.

“Not that I am aware of,” Kyle said. Jeremy got a big grin on his face. “Don’t get your hopes up. The Eagles do not spend premium dollars at the linebacker position and haven’t for decades. I doubt Julian or Troy have budgeted the kind of dollars Jones will get to sign with someone.”

“Yeah, you may be right,” Jeremy agreed.

“I will report this conversation down the hall to Troy,” Kyle said. “Maybe lightening will strike us.”

“It would be sweet if it did,” Jeremy answered. “Xavier is a hell of an edge rusher, is a good run-stopper and he can drop back in coverage with the best of anybody’s linebackers. Maybe a handful of tight ends in the league and a couple running backs put him at a disadvantage. Otherwise, Xavier can cover them like a blanket.”

“I wanted to report an interesting conversation Jermy North had with Xavier Jones about half an hour ago,” Kyle said as he sat down in front of Troy Vincent’s desk.

“He might be interested in signing with us?” Troy smirked.

“You know already?”

“I had a hint when his agent called ten minutes ago,” Troy replied. “I was about to call you and Coach C over to discuss his visit. He is coming tomorrow.”

“Oh ... kay,” Kyle said. “Is there a realistic chance of us signing someone like him?”

“We will see what the price is,” Troy allowed. “He and his agent are coming tomorrow.”

“Coach North and Coach C would love to have someone like him on our defense,” Kyle noted. “Jeremy mentored Jones when he started out in the league.”

“He did a good job of mentoring,” Troy laughed. “North should consider a career in coaching.”

The Eagles put on a good presentation for Xavier Jones when he came the following day. Coach C and Jeremy did the heavy lifting in the presentation, since everyone suspected they were the keys to recruiting this premier free agent. Kyle sat in on the whole process. Xavier did have questions about the Eagles offense, with good reason.

“I am so sick of losing 17-14 or 17-15 in games,” Xavier stated to clarify his interest in the opposite side of the ball. “What you and Coach Hayes created in Pittsburgh is awesome. I assume you plan on running a similar offense here in Philly.”

“That is correct,” Kyle said. “Our offense is a work in progress, but the guys are making progress. On average, we scored not quite 15 points a game in the first twelve games. We scored 22 points a game and went 3-2 in the final five games of the season. We are working on getting the right people in place and trained to run that offense. I believe we will be substantially closer to our offensive goals this season.”

“That is exactly what I wanted to hear,” Xavier replied, grinning. “I am so sick of coming up short because the offense can’t score worth a dime.”

The group took Xavier out to lunch after extended discussions of the team philosophies and a tour of the facilities. Xavier enjoyed the food at Chickies and Pete’s. After lunch Xavier and his agent met with Troy, Julian and the team’s financial people to see if a contract was possible.

“I think that went well,” Coach C commented when the coaches returned to their office area.

“Xavier wants to come here,” Jeremy added. “I could read it in how he handled himself and his questions. Can our team come up with enough money to make it worth his while?”

“He already visited the Patriots, the Jets, the 49ers, the Saints and the Bills,” Kyle said. “It speaks volumes that he specifically sought us out for a visit. Any of those teams can provide him with a competent offense and the money his play entitles him to.”

“I hope we get him,” Jeremy remarked. “He would be a great addition to our defense.”

The coaches had to wait a few hours to see how negotiations went. They proved successful. The top free agent linebacker in the NFL signed with the Eagles. The sleuths in the press went into overtime overnight. At the press conference the next day, Zack Berman, dean of the Eagles reporters, was direct with his first question to Xavier.

“Why the Eagles?” Zack asked. “Word is you could have made $62 million for three years with the 49ers.” The announced contract with the Eagles was for $58.8 million for three years. Only the first year was guaranteed.

“I had three reasons for signing here,” Xavier replied, smiling. “This first two are standing along the back wall,” he explained as he pointed to where Coach C and Jeremy were standing. “Coach Czarwinski created the best defense the league has seen since the Steel Curtain back in the 70s. Jeremy ... uh, Coach North was my mentor when I started out in the league. The opportunity to work with Jer ... uh, Coach North is too much to resist.”

Xavier winked at the crowd. “Most of you know I grew up in Scranton. Most of my friends and neighbors were Steelers fans. I was an Eagles fan when I was a kid. Andy Reid’s Eagles stoked my imagination about what I could be. I was fifteen when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. Despite having school the next day, my parents allowed me to stay up late to celebrate that victory. I expect we will see more of that kind of winning here in Philly and I want to be part of it.”

Thursday, March 18, 2032 – Martin Residence, Landenberg, PA

Danny was amazed at the progress to the addition to their house. When he came home from school, he found the roof was shingled and they were putting windows in the new addition. Two dormer windows would look out to the front of their property. Two dormers looked out on their backyard. A double window on the west side of soon-to-be-his bedroom looked out at the Hollinger’s house, next door. The ground fell off enough that Danny’s windows would overlook the roof of the Hollinger’s house.

Friday brought the messiest part of the construction. The masons arrived to make an opening from Danny’s new bedroom through the thick, old stone wall of their home. By the time Jessie and Danny got home, the opening was done, framed and had a temporary door in place to separate the construction from the Martins’ living quarters.

When the work was done, the temporary door would go away. The doorway through the thick stone wall would be open. As you entered the new addition, the boys’ bathroom would be on the left and a large storage closet would be on the right. The door to Danny’s new bedroom would be straight ahead. Danny couldn’t wait for work to be done.

Saturday, March 20, 2032 – Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Stevens, PA

The crew arrived in northern Lancaster County for the day’s hike around nine o’clock that morning. Kyle followed David over to the Hammer Creek public access to the game lands west of the site and dropped off David’s minivan. It would be used at the end of the day to ferry Matt Robertson and Kyle back to Middle Creek to pick up their cars. The remainder of the crew waited at the small parking lot overlooking the lake at Middle Creek while they waited for the drivers to return. Penny made sure everyone was set to hike while they waited for David and Kyle to return.

David had been elected crew leader unanimously at the crew’s last meeting. He selected Sara to be the chaplain’s aide, who would be the morale officer and second in command in the crew in David’s absence. Logan Hall was chosen to be their Wilderness Pledge Guia, the guy who made sure the crew followed low-impact camping standards. Jessie and Kaylie Denning would work together as the crew’s quartermasters, who would look after their equipment and grub. The final permanent assignment went to Ben Scott, the smallest and youngest member of the crew. Ben would be the Pace Setter for their hikes.

Chester County Councils High Adventure Committee members taught leaders new to Philmont that you should select one of the smaller youths to lead the crew during hikes. That would keep the group together. If you put someone too fast out front, he would lead part of the crew ahead and leave the slower members behind. The chosen youth was told being the Pace Setter was an honor and an important responsibility – to lead their crew through the Ranch.

The group gathered and put on their packs. Jordan Andersen, a fifteen-year-old who held dual membership in Venturer Crew 491 and Troop 291 of Avondale, was having trouble. Kyle came over to see if he could help.

“Mr ... uh, Coach ... um, Martin?” Jordan asked politely. “Um ... I am not sure how to address you respectfully, sir.”

“Mr. Martin is my dad, and he is back home,” Kyle grinned. “You can call me Coach or Coach Martin, either is fine. I’ve been nicknamed ‘Coach’ since I was your age.”

“Coach Martin, something seems weird with my hip belt.”

“Let’s see,” Kyle said as he stepped closer to the youth. “Unclip your hip belt.” Jordan did. Kyle examined where the hip belt attached to the frame. “It is just a twist.” Kyle untwisted the strap.

“That did it,” Jordan said as he clipped the hip belt again. “Thanks, Coach.”

“Cinch that hip belt up tight,” Kyle added. “You want most of your weight on your hips, not on your shoulders.” Kyle stepped away and scanned the group. It looked like everyone was set. He looked over at David. “David?”

“Ben, what do you ask before we start hiking?” David asked.

“Is anyone NOT REady?” Ben Scott demanded. There was silence as the crew stifled their giggles when Ben’s voice cracked mid-bellow. Silence meant everyone was ready to hike.

“Hike on, Crew 628-J4,” David said. Ben led off. Jackson Robertson, the first navigator for the day, followed Ben, then David followed. The remainder of the youth filled in behind their crew leader. Penny, Matt and Kyle followed behind the youth, with Kyle taking the rear position.

The crew paused briefly at the entrance to the parking lot. Jackson took a quick look at the map and pointed to the left, down the road they came in on. The crew conferred briefly and agreed with their navigator. The group hiked single file along the left side of the road for a few hundred yards until they found the yellow blazes of the Horseshoe Trail. The crew crossed the road and followed the blazes of the trail up the hill into the Middle Creek Game Preserve.

The crew hiked much like they had in November. They hiked for forty-five to fifty minutes and took a five-minute break. It was a nice day for hiking for mid-March. The temperature was 42 degrees when they left the parking lot. The day warmed as they hiked. There were a few clouds in the sky but it was unlikely that they would face rain or other bad weather.

They climbed two hills as they hiked west towards Hammer Creek. They practiced the caterpillar hiking technique on one section of steep trail. The stopped for lunch on top of the second hill. The group spent half an hour on lunch. By then, the crew was on its third navigator, Jessie. She looked the map over to prepare for her hour of directing the crew.

She saw the Boy Scout camp clearly marked on the map. It was the camp her father had gone to as a Scout and had worked at as a staff member for seven summers. Her Uncles Hunter and Will both still worked at this camp in the summer.

This part of the hike was going to be nostalgic for her dad. The land no longer belonged to the Boy Scouts where they would hike, but it had been part of the camp when her dad was a Scout and staffer. About ten years ago the local council sold some of their land to the Nature Conservancy for a boat-load of money and also to make certain the land stayed forest in perpetuity. The land was not necessary for camp operations. The Conservancy allowed the Scouts to hike through the lands, so the council got the benefit of having the land available and got the money too. It had been a win-win for the Scouts and for the Conservancy.

Ben yelled, “ANYone NOt ready?” once the crew assembled after lunch.

“Hike on,” David called out after waiting a few moments for a response to Ben’s question.

The trail wound down around the hill and headed for a low, marshy area with a small creek. The crew had to hop from rock to rock to cross the creek. The temperature was up to around 55 degrees, but it was NOT a day to get your feet wet when you had another three and a half miles to hike. The trail paralleled Route 501 as they walked north. They could hear the traffic whizzing by to their left and above them. Finally, the trail rose up to the highway level and the group crossed over to a small business, the Pretzel Hut. It was an old-fashioned summer ice cream and fast-food place.

Kyle chuckled as he remembered camp staffers getting in trouble if they snuck down to the Pretzel Hut for ice cream or a burger in the evenings. He hadn’t done that, at least not that his bosses knew of. Kyle looked up the road to the north and saw the lake where he taught canoeing and rowing, not more than a quarter mile away.

The Horseshoe Trail exited the Pretzel Hut parking lot and headed up the hill. The trail was steeper and they used the caterpillar on the way up. The group took a break at what used to be called “South Camp Road” when the land belonged to the Scouts. Everyone sipped some water or snacked on leftovers from their lunch. Five minutes later David rounded the crew up and got them moving again.

Colton Stone was navigator for this hour. Kyle watched as the crew hiked down South Camp Road, completely ignoring the yellow blazes showing the Horseshoe Trail going uphill into the woods. He grabbed Penny’s pack and pulled her to face him. He held a finger up to his mouth to indicate silence. He motioned for her to grab Matt.

The three adults watched the crew blissfully hike down the hill. The crew did not notice after a minute. “How long do we let them go?” Matt whispered to Penny and Kyle.

“It’s just about...” Kyle said as David glanced back and found the adults were missing.

“HALT!” David called out. The group bunched up and came to a stop. He saw the adults stopped at the top of the hill. “What’s up, Dad? Is something wrong?”

“Colton, where are the yellow blazes?” Kyle responded, loud enough for his voice to carry the few hundred yards down the hill.

“Umm ... not sure, Coach,” Colton called back as he frantically looked for something to show he was going the right way. The rest of the youth looked around too, finding no blazes.

“Where did you see the last blaze?” Kyle called out.

“Not sure, Coach,” Colton called back.

“I know we had a blaze by the road where we took a break,” Ben yelled. He had been navigator for the hour before. David herded the crew back up the hill to where they took a break.

“Where should we be going, Coach?” Colton asked as he reached the adults’ spot on the trail.

“You tell me,” Kyle replied. “I’m on vacation. I’m just following where you guys take me.” This was one of the points the council high adventure trainers had emphasized with the adults. A Philmont trek is a youth led trek, not an adult led trek. The adults’ job was to train up the youth, step back and allow them to lead the way through the trek to the Ranch.

The map got oriented and the group discussed their dilemma for about five minutes. Finally, the discovered the overlooked blaze on the west side of the dirt road. They discussed it a little more and decided that was the correct way to go.

“I’m on vacation,” Matt laughed to Kyle and Penny. “Boy that brings back memories from my first trip to the Ranch. My scoutmaster was always telling us that.”

“You had a boy-run crew?” Penny asked.

“We did.”

“That is how Scouting is supposed to run,” Kyle added.

“Is anyoNE Not ready?” Ben yelled. “Hike on!”

The group climbed about fifty feet in elevation to reach the top of the hill. Ten minutes later they passed through a formation of car to garage sized boulders.

“These are Eagle Rocks,” Kyle announced to no one in particular. He chuckled as he remembered how they used to prank the first-year staffers on the Fourth of July by telling them they could hike out to Eagle Rock and watch the fireworks in Lititz. It was almost a two mile hike out to Eagle Rock at the south end of the reservation. When the newbies got there, they found that the trees blocked any chance of seeing south as far as Lititz.

Kyle chuckled at a story his brother Will had told him about Eagle Rocks as they passed through the boulders and headed down the hill towards Hammer Creek. It happened a couple years after the Broncos drafted him and he was spending his summers in Denver, not at Scout camp. The camp director and the program director were on their night off. Will was left in charge of camp. The younger senior staff pranked the first-year guys with the “see the fireworks from Eagle Rocks” trick. The prank backfired. One of the first-years was seventeen and had a car in camp.

The group of first-years figured why hike? Let’s drive up to Eagle Rocks. Of course, they got the car stuck in loose sand up near the top of the hill, probably not far from where Crew 628-J4 had just taken their break. The kids were frantic. They did not tell Will, who was in charge for the evening. They convinced the assistant ranger to take a camp truck out to pull the stuck car out of the sand. Of course, they got the truck stuck too.

Mr. Hollinger, the camp director, was not pleased when he came back from his night off. They had to drag the ranger out of bed to go free the two stuck vehicles. No one got fired over the prank, but the dining hall staff had extra help for the rest of the week from some “volunteers.”

The hike down from Eagle Rocks wasn’t hard for the crew. It was nearly all downhill. The crew made correct decisions at the couple junctions they found on their way to Hammer Creek. They reached the creek and the parking area around 2:30 in the afternoon. David took his dad and Matt back to Middle Creek to retrieve their cars. Penny spent the forty-five minutes reviewing map reading and navigation skills with the crew. The kids needed to know their navigation skills cold. At the Ranch, a wrong turn could put you on the wrong side of a mountain with a 1,000 foot climb to fix your error. No one needed to add difficulty to their hikes. Trek 31 was going to be difficult enough as planned.

This had been a good hike for the crew. They group was knitting into a cohesive team. They were acquiring the skills they would need in a few months when they reached the Ranch. The day hike was good preparation for next month’s trip – they were hiking on the Appalachian Trail from DeHart Reservoir to Swatara Gap. That would be about seventeen miles over two days.

Monday, March 22, 2032 – Avon Grove High School, West Grove, PA

Coach Weaver was bound and determined to exploit David’s leaping ability somehow. Coach finally acknowledged that hurdles were not the way for David to go. This week he practiced the long jump and high jump. David did well on the long jump, doing jumps nearly as long as the regular team members who did this event.

The high jump was a stretch, at first. David tried to execute his jump using the proper form to flop his body over the bar, instead of simply jumping straight up to get his feet clear. One jump in five was successful Monday. By Friday, David could consistently clear the bar without knocking it down. The height of his jumps was going up too. Perhaps he could develop the skills to be a successful high jumper.

Despite missing some practices when he was at the state swim championships, David would have well more than the required ten practices in before the team’s first meet at the Conwell Invitational in Unionville on April 3rd.

Monday, March 22, 2032 – NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, PA

Troy Vincent convened the scouting staff, Julian Lurie, Kyle Martin, Coach C and Ryan Reynolds to review the first draft of the Eagles’ draft board. To no ones’ surprise, Spence Harding was the top QB and also the top overall rookie on their draft board. Austin Hawkins graded out as the best wide receiver in the draft. Kyle had been pushing hard to place him high on the draft board too.

Kyle, Ryan and Coach C had a few suggestions for raising or lowering some of the guys on the board, but not too many. Julian and Brent agreed with some of the minor changes, though not all.

When they review was nearly completed, Julian asked the assembled group, “Spence Harding is highest rated on our board. What are we going to do about getting what looks to a be a generational talent at QB? I think we need to talk with the Jets and see what it will take to move from #6 to #1 so we can receive the service of this young man.”

“It’s going to be too expensive,” Kyle replied. He knew the discussion was coming.

“Thirty teams kick themselves for not grabbing John Elway or Dan Marino the year they were available,” Julian replied. “Did the Colts regret grabbing Peyton Manning?”

“No, but the Chargers did regret taking Ryan Leaf with their second pick that year,” Kyle countered. “Many teams at the time considered Ryan Leaf to be the better of the two quarterbacks. There are no “sure-things” in judging quarterbacks. The price we will pay will be too high. I expect it would take at least three firsts and a second-round pick to pry the #1 pick from the Jets ... and that is if this doesn’t develop into a bidding war for that #1 pick. That is two or three top players that our team will not have as we build a Super Bowl ready team.”

“If we hold onto what we have now, do you really believe that Dylan Harris or Aiden Anderson will take us to the Super Bowl?” Julian challenged. “Harding had the talent and personality to take some team to multiple Super Bowls. Do we want that team to be us or to be some other team?”

“John Elway was a generational talent,” Kyle responded. “John did win two Super Bowls, but only late in his career. Dan Marino was a generational talent too. How many Super Bowls did Dan win? None.”

“If we pass up a chance to get Harding, we will regret this decision for the next fifteen years,” Julian answered.

“There is no cost to us to explore a possible trade with the Jets,” Troy said. “I will discuss this with Joe Campbell (the Jets GM). That way we will know exactly what it will cost us if we decide to pick Harding.”

Kyle shook his head no. “Kyle, I know you disagree with this,” Troy asked. “You will coach Harding if we secure his services?”

“Of course I will,” Kyle responded, trying to hide his affront at the idea of not doing his best. “I would love to coach Harding. I agree he is going to be a good, possibly great, player for someone. It’s just that I think we will find the cost to the Eagles is too high to secure him and we will hurt our efforts to build up the other twenty-one positions on our team.”

“I will make a call to Campbell and get back to you Julian and Kyle,” Troy said.

Monday, March 22, 2032 – Martin Residence, Landenberg, PA

Danny was excited to see the addition to his home completely tight to the weather. Shingles were on the roof, siding was on the walls. Windows were in and tight. He popped into the addition after school and found the carpenters busy framing the interior walls. At the rate the construction crew was moving, Danny anticipated moving into his new room within a couple weeks. It was going to be great!

He dropped off his school books, except his math book, hopped on his bike and pedaled over to see Anna. The two planned to work some math problems together for part of the afternoon. Depending on who got dibs, either Danny and Anna would go up to her room for some privacy for fun or Mike and Avery would go to Mike’s room while Danny and Anna made out and played in the family room. Danny did not care which, as long as he and Anna got privacy to play.

Danny was surprised that the carpenters were not there when he got home from school on Tuesday. Ditto on Wednesday and Thursday. There was no work done on the addition. The electrician finally showed the following Tuesday to run the wiring in the walls.

A week later the HVAC guys came to run the duct work for the air conditioning and the piping for the heat. The Martin house was heated with hot water and radiators. His parents decided to put radiant heating in the floor of the new addition. The HVAC guys were there for two days getting their work finished.

Danny was excited to have radiant heating in the floors of his new bedroom. He never noticed when his family spent summers at this house, but the bare wooden floors were damned cold in the winter. Having a warm floor in his bedroom and bathroom was going to be great, when the work finally got done.

Wednesday March 24, 2032 – Avon Grove High School

Grant found Jessie and Chris at her locker when he arrived before class. This was like the fifth or sixth time he found them together in the morning since the damned play practice started. They were deep in conversation when he walked up.

“Hey Grant,” Chris grinned. “How’s it going man?”

“Good,” Grant commented guardedly.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Jessie added, giving Grant a hug and a kiss on the mouth after checking to see that no teachers were watching.

“Talking about the play again?” Grant asked.

“Of course,” Jessie laughed.

“Can you believe we will be on stage performing in three weeks?” Chris said. “I hope we’re ready.”

“We will be ready,” Jessie grinned. She reached up to Chris’ shoulder and pulled him lower. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This has been such a blast working with you.”

“I’ve enjoyed it too,” Chris said. He glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to run. I haven’t gotten my book for first period yet. See you, Jessie. Bye, Grant.” Chris headed off.

“Do you need to spend so much time with that ... that guy?” Grant groused.

“We play husband and wife in the play,” Jessie replied. “Nearly every scene we are in, we are in the scene together, so yes, I do need to spend time with Chris right now, until the play is over.”

“I guess,” Grant acknowledged. This play could not be over too soon to suit Grant.

“You’re certain you can’t get free anytime during spring break?” Jessie asked. “It is such a waste of parent-free time for us not to get together over the break. I need alone-time with you lover so you can fill me.”

“I need that too,” Grant grinned. “God, I need that.”

“I’ve done thirty-four hours of practice driving,” Grant said. “I hope to hit my sixty required hours before school ends. Won’t it be sweet when we are able to drive to hook up?”

“It will be,” Jessie agreed. “I’m only at fifteen and a half hours. I hope to finish my practice time and get my license before my trip to Philmont.”

“I guess we’ll just have to be horny for a while,” Grant said.

“There will be a wrap party after the play is over,” Jessie said. “I am sure we can find a room somewhere to enjoy ourselves.”

“Three more weeks,” Grant sighed. “I suppose I will have to wait impatiently for you.”

“We’ll make it,” Jessie said. She gave him a deep kiss.

“MR. FREY! MISS MARTIN!” a stern voice warned. “This is not a brothel. Keep it G-rated in the hallways.”

“Sorry Mr. Anderson,” both Jessie and Grant said before hurry off to their home rooms.

Thursday, March 25, 2032 – NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, PA

Troy called Kyle and Julian into his office. “I talked with Joe Campbell at the Jets. You were almost right about the cost, Kyle. He wants three round 1 picks and two round 2 picks. And that is the starting bid for the #1 selection this year. Half a dozen teams have called with serious interest in trading up with the Jets, including Dallas.”

“Dallas?” Kyle snorted. “They’ll need to give away all their draft picks this year to get a deal with the Jets.”

“But, do you want to face Harding twice a year for the next fifteen years if Dallas gets him?” Julian asked pointedly.

“Actually, yes, I would like to face Dallas under those circumstances,” Kyle responded. “They won’t have any talented players around him. Football is a team game and Harding will have to try to do everything by himself. He can’t catch his own passes.”