Fourteen Seconds

"We're running out of time. We have got to figure out a plan to run the clock down. Got any ideas?" asked Coach Pope as he gathered us around for a one minute private team meeting.

It was the last quarter, we just use our last timeout, and there was fourteen seconds on the clock. The game was tied 3-3. The opposite team just scored one roughly a second ago. We only had one more point to win it for our first round of the high school playoff season. We're going against another team in a neighborhood town that was seeded number one for the season meanwhile our team has been number five. 

Literally everyone was here for our game. I could see my parents, my neighbor Ms. Lu, Ivan's girlfriend Mary and my long time best friend Tracy from the front row seats of the stands.

Ivan was on my right as coach Pope was on my left. Meanwhile the other eight players stood between the coach and my best friend all in a circle. There was Trey, Bobby, Owen, Peter, Carl, Eric, Matt, and Ronald.

Each of us had our own positions through out not only this nail biting game but the season as well. My bestie Ivan was the goalie; then there was Owen, Peter and Carl as the defensive end; while Trey, Bobby and I were the midfielders; and lastly Eric, Matt and Ronald were our attackers. I would give my friends a better description but I would be here all day. 

Anyways here we were: all trying to catch our breath as Coach Pope asked the important question. For a full few seconds, no one had said a word. I thought for a moment thinking about any possibilities of winning this game. Then an idea pop out of my head at the spur of the moment. I finally pitched in and suggested: "We can try a game of hot potato."

Everyone looked at each other and then at me. Coach Pope responsed: "You know, that actually might work."

"Good thinking, Stuart. Do we all agree?" asked my best friend Ivan.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. I put my right hand in and everybody proceeded to out their right hands onto mine. Once everyone had done so, I shouted: "1-2, Let's go..."

"HUSKIES!" we all yelled as we send our hands up in the air.

Everyone got in their positions on the field. Ivan grabbed the ball and placed in his lacrosse stick. He stood at the end zone near our goal. Once he was ready, he passed the ball to Owen.

14 seconds. Owen quickly turns and passes it to Carl as Peter proceeds forward with the ball at his possession.

13 seconds. Carl throws the ball as Peter successfully catches. As that happened, Trey, Booby and I were up ahead next to the attackers of both sides.

12 seconds. Peter then throws to Trey yet after the successful catch, our midfielder was blocked by the other team's midfielder.

11 seconds. Bobby comes charging in and Trey slightly tosses the ball to Bobby's stick. 

10 seconds. The toss was a success as Bobby was now heading for the opposite side with the ball as his disposal.

9 seconds. Our attackers and I defended Bobby as much as but the pressure was getting high very fast.

8 seconds. Bobby passes it to our nearest attacker Ronald, and it was a close call for another attacker almost caught it.

7 seconds. Ronald goes forward but trips and losses the ball. Everyone is now scamming to get the ball.

6 seconds. Matt luckily grabs the ball as it roll into his lacrosse stick.

5 seconds. Matthew passes to Eric as Matthew was taken down from an attacker of the other team.

4 seconds. Eric catches the ball successfully as he then now passes to me.

3 seconds. I've miscalculated and the ball was up in the air. Everyone from the opposite team including myself was trying to catch the ball.

2 seconds. The ball came down and Ronald was able to catch as if destiny decided to give him a winning chance.

1 second. Ronald tosses the ball into the goal as the goalie tries to stop it from getting in there. With everything going on, no one saw if the ball got inside or not for there was no movement from the net.

ZERO. There came a buzzer and absolute silence immediately afterwards upon the field. The ref examine the net and Lord behold, the ball was in there within the net.

"GOAL!" shouted the announcer of the game as the crowd grew wild. The announcer continue on ranting energetically: "That was the goal of the century! The Huskies win and are heading off the the second round of the champion tournament! GO HUSKIES!"

All of us were leaping and jumping around the field with joy. We of course gave the other team our respects and they gave us theirs.

Ronald was carried by the team for he was the one to give us the winning shot. Sure, that could have been me, but I wasn't upset in the slightest.

If anyone deserves this victory, it was surely Ronald for he has been having a rough year than any of us. He had lost his parents last fall from a fatal car crash, lost his guinea pig in February and even lost his spirit to play guitar. As our team carried Roland within the crowd of our fans, families and friends, Ivan and I watched back just enjoying this moment for our friend/teammate. We both can see him doing an air guitar on his lacrosse stick as he's been carried away with the biggest smile on his face.

"Looks like Roland's back to him old self," smiled Ivan.

"I can see that and it's a good sign," I replied. "Hopefully this will make up for his crappy year."

"I'm sure it will, buddy. He's surely going to have a good one this time around."

"I pray that this victory won't be his only nor his last," I said as I told my hands.

"Do you think he'll make MVP?" asked my best friend.

"I just don't think that. I believe Ronald would make more than just that, my friend," I smiled.