The snap hits, and the defense explodes toward us. Zero blitz.
I take a step back and plant my foot. No time for a full progression with men across the board. It’s win or lose.
Brody bursts off the line, pushing the defender’s hand away and angling hard inside before bending back across the goal line.
The safety tries to undercut, but slips.
I throw high toward the back pylon.
Brody elevates above the crowd of bodies, arms extended.
The ball drops over his outside shoulder.
He secures it as a linebacker crashes into his ribs, and they tumble across the goal line. Then the official’s arms shoot straight into the air. Touchdown.
The sound of eighty thousand people cheering detonates, and it shakes the stadium like an earthquake.
I don’t remember running to him, but I’m pulling Brody off the ground as the rest of our line piles on. We’re screaming, laughing, helmets smashing together.
Thirty-eight seconds left on the clock.
After this field goal, they won’t have time to make it down the field.
I jog to the sideline and watch the replay on the Jumbotron.
We get the field goal, punt, and then game over.
I walk out onto the field, looking for Archie and Silas, who I’ve gotten to know pretty well. He married Beck’s sister and also played for Walker with my friends and Aston and Ace Griffith after I left.
I see Archie first and wrap my arm around him.
“Well done, brother.” Archie slaps my back. “Helluva play there at the end. Finding your groove with these guys?”
“Yeah, I feel pretty good about the season.”
Aston walks over, and Silas is behind him.
Archie and Aston hug, and Archie lifts him up, as a big brother would.
I grip Silas’s hand and pull him in. “Great game, man.”
“Today wasn’t our day, but it was good to see you. Settling in here okay?”
“It’s been great. You coming to my place tonight? I’d love for you to meet my girlfriend and my daughter.”
“I can’t. I don’t have the same freedom as Griff here has,” he says, putting a hand on Archie’s shoulder.
“What can I say? I’m like a favorite child. Coach loves me.” Archie pats his own chest.
“Fuck off.” Silas laughs. “I’ll see you guys later. Good to see you both.” He hugs Aston one more time, then fist bumps me and walks off to go say hi to a few of my teammates.
“You feeding us, Pitz, or do I need to grab something before I head your way?” Aston asks me.
“What the fuck do you think?” I laugh, shaking my head.
“Just checking, asshole,” he chides.
“Okay, I’ll see you guys later. I need to go say hello to a few people,” Archie says.
