To establish a little background information, in middle school, we beat the gold team.  Ayersville has two tough teams for our little league football, a blue and a gold Ayersville team.  My fifth grade year, I was on the blue Ayersville team.  The blue team beat the gold Ayersville team that year.  At the end of the season, there is a championship.  I thought since we beat them, we would go to the championship, but that’s not how it ended up.  The gold Ayersville team played the Panthers in the championship.  I was ashamed but also enraged that we didn’t go the championship.  We played for third and fourth and, we won, ending at third place.  I thought we should’ve played in the championship. 

I wasn’t very good my fifth grade year.  I was a baby, and I couldn’t take a hit.  I needed to get stronger.  I only had two points that whole year, and I knew that I had to improve for my sixth grade year.  
The sixth grade year was going well for me at this time.  I scored mostly every game, but I needed to get better at defense.  I knew that I couldn’t slack off during this game, so I practiced extra hard the blue and gold game week.  I worked extra hard at defensive end. On offense, I played tight end.  I wasn’t the greatest at blocking, but we had a good quarter back, so we were able to throw the ball.  I’m fast and could catch the ball in sixth grade, so we designed this play for me, where I scored almost every time.  I always would get so thrilled and energetic when we called this play.  My mind buzzed with the thoughts of me running into the end zone, putting 6 points up on the scoreboard for the blue team. I could always feel my muscles heat up with a smile on my face.

As the big game approached, I thought, ‘This game is huge to me.’  I knew I had to go out and do my best.  This game was brother against brother in a sense; the blue Ayersville team plays the gold Ayersville team.  I saw this as one of the biggest rivalries.  All of the blue team players wanted to prove that we were better, especially since the year before we weren’t considered better. 

After that week of practice, it was game time, Saturday, early in the morning.  It was cold, but that didn’t stop me from being ecstatic and hyper.  I was as ecstatic as a dog about to get a treat.  I was jumping around, getting everyone in high spirits.  I knew that this game was going to be good.  I remember coach telling us, “You have to give it your all.”  That doesn’t sound like much, but that’s what gave me the goose bumps; and it fired me up. 

We had the ball first.  As the first snap was about to happen, we players are nervous and excited.  The first snap, I heard the crack of the pads.  We fumbled.  The whistle blew, and I just hoped that we recovered.  Their nose guard jumped right through our center’s legs, hitting the ball.  Our center was getting frustrated at this point.  We recovered the ball.  The next play was the specially designed for me.  The play was a simple clear out as I was doing a slant route right the middle.  My quarterback said to me, “Score.”  I just nodded my head.  “Hike!”  I ran my route extra hard, caught the ball but tripped up by their safety.  I damaged my knee that play, and I felt the pain, which didn’t stop me.  I had a little bit of a limp, but once I put more pressure, it went away.  We tried running and didn’t get the first down so, we punted.  We brought the punt returner down fast. 

At this point, we were on defense. We made them turn over the ball, three plays, and then they punted.  On offense we ran for two first downs; then we ran the play for me.  I saw the ball coming at me.  I caught the ball, juked out their safety this time, and ran, and to the end zone, I went.  After I caught the ball, I ran it for a forty-eight yard touchdown.  My favorite part of football is when I see the goal post, and I cross the goal line for a touchdown.  That’s when I get fired up. 

We fumbled quite a bit because the gold team nose guard kept on jumping through our center’s legs.  On the other hand, defense played an excellent game.  We did not let them score once.  I scored again, for a sixty-nine yard touchdown.  I heard the cheering and cow bells ringing from the crowd.  I heard my players running towards me to celebrate. 

We scored more by running the ball.  Once we had a good lead, we started testing out different running backs.  We put in the second stringers, so the rest of the game, I didn’t play too much.  I played at line backer for about a quarter.  I made some tackles and a sack. 

We won the game!  I smiled from ear to ear.  My mom said I hugged her so hard after the game that her eyes about popped out.  My step dad kept stats for that game as best as he could.  I had two touchdown with over 150 reception yards.  That was good for a sixth grade tight end.  It was after that game, I knew that football was my love.  I am so passionate about football now.  I grew a love for football after that sixth grade year.  I learned how to handle adversity and pain from football.  Football teaches many life lessons.  I will always remember my sixth grade year of playing football on the Ayersville blue Pilot team.