I started playing football when I was twelve years old. Most of my teammates had been playing for years before me so I was one of the only rookies on the team. I started off as a second-string player since I did not yet know many of the skills and techniques that were needed. I always had great speed and athleticism so I was put in the runningback and wide receiver position. My coaches believed I had all the tools to be a great football player and worked on me to become one. As the season progressed I got better and better, and by the last couple of games, I was starting to get more and more playing time. Then, in our first playoff game I was called up for a huge task.

            We were playing Holliston that year and they were tough. They hit hard and were very aggressive. It was late in the fourth quarter and we were down six to seven. We drove the ball all the way to the twenty yard line but were stopped on third down. We had to go for it. My coach called a timeout and explained a play that we had never done before. It was a half-back pass where the runningback would get the ball and run around the edge but then pass it to a wide receiver down field. When he was explaining the play I thought the receiver would automatically be our best and most experienced receiver on the team. But instead he designated that job to me. I was so surprised when he said my name that I questioned if he said the right person. He chuckled at me and said “You can do it, I believe in you and your team believes in you.” So after the timeout we got right into position on the field. I was locked into place half-focused, half-scared out of my mind. We hiked the ball and I ran out; the runningback got the ball which attracted the defense’s attention. Then, he lobbed the ball up which felt like forever until it came down while I waited for it in the end zone. When it finally landed gently into my hands I felt all my efforts all season to be more than worth it. It was one of the best feelings I had ever felt in my life. This was my very first touchdown. When I came back from my heavenly trance, I celebrated with my whole team who met me in the end zone.

            This was one of my greatest achievements of my life. It was one of those feelings that is truly unique and one that most people do not feel throughout their whole life. This feeling is not just from getting the game-winning touchdown, but its one complete self-satisfaction. That touchdown did not just happen; I worked all year long for that touchdown. I went through all the sprints, the long runs, and all those other strenuous exercises that would make me leave the field sweaty and sore. All the work put into getting all the plays perfect, all my blocks, all my runs, all my pass routes. It was all worth it in the end for that feeling of ecstasy after that touchdown. The dedication, hard-work, self-confidence, and self-respect I learned throughout that year of football all came out in that catch. And from that catch on, I have become a person that exudes all of those characteristics in my life and will always continue to do so for the rest of my life.