Perfection! Undefeated Season!

For the final time this fall (next week they play the coaches and parents), Team 801 took the field at 8 AM this morning. With a 5-0-1 record, The Playmaker and The Head Ball Coach were "quietly" looking to close out an undefeated season. However, when two of our better players were not there, things were not looking good. The other team kicked off and The Playmaker made a quick steal and took it down for a goal. That lasted for about 5 minutes, when the other team scored 3 quick ones. Inconspicuously worried (and pissed off), an unnamed coach (No names! No names!) called for a strategic water break.

As the other kids huddled with parents and tried to warm up, we sat with The Playmaker and quietly stated the score and reiterated our objective of an undefeated season. Not in a Marv Marijuanavich do-it-or-don't-come-home! way. But in a way that was calm yet crystal clear.

What then transpired made us, perhaps, prouder than we have ever been of The Playmaker's athletic accomplishments. It's not our style to brag, but he was literally all over the field. He bulled his way to 2 more goals, tying the game at 3. He ran himself to exhaustion getting back on D. He stopped a two-on-one breakaway. And when he scored again, he came over to confirm The Good Guys were ahead by one (4-3). He then switched to prevent mode and simply tried to clear the ball out of our end and dump it down the field to use up the clock. With 3 minutes remaining in the season, he went down and scored one final goal to give us a 5-3 victory and an undefeated season -- 6-0-1.

Playing without any other fire power, The Playmaker willed his team to a victory. Best of all, he was happier about the undefeated season than he was about scoring all 5 of the team's goals.

(He is now sprawled out on the floor, resting and watching College GameDay.)

Well done, My Friend. Well done.