Week 5 Story: Rushing Into Homecoming

          The autumn season in small towns across northeastern Oklahoma is unique to most other areas. There is a faint chill in the October air, as the skies become orange at dusk, matching the color of the falling leaves that canvas the ground. At sunset on Friday nights, the sky becomes illuminated with stadium lights and the whistles from referees almost drown out the occasional moos of the nearby grazing cattle. Football is a lifestyle in these towns across Oklahoma, and that lifestyle reaches its apex during the homecoming game.

            Homecoming is the week that is filled with school pride, class reunions, the football game, and, of course, the homecoming dance after the game. For Bobby Brown, a highly-touted running back for the Quapaw, Oklahoma high school football team, homecoming was the week to showcase his talents to the many college scouts in attendance. Bobby had already been on pace for a historic season, leading the state in rushing yards and leading his team to an unbeaten record. He was the talk of the town amongst the old men in the local coffee shop, as Bobby was nearly unstoppable. But this week, this game was different. There was somebody other than the college scouts that he needed to impress.

            Alyssa Jones was a senior captain of the cheer team. She had long, blonde hair and a captivating smile to match her engaging personality. For Bobby, the ultimate goal was to attend the homecoming dance with Alyssa. But Alyssa was not going to attend with just anybody.

“What can I do to convince you to go to homecoming with me?” Bobby asked.

“Well, Bobby, I really wasn’t planning on going. Buying a dress and getting ready after the late game is such a hassle. But, I’ll tell you what. If you rush for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns this week, then I will go with you to the dance,” said Alyssa.

“Consider it done,” Bobby replied confidently.

            In reality, this seemed almost impossible to Bobby. They were facing the toughest defense in the state this week. Besides, he had only topped 200 yards rushing once in his playing career. But Bobby knew what he had to do to impress Alyssa.

            That Friday night, night fell and the kickoff whistle blew. Bobby started off hot, rushing for 60 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. But the opposing defense started adjusting as the game progressed. Bobby knew this would be no easy task. By the end of third quarter, he only had 90 yards and the one touchdown. Alyssa knew that she would not be attending the dance, and Bobby knew that he had to make up ground quickly. Although he was getting fatigued and beaten up by the stout defense, Bobby knew that his team needed him. He knew that the scouts needed him. He knew that Alyssa needed him.

            With 6 minutes left in the game, Bobby finally broke free for a 60 yard touchdown rush. The game was now tied and bobby has his two touchdowns, but still lacked 50 yards to reach 200. The defense held, and Bobby and the offense got the ball with two minutes remaining and sixty yards to score a touchdown for the win. On first down, the ball was snapped and handed to Bobby. He ran right for no gain, as he was wrapped up instantly. Second down was not much better, as he gained only two yards. Third down was his last chance. He took the handoff from the quarter back, ran left, broke a tackle, made a man miss, and sprinted through an arm tackle. He had done it. There was nothing but green grass ahead.

“TOUCHDOWN! WILDCATS WIN!” proclaimed the announcer.

Against all odds, Bobby finished the game with 3 touchdowns and 210 yards rushing, his best performance to date. He had completed the challenge. The game was won, and Alyssa was going to the homecoming dance with Bobby, the most highly recruited running back in the small school’s history.

Small high school football stadium 

Author's Notes: My story idea came from Part A of Gould's Divine Archer. There is a story in this section in which Rama must string Vishnu's bow in order to gain Sita's love. I wanted to use a similar story of performing an arduous task to win a love, so I changed the characters and story to a high school football player trying to win over a potential homecoming date. In my story, Bobby is the Rama character and Alyssa is the Sita. Bobby must have the best game of his playing career in order to attend the dance with Alyssa. It was no easy task, as he faced a tough opponent, but, in the end, Bobby pulled through and completed the challenge, just as Rama did, and attended to dance with his version of Sita. 

Bibliography: F.J. Gould The Divine Archer