Chapter 28

After lunch on Sunday I called Coach Caffrey. I recognized his voice when he said "Hello?"

"Coach, I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday. This is Kyle Martin. I wanted to talk to you for a minute about our game on Saturday."

"I don't mind you calling. I was going over our game plan. What do you want?"

"I have been thinking about how we cover Christian Hunsecker. Covering him is the key to the game."

"Unh huh. Go ahead with what you came up with, Kyle."

"We need to find someone fast enough to cover Christian one on one. We can't add more DB's. It makes us vulnerable to the run. We need speed on defense."

"OK. I agree with you so far, Kyle. Where do we find speed at this point in the season?"

"Drew or me. We are fast enough to run with Christian." I explained.

"Which of you do you think I should pick, Kyle?"

"I think I'm the better choice since I play wide receiver. I know what Christian will do better than Drew. I also know Christian personally. I think I should play cornerback and cover him."

"You came up with that yourself, Kyle?"

"Yes, sir." I answered.

"That's good thinking, Kyle. Coach Wyndham and I had already decided that is what we would do. I was going to talk to you at the beginning of practice tomorrow. Are you willing to try this, Kyle?"

"Yes, sir," I answered. "I'll do whatever it takes to help us win."

"Good. That's settled. We will go over all the details tomorrow at practice. If you do well in practice this week, you will play cornerback on Saturday."

"This change isn't going to be permanent is it?"

The coach chuckled, "No. I certainly hope not. I don't want to lose you on offense."

"Thanks for listening to me, Coach. I appreciate it."

"I appreciate your calling, Kyle. You have a real head for football."

"Thanks, sir. Have a good afternoon."

"Good bye, Kyle," Coach Caffrey said before he hung up the phone.

I took a deep breath. I was really going to play cornerback on Saturday. Was I up to the challenge?

--oooOooo--

On Monday I stopped at Julie's table first period. I said, "I missed you Saturday night,"

"I had to baby sit for my aunt and uncle. I would have liked to have gone out instead, but I can use the money," Julie answered.

"Did you finish your term paper for history?"

"I finished typing it on Sunday afternoon. How about you?" Julie asked.

"I finished mine on Saturday afternoon," I explained.

"Are you going to the dance Friday night?"

"Oh. I don't know. I hadn't really paid attention to things on Friday nights. I have football." Immediately I realized I didn't have football anymore on Friday nights. Our playoff game was on Saturday afternoon. "Duh. I'm so used to Friday night games I forgot. I'm free. I guess I'll go. How about you?"

"I'd like to go, Kyle," Julie said. She smiled at me.

Finally I got her signal. "Would you be my date for the dance, Julie?" I asked.

"I'd like that, Kyle," she answered.

"Cool! I'll pick you up. What time does the dance start?"

Julie answered, "7:30, I think."

"OK. I'll pick you up around 7:15. Is that OK?"

"It's a date, Kyle," Julie said grinning. I found my seat beside Penny.

Penny asked, "You finally asked Julie to go to the dance?"

"Yes"

"It's about time. She turned down two other guys already while she waited for you to ask her."

"She did?" I asked.

Mr. Herr started class before Penny could answer my question. Did Julie like me?

--oooOooo--

Coach Caffrey called Dylan Peachey, Nick Zeimer and me into his office when we arrived for practice. Coach started talking as soon as we sat down. "Boys, we are going to make some adjustments on defense for our game with Central." I glanced over at Dylan and Nick. Both looked confused. This was the part of the plan I didn't like. One of these guys was going to sit so I could start. It was unfortunate.

Coach continued, "The team needs more speed at cornerback for our game with Central. Kyle is going to start at left cornerback in your place, Dylan. Dylan, you are switching over the right side. Nick, you will be nickel back for this game. Do you understand?"

All three of us nodded yes. Coach continued, "Nick, I want you to understand that I value your contributions to our team. This is not a reflection on your talent, only on your speed. Central has one of, if not the fastest wide receiver in this part of the state. We lose the game on Saturday if we can't find someone as fast as him. This change is not permanent. It is only for Saturday's game. Both of you will go back to your usual spots assuming we have another game after Saturday. Do you boys have any questions?"

None of us did. Coach dismissed us to get dressed for practice. I spent the entire practice in the conference room with Coach Wyndham learning as much as I could about how to play cornerback.

Coach Wyndham explained, "Your responsibilities are simple. You cover Hunsecker. You become his shadow for the game. You go everywhere he goes. You stick with him until he gets the ball, the play is over or someone else carries the ball across the line of scrimmage. If the last happens, you may go for a tackle on the ball carrier. Understand so far, Kyle?"

"Yes. Do I need to learn the defensive schemes? Who plays where? What all our coverages are?

"No. We are going to keep your job simple. You cover Hunsecker. The other ten guys will take care of the rest of the Central players. Any other questions?"

"Yes. Do I have any help?"

Coach Wyndham answered, "No, you have to cover him alone. We won't have any help for you."

"That's OK," I said. "I didn't figure I would have help."

"I want you to consider yourself to be another receiver in their passing scheme. You have as much right to catch the ball as Hunsecker. With your leaping ability, you have the potential to make an interception or two."

"Should I play bump and run or should I play off the line of scrimmage?"

"You aren't going to knock someone as strong as Hunsecker off the line of scrimmage. I want you to play five to seven yards off the line. It will give you a little cushion to react to his pass route. If Central wants to throw five yard passes to Hunsecker, they can have as many of those as they want. I don't care about them. You keep him covered deep. Hunsecker NEVER gets behind you. Is that clear, Kyle?"

"Yes, sir."

"Kyle, I want you to understand something. You aren't going to stop Hunsecker from catching some passes. Your job is to slow him down. He is going to score. Don't let it worry you. As long as Hunsecker scores fewer touchdowns this game than the last game, things will be good for us. You will need a thick skin to play cornerback. You ARE going to miss some things. Are you ready to give this a try?"

I'm ready coach. I've seen Christian practice and play. I know how good he is. I'll do my best to help out team."

Good, Kyle. Go see Coach Caffrey next. He will explain what your responsibilities will be on offense for the game."

"On offense? OK," I said. I tracked down Coach Caffrey. He filled me in on the plan. I would be the number three receiver. Coach expected I would be on the field at most for half the offensive plays. Tim Showalter would fill in for me if I was too tired. Karl Weaver would play as the flanker, my normal spot, on Saturday.

I made it outside in time for our two mile run at the end of practice. The team headed back inside to shower and change. I was dressing when Jeremy came up to me slapped me on the back and declared, "I hear you will finally do some honest work on this team. Welcome to the defense, Kyle."

"Thanks, Jeremy," I answered. "This is going to be really weird for me."

"I don't know if I like it," Ed added. "I like having you on the field with me."

"I'm going to play about half the offensive plays," I said. "We'll do OK, Ed. Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say, Kyle. They always blame the quarterback if things don't go right. This is a big risk for me."

"What? You don't think they'll notice if Christian scores a bunch of touchdowns. This is a big risk for me too. I could end up looking like an idiot."

"You two old women!" Jeremy exclaimed. "You worry too much. We have plenty of options on offense. You'll score lots of points, Ed. Kyle, you know Christian better than anyone else on this team. You have the speed to run with him. You'll do well. Stop worrying. We're going to kick Central's butts on Saturday. I guarantee it."

We finished dressing. Ed, Jeremy and I followed Greg out to his car. Greg stopped at the Middle School wing to pick up Andy. Greg drove the four of us home like he usually does. I went straight to my room and worked on my homework. I needed to finish before scouts. I managed to finish just as I was called to dinner.

Dad drove Andy, Ed, Jeremy and me to scouts after dinner. Ed and I worked with our patrols on menu planning and how to make shopping lists. Our patrols were going to plan the menus and buy the food for the troop on the next campout in a few weeks.

--oooOooo--

At practice on Tuesday I finally got a chance to try my skills on the field. The coaches had Drew fill Christian's role on the scout team that we practiced against. He was the best challenge for me while I got used to covering a fast receiver. I did well. Drew managed to make a couple catches on me and I made an interception. Mostly I managed to keep the ball out of Drew's hands. I hoped covering Christian would be as easy as covering Drew.

Julie and I met in the library on Tuesday afternoon during our study hall to work on our Deutsche vocabulary. We talked about our date for the dance Friday night. I got a pretty hot kiss when we left to go to our next class.

Football practice went well the rest of the week. I was getting comfortable covering Drew. The coaches were pleased with my progress. I started studying the defensive playbook to get familiar with our coverages. It would help me in case something unexpected happened during the game.

I had lunch with Julie every day. I enjoyed talking and joking with her. She was fun to be around. She fit in with my other friends. We talked about school, football and gossiped. Lunch became the highlight of my day.

On Friday Julie greeted me before first period with a kiss. "Good morning, Kyle." she said when our lips parted.

"Good Morning, Julie."

"You look handsome in your football jersey," Julie asked. "Why are you wearing the white one?"

"We are the second place team," I explained. "That means we are designated as the away team tomorrow."

"Are you guys going to win?"

"I think so. We have a good game plan. I believe we can win."

"Good. I'll be there cheering my heart out for you guys," Julie said. She grinned when she finished talking. I gave her another kiss and went to my seat.

Kids came up to Ed, Drew and me all day and wished us luck tomorrow. The day was quite an ego trip. I appreciated how much support our fans gave us.

I met Julie at her locker when school was over. I gave her a kiss and headed for football practice. The coaches had us run a light workout and review the game plan one last time. We finished with our traditional two mile run. We were ready.

I grabbed a quick shower before dinner. When dinner was done, Dad drove me to the Simpsons, picked up Julie and drove us to the school. Julie and I hung out with Jeremy and Kathy; Brandon and Stef; Hal and Tammy; and Drew and Stacie before the music started.

I asked, "Has anyone seen Penny?"

"No. I thought she and Travis were coming tonight," Kathy answered. "That's what she told me in English seventh period."

Tammy added, "I wonder what happened to her."

They started off with a few fast songs. Julie and I headed out for the dance floor (actually the cafeteria most days). Julie was such a graceful dancer. Even though I had improved dramatically in the past year and half at dancing, compared to Julie I still had two left feet. Julie didn't care. We danced on.

After three fast songs, they switched to a slow one. Julie and I wrapped our arms around each other and snuggled together. We started dancing. Julie held tight, crushing her tits against my chest. Julie's perfume smelled heavenly.

"Mmmm, this is nice, isn't it, Kyle?" Julie purred into my ear.

"It's great," I answered. Julie laid her head on my shoulder. I laid my cheek against her as we swayed to the music. I could feel Julie's heart beating as we danced. She was so soft and warm. My cock responded to the gentle swaying motion by the beauty in my arms. It started to swell.

We didn't stop holding each other when the song was over. We held each other and kissed. Our tongues met. I felt a tingle run down my spine. Another slow song started. We continued swaying to the music, rubbing our bodies together.

My cock was fully erect and pressing my pants out against Julie's side. I squirmed a little to try to hide it but Julie noticed. She grinned and rubbed my bulge against her belly. I blushed.

"That's your, uh, thing isn't it, Kyle?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Julie. I wish it would go down."

"It's OK, Kyle. You like me don't you?"

"Yes, of course. You're really pretty. You get me excited." Julie smiled and continued to rub against it the entire time we danced to that song. I desperately tried to think of anything but the gorgeous girl in my arms. It took a couple more songs, but finally I willed my cock back down to semi-erect. I rearranged myself so I looked presentable to mixed company.

Julie and I took a break and grabbed some punch and cookies. We talked for a few minutes and went back to dancing. Everything about the evening was amazing: the feel of Julie's soft skin as I held her; the feeling of her nipples pressing into my chest; the sweet smell of her perfume; the way she giggled; the way she nibbled on my ear lobe; the feel of her breath on my neck. Most of all I loved the way she kissed.

This wasn't a middle school boy crush like two or three years ago when I would stare across the room at her for half the school day. This feeling was much deeper. I was a man desiring a woman.

Julie and I danced on. When the final song played we stayed on the dance floor pressed together. Neither of us wanted the evening to end. Reluctantly we finally walked outside holding hands. My Dad drove us home. He gave me a couple minutes to say good night when we dropped Julie off. We parted after long passionate kiss. Julie promised to cheer extra loud for me at the game.

I greeted Will and Abby when I got home. They were home for the weekend. After talking to them for a couple minutes, I went to my room, locked the door and stripped. I poured hand lotion over my hard cock and jerked off. I tried to imagine what Julie would look like naked while I stroked my erection. I continued until I splattered cum of over my neck, chest and stomach. It brought a little relief from my lust.

Amazingly, I went to sleep thinking about Julie, not the biggest football game of the year. Did I want to get serious with Julie? I loved sex and spending time with Jessie, Stacie and Sally. Julie was pretty, smart, funny and great company. She made me incredible horny. I wanted her, but she didn't have sex. I love sex, but Julie is special. Could I give up sex to go steady with Julie? I didn't know what I was going to do.

--oooOooo--

I slept late on Saturday morning. I got up around 11:00 am, showered and grabbed some breakfast. The rest of the household was up and busy. I relaxed in my room, listening to music and reading. I grabbed a sandwich just before noon. At noon, Dad drove me over to the high school to catch the bus to Elizabethtown College, the site of our playoff game. Dad wished me luck.

My teammates were relaxed, laughing, joking and gossiping on the way west to Elizabethtown. We were confident with the adjustments we made, that the game would come out better than our last meeting. We were going to win!

When we finished warm ups, Ed, Jeremy and I wandered over to the Central side of the field to talk with Trent and Christian. We greeted our friends and talked for a couple minutes. Each of us tried to pry out information about what the other team had planned, without success.

Trent finally turned the topic around to dating, "You up for a double date on Friday night, Kyle? Regardless of the outcome of this game, we're both free then."

I grinned and said, "I don't know, Trent. I'm going to be up to my neck in game preparations next Friday. I don't know if I can spare the time."

Trent glared at me for a few seconds, laughed and answered, "I know you aren't the quickest learner, but I doubt you really need a year to prepare for your next game."

I laughed and said, "My next game is next Saturday, not next year!"

"We'll see about that, Martin. We'll see."

"Seriously, Trent, I would like to double date with you next Friday night. All I need to do is find a date. I'll call you Monday or Tuesday to make arrangements, OK?"

"Sounds cool, Kyle. Good luck tonight," Trent said, extending his hand for a shake. The five of us exchanged well wishes and headed back to our locker rooms for prepare for our game.

The stadiums were filled with equal amounts of fans dressed in the burgundy and gray colors of Central and the red and white of the Wolverines. We were fortunate about the weather for the game. Mid-November could be cold. The wind was light, the temperature was in the mid-fifties and the sky was clear. It was perfect weather for football.

We won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff. Tim Showalter did his job and turned the ball over to our offense at the Central 31 yard line. The coaches called for a three receiver set on the first play. I chuckled quietly when I saw Trent looking for me as I lined up in the slot on the opposite side of the field from him. I stared at the nickel back that was assigned to cover me. His eyes were much too wide. He didn't expect to cover me by himself tonight.

The free safety screamed out defensive adjustments. The poor nickel back moved to the right to cover a different receiver. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Trent running my way to cover me. The ball snapped before the two of them could get to their new positions.