Commonwealth Parkville School - Comet Yearbook (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Page 146 text:

Qvaflfall It's 7:30 on a cool October night. Over five hundred spectators sit anx- iously in the stands: the lights which illuminate the playing field contri- bute to the excitement. Eighteen young men in red and white wait tensely as their captains walk out on the field for the toss. The' flip and . . . Red receives!! A roar of approval rises from the stands. A last-minute sideline huddle and the receiving team trots on the field. A whistle blows, a soft leather THUMPisheatd. All eyes follow the long kick as it rises and then decends into the open arms of the deep receiver: ascramble of legs, a block, a cut, another block, and a tackle after a thirty-yard return. The game has begun. ' All eyes focus on one man the quarterback. As he begins to call plays, he remembers the coaches' words: Establish your ground game. Go to the inside two or three times and then sweep the end. Keep the defense honest and don't go to the air until they tighten up the defensive line. Above all, THINK! You're in charge out there! And take your time. When in doubt, run the strong- side off tackle play. Remember, . . . THINK! The two running backs remind themselves not to anticipatethe snap, not to telegraph their movements. They must remember their blocking assignments, especially their crucial roles in pass-protection for the quar- terback. When carrying the ball, follow your blocking, head for day- light, keep those legs moving, and for God's sake, HANG ONTO THAT BALL! The ends are on edge: there are many different things they must do well. This play one double-teams on the defensive tackle: the other must quickly release from the scrimmage line in time to assist the ball-car- rier with a good block in the second- ary. The next play is a pass: will they be able to clear the scrimmage- line, run their patterns, get a few 142 steps on their defenders, and ultimate- ly catch the pass from the quarter- back? The center dries his hands in the huddle, hears the play and the snap number, and breaks for the line of scrimmage before his teammates. He's aware of the importance of his position: if the snap is bad the play is broken, or even worse . . . FUMBLE! He checks the football, asks the ref to dry it, and then bends over it like a mother protecting her young. Then comes the familiar DOWN!! READY!! SET!! ONE ... TWO . .. THREE!! He releases the ball and now begins his other duty, line- blocking. The guard and tackle dig in for hard hitting, a head-on-head brand of contact that only the interior linemen know and enjoy. Perhaps they'll team up for a short-yardage blast by the fullback. If it's a weak-side sweep, the guard will pull and lead in- terference around end: that leaves two men for the tackle to contain.