Page 112 of A Game as Old as Time

Me too, JT.

The bus began to slow, the pillars of the entrance to the stadium growing larger as they approached.

OK.

The bus fell completely silent.

It’s not about the outcome, Gunner.

He closed his eyes, listening to the breathing of his teammates.

But the fact that you took it.

He stood up, feeling the eyes of the bus move to him as he undid the clip to his sling.

Tight, but not too bad.

Walking to the front, he caught the eyes of his coach.

“Go get that thing tested out, Weston.”

He nodded and turned, smiling at his teammates.

Moments.

This was the last time he would ever play with this team. This was the last time he would ever wear the uniform that he had grown up idolizing. As he glanced to the back of the bus, he locked eyes with each of his friends. The ones that he had played with since he was six years old.

“We do it together, boys.” He leaned over and smacked the front of his coach’s seat with his left arm. “We take our moment together!”

He slapped it again, over and over, refusing to grimace at the pain that was daggering through his shoulder.

“What do you say, boys?” He came to a stop and waited for an answer.

“How about…” Ty stepped into the aisle. “How about we go win state!”

His best friend’s scream sent the bus into a frenzy. One final spin brought Gunner eye to eye with his coach.

Let’s go win.

Chapter 20

“Welcome, sports fans, to The Sweetest Place on Earth! This is Johnny May, coming to you live from Hershey, Pennsylvania, for the Pennsylvania High School Football Championships. We have a real David versus Goliath match-up tonight, as we have the Western Champions of Allegheny Prep taking on our very own South Mountain Pioneers.

Allegheny Prep will look to complete an historic season in which they have defeated all of their opponents by double-digit points. On the other side, the underdog Pioneers will look to cap a fairytale season of their own as they play in memory of the late Coach Weston. Our young men were able to right the ship after a rocky start, and they now sit only four quarters away from the ultimate prize: the state championship.

We will be with you the whole way from the press box, so sit tight, grab a tasty treat, and prepare for what should be a classic in Hershey.”

**********

Hailey glared up to the press box, where she could see the radio announcer screaming into his headset.

“Here they come!” Gunner’s mom yelled next to her. The team beganto run out from the tunnel beneath them.

I’m so nervous.

The blue jerseys and white pants cascaded across the sideline like a wave hitting the beach. Her father came out last, smiling as he pointed to her and her sister in the bleachers.

He belongs out there.

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