Chapter 15
Over the years, the people of Petros had gotten spoiled. There were so many wins and so few losses. Even with a couple of bad years, the fans hadn’t grown fond of this losing thing and a pall was over the town, like a big dark cloud.
Some residents started feeling a little better after church service on Sunday morning, but many still hurt.
Lucky played basketball Sunday afternoon with Andy, D.J. and Happy. The teams kept rotating so nobody was stuck with Happy for long as that guaranteed a loss.
They played for a couple of hours, working up a good sweat and for a brief period, forgetting the outcome of Friday’s game.
Near the end of their last game, the door to the gym swung open and three sophomore girls walked in and sat in the bleachers.
Gabby was the first one Lucky noticed. The other two girls were ones Andy and Happy were trying to date. After they finished the game, the boys descended on the girls and decided to go do something, but did not know what. They asked Lucky to go, but he declined the offer, knowing the numbers didn’t add up. He didn’t want to be the odd-man out.
As he watched them go, it seemed strange to Lucky. All these years, it was always just the guys hanging out, but now their time and attention was shifting over to girls.
Lucky was not against girls, of course, just the only one who caught his eye had eyes for another. Plus, he and his friends spent less time together.
He stayed in the gym, doing the same routine of shoot, rebound, dribble to a new location and repeat the process.
There was little he enjoyed more than having the gym to himself, shooting baskets and cleansing his soul. This was great therapy in some strange way. Whenever something bothered him, he usually came up with a solution or an answer while shooting hoops.
This was just the way things had been for so many years. His mother was the only one he could ever really talk with, but since she was no longer around, there wasn’t really anybody Lucky felt comfortable talking with.
He could talk to his father and did at times, but it never felt as comfortable as it had with his mother.
The main thing bothering him wasn’t seeing his friends leave with girls. It was losing to Conser and feeling he did little to prevent the defeat.
Lucky took every Petros defeat hard, even before he started playing on the varsity.
He was already looking ahead to the next game and a chance to rebound from the loss. But Lucky knew it wouldn’t be any easier playing at Reichert.
The Redbirds would be better than Conser, probably the best team on the schedule other than Hodgen, the Panthers’ biggest rival and final game before starting district play.
The thought never crossed his mind while wondering what the Panthers could do to improve the offense. He never considered that putting him in at quarterback might be the solution, even though many others argued that point.
Lucky had always liked and respected Gary and wanted to see the senior play well. He knew Gary was struggling and his confidence had to be shaken.
He thought of how good it felt to take the field for the first time Friday. It was impossible to describe the pride he felt wearing the same uniform so many of his heroes had worn before him.
The roar of Petros’ crowd was something he was used to, of course. But it sounded even louder from the middle of the field. He remembered hearing his name over the loudspeaker for the first time, exciting him so much all the hairs on his arms stood up.
Lucky hoped the outcome would be different against Reichert. He had already lost one more game than expected. Lucky knew one person taking the loss harder and that was his father.
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Cole’s stomach had been turning over since the end of the game and he barely slept in two nights. He knew worrying about the loss wouldn’t change the outcome and the sun would still rise the following morning, but it still hurt. After losses, his wife used to tell him a game wasn’t life or death. Cole would agree and knew it was true, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
As Lucky finished at the gym, Cole watched tape of the Conser game for the fifth time, looking for anything that might make a difference against Reichert. Cole hated knowing it might be his fault the Panthers lost and he could have done something to prevent it.
He had film of Reichert’s game from Friday night, an easy 40-6 win. The Redbirds had jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and coasted in a game that was supposed to be a struggle.
Cole was less concerned with the Redbirds now than his own team. He knew there was some tinkering that needed to be done, especially on offense and at quarterback.
He wanted Gary to be successful at quarterback and lead the offense. But his play had to improve or Cole would need to make a change. The only other option was Lucky, and making that change would not be easy.
The film had been broken down into different segments with offense, defense and special teams on different tapes. But Cole was still watching the whole film from start to finish.
He knew there were several areas Petros played well in. Plus, the Panthers had played an awfully good team, something most people failed to realize. But his team should have won and winning was one of the main requirements of his job.
Cole knew he needed to get his mind off football for a while. He thought about it for a while and decided to hop in his truck and go for a ride in the country, maybe stopping off at the lake and fishing at his favorite spot.
Chapter 16
Some residents started feeling a little better after church service on Sunday morning, but many still hurt.
Lucky played basketball Sunday afternoon with Andy, D.J. and Happy. The teams kept rotating so nobody was stuck with Happy for long as that guaranteed a loss.
They played for a couple of hours, working up a good sweat and for a brief period, forgetting the outcome of Friday’s game.
Near the end of their last game, the door to the gym swung open and three sophomore girls walked in and sat in the bleachers.
Gabby was the first one Lucky noticed. The other two girls were ones Andy and Happy were trying to date. After they finished the game, the boys descended on the girls and decided to go do something, but did not know what. They asked Lucky to go, but he declined the offer, knowing the numbers didn’t add up. He didn’t want to be the odd-man out.
As he watched them go, it seemed strange to Lucky. All these years, it was always just the guys hanging out, but now their time and attention was shifting over to girls.
Lucky was not against girls, of course, just the only one who caught his eye had eyes for another. Plus, he and his friends spent less time together.
He stayed in the gym, doing the same routine of shoot, rebound, dribble to a new location and repeat the process.
There was little he enjoyed more than having the gym to himself, shooting baskets and cleansing his soul. This was great therapy in some strange way. Whenever something bothered him, he usually came up with a solution or an answer while shooting hoops.
This was just the way things had been for so many years. His mother was the only one he could ever really talk with, but since she was no longer around, there wasn’t really anybody Lucky felt comfortable talking with.
He could talk to his father and did at times, but it never felt as comfortable as it had with his mother.
The main thing bothering him wasn’t seeing his friends leave with girls. It was losing to Conser and feeling he did little to prevent the defeat.
Lucky took every Petros defeat hard, even before he started playing on the varsity.
He was already looking ahead to the next game and a chance to rebound from the loss. But Lucky knew it wouldn’t be any easier playing at Reichert.
The Redbirds would be better than Conser, probably the best team on the schedule other than Hodgen, the Panthers’ biggest rival and final game before starting district play.
The thought never crossed his mind while wondering what the Panthers could do to improve the offense. He never considered that putting him in at quarterback might be the solution, even though many others argued that point.
Lucky had always liked and respected Gary and wanted to see the senior play well. He knew Gary was struggling and his confidence had to be shaken.
He thought of how good it felt to take the field for the first time Friday. It was impossible to describe the pride he felt wearing the same uniform so many of his heroes had worn before him.
The roar of Petros’ crowd was something he was used to, of course. But it sounded even louder from the middle of the field. He remembered hearing his name over the loudspeaker for the first time, exciting him so much all the hairs on his arms stood up.
Lucky hoped the outcome would be different against Reichert. He had already lost one more game than expected. Lucky knew one person taking the loss harder and that was his father.
------------------
Cole’s stomach had been turning over since the end of the game and he barely slept in two nights. He knew worrying about the loss wouldn’t change the outcome and the sun would still rise the following morning, but it still hurt. After losses, his wife used to tell him a game wasn’t life or death. Cole would agree and knew it was true, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
As Lucky finished at the gym, Cole watched tape of the Conser game for the fifth time, looking for anything that might make a difference against Reichert. Cole hated knowing it might be his fault the Panthers lost and he could have done something to prevent it.
He had film of Reichert’s game from Friday night, an easy 40-6 win. The Redbirds had jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and coasted in a game that was supposed to be a struggle.
Cole was less concerned with the Redbirds now than his own team. He knew there was some tinkering that needed to be done, especially on offense and at quarterback.
He wanted Gary to be successful at quarterback and lead the offense. But his play had to improve or Cole would need to make a change. The only other option was Lucky, and making that change would not be easy.
The film had been broken down into different segments with offense, defense and special teams on different tapes. But Cole was still watching the whole film from start to finish.
He knew there were several areas Petros played well in. Plus, the Panthers had played an awfully good team, something most people failed to realize. But his team should have won and winning was one of the main requirements of his job.
Cole knew he needed to get his mind off football for a while. He thought about it for a while and decided to hop in his truck and go for a ride in the country, maybe stopping off at the lake and fishing at his favorite spot.
posted by Craig Hall at 4:44 AM
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