The Sideline
Muscles screaming in pain, bodies dripping down sweat, heads down trying to catch some air, blood on our jerseys, some of us are barely able to move- that was just some of the work we put in everyday at practice. In pouring rain, freezing snow, scorching sun, in day or night-it didn't matter the football team was out there on the field.
However, being a high school football player at Chillicothe has and will always be a honor the whole town holds high. Crowd cheering, adrenaline pumping, lights beaming, heads held high, scoreboard showing our pictures, names being announced, and hearing the Hornets winning-these are just some of the rewards we get on Friday night when we play for our school and our town.
This was the life of a football player, putting in countless hours of work to win the game on Friday. Everyone said that senior year was the biggest and best year for our football careers. I was avid for this year. However, after getting injured and ending my season early, I finally realized how true the saying “don’t take things for granted” really was.
The summer before my freshman year and first day of football practice; the sun was blazing during this mid-July day. My teammates and I learned quick this was not going to be just a walk in the park but instead hard work. Our team was the first to win a game at the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium and soon after the first game we were on a roll winning games. I played on the line but was one of the smallest players. I never started even though I was fast, or after I played in the Smithville game when our starting and secondary linemen couldn’t get the job done, so I was put at a guard, a position I never played, and was a big component on why we came back and won. We ended our season with only one lost that year, but I never started once. As freshman year ended, it was time to get ready for football, but as the summer came my attitude toward football changed.
During the summer after freshman year there was a lot of family problems that ended with my parents divorcing which did have an effect with my decision about football. As practice was approaching, I decided to not go out for football. I wanted to get a job to support my mom after the divorce, but even though I really wanted to help my mom, there was a small part of me that did not want to put the effort or work this year for football. As school started and time went on, the time for the first home football game begun. I was in the stands as the game started and I started getting an unsettling feeling in my gut. I realized after that game that I wished it was me down there playing and not watching in the stands.
After my sophomore year, I decided I would play football, and I would not quit. As practice began, it was definitely clear that varsity football was way tougher than freshman football, but I would not give in. Everyday was tough and very physically demanding, but towards the end, practice became a bit easier and more enjoyable. Even though I didn’t play much since I was young and not very experienced, I still liked the atmosphere of the team and the whole program a lot. I was very glad that I came back. After our final game, I knew even though it wouldn't be fun, I wanted to get better and more in shape for my final year of football.
The summer break before the last year of our school year I made a commitment to go everyday to the weight room to work out and get more physically fit. The summer days blew past and before I knew it, we were just under a month away from our first game. The night of our midnight practice, we started hitting one on one and having fun; it was my turn to go against my teammate, Eric. On my first hit, I slipped and all of the sudden a sharp screaming pain came through my foot, but I ignored the pain and kept going. I tried to practice. Something was definitely wrong; my foot was killing me, and I couldn't run. After weeks of not being able to play, trying to play again, getting X-rays, and getting an MRI on the day before our first home game, I finally got news from my doctor. He told me that I tore a ligament in my foot, and I wouldn't be able to play. This news crushed me, I was in disbelief, and now I'm on the sideline for good.
Through everything that has happened, my views about playing changed. Starting with freshman year, I thought football was enjoyable, but the work wasn’t worth it. Next, as watching through the stands the next year, I realized that having put in the work to have those Friday night moments was something special. I wanted to go back junior year. That year taught me how far I was since I missed a year and that varsity football was a lot harder than freshman football. I knew if I did the work, I would be proud. My senior year, after catching up and improving my standards, I was ready to play. I was excited for the new season until I tore my ligament; now instead of being out on the field as the crowd cheers for me, and having my name announced, I'll always have that regret of not putting in more effort and wondering how those moments would have felt. No matter what happened, my season ended too early, and those moments are gone for good. The one lesson I learned is that I need to put my full effort into anything I do, and never take opportunities for granted; so all I can do now is watch on the sideline.
However, being a high school football player at Chillicothe has and will always be a honor the whole town holds high. Crowd cheering, adrenaline pumping, lights beaming, heads held high, scoreboard showing our pictures, names being announced, and hearing the Hornets winning-these are just some of the rewards we get on Friday night when we play for our school and our town.
This was the life of a football player, putting in countless hours of work to win the game on Friday. Everyone said that senior year was the biggest and best year for our football careers. I was avid for this year. However, after getting injured and ending my season early, I finally realized how true the saying “don’t take things for granted” really was.
The summer before my freshman year and first day of football practice; the sun was blazing during this mid-July day. My teammates and I learned quick this was not going to be just a walk in the park but instead hard work. Our team was the first to win a game at the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium and soon after the first game we were on a roll winning games. I played on the line but was one of the smallest players. I never started even though I was fast, or after I played in the Smithville game when our starting and secondary linemen couldn’t get the job done, so I was put at a guard, a position I never played, and was a big component on why we came back and won. We ended our season with only one lost that year, but I never started once. As freshman year ended, it was time to get ready for football, but as the summer came my attitude toward football changed.
During the summer after freshman year there was a lot of family problems that ended with my parents divorcing which did have an effect with my decision about football. As practice was approaching, I decided to not go out for football. I wanted to get a job to support my mom after the divorce, but even though I really wanted to help my mom, there was a small part of me that did not want to put the effort or work this year for football. As school started and time went on, the time for the first home football game begun. I was in the stands as the game started and I started getting an unsettling feeling in my gut. I realized after that game that I wished it was me down there playing and not watching in the stands.
After my sophomore year, I decided I would play football, and I would not quit. As practice began, it was definitely clear that varsity football was way tougher than freshman football, but I would not give in. Everyday was tough and very physically demanding, but towards the end, practice became a bit easier and more enjoyable. Even though I didn’t play much since I was young and not very experienced, I still liked the atmosphere of the team and the whole program a lot. I was very glad that I came back. After our final game, I knew even though it wouldn't be fun, I wanted to get better and more in shape for my final year of football.
The summer break before the last year of our school year I made a commitment to go everyday to the weight room to work out and get more physically fit. The summer days blew past and before I knew it, we were just under a month away from our first game. The night of our midnight practice, we started hitting one on one and having fun; it was my turn to go against my teammate, Eric. On my first hit, I slipped and all of the sudden a sharp screaming pain came through my foot, but I ignored the pain and kept going. I tried to practice. Something was definitely wrong; my foot was killing me, and I couldn't run. After weeks of not being able to play, trying to play again, getting X-rays, and getting an MRI on the day before our first home game, I finally got news from my doctor. He told me that I tore a ligament in my foot, and I wouldn't be able to play. This news crushed me, I was in disbelief, and now I'm on the sideline for good.
Through everything that has happened, my views about playing changed. Starting with freshman year, I thought football was enjoyable, but the work wasn’t worth it. Next, as watching through the stands the next year, I realized that having put in the work to have those Friday night moments was something special. I wanted to go back junior year. That year taught me how far I was since I missed a year and that varsity football was a lot harder than freshman football. I knew if I did the work, I would be proud. My senior year, after catching up and improving my standards, I was ready to play. I was excited for the new season until I tore my ligament; now instead of being out on the field as the crowd cheers for me, and having my name announced, I'll always have that regret of not putting in more effort and wondering how those moments would have felt. No matter what happened, my season ended too early, and those moments are gone for good. The one lesson I learned is that I need to put my full effort into anything I do, and never take opportunities for granted; so all I can do now is watch on the sideline.