Personal Narrative: Murphy High School Football Competition

The pressure was on. Myself as well as my middle school football team had been practicing for weeks to beat our opponent, Southport Middle School. They had beaten up the year before and it was our turn to pay them back.

In November of 2014, my team and I made it past the first round of the LHSAA Division AAAA playoffs after defatting the number twenty-eight seed, Belle Chase High School. After finishing a very good regular season with a record of 10-2, we went into the playoffs surprising everyone as the number four seed. After the winning the first round in style, we found ourselves matched up with defending state champs from the season before. On this defending state champ team, they possessed some of the top defensive backs in the state of Louisiana. In this nail biter of game, my team and I would face adversity, nervousness, and discipline. We got on the rented charter bus, and began our trip down to the heart of New Orleans to play the East Jefferson Warriors in what would be a very exciting high school football game full of hard hits and upsets.

The day College of Faith football team played, Missouri S&T was in the fall of 2015, it was cold. At the time me and my brothers on the football team came off a big lost to the Cougars of St. Francis. The St.Francis Cougars Are located in Fort Wayne, Texas. They are a very big school, the cougars were undefeated the whole year round. After the 65-0 lost to the cougars, we the College of Faith, had a game against Missouri S&T. I felt like a raging superstar on field, I had 8 tackles, 1 big blindside sack and 1 pass deflect, it was very cool and also sunny. Unfortunately, we got demolish, the whole team quit.We lost 64-0 Football taught me to value my life more and be more ongoing to learn new things.

Our team went undefeated for our first 16 games, and then our 17th game we had our first tie. We were used to killed the team we tied to, but that proves if you don’t come ready not everything is going to go your way. Some of the kids kind of took it the wrong way. We won 14 more games after that and kept playing strong. Then we had our final playoff game to see who was going to state or not.

I jogged over to my position and began examining my opponent. He was a tall, large person. I knew that I had to use technique to be able to compete with this person because my size obviously was not enough. Driving this person back turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Maybe it was because of my skill or maybe he just wasn’t as good as I anticipated. Play after play I was able to overpower him and have our running backs or receivers make multiple plays. The game played out in our favor and we ended up winning 28-8.

We had gone 3-20 the season before and had not beaten our rival Troy Christian in basketball in seven years before this game. Earlier that season we had lost to Troy Christian by eight points after leading by eight at halftime. Our team was disappointed, but also hungry for revenge. It seemed like eternity waiting for our rematch. The week before the game we began practicing a defensive scheme to stop Troy Christian's six-foot-eight center, James Anderson. He had led the conference in scoring and rebounding all season. He scored eighteen points and grabbed eighteen rebounds in our first meeting and we were determined not to allow that to happen again. Finally, the day came. The day that would change our program. We were ready to put an end

It had been a long season, many losses, but many learning moments, we were second to last in the league and only had about ten wins. The only thing we had going for us, the playoffs. We had tied the West Kent Hawks and beat two other teams 7-1 and 10-2 to make it here, and there I was. Sitting in the locker room with a blank stare and hands hanging from my chest guard, this is usually what happens before games. I was anxious to get on the ice, but neverous too, because this is how the little caesars playoffs work.

My freshman year we entered playoffs with a hopeful optimism that in our first year in 3A, the largest division, we could make a statement that we were here to stay. In the end, the game didn’t go our way. There were some questionable calls made but in the end, it is what it is: we weren’t good enough to win. A tough reality but often times you learn more from a loss than from a win. Sophomore

Today is the first football game in my high school career. I am beyond excited so the school day goes by very fast. I then go into the locker room where I meet many of my teammates who are very excited. They all are saying, “ What day is it?! Gameday!” Today we play the De La Salle Spartans who are a respected program in the football community. It is now time for warm ups and me being the punter of my team I go out early for warm ups. I then warm up my leg and after I do that, the team comes out and I join them for warm ups. Finally, it is game time, the moment I have been waiting for all summer. Our team wins the toss so as the starting tight end for my team I go out with the offense for our first drive. We end up going three and out so I have to

I worked out everyday and practiced every chance I got. When the first day of tryouts came around again, I woke up that morning like every other day, but I knew today was different. I knew that today was the day I was going to redeem myself. When I got to the field most of the guys looked familiar, a few of them even joked around with me and asked "you're back for more?" Unlike the previuos year, I was ready for this tryout. I proved to everyone that doubted me and said I couldn't and I earned my spot on that team. The moment I saw my name on the team's roster was one of my proudest

The day the team got together and fought threw a tough battle facing pinnacle high school. It was our second home game and our record was 1-2. After all of the hard work we had put in over summer, we realized we could not lose, especially in front of our home crowd. At the beginning of the game we did our usual warm-ups, I have never felt so much adrenaline pushing threw my veins in my life. After the warm-ups the whole team got in a big huddle, we chanted a chant that will never be forgotten and one day make history for the pride. After the chant we got ready for kick-off, lined up and ready to go. The crowd started cheering at the first 2 seconds of the game “go pride go, go pride go”. This made the whole team nervous, not just because there was so many

Friday nights during the fall season are what every high school football player looks forward to. After a long week of being yelled at, running hills, and practicing, all any high school football player wants to do is run out of the tunnel with the crowd screaming your name and gear up for a football game. However, I was not a Varsity player during the 2017-17 season. I played only Junior Varsity which was nowhere near the same as Varsity football. I played on Monday nights and only about thirty people would take the time to show up to a Junior Varsity game. Although, one Friday night would change my football career and change my life.

Our sixth seed team was up to bat against third seed Carlisle. Everyone was nervous, but equally as anxious to play at the greatest ballpark in the state. The feeling of being at home plate of Principal Park was one I will never forget. Looking up to myself on the big screen with the capitol building in the distance, while being surrounded by a sea of gold in the stands was so surreal. It was the fifth inning, and we were up 5-0. Ask anybody on the team at that point, and they would all tell you it was over. We all got comfortable with such a lead, and it came back to haunt us. Carlisle was the best hitting teams that year, and they proved it. In back to back innings they brought in 4 runs, and before we knew it we were down 8-5. We refused to give up, we had worked so hard to get to this point we weren't quitting yet. We put up a couple more runs in the seventh inning, but not enough. We lost that first Saber baseball game at Principal Park in six years, 8-7. It was the worst feeling in the world, knowing we were so close to advancing and getting to stay for the whole

In no time the game had begun and there was no silent part of the stadium. Friends and family show their support and dedication to the team by humiliating themselves with cheers and boos. The visiting team’s stands shouted retorts to our insults. Campus is supposed to be an easy take down for Newton. Our stands knew that and shower their confidence because of that.

Starting when I was a little kid I have always played football and was never the best player on the team but always pushed myself to try to get there. Going into my junior year of high school I never looked like the kid that would end up being a starter on a very talented team. In the beginning of the summer leading up to the season I was third string just waiting for my time to play. But I didn’t look at it as me just waiting as I went out and did my best to get on the field. Being behind two older players at my position I was on the point of giving up and just saying to myself that I wasn’t good enough. As the year went on I never stopped pushing myself and with both players being injured I finally got my chance and I took complete advantage of it impressing everyone that didn’t think that I could it. As time went by and both players returned from injury I kept the spot I worked so hard for and continued to get better week after week. Through the hard work I put in on and off the field I became the player I knew that I could be. Taking on the role I worked so hard for was like a payday and just gave me a