Free Guts vs Glory by Jason B. Osoff Page A

football line. 
Although we went into the locker room losing at halftime, we continued to play
like we had played all year.  We knew what we were capable of, and we knew that
no team could stop us from scoring the 2 touchdowns we would need to win the
game.  Surprisingly, both of those touchdowns came from our receivers.  Our
defense stopped our opponents from scoring during the second half, and Mike’s
punt return towards the end of the game sealed the victory for us.
    On the way home from that game,
there was a lot for the team to be excited about.  We had just spent four weeks
sticking to our game plan and beating some of the best teams in the state.  We
were only one of two teams left in the playoffs.    A lot of us felt that we
played better as a team that year than we had the previous season.  Even though
we squeaked by on two of those games, we never gave up and played as a solid
team.  But there was also a lot to be nervous about.  The previous year, we
made it to the same point.  However, that was as far as we got.  We faced a team
that was bigger, faster, and stronger than us, and they knew our game plan. 
Unfortunately, we would have to play against that same team again.  They were
even bigger, even faster, and even stronger than the previous year, and our
game plan hadn’t changed much since the last time they saw us.  Our players
were more talented than the previous year, but would that be enough to beat
those guys?  The one thing I was really curious about was why Mike was working
on catching the ball for an entire month during practice, but never lined up as
a receiver during the playoff games.  My answer came a few hours later.

Chapter 31
    As we got off the bus, the coach
again pulled the two of us into his office; this time to talk about the
upcoming championship game.  The coach felt the same way I did.  Although our
guys grew, theirs did too.  He even watched some of their highlights from
previous games that season on the way back from the semi-final game and noticed
that they were running the same plays as the previous year; the same plays that
sent us home as losers.  But we did have one advantage that no one was
expecting, not even our own players.
    During the playoffs, the coach was
trying to come up with a way to secretly change our game plan without telling
anyone.  He knew that if we tried anything out of the ordinary during the
playoff games, the defending state champions would pick up on it and would
expect it during the finals.  He also didn’t want to spend practice time
preparing for the championship game because he wanted our team to concentrate
on the playoffs, one game at a time.  That meant he only had a few weeks to
come up with a new plan and only one week to try it out.  He wanted my help as
the defensive captain to help with the defense plan, and Mike’s help as an
offensive captain to work with the offensive plan.  The plans weren’t a major
change, but were enough to throw off a team - even a defending state
championship team.
    Offensively, the other team would
be used to Mike as a running back.  They knew our offense revolved around him,
and shutting him down would shut down our scoring.  What they wouldn’t expect
was a different running back.  While Mike was practicing catching, another
running back was taking his place.  Rather than being a speedy runner, the new
guy was a big bruiser that was hard to take down.  The new offense would
consist of a running back that the opponent wouldn’t be expecting and a new
receiver with quick speed.  After having improved on his catching, we knew Mike
would be hard to beat; once he caught the ball, no one would catch him.
    Defensively, the other team was
used to the strength, size, and speed of our defensive ends.  They would
probably put their big, strong guys opposite from us to defend against us. 
That would put their weaker guys in the middle of the offensive line.  They
would also probably plan