Remember

Chapter 32

"This is the grand daddy of state high school football championships. The Virginia Triple A" the barely intelligible voice says over the loudspeaker. "It just doesn't get any better. We have coach Herman Boone's Titans versus the legend, Ed Henry. With over two hundred fifty wins in thirty years."

All of us are in the locker room, bent over in prayer. We can hear the crowd cheering outside, but the guys always insist on praying. I don't feel the need to tell them that I'm not religious, so I just go along with it.

"Amen" Rev finishes

"Let's go" someone cheers. Everyone gets up, either excited, nervous, or, in my case, both. The team follows Yoast and I out of the locker room and towards the field.

"Coach! Coach! I just wanted to say I'm sorry" Petey says, catching up to us.

"You go I ahead Carrie." Yoast tells me.

I give Petey a "good luck" glance before I keep walking.

"Entering the stadium now is Jean Bertier. Now she's the mother of injured all-American line backer Gerry Bertier, and one of the teams coaches, Caroline Bertier. The Titan fans are really giving her a warm reception." The voice says. I can't see the stadium yet, but I hear people clapping, then a swell of voices, chanting, "Gerry! Gerry! Gerry!"

We make it to the stadium, and I start up the dance.

"And now entering the stadium are the Titans, I what has become their own unique style." The voice says

I branch off to stand with Yoast, and glimpse my mom I the crowd.

She smiles and gives me a thumbs up, and I do the same in return.

"Carrie!" I hear someone call. I turn and see Emma walking towards me.

"Yeah! What is it?" I ask her.

"Where can I find Julius Campbell?" She asks

I point to where Julius is standing by the field. "Watch out for Boone's assistant coach" I warn her

She nods and hurries over there. I watch her say something then stick out her hand. I remember back to the first day, where she refused to shake Julius' hand. He smiles and shakes hers, then she hurried back past me and back into the crowd.

I head up next to Yoast to get a better view of what's going on.

"Shotgun." He says to me. It takes me a second to realize that he's talking about a play

"Who do they think they are, the New York Jets?" I ask, making him chuckle a bit.

The play starts, and one of our guys misses the block. Yoast yells something at them that even I can't understand, then sighs in frustration. The next play starts and the opposing team gains another ten yards.

"Put some pressure on that QB or they got all day to throw, coach." Boone tells us

"You just worry about your offense." Yoast tells him.

The third play starts and the quarterback throws the ball. It sails across the stadium, and Alan isn't able to keep up. He doesn't make it in time, and the other guy easily catches the ball.

"No!" I scream out in frustration.

"They got receivers everywhere out there, it's like watching Monday night football!" Blue complains to Yoast and I as they all come back from the field.

"Hey! Just give 'em a little cushion, just a little cushion, and when they throw that ball, you stick it." I hear Petey telling Alan. I give him a quick high five as he walks by, then they're back on the field.

We start our first play, and gain only six yards. Next play, and one of the opposite teammates blocks it out of the air.

"They're a mile ahead of us coach." I tell Boone

"If your defense would block somebody, we'd get the ball a little more." Boone argues.

"Well the Titans gave them a scare, but Ed Henry looks supremely confident. The Titans go into the half, trailing seven zero."