The Starter

The Starter

At Nashville High School football was king. If you were a guy and not a member of the football team then you were already behind in the popularity polls. I was not so much interested in the popularity battle but I did love sports especially football. Sports kept me busy throughout my high school life. I played basketball, baseball, and football every year. Out of all the sports football was my favorite hands down. From the time I started playing football in pee wee I was positioned at quarterback. This continued through the beginning of the season in the ninth grade. At the beginning of my ninth grade year I was prone to injury. I went from hip pointers to sprained ankles and was never able to see much playing time. This hurt my morale, because I have always dreamed about becoming the next big shot quarterback that came through Nashville; and with the luck I was having that did not seem likely. At the end of my ninth grade year I was healthy again and ready to compete for the starting quarterback spot in high school.

Our high school football team had three potential quarterbacks. There were two juniors and myself, a sophomore. None of us had the job hands down. It was going to take hard work to win the position. I was constantly going to quarterback camps and lifting weights just trying to prepare for the start of the new season. The quarterback battle was the main topic of the newspapers; the attention was great but the pressure kept piling up. August came quick and it was time for practice to start. Practicing at this level was so different for me; the guys were faster, bigger, and stronger. We went through the same routine everyday, throwing hundreds of balls and running a million different plays. It was tough on me but I was catching on quick. By the start of September the team was ready to start the season. The quarterback battle was pretty tight; the coach said he didn't even know who was going to start the first game. I knew it would not be me, but I still kept a positive attitude and just waited for my turn.

Our season opener was against a big rival. We were playing at home and were not expected to lose. Both of the junior quarterbacks got their share of playing time in the opener but neither did very well. Our running attack kept us in the game, but it would not be enough. We ended up losing by one touchdown, a good game but still a loss. I was eager for playing time; I knew that if I got the chance I would shine. The coach talked to me the next week after a practice and told me to just be patient. Our second game was another loss and the community was in an uproar. They could see that the junior quarterbacks were not getting the job done just as easily as the coach could. Bad reads were made, interceptions were thrown, and fumbled snaps were all happening over and over again. I had a feeling that I was going to get a chance soon and I was ready. Sure enough, in the next game we found ourselves losing, but this time when the 3rd quarter rolled along the coach didn't call one of the juniors to come in. It was finally my turn. I entered the game with thousands of roaring fans ready for a change and for something good to happen. I was so overwhelmed with adrenaline that I could barely breathe. In the huddle the players could barely hear me calling the play. I was nervous and it showed. I fumbled the first snap but luckily got the hand off away. It was apparent that I had the butterflies. After a couple of plays it finally sunk in. I was the quarterback, a sophomore quarterback that had nothing to lose. We were too far behind to make a comeback, but that didn't stop us. The second drive I was in I