
Photo by Alicia Benton Photography
He peered through the holes in his face mask and looked up into the bleachers. There they were – his whole family – beaming with pride at their star athlete. Okay, maybe he wasn’t a star yet. But he would be someday. He just knew it.

Photo by Alicia Benton Photography
He heard the whistle blow, and he knew that this last play would determine the entire game. They were down by six, and a single last-second touchdown would seal the championship for him and his teammates.
He could feel the pressure. He could no longer hear the crowd of parents, grandparents, and siblings screaming their names, but could only hear his own heart pounding out of his chest. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom.
He knew the team was counting on him. He couldn’t let them down. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and called his snap count. He felt the ball fall perfectly between his fingers. There was nothing like that feeling of the pigskin about to leave his hands and sail across the field.
He dropped back three steps, just like he did perfectly in practice every day. He caught a glimpse of his receiver at the exact spot on the field where he needed to be. This was it. The moment they had prepared for all season.

Photo by Alicia Benton Photography
He cocked his arm back, took one last deep breath, and let the ball sail to its perfectly calculated place on the far-end of the field. The crowd fell silent. No one dared to blink. Even the players seemed to be in a trance as they watched the ball near its target.
It glided through the air and began its descent like a perfectly aimed missile. Only that’s when he noticed… It wasn’t quite perfect. It was a little too far past his eagerly waiting receiver. The crowd knew it, too. Everyone’s shoulders seemed to slump.
He could barely stand to watch as the ball landed only feet behind his receiver, thumping loudly to the turf. He heard the buzzer sound, signaling that the game was over. That the season was over. He had let his teammates down.

Photo by Alicia Benton Photography
Dreading his walk of shame to the locker room, he put his head down, utterly defeated. How would he face his teammates now? He just couldn’t believe it. He practiced that exact play so many times that he was sure he could make the pass in his sleep.
As he headed back to the locker room, he thought about the irony of his refusal to look away from the very ground that caught his pass. He began rewinding the play in his mind just as he felt a hand grab his shoulder.
Sure he was going to be reamed by his coach or a teammate, he looked up slowly, fearing what was about to come. To his surprise, however, his entire team stood behind him, heads held high. He could barely keep his emotions in when it happened.
They hoisted him up on their shoulders and walked him the rest of the way to the locker room. They showered him with “good tries” and “we’ll get it next years.” He had never been so proud to be part of a team.
He knew that, at that very moment, they were more than just teammates.
They were brothers.

Photo by Alicia Benton Photography

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August 6th, 2013 at 11:54 am
Love the post and the pictures!
August 6th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Thank you 🙂
August 6th, 2013 at 11:59 am
that was brilliant….your had me there living that moment with you!!
August 6th, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Aww, thank you!
Unfortunately, I live those moments every year in every sport! It’s so suspenseful and stressful!
August 6th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
love it. i felt like i was in my own kids head as he pitches or gets up to bat at a major point. it’s so tough being under that much pressure. whew! thank goodness they have supportive team and coaches. so important.
August 6th, 2013 at 3:13 pm
Isn’t the pressure just awful?! My younger one pitches, too, and before every pitch I feel like I have to hold my breath!!
August 6th, 2013 at 7:26 pm
i can’t even look sometimes! it’s terrible. i’m amazed how they keep it together… although sometimes they don’t… they are so hard on themselves. 😦
August 6th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
What fantastic post! Love the pics – I felt like a cheerleader as I was reading. 🙂
August 6th, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Thank you!
Oh lord… If you cheered for that child, he’d um… uh… well let’s just say that 12-year-old fair kid has nothing on THIS 13-year-old! Lol!
August 6th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
HAHAHAHA! I’m dying.
August 6th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Reminded me of my favorite tv show, Friday Night Lights! Love that the team rallied around him in this way. This is what sports is all about.
August 6th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
I love that show, too! I love the friendships and bonds that are formed through sports.
August 6th, 2013 at 4:05 pm
I could feel the suspense mounting all the way through, though I had an awful feeling something was going to go wrong! Fantastic ending – “They were brothers” – loved it.
The photos were perfect – they told the story even without the words.
August 6th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
What an amazing compliment coming from you – thank you so much!
August 6th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Well written and I felt the pain too. 😦
August 7th, 2013 at 8:57 am
Thank you! I think all boys have probably had a moment or two like that!
August 6th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
Poor buddy! I hope this doesn’t happen with my daughter in the upcoming cross country season! I can see it now….look at that stride…she’s coming in strong…I think she’s going to pass her…and maybe she could win!!!’ But then that boulder or grass hole gets in he way…. A tumble… A GI joe roll….broken pride….as she loses the big race!…..oh great….now you got me nervous again:):)!….. Great story!
August 7th, 2013 at 9:00 am
Aww! Don’t do that to me – Now I’M nervous for her, too! But I’m sure she’ll do great! And the one thing I’ve learned along the way through youth sports is that losing is what builds character. Of course, if she loses a race, hopefully it’s not because she’s tumbling across the finish line…
August 7th, 2013 at 9:18 am
LOL! I promise if something happens, during one of my kids sporting events that I won’t look back and say “I knew it! Alecia told me this would happen”!….They are more likely to fall, in response to looking over at me anyway….cheering like a lunatic and embarrassing them to no end! That’s my role in life I think!
August 7th, 2013 at 9:21 am
That makes you a normal (and great) mommy!! 🙂
One of the best things about parenting is getting the opportunity to embarrass the heck out of your kids!
August 7th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
That was beautiful. Almost made me cry. The heartbreak of feeling responsible for the loss, then the feeling of acceptance by his peers. Truly lovely.
And now I have Kenny Chesney on a loop in my head as well. 😉
August 7th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
I did all day, too, after writing that! Lol! It’s a great song, but after hearing it (and singing it) a hundred times a day, it’s not so great anymore! 😉
Thank you so much for your sweet compliments!
August 7th, 2013 at 10:06 pm
This was a great read. The head down on the field picture is kinda heart-breaking, but the ending made me happy.
Oh, and I love your Steve Maraboli quote!
August 9th, 2013 at 9:10 am
Thank you so much! It was heartbreaking to watch, too.
I love that quote, too – In fact, I love a lot of his quotes!
August 8th, 2013 at 12:52 am
Aw! Loved this. Esp being from Texas. I GET IT. Well, I didn’t play football. So only sort of. 🙂
August 9th, 2013 at 9:11 am
Thank you! No doubt that you do! I think I was made to live in TX, as much as we love football!!
August 8th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Fantastic, what a thrill, and an amazing message I wish we saw more of!
August 9th, 2013 at 9:16 am
You’re so right about that! Kids can be cruel, and when I see the ones who step up to be kind and thoughtful, it often moves me to tears.
August 8th, 2013 at 7:46 pm
What a great story. Exciting and sweet and touching.
August 9th, 2013 at 9:16 am
Thank you so much!
August 9th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
[…] “The Boys of Fall” by Alicia Benton at Imperfectly Perfect […]
August 9th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
congratulations on your well-deserved win!! i totally felt for this boy, who could have been my own.
August 9th, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Thank you so much! I wish I could say it was entirely fiction, but unfortunately I’ve watched many times as their little hearts have been broken after one sport’s game or another.
August 9th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
don’t i know it! it’s not easy to watch them learn how to lose. it’s hard for adults!
August 9th, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Congratulations on your win! I agree with the editors: your photos were well-chosen and placed in the story, adding to it rather than serving as a distraction.
August 9th, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Thank you so much! That’s a fantastic comment coming from you! 🙂
August 9th, 2013 at 5:48 pm
congrats on the win! Loved the line “he thought about the irony of his refusal to look away from the very ground that caught his pass.” Well done, you.
August 9th, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Thank you so much!