Chapter 40

Saturday morning most of the team was in the team locker room at 9:00 am, almost a full hour before Coach asked them to be there. Playbooks were open and different members of each coach's staff were going over plays drawn up the day before in their final cram for the game. Some were in the video room watching game tapes of WMU's last game, but no one was sitting idly. Trainers hadn't even gotten there yet, so most players waiting to be taped, wrapped, or bandaged, hadn't dressed beyond sweat shorts and t-shirts.

The sun shone brightly in Northeast Vermont with a sky so blue it was hard to fathom. For New England November, 47 degrees was balmy, and in the stadiums seats it would seem even warmer as the bowl of Meditek Stadium reflected the sun's rays.

The mood in the locker room seemed that of confidence as players, now prepared by the trainers, began to pair off and go onto the field in front of the near empty stands to loosen up for the afternoons game. White Mountain players were also out and many renewed friendships and acquaintances before equipment managers came out with bags of balls for light throwing and general loosing up. As trainers finished up their work inside they made their way to the field to help certain players stretch. Trainers' assistants took orders to key on certain players and certain muscles, with special attention paid to the hamstrings of receivers, runners, and kickers.

At 10:45 the gates opened and fans began to trickle in with an hour and 20 minutes until kick-off. With initial stretching and loosening done amongst the jocular mood before returning to the locker room to put on game-face, players began to take a deep breath almost as if getting ready to go underwater when they re-entered the clubhouse. Now it got real. They would be back out for light drills in full pads soon.

As everything was taking place overhead, Jared Winslow sat in his office in the bowels of Meditek Stadium going over last minute notes and ideas, preparing clipboards and making sure that all in the booth were briefed. He had notes for his pre-game pep talk to the team and was going over his words when a security team member came to his door.

"Coach, I have a woman at the back gate who insists on seeing you and will not relent. She says if we tell you that Barbara Gaines is here, you would allow her in to see you." The security man said.

"Ohhh God! Ummm, OK, let her in, stay with her and stay at the door while she's here. She shouldn't be trouble, but I owe her this much." Jared said tentatively.

Not knowing her state of mind Jared wondered if he were to send her away what she might do. He didn't need the distraction or embarrassment during the game. As he pored over possibilities of her reason to show up today he heard the click of heels in the hallways and the instructive voice of the guard showing her the way.

He looked at as she appeared at the door. She was in a long black coat, opened to reveal a bright green dress. She was sleek as ever, her long black hair framing her pretty face. Barb was 6 foot in her heels and she smiled brightly at seeing Jared. He stood from behind his desk and stepped out to hug her and exchange an air kiss.

"Jared, so nice to see you. I wanted to congratulate you on such a great season and wish you the best of luck today." She said brightly stepping back from him.

The guard stepped back and remained just outside the door as Jared leaned back and sat on the edge of his desk anticipating she had more to say.

She looked behind her and saw the guard had moved out of sight and she smiled softly while flushing embarrassment before speaking.

"I never thought I would say this but, thank you for waking me up, waking US up to the fact we had grown apart. I went through a lot of hell before I realized the sense it all made. I met a man, a single father of one of my students, whose daughter got through her challenges and is in college now. He came to thank me and we sort of hit it off. It's been 3 months now and he's got me jogging, exercising, and really taking care of myself again. I'm revitalized and don't spend my free time buried in a book or in front of the TV. You and I had a great run, but good seasons come to an end sometimes, and ours did. I wanted you to know that I was happy, I see from the TV and newspaper stories that YOU are, with Meg your old school sweetheart I heard so much about. I'm happy for both of us. My life would have never been the same if I had not met you, been with you, and I'll always love you in a special way and I hope you feel the same way too." She said with a bright smile and a little tear she brushed away.

"That's so nice of you to say. You know I'll always have a special place in my heart for you and I still cherish our time together. I'm so happy for you and glad you came today. I see you're wearing our colors, too." Jared said smiling brightly, glad for the break in the pre-game tension.

"We'll be rooting! So, umm, thanks again for everything Jared and maybe we'll see each other again if you ever get back to town to visit." She said shuffling her feet and looking for the right words to part with.

She opened her arms and they kissed on the lips and hugged tenderly and then she turned to walk out, gave him one more small wave, and left up the hall with the guard.

Knowing Barb had moved on eased Jared's mind a bit as he wondered how she had been making out. He was also taken by how stunning she looked, refreshed from the last time he saw her. Her hair was shiny like it was when they first got together and she wore make-up to highlight her stunning features. He couldn't help but notice her legs as she walked away and knew those long legs went up to form a beautiful ass. He wasn't wanting for anything with what he had in Meaghan, but knowing he used to screw such a pretty woman made him proud.

Suddenly the importance of the game came rushing home again and he smiled to himself, surprised that he was so easily distracted. The sound of footsteps in the hall made him turn and he saw Joe Barber coming.

"Hey Coach! Just wanted to say congratulations on a great season, win or lose today. It's truly a whole lot more than we expected coming in and the attendance is phenomenal. When we open season tickets for next year we think we'll have a waiting list. Plus, I'm being told we are on 3 lists for bowl bids, a win today couldn't hurt sewing up one of them, but having the choice of the 3 would be ... Ohhh, Dean Crawford would flip! Seven overall wins gets us opportunities, but 8 would get us at least some sort of at large bid. They seem to think next year they can get a sponsor for a Northeast 10 Championship Bowl of some kind." Joe said smiling as he slapped a program in his hands.

Jared's relationship with Joe had been a little strained since their run-in over Joe and his wife screwing on a scorer's table and causing a ruckus with security. Jared wanted to smooth that out, but the team had just gotten fully dressed and was heading out for warm-ups and drills and he had to hit the field.

The training staff handed Jared an evaluation sheet of any possible injuries to be watchful of and he was happy to see everything was minor. Brian Faraday complained of a tight hamstring and they were suggesting Junior Contralco kick-off. Junior had kicked off many times in high school and a few times this season. It was no big deal, Junior had no problem lofting the ball to the end zone.

As coach made his way down the hall and out onto the field the first player he saw on the field was Faraday. Brian was always reluctant to let the trainers stretch him too much, fearing injury, he had always done his own warm-up. He had just turned one trainer away. This day Coach Winslow was having none of that.

"Brian!" He barked, "You let the staff work that hammy and don't let me hear any of your foolishness. Soccer is done and you're not out on the field as much as the summer. That tightness is the coolness in the air and the fact you're not in every play. You'd never have a training staff as competent as this group in club soccer. Let them do their job!" He said as he pointed to other players getting stretched and the trainer obviously just turned down by Faraday

"Yes sir Coach, I understand. If Junior boots off, that will take a load off my mind." He said as he trotted to catch up to the trainer he had just turned down.

As Jared watched players pull on helmets and begin to gather near the home sideline, other coaches and assistants began to converge toward him and he just gave a simple nod to all of them and they scattered to assemble squads to line up for drills. Soon the sound of pads clicking and player shouts and hoots filled the air as fans watched both teams line up and rehearse basics among themselves. Julie Murcer and Brian Faraday were pummeling balls into catch nets as they tuned their timing. Oksana Cushman was kicking balls away with ease to be sure she was stretched out and had her timing down. Junior Contralco peeled off the offensive sets to join her and get away a few punts himself. Although he hadn't been used all season, he was the number 2 punter should Oksana not be able to play. Nunzio "Junior" Contralco had been an option type quarterback all through high school where he led his conference in scoring by performing at all levels of the game, even serving as the punter.

Soon officials' whistles blew and both teams began to clear the field so staff could make sure the playing surface was ready, all chains and measuring devices were operational, and any on field TV cameras were properly placed.

Players gathered at their lockers as trainers made their rounds making sure everyone was game ready and no re-taping or bandaging was necessary. Jared had started to shake hands with some of the support staff he might not see after the game, making sure they all knew how much he appreciated their help and support during the year. He checked his watch and knew he'd best get inside and as soon as he did the big double doors closed and the assistant coaches found him and gathered behind him like a mother duck would lead her brace of ducklings. Everyone couldn't wait until the game started and no-one wanted the season to end. It was a cross between tension and relief and hard to put a finger on.

When Jared approached the podium silence fell on the room and each player sunk to his stool and waited for his words.

"When I think of the first day I stood before you to open training camp, ... well, I have to tell you, I'm a little taken aback. I knew I had a lot of talent here, but I just didn't know how or if we could make it gel. I knew if I made you believe in yourself the end result could be something we ALL could be proud of. It didn't HAVE to translate into a winning season, it only had to translate into a season where we got respect. We got respect alright, we got game! (a round of CLICKS from the assembled team) There were circumstances that made this team special, drew attention to us, added more pressure and you all said, BRING IT ON! You've got great leaders amongst you, guys and gals who pick up the torch and light the way, just when you think it's all darkness. I've seen that time after time. One domino to make the rest of the run fall into place (another round of CLICKS from the assembled team). On times we've failed there was no finger pointing, we win as a team, lose as a team and respect the fact that sometimes the best team doesn't always win. Make your best effort and respect yourselves and your opponent. As a team I could not hold you in higher esteem. Today we go out as well prepared as we have been for any game. Do all you can do to win. Do that and you can hold your head up no matter the outcome. It's all I can ask of you, all you can ask of yourselves." He said, his voice choking up a bit

After a pause to compose himself he looked out over the team and clasped his hands together, intertwining his fingers, and put his hands over the edge of the podium and lowered his head.

"Can we all bow our heads?

Dear God, be with us in this game today. We pray for courage to face and conquer our own fears, and for your protection from injuries. Lord, I ask for strength to play to the best of my ability, and for strength of spirit to be a leader to others. May I be strong and triumphant over those who try to stand in our way. Please guide the coaches in making wise choices and help them be the kind of leaders you would have them be." Jared recited from memory of hearing his Dad say the same prayer before any game he coached.

The assembled players stayed silent, adding their own intentions in their prayer. Just then the double doors leading out to the field opened and a rush of cool air filled the locker area. It was time to go out to the field. Jared opted for a full team charge out, instead of player introductions, he only asked for seniors to stay back. They would be introduced one by one before their last game. As a "click" chant grew from the back of the locker room to the front, the sound of cleats going from the soft locker room floor to the concrete of the apron leading to the field filled the room.

Jack Daniels, Greg Alusik, and Jazz Carey were the 3 key seniors leaving who played all four years. Three others, Nick Noren, Hank Silvera, and John Leja, played parts of 3 seasons as linemen and special teamers. All 6 were popular with the die-hard fans of the team and all received nice ovations starting from Noren, Silvera and Leja. Then as Alusik was announced the fans began to get to their feet and by the time Jazz Carey and Jack Daniels were announced the whole stadium rocked in standing tribute. Few players played as hard and were as dedicated as Daniels and Carey, not taking away from any of the other 4.

What the 6 players weren't aware of as they came out on the field, their families had been brought in at Coach Winslow's expense to see their last game. Six sets of parents and their available siblings, 20 in all, met the seniors as they were announced. In a short 5 minute ceremony Dean Crawford and Joe Barber presented the players with large bunches of roses to give to their mothers, thanking them for all the rides to practice over the years, washing all the grass stained uniforms, and putting up with all the demands of a budding football player. There would also be an open house reception at 7:00 pm for the players and the families at the Alumni Center on campus. It was for the team, boosters, and all students and faculty. Although the 6 players were surprised to see their families, they were anxious to get to the business at hand.