Dufour 1 George Dufour Mr. Harrell English Comp. 1 16 Sept.

2013 The Miracle on the Gridiron It was the fourth quarter of the championship game and we were down 14-10. There was approximately five minutes on the clock, and we had to drive the length of the field in order to pull off the stunning victory. As I stepped under center, I saw the defense creeping forward getting ready for the blitz. I audibled or changed the play, to a quick passing route and said, Hut! If you couldnt tell by now this story is going to take you through the unbelievable season of the Buckeye Youth Football team of 2009. That year we went 12-0 through a tournament, season, and post season. I was the quarterback of the team and, it was my third year of leading the squad. Our chemistry had become inseparable and we were ready to get revenge on the team who beat us down in the previous years championship. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this miracle on the field so to speak of a season. It all started when we entered the preseason tournament against teams from across Northeast Ohio and one team from Canada, which we played. Our first game was against the Medina Stallions, a team composed of players from the medina county school system, on a Saturday morning around eleven oclock. As we saddled up for our first exhibition I could feel the nerves and pressure that comes with the territory of being the leader of your team. We started off the game really strong scoring on all 3 of our first drives making the score 21-0 at the end of

Dufour 2 the half. In the second half we came out weak on the first drive that the other team had and they scored. But we answered back with a score of our own and closed out the game strong on defense and offense. The final score was 28-7. Our second game was a little bit closer and defense was the story of the game scoring on two interception returns for touchdowns. The final score of that game was 13-7. The next game was the Canadian team. These guys were massive for 8th graders (must be something in the food up there). But anyways, we took it to them even though they were taller and bigger than us. I had a 35 yard touchdown pass on post route that won us the game and put us on the road to the championship. The final score to the Canadian team was 21-20. It was the championship game of the preseason tournament and we played the Warrensville Cowboys. When they came out they were all African-Americans. So needless to say, we were a little nervous because we never played against a team of all black kids. The score was 0-0 going into the fourth quarter when we drove down the field and on a long run got stopped on the one yard line. Normally when this happens I got a play signaled in for a quarterback sneak. Sure enough it came and I could feel my hands get sweaty and butterflies poured into my stomach. I was just hoping to not drop the ball. So as I reached under center and gave the silent signal I followed my lead blocker and just reached passed the defense to score a touchdown! With only a few minutes left the other team drove down the field and scored as well. Only they went for two points in an attempt to win the game and our defense held them on the try and forced the win in the championship! Final score was 7-6. Heading into the regular season we felt confident as any team would who went 4-0 in the preseason. We had a mindset going into the season to be undefeated and crush any team that stood in our way. By starting off 4-0, that dream was still very much alive. The first two games we were off to easy victories shutting out both the teams and scoring 49 unanswered points. The

Dufour 3 third game we played the Brunswick Browns and they put up a fight in the first half not letting us score. Going into the halftime break I gathered my troops and told them we have to not let these guys get the better of us. We are better than this team guys. What do you say we go out there and forget the first half and play Buckeye football like we know how to! The speech got them fired up and on the first play of the second half we scored on a bomb. We were on the twenty yard line and the play was called, TE Pop Pass. Knowing, as I walked under center, that the safety was creeping up, and my guy who was the hot read was going to do a post pattern and blow right by him. I had already picked out my target and where I was going to place the ball. I got down said hut and sure enough took my five step drop back and threw the ball where it needed to be. As I threw the ball I reminisced about playing catch with my dad in the front yard. The safety ran up thinking run and my guy went to his spot exactly where the ball was thrown. He caught it and was off to the races against the trailing defenders. He was gone; there was no way they could catch him. That was the play that sparked the onslaught of offense for the rest of that game. Unfortunately though, they scored on us in the winding down moments of the game and caused our complete shutout season to be over. But, our undefeated season was still intact winning that game by a solid margin of 20-7. We finished out the season in fashion winning our last three games by a combined margin of 73-0. With the undefeated season still intact; we looked forward to the playoffs. When the playoffs started we sat out the first game with a bye because we had the best record in the league. So, we watched and waited for our next victim of the hungry Jaguars. When we got word that we would be playing our brother team, the Buckeye Jets, we were ecstatic to beat them because we lost to them in last years championship. When game day rolled around we all felt nervous and at the same time ready for revenge. With a football team full of energy,

Dufour 4 nerves, and revenge, we stormed onto the field and completely took over the game from the first blow of the whistle till the last second on the clock ran out. We werent going to let our rival team beat us one game from the championship. The final score resembled the wrath of revenge that we struck down on them by winning 31-0. Now all that stood in our way was one game from being undefeated. It was a crisp and windy day in November. Game temperature was around 45 degrees with the clouds rolling in. As we saddled up for battle knowing this was most of our last games with the team we all took a bow and did a pre game prayer. As the whistle blew for the first play of the game the nerves went away and we were back to playing Buckeye football. We dominated for most of the game on offense and defense. The fourth quarter came about and the score was 14-10 them. There was five minutes left as I stepped under center and audibled due to the opposing team blitzing. As I yelled hut the defense closed on me quickly. I managed to scramble out of the pocket and roll to my right where I saw my receiver wide open down the field. On the run I threw it up to where I thought he was going. He saw it ran under it and caught it. As soon as I let go of it, a defender tackled me and as I laid on the ground I saw the whole play unravel. The receiver caught it and ran 85 yards for the touchdown! All we had to do now was hold them off and we would win the championship. I racked up 124 yards passing on 4 of 5 completions and one touchdown. As the final whistle blew, we had done it! Undefeated season! Going 12-0, with 258 points for and only 32 points against, we surely were the 1972 Dolphins version of the best football team that year. The thing that I learned most from this event was that blood doesnt define your family. Our football team that year was unlike any other Ive been a part of or seen at that age. Needless to say we became a family of brothers who showed not only, Northeast Ohio but also, Canada how to play Buckeye football. That year of football will never be forgotten in my memory as Im sure it will never leave the memory of the team, my

Dufour 5 family whose blood wasnt the same; but bled for the same reason and for one goal. To go undefeated and become Champions forever engraved into the history of Buckeye Youth Football. This season I not only became part of a family but also, discovered who I was as an individual. I became a leader of that football team. I started out from the bottom and worked my way up. I found out that I was capable of leading something more than just a peewee football team. I lead my group of brothers onto that field each and every game knowing that if something went wrong I would have to take the blame for it. It comes with the territory of being the quarterback. So in essence, the word miracle in the title is referring to my becoming of a leader. A person who went from being the person doing what is told by the team to a person who gained respect from the team and who eventually led his team to an undefeated season winning the Championship game and MVP of the season.