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But in the fourth quarter, a key field goal attempt came up for Bridgeport. One of the few rolls I had was to block on the field goal team. I ran out onto the field and took my position. I looked over my shoulder and noticed the guy who was to play exactly opposite me on the right side was missing! This would give a Decatur player a clear shot to block the field goal.
Here's the setup:
So what does my razor quick mind do? Do I call timeout? Heck, no. I'm a Junior and I didn't have the guts to do that. Do I yell at our quarterback who was on the field as the placeholder so that he could decide to call a timeout? Nope. Never crossed my.
My plan, that was created in probably 10 seconds, was to block my guy and then streak across behind our offensive line and block the Decatur player that would be charging in. This is what I saw in my mind.
That, my friends, is the dumbest idea ever. First, I could never get there in time. Secondly, I might have wanted to consider that I'd be placing myself directly in the path of travel of the football as it comes off the kicker's foot! Yep, there is a great chance I'd block our own team's kick.
So what happened? I remember hitting my guy and turning to run to the right. As I got about halfway I simultaneously heard the whistle blow AND the ball come whizzing by my head. For the first time it dawned on me the disaster my plan could have caused, and I almost went into shock. I can't remember why the whistle blew - I don't know if our coach called a timeout or if there was a flag - but we got to kick again with all 11 guys on the field. This time our kicker made the kick. A kick that ended up being critical in a 41-40 Bridgeport win.
But I always play "what if" in my mind. What if there had been no whistle and that ball had ricocheted off my head and I had single handedly lost the game for Bridgeport? It, without a doubt, would have been the most famous screw up in Bridgeport High School history, and I would forever be know as "the guy that blocked his own team's kick."
Fate saved me. Fate kept me from having to move out of state.
17 comments:
Man, a history of problem solving like would have played hell with a career as a lawyer, ya' think?
Sounds like a perfect candidate for law school in the making!
Notice how Barry has let everyone know he was a football player on a Bridgeport team that beat Decatur!
And then you went on to create this blog.
Hey, if anyone needs to take care of any tickets today in Precinct 2, today is the day! They are too busy having silly string fights to care. This Battle of the Big Sandy is all they're worried about.
It's not too late Barry. You can still move out of state! I promise we'll all be just fine.
...and that was that greatest turning point of your life? What about all of those other episodes of "Barry's Life: Who Needs It?"
Possibly you would have not entered into law and become a banker had things turned out differently!
Forget the football mumbo jumbo. You have a great memmory! So detailed.
You would have undoubtedly had to move to California to escape your beleaguered life. You would be a befuddled organic gardener currently runnning a blog titled, "Conservatively Fine in the Land of Cheese and Wine"!
And... I can't spell.
Bridgeport 36, Decatur 27. You heard it here first. It's 4:19 or thereabouts on Friday afternoon.
Love this story!!
Men who live in their old high school "glory days," I'll never understand. And I live with one.
I don't think fate saved you... I saw you play in that game and I don't believe you could have blocked Gerald's kick unless someone knocked you back into it...but then again you used to run equally as fast backwards...
Just think - if you'd moved out of state you might actually have made something of yourself. Fate (or Karma as Earl might say) got you to stay in this mess that is Wise Co.
Barry... thank you for not blocking that kick.
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