Free First and Ten by Jeff Rud Page B

Stingers headed for the yellow school buses that had brought them there. One by one, the dejected South Side players filed into their seats. Matt was on the same bus with Ricky Jackson, Nate Brown and Kyle James. He noticed Coach Reynolds step into the front of the other bus and deliver a few words to the players. Then the coach came over to their bus.
    â€œNo meeting today, guys,” he said, calmer than Matt would have predicted. “We’ll hash this one out Monday at practice. Good effort.”
    The coach paused before taking his seat at the front of the bus, directly behind the driver. “Hill and Jackson,” he said, looking at the middle of the vehicle where Matt and Ricky sat a couple of seats apart. “I want to talk to you guys when we get back to the school.”
    Matt gulped. He didn’t have to be a psychic to know what that meeting was going to be about. Going for a touchdown on a fake field goal directly against the coach’s orders had cost the Stingers a huge tie. Matt wasn’t looking forward to this meeting at all.
    The bus ride back to South Side took just a couple of minutes. Matt wished it could last a lot longer. He suspected the experience at the other end wasn’t going to be pleasant, and he was right.
    He and Ricky Jackson followed the coach to his office adjacent to the locker room. “Have a seat, boys,” Coach Reynolds said.
    The coach cleared his throat and looked directly at the players with his steely eyes. “Let’s get something straight right now,” he said, his voice firm and cold. “I am the coach of this football team. Period! When I call a play, I want that play run. I don’t want another play run. Do you guys understand?”
    Both players nodded solemnly. Neither said a word.
    â€œThen why the heck did you try that fake field goal? That cost us the game. Do you guys realize that?”
    Again, both Matt and Ricky nodded.
    â€œI can’t let this go without a punishment,” the coach continued. “It wouldn’t be fair to the other kids on the team. They worked hard all game; they deserved better than this. So I am suspending you both for next week’s game against Churchill. You will practice, but you won’t play. You’ll both be third-string for the week and have to earn back your spots in the depth chart.”
    Matt was reeling. All he had done was follow his quarterback’s call in the huddle. He had known that they should have run the play Coach had called on the sidelines, but what was he supposed to do in the situation? The Stingers had no time-outs left. The clock was winding down. Matt had simply done the only thing he possibly could in what had been an impossible situation.
    He was just about to defend himself when he heard the voice beside him. “Coach, I have to say something,” Ricky said slowly, looking over at him. “It wasn’t Matt’s fault. I changed the play in the huddle. I told him I was the quarterback and it was my call. He shouldn’t be suspended too.”
    Coach Reynolds mulled this over for a second and then spoke. “Okay, Hill. You can go now. I’m going to let you off with a warning this time.”
    Relief welled up inside Matt. “Jackson, we have more to talk about,” the coach continued. “You stick around.”
    Matt heard the coach begin to speak to Jackson again as he closed the door to the office and headed out of the locker room. On one hand, he felt sorry for Ricky. Not only was he dealing with the coach, but his dad was also going to be steamed when he found out about the suspension.
    On the other hand, Matt was also angry with Ricky. He had got him into trouble with the coach and for what? Because he wanted to be the big hero with the game-winning play? He resented Jackson for putting him in that awkward position.
    As he left the quiet locker room, Matt noticed his father’s dark suv parked on Anderson Crescent,