Page 46 of A Game as Old as Time

“G!” Emilio smacked the top of his helmet. “That’s you, G! That’s you!”

“Nice hit, Emilio!” Gunner could feel his adrenaline pumping as he slapped Andy’s shoulder pad. “Now, let’s give this crowd something to really cheer about!”

He motioned to his coach, on whose face a grin was beginning to grow.

He smiled.

“Gunner.” Coach Bianchi leaned over close. “They think we are going to line up and run Ty directly at them. Let’s finally give him some room in the middle.” Gunner agreed with a nod. “Gun right, 121 action go. JT.” His coach shifted over to the tall, lanky wide receiver. “I want you to run as fast as you can, you hear me?”

JT nodded immediately.

“Remember, this is your game, guys. Play your game, and let it come to you!” Coach Bianchi pumped his fists.

Our game.

Gunner was oozing with confidence as he led the offense onto the field.

Let the moment come to you.

“OK, so it will be first and ten for the Pioneers after an excellent start on defense. Gunner Weston, who has struggled this year, will try to build off the momentum of his fantastic interception as he comes to the line. Weston calls out his cadence and takes thesnap. Weston hands off…wait, he fakes it to Carter and drops back to pass! Weston steps up and throws one deep! He is looking for Jefferson Taylor, who is running free down the right sideline…”

Touchdown.

Gunner’s legs were already moving at full speed down the field. He was screaming at the top of his lungs---it all just poured out. It was not tears, it was not anger; it was pure joy. It was the most he had felt in months, and as he hit the endzone, he tackled JT in excitement.

“That’s how we do it! One hell of a catch, JT!”

His friend was grinning ear to ear when they both popped up, the rest of the team mobbing around them.

“That’s who you are!” Andy grabbed Gunner by the facemask. “You’re Gunner Weston! The best damn quarterback in the state!”

Gunner wrapped him up as they made their way to the sideline, raising his hands to a crowd that was finally back on its feet, cheering. He pointed to his mom. Her smile was the widest he had seen in months, and it set him in a sprint right past the bench to his sister.

“That was for you, baby sis!” He picked her up in an embrace. Her joyous shriek only filled him up more.

That’s for all of us.

**********

“Well, what a difference a week can make, Pioneer fans. One minute it looks like the sky is falling, and the next it feels like we may have found some answers. A blowout victory tonight for our young men as they win 48-14 against district rival Mount Joy. Gunner Weston was fantastic, throwing four touchdowns, and Tyquan Carter added two more running the ball, as the South Mountain offense looked unstoppable. You have to wonder ifCoach Bianchi can keep this momentum going…”

“You should have come!” Juliana shouted, running into the auditorium. “It was amazing! The boys were great!”

Sounds like it.

Hailey quickly clicked out of the radio on her phone and grabbed her books.

“Sorry, I stayed late to wait for my dad and was just putting together some notes.”

Hailey had to lie. She was not going to tell her friend that she had listened to the entire game, hanging on each play like it was her last breath. Now she was excited to get home and to see her father. She was looking forward to hearing about each play he had called and how great his team had performed.

Maybe he’ll talk about Gunner.

She paused as Juliana joined her on stage.

Why do I care if he talks about Gunner?

He’d played a great game; the guy on the radio had made that clear. But every time she heard his name, she felt something more than celebration or pride. The butterflies overwhelmed her stomach---she wanted to hear his name during each play.

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