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Aiden reluctantly decided to play on his high school’s six-man football team because he was one of only six boys in the school that could play. The seventh, Sam, was the water boy, coach’s assistant, and all-around replacement, even though he struggled with cerebral palsy. Sam tried to work out some with the others but mostly ended up commanding the whistle that he blew to push the others through their drills.
Aiden struggled to get his head into the game. All he could think about was the time he was missing hunting. This was to be the year he bagged his first elk. But as time passed, running drills and blocking for each other drew the team together and strengthened friendships in a way all those years together hadn’t.
The week of the first game was also Homecoming. Because some teams ended up canceling due to a lack of players, the first home game that was actually going to be played was always declared as Homecoming. All the other players had dates to the dance, even Sam. But most of the students in the school found dates from somewhere else. Aiden seldom associated with students from other schools, and he couldn’t really ask the girls from his own school. They were all like sisters. In fact, one was his sister, and two were his cousins. His possible relation to the others was likely.
A few days before the game, the players were given uniforms. There were only ten to choose from. They were all threadbare, and some were patched. Even though they had been cleaned, most of them had stains from top to bottom. Sam’s uniform was a little loose on him. Almost all the other players had the same problem, except for Jason, the biggest player. His might even have been a bit snug.
When the other team, the Badgers, showed up, Aiden noted their appearance was similar to his own team: few players and worn-out uniforms. The only exception was they had eight on their team instead of the required seven.
As Aiden stepped onto the field, he suddenly felt butterflies. He looked at the crowd and estimated there were around seventy people there. It looked like everyone in the town had come, and he hadn’t expected that. Aiden looked at the sideline and saw that every girl in the school, except Sarah, was a cheerleader. Sarah thought sports were stupid. The cheerleaders were dressed in their own personal gym shorts, but they all wore matching shirts.
The cheerleaders did a cheer as the team entered the field. “We are the bears. We are strong, go against us, and you won’t last long.”
As they went out to play, Aiden remembered Coach Hill’s main instructions. “If the other team has the ball, go after it. If we have it, block for whoever needs it.” That’s about all Aiden knew about football.
The lead in the game went back and forth almost as much as the ball. The Beavers were ahead with less than a minute to go when Jason picked up a fumble and ran it for a touchdown. The game ended with the Bears 54 and the Badgers 49. That guaranteed at least a second-place trophy for the season.
The crowd surged onto the field to congratulate them. Aiden knew about half of the people there and was probably related to the other half. He had never felt anything like the adrenalin surge after their win, and he had never been treated like a hero before.
As they dressed, his best friend, Richard, came over. “Going to the dance?”
Aiden shook his head. “I don’t know who I’d ask.”
“I’m with you on that,” Richard replied. “My cousin in Middleton set me up on a blind date, or I probably wouldn’t be going.”
After Aiden said he thought he might go hunting, some of the guys teased him about dancing with an elk. Aiden smiled. He knew it was all in fun, but he did wonder how he was ever going to find a girl he could date.
(To be continued)
