Page 34 of Sidelining the Safety

Lee set up ten yards back from the line of scrimmage. The QB called an audible, and Lee’s gaze darted between the receiver and the quarterback, taking in the motion of the offensive line that shifted away from him, like a distraction. Seeing the ease with which the line moved, he immediately suspected it was a known play, and the audible was for show. He wasn’t falling for it. No way, no how.

“Hike!”

Lee backpedaled and then ran alongside Kowalski. He’d kept the man to only one reception so far, and damn, he was determined to keep it that way. Seeing Kowalski turn his head back and then up, Lee knew the ball was coming. He narrowed the gap between them, and the moment the receiver slowed, lifting his arms, Lee dashed forward, spun, and jumped, the ball hitting him squarely in the chest, his hands cradling it like a baby.

When his feet hit the ground, Lee was running again, passing hash mark after hash mark, all the while bracing for impact. “Line!” he heard his coaches shout, so he changed directions and headed for the sideline. He got rocked by someone in the back and flew forward, over the sideline, and into the arms of his teammates. There were shouts in his ears, thumps to his head, shoulders, and back, but riding the high of an interception, Lee barely heard or felt them.

Someone herded him to the bench and pushed him down on it. In his arms, he still held the ball. No way was he giving it back. His first interception. Sure, he’d had a few in preseason, but those never officially counted. Now he had one, and fuck if he didn’t plan on having a hell of a lot more.

With only twenty seconds left in the half, the Troopers failed to convert, but Lee didn’t care. Couldn’t care. He reluctantly turned the ball over to Eddy, who promptly placed it in a plastic bag with Lee’s name on it, along with the date, time, and why, and promised him he’d get it back after the game.

In the locker room, everyone congratulated him, from the assistants to the equipment managers, the trainers, the team, and the coaches, all the way up to the GM and the owner. After the Troopers’ owner, Antonio Vasquez, came and left, Lee was informed by the GM that “Tony” rarely made his way downstairs, and fuck, if that didn’t give Lee another rush. The owner came to see him. To congratulate him. His mom and aunt were going to be so proud.

“Okay, okay,” Coach Mike cut through the team surrounding Lee, looking serious. “Let’s talk second half.”

When Lee trotted out after halftime, he waved at his family, getting heart-shaped hands and blown kisses in return. He ran in place, keeping himself warmed up and limber on the sidelines while the Troopers kicked off, then he was back on the field as the Copperheads did their best to get a first down.

It seemed like everyone from the team to the fans had gotten an enthusiasm boost. The defense kept the Copperheads pinned deep while the Troopers’ offense scored a field goal and a touchdown to put them up 17-7 by the end of the third quarter.

Lee got a brief reprieve on a long drive by Oklahoma with the commercial timeout at the turn into the fourth quarter. He listened as Coach Mike gave them encouragement and instructions as he sucked down Gatorade, cringing at the regular flavor. In disgust, he turned to hand it off to one of the water boys, who promptly apologized as he asked for water in its place.

“Matty? You with me?”

“Sorry, Coach. I only like the Frost flavors.”

His teammates snickered. Coach stared. “If I promise you only Frosts from now on, you think you can shut this offense down?”

Lee grinned. “I sure can try.”

“Excellent. Helmets on.” Coach clapped, and with Yowie’s call, they put their hands in, shouting, “Hoo-rah!”

Was it the few minutes of rest or the promise of his favorite sports drink that had Lee energized? Regardless, on the next play, Lee was focused and saw the pass play coming from a mile away. He shouted their code word to Yowie and flashed signs to Coop playing cornerback in front of him.

“Hoo-rah,” Lee muttered, settling into position against Kowalski. In a near repeat of the third quarter, he watched the receiver and quarterback, saw the offense shift, heard the shouted, “Hike,” and kept on the heels of Kowalski as he blew by him, going long.

Mine, mine, mine… He turned his head when Kowalski did. Tracking the ball, Lee could see the throw was offline and falling short. He cut to his right, noticed Anders fading his way, and waved him off. When the ball landed in Lee’s arms, Anders led the way, getting in a solid block that opened a lane for Lee to get another 8 yards before being tackled. He curled tightly around the football as many hands tried to strip it away.

“Matty!” Yowie hauled Lee to his feet once the pile of Copperheads was pulled off by the refs. “Holy shit, you did it.” The defensive line escorted him to the sideline where, again, he was pounded, patted, and congratulated.

Coach Oliviera even came over and gripped Lee’s shoulder pad. “Nicely done. Now it’s up to Addy and the offense to put this game away.”

And they did. It was a rout that ended with the Troopers scoring another touchdown off his conversion and a second field goal. Final score: 27-7.

While many of the spectators had already departed, there were still huge swaths of yellow and gold filling the stands of ATEX. The cheers, the blaring music, all of it had Lee smiling a mile wide. He waved to his mom and aunt as she yelled, “Love you! Have fun!”

His mood remained jubilant in the locker room and only took a small nose-dive when the communications director told him to clean up fast because his presence was required by the media. He pushed off the reporters and cameras in the locker room, telling them he’d be in the conference room, grabbed his boxer briefs and towel, and hit the showers.

When he took a seat beside Addy, Coach Oliveira was in the middle of answering questions from various media stations. Lee glanced around, shocked by how full the room was with people, camera operators, photographers, and security personnel.

Addy patted his back and leaned closer. “First time is nerve-wracking, but it’ll get easier, and damn man, you made my job a hell of a lot easier today.”

Lee grinned wryly. He didn’t think he made that much of a difference except for them getting the TD conversion in the fourth quarter. The offense still needed to perform, and they did… exceptionally well.

“Addison! Give us your thoughts on your team this year, especially after today’s win.”

Addy straightened and focused on the reporter. “I think we have a great team this year. We’ve got solid veterans and a handful of rookies and undrafted players who have not only performed well during preseason but stepped up big-time tonight.”

“Addison, you’re sharing Player of the Game with Lee Matters whose first of two interceptions seemed to kick the Troopers into high gear. Do you agree with that?”

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