The air of a brisk Friday night hit my face as I walked out of the locker room. Inspirational music fills my head, as I think about what needs to be done  tonight. The opponent is Olivet, they’re tough but can be knocked off if we execute.

Adrenaline begins to flood my body. As I lean over to tighten my cleats. The Adrenaline makes me feel as if I am invisible and cannot be touched. As my team lines up hand in hand to start our march toward the field, I start to prepare myself mentally for the task at hand. I think to myself put on a show, make them all remember #4, play every play as if it is your last, hurt them before they hurt you and never back down, you go 110% every time. Prove to everyone that said you are too small to go anywhere after High School wrong. I think this because I know there are only so many more nights of this. Only so many more times I will take the field and do these things. Only so many more times I can play, in my opinion the best sport alongside my friends.

We reach the field and the crowd is going ballistic. The announcer comes on over the loudspeaker and announces the starting offence. “At QB #4 Kollin Kemerling, at HB Grant Petersen” and more. We are now going through pregame on the field, every play so exact and precise. The focus is impeccable.

The official begins to walk over and say, “I need your captions for the flip.”

We lose the toss, and we are receiving. The game is just about to get under way. The return team is on the field. The ball is kicked right to Sam Nichols , a 5’9 tank of a kid. With no hesitation he takes off like a bolt of lighting, running over the first three kids to step in his path. After a 25 yard return, he is finally dragged down by the whole Eagles team. Now it is my turn to run the show. As I'm about to go on the field coach McGuire gives me the play. The play call is 26 Michigan. I smile and think to myself, here we go. I go out to the huddle  and say the play. As the huddle breaks you can almost feel the tension on the field, as the first real play of the game is about to get underway. I’m under center now and the ball is snapped, the play is on its way. I go through the fakes with my backs, then look up to see Grant wide up in space. I sling the ball 45 yards when it is caught by Grant. He makes a quick move on the first defender that makes an attempt on tackling him. Then he is coasting into the endzone for a touchdown. We also convert the 2 point conversion.

The rest of the first half is a stalemate. The score is only 8 to 0. We are on defense to start the 2nd half. The for first 3 downs it is smash mouth football. We pound the offence forcing them to punt from their own 20 yard line. Grant and Sam are set back deep to return the punt and everyone can see this is about to be trouble for Olivet. The punt is fielded by Grant  he tucks behind a blocker looking for a lane. He finds it and is goes like a bullet from a gun crushing into the endzone for the second time tonight. The crowd explodes, the roar is so loud it is hard to hear the play my coach has given me for the 2 point conversion, again we convert it.

Unlike the first half we don't just stop with one TD, we have 4 in the second half. Just completely manhandling the other team. You can see the frustration and desperation on their faces as they realize their playoff hopes have slipped away.

The final score is 44 Olivet 6. After the game I get the boys around to give a speech that I thought about all that day. I start off by saying “ That was one heck of a win”. Then I look to the seniors and say “ Look over there, we don't want that to be us. Crying about why we should have had a better season and the things we could have done to make it a better season”. I praise them for their hard work and dedication. Especially there will to never give up and play every play has if it's your last because you never know when that last play will come.

This speech I give saddens me, as I realizing that next year I will be the same position as the seniors. Playing every play as if it was my last. This could be the difference between going out like heroes in a small football town or just being another team that could have and should have been great.