The Boys of Fall

“Adversity. Adversity is the key to winning. Adversity is when something

doesn’t go your way; when something goes wrong. How are you going to deal with it?.” -

Coach Oliver.

It was the section semi-championship game against Pequot Lakes. Everything

seemed to be moving in slow motion. I’m staring with nervousness as the wobbly

football reaches the end zone. The clock expires. 10 weeks earlier; I hear the annoying

repetitive beeping noise. I slowly sit up from my bed and read the alarm clock; 7:30

A.M., the first day of football. I wipe the sleep dust from my eyes and grab my keys to

make my way to practice. I arrive to see all of the exhausted faces around me; everyone

is dressed and ready for practice. The first couple of weeks are dreadful. Conditioning

and hot weather do not go well together. We got a new coaching staff this year; so

hopefully we can change the outcome. The past three years we have won a total of four

games. Our new head coach was experienced; he has won a couple state championships

in his years coaching. The expectations for our season was unfavorable again, but no one

knew what improvements we have made throughout the summer. Our coach made a goal

for us. He wasn’t looking to build a team for years to come, he wanted to make a team

that will win this year. The goal was to win the section championship and advance to

state. After two weeks of intense two-a-days, our first game of the season was

underway. All of the nerves and jitters were escalating, the game had begun. My last

year of high school football. It felt surreal. After the first couple of plays, all of the

nerves went away. It was just another day, but reality set in: We are going to have

another losing season. The 4th quarter was coming to an end. We were down 17-0. Our

starting quarterback got injured and the back up sophomore came in. He looked good; he

looked poised. It was the first game of the season. We made plenty of mistakes, but we

got a new young, new quarterback that can lead our team. We lost 17-0, but that game is

now behind us. Time to prepare for our rivals.

“Adversity. Adversity is the key to winning. Adversity is when something

doesn’t go your way; when something goes wrong. How are you going to deal with it?”

That is what our head coach said before we went out and demolished our rivals,

Crookston. Our team felt extremely good. We felt nothing could stop us. Another solid

week of practice and another game underway. This game was a test. Pequot Lakes was

the defending section champions; they were ranked 5th in state. It came down to the last

couple of plays, but we couldn’t pull away with the win. I know losing is never good, but

this loss was a moral boost. We knew we could play with anyone and have a chance to

win if we showed up to play. Unfortunately, our next game was a disgrace. We got

cocky because we played good against Pequot Lakes; so, we went into this next game

thinking we were invincible. Thief River Falls beat us mentally and physically. The

entire team hated that feeling and knew we had to play every game with a mindset that

was tenacious. Our record was now 1-3. Another losing season… but not for long.

Our team consisted twenty-three seniors our of forty players. We had the leadership to be great this year. All we needed to do is work as a team and have fun, and

that is exactly what we did. We went on a four game winning streak heading into

playoffs. Our amazing last half of the season allowed us to get home field advantage

against a team that eliminated us from the playoffs the previous season. Staples-Motley

was a big, powerful and fast team. The weather was horrific. It felt like it was below

zero. It was raining, sleeting, and the wind felt like a