Page 18 of Waiting for Friday Night

A mixture of groans and claps met his response. Some kids would practice all night if he let them. Others were just as ready to get home and get showered as he was. He didn’t fault either side. As long as they did what he asked and kept their heads on straight off the field, he was good.

He glanced at the group of wide receivers practicing with one of the assistant coaches, Clyde Tucker. Shania hung on the outskirts of the group. That was unusual. She was always ready to jump in and be front and center when it came to practices. She’d seemed distracted all day.

As the players started toward the locker room, Quinton called over Clyde. “Everything went well today?” he asked.

Clyde shook his head. He was average height, thin, with a bald head and dark brown skin. “Yeah, pretty good. I tell you, that kid Octavius really knows how to run the routes. I think he’s going to make a big difference this year.”

“That’s good to hear. What about the rest of the receivers? They’re doing well?” Quinton wasn’t surprised about Octavius; he’d also noticed the boy had picked up on the plays quickly and tried to motivate the rest of the receivers to learn their routes.

“Yeah, they’re learning the plays and understanding where they need to be to catch the ball.”

“How is Shania doing?”

Clyde lifted a shoulder. “She’s doing alright, I guess.”

Quinton shifted his stance, focusing on Clyde instead of continuing to watch the kids gather equipment and head to the locker rooms. “You guess? What does that mean?”

“You know, she’s good at learning plays, but let’s be honest.” Clyde leaned closer to Quinton. “If we want to win this year then we can’t put her in the game.”

“Why not?”

Clyde glanced around before meeting his eyes. “I mean...because she can’t keep up.”

Quinton removed his aviator shades and crossed his arms. “I’ve watched her practice and she doesn’t seem to have a problem keeping up.”

Clyde let out an uneasy laugh. “You know what I’m saying.”

Quinton didn’t laugh or smile. “I don’t. Tell me what you’re saying.”

The fake smile on Clyde’s face disappeared. “She’s a girl. If we put her in the game, then she’ll be a liability.”

Quinton didn’t move, but disappointment settled around him. He’d expected this from some of the parents and a few of the players, but he’d hoped to avoid it on his coaching staff. He’d assumed they would follow his lead and support Shania on the team.

“We don’t know that until she plays in a game.” Quinton held back his displeasure with what Clyde said and spoke evenly, giving Clyde the opportunity to correct himself. “And from the way she practices I don’t see her as a potential liability.”

“As soon as one of those boys tackles her on the field, you’ll see that.”

“She’s been playing tackle football for a few years. She knows the risks and she’s good at what she does. Don’t skimp on giving her attention because you don’t think girls should play football.”

Clyde’s eyes widened. “I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to. What you said before—prove it.”

“I’m just stating facts. She is a girl and, yeah, right now she’s as big as some of the boys, but that’s because it’s JV. As the year goes on and if she keeps playing, she’s going to get hurt.”

Quinton understood the risks. He knew Shania ever playing professionally was unlikely, but there were other opportunities she could have if she wanted to continue playing football. He wasn’t going to be the person to kill her dream and he wasn’t going to let someone on his coaching staff do the same.

“If she continues to play with us, there are other positions she can switch to. Girls have gone on to play college football, not just as kicker but even as a defensive back. She’ll also have opportunities to coach if she continues to learn the game. If I ever hear you underestimate her contribution to this team because she’s a girl, then you may as well find another team to coach for. You understand?”

Clyde leaned back. “Coach Q, don’t be like that. I’m good with her on the team. I’m just looking out for you. The district wants us to win. We can’t be putting her in the game for clout.”

“I won’t put her in the game for clout. But I’m also not going to keep her out of the game unless I know for sure she can’t keep up. Keep working with her. We’ll go from there.”

Clyde held up a hand and sighed. “Aight, I hear you. I’ve got you.”

Quinton slid his shades back on. “Good.”

He turned away from Clyde and headed toward the locker rooms. Clyde’s comments irritated him the entire way back. He’d made a big deal of telling Halle that he wouldn’t treat Shania any differently than the other players, but he hadn’t considered that some of his coaching staff may be treating her differently. He’d bring up player progression at his next coaching meeting and check to see if anyone else was intentionally not looking at Shania’s talents and only focusing on her gender. She wasn’t quite as good as Octavius physically, but her tenacity and knowledge of the game put her close to his level. He understood the coaches’ need to win, he felt the same urge, but the need to win didn’t mean they couldn’t give Shania a chance.

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