A Story by Edmond Ellis

DHS Class of 1957

The rain continued to come down steadily …… as it had the entire game !  The field was standing in puddles of water …. and the Yellow Jackets were facing a complete shut out with 4 minutes left to play !!  The score was going to be Sherman Bearcats, “52” …. Denison Yellow Jackets, “0” !!

            It was one thing to lose the game, but to lose by such a margin  and have nothing on the scoreboard !!  Then to be losing like that to your arch rival !!!  Pure pain was etched on the faces of the wet and muddy Jacket squad as Sherman snapped the ball on 4^th and goal.  The Denison defense surged forward forcing wet soggy shoulder pads to suddenly become audible …cracking like rifle shots…. beads of water and sweat sprayed from the Bearcat Fullback …. When the tangle of players was finally undone …. he had been stopped cold on the “1” !!!  A sly smile  graced the face of each Jacket player …. So what if it was the 3^rd string Fullback they stopped !!!!   Damn !!! …. it sure felt good !! 

          The Jacket defense left the field …. save one player … the Right End, who as the result of injuries to the offensive 1^st and 2^nd team Right Ends, had to play both defense and offense.  As such he hadn’t been expected to do much but block for the runners.  He trotted to join the offensive team being led onto the field by Stan, the Quaterback, who quickly huddled his team.

          Stan knelt on one knee and looked up at his team saying … “Well guys what do we do here? ..we can’t win … we only got 4 minutes !!”  He paused briefly before continuing while a cunning smile worked its way across his muddy face …. Then saying “Let’s just work harder than we have all night and score !!! … Lets (Expletive) Sherman out of a shutout!!!”  Stan had a way with words …… his teammates grinned big grins ….. the truth was Stan could drive a team up a gnat’s posterior when he was on a roll .   The look on his face said “win or lose … we will leave the field proud”.

The Right End ….. who had been listening with his eyes on the ground …. slowly lifted them and looked directly into Stan’s eyes … “Give me the ball Stan.” he said.  Stan looked back at him for a long moment ….. then there was a knowing grin … the kind only two old friends can share.  “OK ! …. You got it Choctaw !”  Then he quickly continued …… “They think I gotta pass to get out of the end zone here ….. soooo …. they are going to expect one …. but it’s going to be the “Statue of Liberty ”   I’m going to take the ball from center and step back 2 steps …. Set  … raise my arm  like I’m gonna pass … Choctaw is going to come behind me from the right … take the ball from me …. run around the left side.  The rest of you bastards just block straight ahead !!!  OK !! on 2 !!!”

Stan moved up under the Center in “T” fashion as his team took their positions …. Looking to the right … then left … he barked the count straight ahead … “Hut 1”, “Hut 2” … the Center snapped the ball into Stan’s hands …. Stan took 2 steps back …. planted his feet in a “set” and cocked his right arm …. Choctaw … moving like a streak from the right side of the line … took the ball from Stan’s cocked arm and tore for the left side !!!  The Sherman team was stunned as he rounded the corner and was running down the left sideline !!!  He was passed the “10” …. “20” … “30” … before the Sherman Safety finally forced him out of bounds on the “40”.

Choctaw trotted back to the huddle where Stan was waiting … the two of them looked at each other again …. Stan said, “OK ! … 18 Screen on 3”  Choctaw grinned …. he knew that he was about to get a bullet pass over center …. right in his gut !!!  Stan had been doing this to him since they first played football together in the 4^th Grade !! 

Choctaw exploded when the ball was snapped …. running hard and fast at a 45 degree angle to get himself directly in front of Stan within 2 seconds.  Stan threw the rain soaked football hard … right into his stomach !  The instant Choctaw felt the ball buried in his gut …. he turned sharply and headed up-field !!!   Lowering his shoulder he knocked 3 Sherman defenders to the ground ….. he passed the “50” and was finally brought down on the Sherman “40”.  In 2 plays they had moved the ball from their on “1” to the Sherman “40”.  The sparse crowd, in the driving rain, came to its feet !!  The Sherman Coach called “timeout !!” .

When play resumed the entire Sherman 1^st Team was back in the game !!! …. it hadn’t been on the field since early in the 2^nd Quarter ….. the Sherman Coach wanted that shutout bad !!!!

Choctaw continued to carry the ball …. “end around”, screen passes … but yardage was being gained slowly …. just grinding out 1^st downs.  Time seemed to be on Sherman’s side ….. suddenly there was just 4 seconds left to play …. the ball was on Sherman’s “30”.  Again Stan called on Choctaw …. “Ok!! …. this is the last chance we got …. go deep …. get clear and I’ll get the ball to you !!!”

When the ball was snapped, Choctaw ran directly at his Sherman defender …. closer and closer to the defender he came …. just when it seemed Choctaw would run him over … Choctaw faked a hard left … then cut back right to the flat.  Stan watching … dodging tacklers … finally threw the ball hard !!!  Choctaw raced to get under it …. and gathered it in !!  Turning downfield …. he raced toward the goal line !!  A surge of adrenaline hit him …. suddenly his long legs broke into long strides … outrunning the Sherman secondary …. Only the Safety was between him and the Goal !!!  When he was 6 feet from Safety … he went into a “stutter step” which caused the defender to pause … Choctaw thrust his left arm out in a classic “stiff arm” and danced around him …. nothing but Goal ahead !!! 

As Choctaw covered the last few yards to the goal he thought of all the years that he had played football …. he and Stan had played on their 1^st school team in 5^th Grade …. He always wanted to make just one touchdown …. that seemed to always elude him ….. until now !!!  It was the last game of his High School career … he was just not heavy enough to move on to the varsity with Stan …. Suddenly he was aware that he had crossed the Goal line !!!  The sparse …. rain soaked … crowd was on its feet cheering !!!  His teammates slapped  him on the shoulders and helmet !!!  This was his “football moment”.  Suddenly he was jarred out of his trance by a hard fist to his left arm !!!  “Nice Catch !!! “ said Stan grinning !!!  The two of them walked off the field toward the field house.  There had been no “shutout” this night !!!

Choctaw,  the last to shower and dress, walked to the door of the silent, empty, field house … turning he looked around the dressing room at the apparatus of the game he loved … shoulder pads, helmets, hip pads, ….. jock straps …..  Just before switching off the light and closing the door … he took a deep breath …. to savor … just one more time …. the smell of winter green and lifebuoy soap that permeated the building.  It had to last a lifetime !!!! 

 The End

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