Chapter 31

Ed caught up with me before First Period in Graphic Arts. Ed greeted me with a huge smile. "I've decided. I want to go to Florida to be a Gator."

"The Gators? Don't they run that gimmick offense?" I asked.

"No. It's not a gimmick. They are pass first, run second. They do a lot of work with a single back and three or four receivers. They run a more sophisticated version of the spread offense that we run."

"I didn't realize that."

"You should check these guys out. They could be perfect for you too. You should call Coach Meyers. I told them about you when I was down there this past weekend. They need lots of fast receivers."

"I don't know, Ed. If you are decided on Florida, are you going to go with me out to Michigan in two weeks?"

"Yes. My dad says I have to go and look at them. I owe them that much for their interest in me."

"It'll be fun to do another visit together," I said. "I enjoyed going down to Baton Rouge with you."

"It was fun. That's why I hope you'll take a look at Florida," Ed said. "It would be cool for both of us to go to the same school."

"I'll think about it," I said. Mr. Henderson called for everyone to sit down so he could start class.

We started practicing for Central that afternoon. The coaches had me practice on defense. I would cover Christian on Friday night. Tex would swap sides of the field and take Brett's normal spot. We would use Brett as our nickel back for the game. Tex wasn't particularly happy to see me taking his spot.

Ed and I were interviewed by Mr. Montgomery, the sports editor for the evening newspaper after practice. He was doing an article for later in the week to go with the paper's coverage of the Central/Wolverines game on Friday night. Our game with them had become the premier Section AAA game of the season locally.

Matt Sauder caught up with Ed and me just before scouts started that night. "Guys! Hey guys! You aren't going to believe what happened at practice today."

I asked, "What happened, Matt?"

"Coach Andrews moved me up to QB 2."

Ed slapped Matt on the back. "Congratulations! That is good news."

Matt asked, "Logan told me about the film study you do in the winter and passing practice in the spring. Do you think I could participate in them this year?"

I said, "Sure. Everyone's welcome." The three of us talked about how the JV season had gone. Ed and I hadn't really paid any attention to them this year. The JV team was undefeated. Matt had played clean up a couple times behind Logan at the end of the game. Dave Mitchell managed to get on the field a few times as a wide receiver.

He caught a few passes including a touchdown at the end of last week's game. Cody was stuck as the number 3 tailback and hadn't gotten much game time.

I found an e-mail from Christian Hunsecker when I got home from scouts. He told me that he accepted Penn State's scholarship offer as soon as Coach Paterno had made it. Penn State had always been his first choice for college. I wrote back to congratulate him. I thought about the possibility of the two of us on the same team with Zack Hayes passing to us. That would give defensive coordinators some nightmares.

I finally got to look at a newspaper after scouts on Monday night. Michigan pounded on Michigan State on Saturday. They stayed at #1 in the polls. Penn State's victory moved them up to #2. USC dropped down four spots to #6. LSU climbed to #3 followed by undefeated Kentucky, a surprise contender for the national championship. Florida took the #5 spot.

Penny told me on Wednesday night that she wasn't interested in going to LSU. The University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School is the #3 school in the country according to US News & World Report. She talked to Dr. Chu. Dr. Chu felt Penny's best chance of getting into veterinary school was to attend Penn. She planned to mail her early decision application in the next day. I knew it was probably going to happen but I was disappointed that Penny and I couldn't find a way to be together during college.

The evening paper on Thursday had the high school football wrap up and the feature article that Mr. Montgomery wrote about Ed and me. It turned out it was an article comparing and contrasting Ed and me to Caleb Sommers and Christian Hunsecker. The story recounted Central's 20 year dominance over us and how we had turned the tables on them in the last three years.

Mr. Montgomery touted how much Caleb had improved since his debut in the playoffs last fall. Central now had a big play pass offense that exploited Christian's speed and talent. We could see that when we studied the video of their previous games.

Mr. Montgomery said Ed and I had an uncanny knack for knowing each other's thoughts on the football field. He thought we adjusted pass routes on the fly based on the defense we saw. Of course we didn't really read each other's minds. Ed and I studied hard and had practiced together for four years. We simply were familiar with each other.

The article rated our offense as having an edge on Central's defense. They rated our defense even with Central's offense. Andy and Hal gave our special teams an edge of Central's. They considered the coaching to be even. Home field advantage gave Central enough advantage to offset our offense. They rated the game as too close to call a winner.

He concluded the article by reporting that Christian had given a verbal commitment to attend Penn State. He listed the schools that Ed and I had visited and reported that we hadn't made our choice yet. Mr. Montgomery was an excellent reporter. I had seen other reporters that couldn't keep the facts straight. It was a good article.

Andy and I bumped into Penny and Kathy waiting outside Penny's house Friday after dinner when we were leaving for the school to catch the bus to Manheim. The girls were riding together to watch the game.

The younger guys on our team seemed a little nervous on the bus ride to the game. We veterans were confident. A 3-1 record in the last four games will give you confidence. Ed, Jeremy, Drew and I told stories of the games to keep our rookies spirits up. The Borough of Manheim was decked in Burgundy and Silver, Central's team colors. This town was crazy about their football team.

The stadium was over half full when we went out for warm-ups. Ed, Jeremy, Andy and I talked with Christian and Caleb Sommers when we finished warm-ups.

It was filled to bursting with Central fans when the game was ready to start. They reserved room for 500 of our fans. Our fans appeared to be outnumbered about 10-1. We wanted to get out to a quick lead to keep the crowd quiet.

We won the coin toss and received the kick-off. We hoped this was a fortunate omen. Brett took the ball and started behind his wedge of blockers. He accelerated, passing the end of the wedge beyond Jon Landis' block. Jon turned to engage Central's gunner, the fastest tackler who runs down the outside of the field to make the first try at tackling the ball carrier. A second Central tackler blasted into Jon from the side, hitting his back as Jon tried to engage the gunner and knocking Jon to the ground. The gunner flew by and launched himself at Brett, hitting him chest high. He hit helmet first against the ball in Brett's chest. The two of them flew to the ground.

The ball bounced away from the pile. Kenny Weaver, our nearest player, rolled over and tried to pull the ball into his body. He grabbed the ball but Central's the second tackler landed square on top of the ball and wrestled it out of Kenny's grasp.

My friends and I looked around, confidently expecting to see a yellow flag marking the obvious blocking in the back penalty. There wasn't any. Jon and Coach Caffrey protested. The referees conferred for a minute and then announced, "No penalty, the block was legal. Central's ball on the Wolverine 23 yard line."

Our defense hustled out to the field. I lined up opposite Christian when they broke the huddle. I said, "You know it was an illegal block."

Christian smiled and said, "The referee saw it different, Kyle." Christian and sprinted down the field at the snap. I didn't buy Christian's fake. I edged him towards the sideline. He was out of room by the time we reached the corner of the end zone. Caleb dumped the ball off to Central's tailback for a six yard gain. I glanced over at Tex. He had Central's other receiver covered so close that they could have shared the same jock strap. Good for him!

Central edged closer each play. Tex and I kept the wide receivers out of the action. Caleb kept dumping the ball to the outlet receiver who carried the ball for a few yards. On the fourth play Coach Wyndham called for Jeremy to blitz the gap caused by the confusion caused when Travis Hall and Jamie Adams stunted by swapping positions at the snap. Jeremy flew through the resulting gap and wrapped up Caleb's feet. Caleb managed to launch the ball towards his fullback, waiting to his left outside their tackle. The fullback grabbed the ball and ran for the end zone up the middle of the field, exploiting the hole where Jeremy would normally be. Touchdown! Central kicked the PAT to bring the score to 7-0 their favor.

Brett's next kickoff return went better. He carried the ball out to our 31 yard line. Central chose to keep three or four guys deep to prevent Andy and me from catching any deep passes. Drew exploited the weakness up front for some good runs. Our offense needed nine plays to move down the field to score. Coach Caffrey played me in five of the plays. It's fortunate that I work out as much as I did. I was running my ass off with our offense's deep routes and covering Christian's deep routes on defense. Our drive stalled out when we got a holding call at Central's 9 yard line. Hal came in and put us on the score board with a field goal. Score: 7-3 Central.

Central's next drive went similar to the first. They sent Christian and #88, the other receiver, deep nearly every play. Tex and I kept them blanketed. Christian managed to catch a 10 yard pass on me when he cut his route short. Most of the plays were runs or dump off passes near the line of scrimmage. Coach Wyndham tried to pressure them but Caleb usually threw the ball after a three or five step drop. It just wasn't enough time to pressure or sack him. Central needed twelve plays to drive down the field for another touchdown. Score: 14-3 Central.

Brett had a good return on the ensuing kickoff. We started on our 38 yard line. The coaches had me sit out the first two plays to rest. Drew ran wide right for six yards. He went up the middle for five more on the next play. Coach Caffrey decided to flood Central's defense deep on the next play. Jason, Andy, Drew and I all went deep, surprising Central. Drew outran the strong safety covering him. I was single covered too. Ed had his choice of targets. He rifled the ball down the field. I caught it near Central's 30 yard line. I picked up another 8 yards after the catch to give us first down on their 22 yard line.

We tried for the end zone on the next play. Central anticipated us and put in six defensive backs. Three covered me. They covered Drew too. Andy ended up in single coverage. Ed lobbed the ball to him in the end zone just before Central's pass rush reached him. Andy caught it. Unfortunately the referees threw a flag for holding on our offensive line. The play didn't count. We tried three more times but couldn't score a touchdown. In the end we settled for another field goal. Score: 14-6 Central.

Central stayed with their game plan, trying to go deep with Christian and their #88. Christian said #88's name was Bob McKenzie. Tex and I shadowed Christian and Bob as they sprinted deep route after deep route. Our defense made Caleb dump off to his outlet receivers close to the line of scrimmage. Central moved the ball slowly but steadily down the field.

Most of our opponents weren't consistent enough on offense to maintain a drive of 10-12 plays very often. Central was doing it to us for the third drive in a row. Something had to give; us or them.

On the ninth play of the drive Caleb finally tried a deep pass to #88. Tex looked like he had slipped at the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped. He recovered in time to jump for the ball with #88. Tex dragged the ball away for an interception to end Central's threat to score again.

We had 2 ½ minutes left before the end of the half. Coach Caffrey gave me a couple plays to rest and then sent me in. We used three receivers so I was in on every play after that. Ed ran our hurry up offense to his usual perfection. It took us 8 plays and most of the time left to move the ball down the field in position to score. I scored the touchdown again when Pete and I ran our crossing play at the goal line. Hal kicked the PAT to bring the score to 14-13 Central's favor.

Hal kicked the ball back to Central with 22 seconds left. Caleb took three shots down field but Tex and I kept our receivers covered.

Our team went into the locker room for half time frustrated to be behind. The coaches counseled patience. Except for one error on the opening kickoff, we had outscored Central. Coach Graham warned me to rest up. He planned to use me in our three receiver set as much as possible when we got the ball in the second half.

Central took Hal's kick-off to start the second half. They held firm to their game plan. Tex and I covered Christian and Bob (#88) as they tested us deep on play after play. Caleb continued dumping the ball to the outlet receivers. They mixed some runs in to keep our linebackers honest. It took them 10 plays to score another touchdown. How can a team play this consistently? It was uncanny. They booted their PAT. Score: 21-13 Central.

The coaches left me have a couple plays to rest before they sent me in. Our team stayed with our hurry-up offense. Andy and I kept the corners deep while Ed threw to Pete, Jason and Drew. We moved the ball downfield until we reached the red zone (within twenty yards of the end zone). Coach Caffrey called for Ed to lob a pass to me in the corner of the end zone on the next play. Central flooded my side of the field with defenders so Ed threw across the field to Andy for a touchdown. Hal kicked the PAT;. Score: 21-20 Central.

Central continued chipping away at our defense on their next possession; short passes and running plays while Tex and I covered deep routes on every play. I was getting worn out chasing Christian 30-40 yards downfield on every play. I couldn't quite keep with him by the fifth play of the drive. Caleb spotted the separation between Christian and me and launched a pass our way; barely avoiding Jeremy, who was blitzing that play.

I spun around when Christian made a move for the ball. Thank God Caleb under threw the ball! I cut in front of Christian and jumped for the ball before he could reach it. Christian tackled me as I pulled the ball into my chest. We had the ball on our 37 yard line.

Coach Caffrey wouldn't let me go on the field when our offense took the field. He kept me beside him. Coach Caffrey asked, "How are you feeling, Kyle?"

"OK, I guess. I'm a little winded. Give me a couple plays to rest and I can go back in, Coach."

How fast is Hunsecker? Do you have any idea?"

"He ran the 40 in 4.40 seconds last week when we were at Penn State."

"Really?" Coach Caffrey said. He scratched his chin. "Hmmm ... Do you think Michael could cover Hunsecker?" He meant Mike 'Tex' Johanson of course.

"Maybe. He's almost as fast as me. What do you have in mind, Coach?" I asked.

"I think Coach Waters' plan is to wear you out tonight chasing after Hunsecker. You haven't had the normal impact on offense that we need. I'm going to take a chance on Michael. He is going to cover Hunsecker from now on. You play strictly offense for the rest of the game."

"Isn't it too risky?" I asked.

"No. These guys have taken us out of our game. We should be stretching them on defense until they break. They are setting the pace of the game. We need to change that. I should have seen this sooner. You rest this series. We're going to need you fresh for the next one."

I answered, "OK, Coach." Coach Caffrey headed over to discuss the change with Coach Graham and Coach Wyndham. Coach Wyndham gathered the defense to explain the changes. Coach Graham sent Marcus Shaeffer in to replace Drew McCormick. Coach Caffrey wanted as many fresh bodies in game as possible.

I spent a few minutes with Tex explaining as much as I could about what I had learned in the last two years about Christian and his game. He listened closely to what I told him and asked good questions. I hoped this experiment would work.

Our offensive managed to keep the ball for seven plays without Drew and me. They punted the ball back Central. I saw Christian look over at our sideline when he lined up beside Tex. I also noticed him nod to Caleb. We were going to find out quickly if Tex was ready. Tex ran stride for stride with Christian on the first play. He easily knocked Caleb's pass down before Christian could get his hands on it. On the next play they tested Brett. Brett knocked the pass away as Bob jumped for it. Coach Wyndham blitzed Kenny and Jim, our outside linebackers, on the third and ten play. Central had anticipated that and tried running a draw play. Jeremy stayed in position and tackled the runner before he could make three yards. Central punted the ball to Andy, who picked up fifteen yards before he was tackled.

We started our drive from our 46 yard line. Our fast break offense worked to perfection with Drew and me having enough rest to perform up to our usual standards. It only took five plays to move down the field and score. Ed finished the drive with a lob to the corner of the end zone where I out jumped a couple defenders. Hal booted the extra point through the uprights. Score: 27-21 Wolverines. Finally we had the lead!

Central went back to their original plan and used short passes and running plays to move down the field in a long, time consuming drive. Tex and Brett kept Christian and Bob from catching anything deep. Jeremy's crew finally managed to stop them at our 17 yard line. Central settled for a field goal to narrow our lead to 27-24.

Brett took the kick off and got us good field position. We moved the ball rapidly down the field until we reached Central's red zone. Ed tried another lob to the corner of the end zone for me but I couldn't catch it. Ed threw to Andy on the next play. The defender knocked the ball out of Andy's hands before he could land on the ground. Pete and I ran our crossing play in the end zone on third down. Central had too many defenders on our side of the field, Ed had to throw the ball away. We settled for Hal kicking a field goal. Score: 30-24 Wolverines.

The game clock showed six and a half minutes left in the game. Hal kicked the ball down field to Central's returner. Our coverage team did an excellent job, stopping him on their 19 yard line. They would have to drive 81 yards to win the game.

Central coolly used their short passes and outside running plays to move the ball down the field four to six yards a play. You had admire Central's character. There wasn't any panic. They simply made the plays they needed to keep the ball moving. Tex and Brett kept Christian and Bob away from the ball.

Coach Wyndham tried run blitzes and stunts to stop the drive, to no avail. The clock continued running as they drove relentlessly towards the goal line. Ed and I watched helplessly on the sideline. Our defense tightened up as the field shrank behind them. It wasn't enough. Central's tailback carried the ball into the end zone with 22 seconds left in the game. Our blockers tried to cave in Central's kick protection on the extra point attempt. It didn't work. Central took a 31-30 lead.

Our team tried three Hail Mary passes in the final seconds. They didn't work. The clock wound down to 0:00 with us on the short end of the score. The Central fans went wild when their victory was sealed. My teammates and I milled around trying to understand how this could happen. I did admire Central for their calm, efficient execution under pressure in the second half of the game. It takes an excellent team to accomplish what they had done.

Ed, Jeremy, Andy and I sought out Christian after the game. He was celebrating with Caleb and a couple other team members. Ed extended his hand to Christian when we found him. Ed said, "That was a hell of a game, Christian. Congratulations." They shook hands.

Christian answered, "I wasn't sure we were going to make that last score. We were lucky tonight."

I clapped Christian on the back. "Don't be modest. You guys earned the win." I turned to Caleb. "You were great, Caleb. I can't believe how much you improved since last June."

"Thanks, Kyle," Caleb replied. "Christian and the coaches have been helping me all summer to get ready for this season."

I turned back to Christian. "You guys had a good game plan."

"I was surprised how long it took you guys to figure out what we were doing." Christian said. "We also were surprised how well that new kid did when you guys finally pulled you from defense."

"Tex? Yeah, he is good," I answered.

"We counted on me getting a couple touchdowns after you left. We were darn lucky to pull out a win tonight."

"You guys earned this win," I answered.

"Hard to believe this is our last game against each other."

"If we don't see each other in the playoffs," I said.

"Yes, we could." Christian paused. "After that, you should come to Penn State with me. Imagine what we could do together on the same field."

"You sound like Zack Hayes now. He writes me e-mails once or twice a week telling me why I should come to Penn State. I'm not making a decision until after I visit Michigan next week."

"Michigan? No, I don't want to play against you for four more years."

"I'm not saying I'm going to go there, I'm just visiting," I said.

"I hope you don't go to Michigan," Christian said. "I'd like to get to play with you instead of against you."

"We'll see. Good luck in the playoffs."

"You too," Christian said. "Maybe we'll play again before our season is over." We shook hands and then went looking for our girlfriends. Ed, Jeremy and I found Penny and Kathy hanging out with Hal and Tammy.

Penny tried to console me over our loss. It hurt, but not as much as I expected. We were 7-2 now. We would definitely make the playoffs. It would be up to us to determine what would happen when the playoffs started. We still controlled our fate.

Monday after school our team started preparations for our final game against Norlanco. Norlanco had a 3-6 record. They had managed to beat Eastern, the Trojans and Sadsbury, the three weakest teams in our league. We expected to win the game easily.

Coach Caffrey and Coach Wyndham had our defense practice in a 3-4 defensive alignment. They pulled Jamie Adams, our least experienced defensive lineman and added Corey Brown at outside linebacker. Kenny Weaver moved inside beside Jeremy in the new defensive alignment. We wanted to have an answer the next time a team tried to beat us with a short passing game the way Central had. If and when we got a good lead over Norlanco, the coaches planned to test out the new defensive alignment on the field.

Tuesday at lunch I was sitting with some of the football team. Andy was beside me. He was with Patrick Jones, Ryan Crawford and Jim Griffin. Patrick and Ryan Crawford were sophomore backup safeties. Jim was a sophomore and one of our starting outside linebackers.

I listened in when I heard Jim say, "Did you hear guys talking about Crystal Wagner? Some guys are saying she's pregnant." I glanced over at Andy. The color drained from his face and he gulped momentarily. Jim continued, "Didn't you go with her for awhile?"

Andy straightened up and forced a smile. "Jesus, where'd you hear that story? Why do you listen to crap like that? It's just gossip and innuendo."

Jim teased, "You and Crystal; were you slipping it to her?" Jim made the nearly universal sign with his middle finger inserted in the circle formed by his thumb and pointer finger of his other hand to indicate that he believed Andy was sleeping with Crystal.

"Jesus Christ! Show some class, guys. Crystal and I used to go together. We had a fight last month and we broke up. She's a nice girl and I still like her. Do me a favor and don't spread this gossip around. She doesn't deserve this."

"Sorry. I didn't know this was a sore spot," Jim said.

Their conversation turned on to safer ground (for Andy). I followed Andy to the hall when lunch was over. I asked, "You aren't trying to dodge responsibility, are you?"

"No. Crystal isn't ready to tell the world, so I'm going to respect her privacy. I'm willing to acknowledge responsibility for our baby when she is ready to tell."

I said, "OK, I guess that makes sense. Are you and Crystal getting along any better?"

"Hmph. No, she still won't speak to me."

"Keep doing what you are doing. Treat her right. Be responsible. Crystal will come around."

"I guess I'll do it. Will it work?"

"It's your best chance. Are you trying to date anyone?"

"I have a date with Kaitlyn Dixon for Saturday night," Andy said.

"Good luck." I said. Andy headed upstairs for his next class. I headed down the hall for my AP Calculus class.

The weather turned cold on Wednesday evening. Penny and I had less time together since she was starting practice of the Christmas musical. I couldn't help since my only musical talent was listening. I promised Penny that I would be there the weekend before Christmas to exercise my talent from the audience.

Our final game for the regular season was at Norlanco's home field north of Ephrata. They won the coin toss and took possession of the ball to start the game. Coach Wyndham put our new 3-4 defense on the field for more practice before the playoffs. It worked as designed. Norlanco had three plays and punted the ball back to us. Andy almost broke loose on the punt return. We took the ball on Norlanco's 38 yard line.

We ran our standard spread offense. It was too much for them. I scored the first touchdown on the sixth play of the drive. Drew carried the ball into the end zone on our next possession. Andy and I added two more touchdowns before the half was over. Coach Caffrey sent Jake Kring and the second string offense for the last possession before half time.

Coach Caffrey kept our first string defense on the field in the second half. He wanted to give it more experience in the 3-4 alignment. Andy had a lot of work returning punts. He broke one for a touchdown in the second half. Norlanco only managed two first downs in the whole game. Marcus added two touchdowns in the second half. Jason, Pete and Jonathan all scored before the game was over. The final score was an embarrassing 70-0.

This game served as a good warm-up for the playoffs. We were as ready as it was possible to be for the playoffs. Ed and I headed home as quickly as possible. We were going to need every minute of sleep we could get. Mr. Fritz was driving us to the airport at 3:30 in the morning for our trip to Michigan.

Dad dragged my tired butt out of bed and it was only 3:00 in the morning. My shower barely roused me. I met Dad at the door after I grabbed a couple Pop Tarts to eat on the way to Harrisburg. Ed and his dad met us in their driveway. We loaded our luggage in their car and head west. Thank God Michigan arranged for tickets from Harrisburg instead of Philadelphia. I got to sleep an extra half hour longer than for the trip to Louisiana.

Ed grunted when we got in the car, placed his pillow against the window and promptly went to sleep. I ate my Pop Tarts and took a nap too. The flight to Detroit went smoothly. We arrived a few minutes after 8 o'clock. We headed for baggage claim where we met a man in his late twenties holding a sign that said "Ross, Fritz & Martin".

He greeted us. "Hi, I'm Gene Skidmore, recruiting assistant with the Wolverines. Welcome to Michigan."

Dad and Mr. Fritz introduced Ed and me to Mr. Skidmore. As we gathered up our luggage I asked, "I see the sign says Ross too. Are you expecting another recruit?"

Mr. Skidmore replied, "Yes Terrell Ross and his parents will be joining us shortly. We'll take your luggage out to the van while we wait for them. There flight arrives in half an hour."

We carried our things out to the university van and went back inside to the Northwest baggage carousels. Mr. Skidmore said we were looking for Flight #1676. The Rosses arrived about twenty minutes later.

Terrell was a tall, lanky, very light skinned African-American. He was a couple inches shorter than me. I had about twenty to twenty-five pounds on him. He said he played cornerback for the Rock Bridge Bruins in Columbia, Missouri. We helped the Rosses carry their luggage out to the van for the drive to Ann Arbor.

Mr. Skidmore pulled onto the interstate and headed west for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus. We headed away from the businesses near the airport. We passed more open areas and a series of lakes. We drove by strip malls and housing developments after about fifteen minutes. Mr. Skidmore pulled off the I-94 at the South State Street exit.