Page 25 of Hometown Touchdown
A few chuckles break the tension.
“It’s about trust. Trust in each other. Trust in the work you’ve already put in. And trust in yourselves.”
I pause, jaw tight.
“Whether we win or lose tonight, I want you to walk off that field knowing you gave everything. That you played like brothers.”
The room is quiet now.
“Because I believe in you. Every damn one of you.”
It’s quiet. For half a second, I wonder if I went too far.
Then our quarterback, Riley, speaks up, voice steady. “We won’t let you down, Coach.”
And just like that, the team claps. Some slap my shoulder on their way out. Cam catches my eye and mouths,“That’ll do.”
Fourth quarter. Forty-two seconds on the clock. Down 20–24. No timeouts left. It’s a long way from our 43-yard line to the end zone.
We huddle the offense.
“Riley,” I bark to our QB, “we’re running Saint Jude.”
His eyes go wide. “The Hail Mary?”
I nod. “You’ve got the arm. Diaz and Marcus are your targets. Air it out and pray.”
He swallows hard but nods. “Yes, Coach.”
They line up on the field, Riley calling the play. The ball snaps.
Riley scrambles—pressure from the edge, pocket caving. He steps up, eyes downfield, and launches the ball like he’s flinging it to the moon.
He throws the perfect ball, high and clean.
Diaz is sprinting. So is Marcus. Three defenders are on them, but Diaz, poised in the end zone, leaps—and damn if he doesn’t catch it.
He caught it.
The whole world freezes, then explodes.
Touchdown. Touch-freaking-down.
The ref’s arms go up and our sideline erupts. The stands behind us lose their minds. I think I hear someone sobbing—might be Cam.
Riley is buried under a pile of teammates. Diaz runs a victory lap that ends with him doing snow angels in the end zone grass.
I just stand there.
Shocked. Stunned. Chest full of something warm I haven’t felt in a long damn time.
Pride.
Cam slaps my back so hard I nearly drop my headset. “You son of a bitch, you did it.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I say, still staring at the field. “They did.”
He grins. “Then I guess you coached the hell out of ‘em.”
