Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

Also, for anyone who doesn't have the time to catch up and read my overkill of paragraphs, I've been including chapter summaries on the first page

[young22]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

You're a great writer man, definitely following this.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

You're a great writer man, definitely following this.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

Much love!

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER SIX: ELDRIDGE

August 25th, 2017 (Redwood, NC)

JC never quite understood the saying “you could cut the tension with a knife”. That was until he sat in a high school football lockerroom before their opening game. He sat on his stool in between Jaden and Sweet Lou- both of whom twiddled away on their phones. The lights were off in the room, and JC observed all the players’ interesting pregame rituals. Lamar sat in his meshed metal locker with large headphones wrapped around his head. Across from him was their biggest lineman and also the one who greeted him at the first conditioning, Al Jackson, who did the same exact thing. It was hard to tell if they were asleep or in meditation.

Max, their star linebacker, was nowhere to be found. Usually the players who just could not stand to sit in silence would go outside in the bleachers as to not annoy their incredibly serious teammates. Tre was in the coaches office more than likely going over things he had seen on film or regurgitating the game plan for the fiftieth time. JC did not feel the same pressure as his older teammates. In some ways he was glad. He enjoyed sitting on his stool whispering and snickering with Jaden and Sweet Lou. It was much more relaxing.

A man appeared in the lockerroom from one of the side entrances. It was dark so seeing him was hard. JC tried though. The man wore some type of suit. He had never seen him before but whoever it was proceeded through the room and straight to the coaches office. He gave a knock and let himself in. Coach Penny’s office had a window in it and JC observed their head man being a bit annoyed with this guy.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

Off-season: over. Summer practices: over. July conditioning: over. Two-a-days: over. Scrimmages: over. Pregame: over. The lockeroom was quiet despite the dozens of teenage boys inside. All were kneeled into a half-crescent. JC towards the back. Everyone sported their red jersey with white pants. The pressure to succeed. The pressure to win. The crowd could be heard outside of their sanctuary. It was large. Mount Randolph was a great team not too far away. They more than likely packed the visitors’ side too.

Out walked Coach Penny in his gameday attire. Not much different than usually except khaki shorts instead of sweat shorts and a brand new polo opposed to his generationally worn practice version. A black headset hung around his neck. He walked into the center of the half-crescent with his players’ eyes peering up with feelings of nervousness, excitement, and pure adrenaline.

“It’s here boys. All that work. All that time sitting around thinking. You all have put in so much effort. It’s game one. You’re going to hit that wall. Mid-second quarter it’s going to set in. But, listen to me, you have got to push through it. They’re going through it too. Think about the work you put in. Think about it. That’s all I ask of you all tonight. Effort. We’re going to make some mistakes. Mount Randolph is a good team. They practice just like we do. They’re going to make some plays too. Keep your composure and keep giving effort. Have faith in yourself and your brothers. And let’s go kick some ***. Tre, break it down,” he calmly pointed to the Raider quarterback.

Tre stood up as the team followed. He put his hand in the air as everyone followed suit, “Hey y’all, I love every single one of you. Our journey starts now. One game at a time. Let’s be mean. Let’s be nasty!” he yelled to the team’s rising enthusiasm, “and let’s go get this win!”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________


JC’s hands were sweating, and he wasn’t even going to play. In the back of his head he was conscious of all the people he told that he would be starting. At least he got to wear pads and a jersey. For now though, he was more excited to watch the game play out. The stadium was packed. Red waves ran up the bleachers and overflowed along the fenceline. It was loud. Mount Randolph travelled well with their own sea of navy blue and old gold to mirror.

The captains were out at the coin toss: Tre, Lamar, and Max. JC did his best to focus on the gameplan for the week but more of his energy went into being the practice dummy for varsity. He did know one player for Mount Randolph though. He held offers from a slew of Division One schools including Virginia Tech and NC State. Their runningback: D’evionte Eldridge. Indeed, he was out there with the captains sporting #9. He was the size of Max but looked as ripped as Tre.

The Mount Randolph Mountain Lions won the toss and elected to receive. Tension began to peak as the kickoff team strutted out. The crowd roared. The energy was extreme. Coach Penny looked on in calmness- he had been here before. A season of excitement lay ahead. With the ball being kicked off, it was just football at this point.

Mount Randolph tried to fool no one. Their first six plays were all turn and hand-offs to Eldridge. However, it appeared that Redwood’s defense was well-prepared. Though he ran for several yards, their drive eventually petered out. It was Tre’s turn. Coach Penny was creative on offense. He moved a lot of pieces around in the spread and utilized Tre’s football IQ for a lot of read plays. A sweep to a motioning Lamar. A fake handoff and quarterback scramble. A rollout pass right where he found refuge in their new sophomore tight end Billy Reynolds.

Though they gutted the Mountain Lion defense, they stalled out around the fifteen thanks to some dropped passes. However, Tre, also being their kicker, netted a field goal to go up three. The remainder of the first quarter was basically a rinse and repeat. Mount Randolph drove steadily but had to punt. Tre led the Raiders back down but had to settle for another field goal to up 6-0 going into the second quarter.

The wall Coach Penny alluded to indeed came. On the opening drive of the second quarter, Eldridge began heating up with Redwood’s defense hitting that first half threshold. In only seven plays, the star runningback had slashed and ran over the entire defense to take the score 7-6. The Raiders’ reply was botched with a false start and holding call that kept them from a first down. On the first play following, Eldridge took it 71 yards to the house for a 14-6 lead.

A wind was sucked from Redwood’s crowd. JC, not used to these quick momentum swings, looked around to see if the coaches or players were panicking. He saw Tre and Coach Sampson going over something on a clipboard. They seemed fine despite the look of the crowd’s faces. Both teams clamped down on defense to go in at halftime with that score.

Halftime in the lockerroom was quiet despite the sounds of coaches and players discussing schematics on white boards in different corners. JC did not dare to say a word nor did any of the other players who dressed but didn’t play. He could see the frustration on Tre’s face. JC wanted nothing more in that moment than to be able to go out there and take some of the load. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t big enough. Not mean enough. And honestly didn’t understand the game enough. This frustrated him a lot too.

“Alright boys, just like we said. They’re a heck of a team but so are we. We punch those two drives in and this is a tie game. They got some big plays but guess what, we got some players here too. Jenkins, Meyers you cannot shoot up field. You’re doing exactly what they want. Stay home, play your gap, and we slow down Eldridge. Offense, we’re doing alright, just have to finish drives. Let’s go win this game.”

JC was continually impressed by the composure of everyone considering that the coaches and seniors cared the most. The Redwood Raiders sprinted back out onto the field with a roaring crowd revamped with twenty minutes of leisure and nachos. The ball was kicked off and the Raiders began the second half with a trio of Tre and Lamar option plays.

They worked. However, after those three first down runs, Tre and Lamar miscommunicated on a read option. The two tugged at the ball and it slipped from under Tre’s elbow down to the grass. Before he knew it, a white and navy blue jersey landed it on with the sound of the opposing bleachers roaring. Tre angrily ripped his chinstrap off and jogged to the sideline. It was a gut punch. Mount Randolph took full advantage. On the very next play, they called a beautiful play action to Eldridge causing nearly every Raider to crash down. Their tall, well-built quarterback pulled it out and sent a bomb over the top to a wide open receiver. 21-6.

Tides were turning fast. Redwood’s next drive failed to even get a first down. In fact, two wide receivers were injured back-to-back plays after being hit low on bubble screens. When Mount Randolph got the ball back, the coaches realized they only had ten starters out there due to the injuries.

“We need a corner! A corner!”

JC looked around and saw no one jumping at the opportunity. Lamar was on the very other end talking to Coach Sampson. Unconsciously, JC’s hand shot up. Coach Penny didn’t care who it was. He yelled, “Get in there!”

It happened so fast. He was in the game! Quickly, he buckled his chin strap and asked for the call as he ran past the safeties. Cover Three. Okay, good. Easy, safe call. He was late to the party and got over top of the wide receiver as soon as the ball snapped. It was a run, thankfully, in which the Raiders stuffed. The next play, another run. Finally, on third down, the call for Cover One came. Great.

The ball snapped and JC’s man slammed inside hard. He definitely got the edge. JC chased hard and heavy. Running full speed. He was fast. The quarterback found JC’s man on the drag but as soon as the ball hit his stomach, JC had him wrapped around the hips and tackled. Fourth down. It was exhilarating. He ran off the field with a sea of congratulations including his brother. To build with the momentum, Max would shoot up the gut, block the punt, and return it for a score. 21-13.

The corner JC replaced went back in, and they stopped the visitors in five plays. However, Mount Randolph returned the favor two-fold. They forced a three and out then also blocked a punt. Thanks to another big play by Max, they were stopped in three plays.. A field goal had to be settled for. 24-13.

As the fourth began, Tre pushed it into a new gear. His read options were ran perfectly. His passes had great touch. He extended plays. Mount Randolph’s defense was exhausted. On a critically long drive, Tre shovel passed a touchdown to Lamar. On the two point conversion, he ran the Tim Tebow fake QB dive pop pass to a success. 24-21.

The stadium thumped.. Spirits were high. Then, of course, was Eldride. Over the next eight minutes of clock time, he took hand off after hand off. Slowly, painfully, and helplessly, the quarter spun down. With under two minutes left, Mount Randolph finished their drive with a three yard dive by, who else, Eldridge. 31-21. The game was out of reach. This didn’t stop Tre from orchestrating a four-play drive that went eighty yards in thirty seconds though. In vain, he rolled out right to hit Reynolds in the corner of the endzone to make it 31-28 with fifteen seconds left. The onside kick failed. Mount Randolph knelt. The promising Redwood Raiders were 0-1.

Spoiler

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER SEVEN: GRAVEL LOT

August 25th, 2017 (Redwood, NC)

JC stood next to his grandfather in the gravel parking lot outside the Redwood fieldhouse. It was not a cheerful atmosphere. Some players, mostly younger, were not bothered by the loss. They would still grin and laugh talking to girls while upperclassmen would sadly walk out and hug their parents. There was a lot of disappointment brewing. Many felt they had let the town down and proven many of the doubters right. Pop leaned next to his old truck sporting blue jeans and a bright red windbreaker. He held a foldable stadium seat under his arm.

“Ain’t much you can do about that. Just a man out there running the ball,” Pop uttered under his breath.

JC nodded, “Yeah. Even then, we still could’ve won.”

The two overheard a conversation a few people over. The tone was serious and angry. JC recognized the boy. He was Tre’s backup. A junior named Kyle Erlewine. He never really spoke much and honestly was a forgettable person. He was a decent quarterback, however. Tall around 6’2” and an accurate arm but his legs were awkward. The conversation was overheard not because of the boy but because of his angry mother.

It was hard to tell if she was too angry to keep her voice low or purposely being loud enough to be heard. She looked like the stereotypical mean football mom with her son’s jersey pulled over top of a hoodie and a short-cut blonde hairdo hanging around a powdered face.

“If that coach knew what was good for him, we would have won. You know how to take care of the ball. We threw for what? 150 yards?” she scoffed.

JC was struck in awe. Was she really putting this loss on Tre? He carried the team the entire night. His turnovers weren’t even his fault. JC’s face grew red, and he was immediately ready to walk over and say something. Pop’s hand came down across his chest.

Through his gray mustache he simply said, “Not worth it. Won’t ever win with those type of people. No use trying.”

Before JC could persuade them to start a conflict, Tre had come out. He sported long khakis with a white wife beater along with a giant ice wrap over his throwing shoulder. He had little abrasions all over his body. He was undoubtedly upset over the game but was surprisingly upbeat.

“Yeah, **** game but we can fix it. We’ll be alright,” he calmly said to his Pop.

Pop nodded, “Don’t doubt it. They’re a good team. Might seem ‘em again.”

Tre looked over at his little brother and gave a gracious smile, “How about JC going in there, huh? Got himself a tackle!” he said while grabbing JC in a headlock.

JC mildly fought it off but gave a big grin. He really looked up to Tre, and it felt amazing to make him proud. That was followed by a feeling of not being good enough to help the team win, however. After Pop checked out Tre’s shoulder and proceeded to call him soft regardless of the extent of the injury, he hopped in his truck and said he would see them at home. He had left prematurely purposely as he had noticed Tre’s girlfriend walking over.

Her name was Kaylie White. Not that her and Pop had any bad blood but he was too old to listen to teenage girls. She was alright in JC’s eyes even though he never spoke to her much though her and Tre had dated for over a year. Kaylie, still wearing her cheerleading outfit, walked with sass but had an approachable sweet face with short black hair and large brown eyes. She gave Tre a hug.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Tre nodded with one arm around, “It’s all good. We’ll be fine.”

As if the conversation topic was not important, Kaylie immediately switched gears, “The Thompson’s are having a party tonight. Do you want to go?”

Quarterback One looked over at his younger brother and shook his head, “Nah, I’m good.”

The couple did their whole high school relationship routine before departing. At this point, there was hardly anyone left in the parking lot. The Rhodes brothers began walking to Tre’s car. JC glimpsed over to see the 31-28 lights on the scoreboard right before it shut off.

“Damn, we should have had that one,” JC shook his head while hopping into the car.

Tre turned the key in the ignition, “Yeah. We all could’ve played better. Eldridge was just a dog out there. I think this will be a good thing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We had so much pressure on us. Last year we went 9-1 and that one loss was because we came out so tense. We had a whole off-season and preseason of pressure building on us. I felt it too. Now, though, I mean we already lost a game. We can just play ball now.”

JC nodded, “That’s true, I guess.”

“Plus we won’t be facing many D’evionte Eldridge’s from here on,” Tre said with a laugh.

“I kinda wanted to stay in longer and try to tackle him.”

Tre’s eyes widened with sarcasm, “Okay, if you say.”

Despite the loss, things did feel fine. JC was beginning to get the mental toughness aspect of football. The idea that when things go wrong, you always keep a positive outlook and focus on the future. Listening to his big brother ramble about the things he’s going to change in the lockerroom and propose to Coach Penny made JC see how this whole leadership worked. Heads up and keep moving forward regardless of who’s behind you and who isn’t.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

ER! ER! ER! ER! *click*

JC blindly turned off his phone’s morning ring. It was 6:00AM. He had forgotten to unset his school alarm. He rolled over with it as the warm morning sun began to trickle into his large bedroom that he always kept neat. His eyes were fighting being opened but he noticed dozens of messages sitting in his inbox. Half-asleep, he opened them.

“That’s crazy.”

“Are they alright?”

“How many were there?”

“They know who yet?”

JC’s eyes widened. He quickly began scrolling to the bottom of the group message as quick as he could. Something serious had happened.

[Locke888]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

No no no, where’s the next chapter?!

Feels like Tom Clancy switched over to football dramas.

Really good....

[young22]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

Aw man you just had to end on a cliffhanger! Lol

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

No no no, where’s the next chapter?!

Feels like Tom Clancy switched over to football dramas.

Really good....

Haha appreciate the compliment!

Aw man you just had to end on a cliffhanger! Lol

HAD TO

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER EIGHT: REAL GUTS

August 28th, 2017 (Redwood, NC)

Coach Penny stood in front of the Redwood Raiders with a strained look stretched across his face. His eyes wide, lips tight, skin red. The old man tended to let the emotional aspect of coaching be done by his assistants. However, this case needed to be from him. The lockerroom was dim. Players had crowded in with stools. Everyone present knew the situation and the silence was intense enough that the buzz of the light in the coaches office could be heard.

“You know men, I was disappointed Friday night. I thought we were the better team. I thought we cared more. I thought we were going to win. We didn’t. And, that’s life. But, that amount of disappointment is a molehill compared to the call I got at 4:00AM. The coaches and I had just gotten home after breaking down film. As soon as my eyes close, I get a call. I get a call that some of my players were arrested for being drunk out of their mind, high out of their mind, and catching **** on fire at some party.”

He paused. The pain he passed off was true. He looked into the eyes of every player on the team. JC did his best to remain as still and serious as possible. The tension was drowning.

“Nine Raider players. Seven starters. All there. Stand up,” he growled as the nine players involved in the incident stood up from their stools. One included Big Al- their best linemen. The rest were more role players but included five skill players- four of whom started.

“You know, I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t do some stupid **** as a teenager. Hell, I do stupid **** now from time to time. Yes, I am disappointed in you all for being so immature and reckless. But, my true disappointment comes in the fact that this is how you react to adversity. We face a crushing loss. We have players in here crying after the game. Some of you were crying. What did you do? You didn’t go home and get some rest. Clear your mind. Wake up early to watch the film we put up. No, you reacted to adversity by being a bunch of selfish cowards. We were all in pain and you went out and drank and smoked and set **** on fire. Ten years from now, when you get laid off from your job, are you just gonna go find the local bar and drink it away? Let your family go hungry? Take the cowardly way out? Because guess what… Friday night you did that. Your family, us, was grieving. We were facing adversity. And you all forgot about us. What you wanted was more important.”

Coach Penny fearfully pierced through these young men’s souls. Not any of them dared react or try to explain themselves.

“If it were up to me, you all would be off my football team. We don’t need you. But, due to state law that’s considered double jeopardy. I lobbied for the harshest punishment I could enact, and I got it. None of you will set foot in this lockerroom for the next five weeks.”

Some of the players standing were seniors. Despite the darkness, you could see the blood run from their face. They would be losing half of their final year of football.

“Now, get out!” Coach Penny yelled as the group of men ducked their heads and walked past the assistant coaches.

The air cleared a bit when the perpetrators left. Coach Penny took a deep breath and switched gears. His ability to segment his emotions was impressive.

“I want to thank everyone in this room for your dedication to this team. I heard all the details about that party. Everyone and their mother was there. I guarantee all of you were invited except maybe Sweet Lou,” the team laughed as the chubby freshman grinned, “But it took real guts to turn it down. That’s what life is all about. Turning down fun sometimes to take care of business. If you take care of business, you’ll party like rockstars. So now, business has changed. We have seven new spots open for grabs. They might have been bigger, stronger, and faster but I’d rather have seven new guys out there that care. Due to this, we have cancelled the JV game today. We’ll be going full-pads this evening. We have a lot of work to do before Lewis County comes to town Friday.”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

JC clicked on his Xbox One. He leaned back in his gaming chair with a gallon of water next to his feet. His bedroom was dim, neat, and cooled by the AC unit in his window. As his gaming console powered up, a knock came at his door. Pop gently opened it and leaned his head in.

“Heading to bed. Night. Love you.”

“Love you too,” JC said while turning over his shoulder.

The door gently closed back. Pop’s farmhouse was a special place to JC. The peacefulness, the comfortability, the consistency. Only a few years ago were they living with their father. Jeremiah Rhodes II, the man Tre was named after (hence him being the third). He was Pop’s son-in-law. It had been what felt like forever since JC had seen him. The last image he had, around the age of 11, was his father sitting in the back of a cop car. His pale white skin even more fair than normal. His face covered in dirt, grime, blood, and whatever else you could think of. His light brown beard patchedly grown in to coincide with an unkempt nest of head hair. His eyes were always loving though. Dark brown and eloquently shaped. He was a good-looking man- Tre and JC both took after him with several of their facial features. The last look he had on his face when JC saw him was that of defeat. The love of his children was strong but the power of opioids was stronger. At this point, neither Tre or JC talked or asked about the whereabouts of their father.

Though it hurt, life with their dad was hard. It was borderline traumatizing. Endlessly moving from house to house. Sleeping on other people’s couches. Living with one person who was so loving in the morning and an absolute strung-out zombie at night. While all this had been going on, Pop had been fighting a legal battle to gain custody. His efforts were just in time as Jeremiah Rhodes II was taken in for yet another count of possession.

JC slipped on his headset and immediately had an invite from a party with Jaden and Sweet Lou. He joined in.

“What’s up Juicebar?” Sweet Lou greeted.

Jaden snickered in the background, JC responded, “Lou is the only person that has to breathe heavy when sitting down on box.”

“**** you,” Lou laughed in response while Jaden really lost it.

Sweet Lou got on with the conversation, “Bro, I am terrified. I gotta play this Friday.”

JC nodded, “Yeah, but you’re lucky. I was trying so hard to beat out Miles for corner but I kept messing up.. It’s pretty cool you’re starting as a freshman. That’s like really rare.”

Jaden agreed, “Yeah, that’s badass. You’ll be alright dude. Lewis County ain’t nowhere as good as Randolph.”

“I hope so. I just don’t want to mess up. It’s scary as **** blocking for your brother JC. I feel like he’s going to beat my *** if I do something wrong,” Lou laughed again.

“Yeah, that’s Tre on the field. Just ask a lot of questions. Like if you don’t know something on the field, just ask someone else. That’s what I did last week.”

“True, true. But I bet you guys will get some playing time. You’re on special teams right?”

JC and Jaden replied in unison, “Yeah, yeah both kickoff and kickoff return.”

The three were all experiencing three different emotions heading into the Lewis County game two days away. Lou was staunchly nervous for his new role as a starter. His friends helped ground him and reassure his ability. Jaden continued to talk about his strong desire to make a big play. His friends helped continue his confidence and belief in himself. JC was incredibly disappointed he had not won a starting role. He was sure he would with the amount of players suspended. His friends made him feel better to the fact that he was even playing as a freshman in a role position was really great.

Their attitudes were great several nights out from Lewis County. The Redwood Raiders as a whole? Not for certain. The seniors were ready as always with more motivation than ever for guys like Tre and Lamar. Coach Penny knew he had done the right thing with his ruling on the players but could not help but to build anxiety over the fact that they would be without seven starters. He wanted to avoid negative momentum at all costs.

[Its2Eazy17]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

Woah, just fantastic writing. Can not wait for the next installment of this epic story.

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

Woah, just fantastic writing. Can not wait for the next installment of this epic story.

Really appreciate the compliment!

Just got moved into my new place so going to try and pump out some content here in the next week!

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER NINE: DOUBLE JEOPARDY

September 1st, 2017 (Redwood, NC)

“And another run by Burch up the gut. The first quarter is winding down, and he already has sixty yards on the ground. This Raider defense just cannot get Lewis County off the field.”

Coach Penny murmured into his headset, “We ain’t gonna touch the ball all ****in’ night if our tackles keep getting manhandled out there. Bring the safeties up and stack the box. Let’s make ‘em go outside.”

It was true. As the first quarter ticked down, the Lewis County Warriors held a 7-3 lead and were getting ready to score again. The Redwood offense was looking fine but their first drive into the redzone ended up as a tipped pass at the line and interception while the other stunted into only three points.

Both Tre and Lamar were starting in the secondary to replace the suspended players. The two-way dynamic was already wearing on them as they hadn’t seen both sides nonstop since their sophomore seasons. Coach Sampson, the defensive coordinator, relayed some changes and now the Raiders had packed eight men inside the box.

It was not effective. In fact, the safeties being so far up disallowed them to fit their lanes properly. Lewis County’s stocky little fullback took a belly handoff and squirted past everyone twenty yards to take a 14-3 lead. This was not good. The crowd wasn’t booing but every Redwood player on the field felt the tension. They had not lost to Lewis County in seven years.

Tre jogged to the sideline as they kicked the extra point. JC tried to pat him on the back, but he was locked in. He was more than locked in. He was aggravated. He was angry. Quarterback One found his offensive line and grouped them together on the sideline. JC waited to hear his speech but had to run out to be on kick return.

“Give me three seconds a snap, and we will score! I promise you! Y’all are bigger than them! Y’all are stronger! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Tre clapped and smacked his linemen’s pads including the babyface freshman Sweet Lou.

Coach Penny caught eyes with Tre as he ran out. It clicked. The Raiders started with the ball on the 31 and in three plays had gotten into the endzone thanks to a beautiful route up the seam by the rising impact tight end Billy Reynolds. 14-10. The Raider crowd was roaring.

However, for the second week in a row, the defense threw the offense out of rhythm. Down the field the opposition marched. The interior of the Redwood front was being outmatched but the other side’s ball coach was also calling an excellent game. Coach Penny was a good coach but had been around for awhile. Many people knew his tendencies and tricks. As the half closed, Lewis County prepared to score again.

JC wanted to be out there so bad. It’s one thing to not be a part of the winning but it definitely hurts worse than to not be capable of helping your team from losing. He stood next to Jayden as they gripped the collars of their pads. The two looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Ravenscroft hands it- no! It’s play-action. He throws into the endzone… PICKED! Picked by Hightower! Touchback and Redwood’s ball with one minute seven left.”

The sideline was elated. Max jogged off the field to the cheering of his team and the fans. Nothing like bailing yourself and your unit out of an ugly performance like snagging a pick on the goalline. JC ran over to give his props to Max, but he was quickly distracted by the sigh and woes of the crowd. He looked over to see that Tre’s screen pass to Lamar had been jumped and intercepted right back. Two plays later, Lewis County notched an easy score to go back up 21-10.

Frustration was heavier than the thick humidity in the lockerroom. It was business per usual. Coaches gathered their groups to talk about adjustments. For the second week in a row, it felt like Redwood was the better team but their errors and lack of ability to stop the run was compounding. JC and Jayden snuck over to the line group to pat Sweet Lou on the back. He seemed like he was actually holding his own out there.

Coach Penny gave his normal short and sweet pep talk, “We know who we are. Let’s go show them.”

The Warriors opened with the ball, and it continued to feel like a bad dream. Redwood’s staff adjusted to slow down their inside runs but now they began to show a toolbox of sweeps and zone reads. The battered defensive ends had no chance. Like a death by a thousand cuts, Lewis County took out half the quarter and pounded in yet another score to go up 28-10.

The Raider offense really showed pride though. Despite the moans of the crowd, the frustration of the coaches, the lack of starters, the 18-point deficit, and their 0-1 record, Tre did an amazing job of keeping his offense highly motivated. Utilizing Lamar on the ground and Reynolds as his safety net passing, they took up the other half the quarter on a scoring drive. 28-17 heading into the fourth quarter.

JC jogged out to the middle of the field while holding up the “fours” signal marking that it was go-time in the final quarter. His job on kickoff was to act as the lagging contain player. Anger, passion, and frustration raged within him. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to help the team win.

Their kickoff guy lowered his arm and trotted before booting a beautiful ball out into the cool North Carolina night. JC did not lag. He sprinted. The freshman began peeling around the right side running at full speed. The kid was fast. Really fast, honestly. He looped around and saw a lanky Lewis County player continuing his drop. The two met eyes. Adrenaline raged through JC. He couldn’t hear the crowd. He couldn’t hear his own breathing. All he wanted to do was break that kid’s face. With all his might and speed, he closed in and launched himself shoulder first into the Warrior blocker.

The smack was loud enough to make the whole crowd jump in excitement as well as the bench. He had hit the Warrior player to his back and crashed down over him. However, as he lay on his defeated foe, he noticed the returner sprint by him. He pushed off and saw that luckily someone had chased him down and pushed him out around midfield. It was a great hit, but he knew had forgone his responsibility. He went back to the sideline with a mix of emotion waiting to be praised by the team and chewed out by the coaches.

Coach Penny made it a mission to find JC. Quickly he lifted his ear piece and said, “Next time stay in your ****in’ lane. But, that was a hell of a hit.”

JC gladly took that comment.

The young Rhodes brother’s hit might have sparked a temporary flare but you can’t fight fate. Despite the Raider defense forcing a third and fifteen to start the drive, a Lewis County receiver made a hellacious catch over two defenders to keep the drive alive. The mood was barren. Somber. The Warriors pushed in yet another rushing touchdown to move it to 35-17.

It was unknown how many yards Tre accounted for but it was a lot. He did about everything he could do. He hit the short throws. He hit the out routes. He tucked, scrambled, and slid. He even impressively shovel passed to Lamar several times. They would score two more touchdowns before the game ended, but the one stop they finally forced on Lewis County was far too late. A failed onside kick and a kneel did them in and pushed Redwood to 0-2.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

The old Reginald Penny propped his twenty year old sneakers onto his thirty year old desk. He leaned back with a large packing of chewing tobacco in his lip and a spit bottle on the table in front of him. One arm rested on his nearly bald head while the other hung and navigated the film remote. His office was pitch black with only his computer screen blaring light.

He heard the Raider fieldhouse door slam. He checked his watch to see if it was 5AM and the morning janitor had come to relieve him of his duties. Not quite. It was only 3:30AM and Coach Penny still couldn’t figure out how to fix his defense or his offense’s random habit of turning the ball over. He leaned his head over to see who would still be out this way at such a time.

With the screen blinding him, he did not see the person until they walked into his office. It was a tall, younger man with a shaved bald head and full brown beard. He was lanky but fit. He sported a polo. It was Redwood’s athletic director Josh Quesenberry.

He plopped down in the seat opposing Coach Penny. The two were quite close as Josh had been his quarterback about fifteen years ago or so. A heck of a player in his day.

Mr. Quesenberry sighed, “Got some issues, Coach.”

“Damn right we do. Never had a defense this soft and offense so ready to put the soft *** defense back on the field.”

The athletic director nodded, “Yeah, yeah. We got some more **** coming down the line. Been dealing with it on the phone for the last three hours.”

Penny shook his head, not surprised but ready to hear the new problem to add to his team.

Quesenberry continued, “Don’t know what happened in the stands today but there’s a lot of upset parents. Don’t know how it got to this point but the parents of the players you suspended are going to try to push for a lawsuit- saying that their kids received double jeopardy.”

Coach Penny let out a sarcastic laugh, “****in’ great.”

Spoiler

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER TEN: HOW ABOUT IT

September 4th, 2017 (Redwood, NC)

“Bro, you should just quit and get back to basketball,” Christian, JC’s longtime step-in hype man, exclaimed at the lunch table.

JC was offended by him saying that but did not want to appear uncool by getting overly upset. Instead he responded with, “Nah, we’re gonna be alright. I mean we lost to two good teams. Plus, we were missing like half our starters.”

Another kid that JC didn’t really know chimed in, “I heard they’re suing the school.”

JC shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean we signed a team contract and part of it said that if we got caught with alcohol or drugs we’d be off the team. They’re lucky they didn’t get cut.”

Some girl, a tad short and blonde with a witchy-looking face, snickered, “I don’t know why they would want to get back on. Y’all are ***.”

JC’s caramel skin began to turn a tad pink. If only they understood the effort that went into football. All the time, all the pain, and all the commitment to fall short on two occasions only to be ridiculed by people who probably go home and play video games after school. Before JC could get a word out, Jeremy Knotts, usually quiet and unknown at the table, took the lead.

“**** you, bitch,” he snarled- a much more blunt and direct dialogue than what JC was planning to say.

The girl’s eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. One of her friends stepped in ready to combat the insult, “You two don’t even play on a ****ty team. Like shut the **** up.”

“If you hate the team so much why are you trying to sleep with our entire offense?” Jeremy threw back..

Jeremy typically seemed quiet but perhaps that was because JC never made an effort to talk with him after their rocky start. But despite their differences and Jeremy’s cutthroat insults, JC was glad that he was on his side. The stocky red-haired boy clearly came from a rough cloth and wasn’t going to let some preppy high school girls run their mouth.

The insulted girls stood up with stressful looks and could only get out, “**** you,” and angrily went across the lunchroom- more than likely going to snitch on him.

A tense cloud fell over the remaining freshman at the table. Then, they all burst into laughter. Each class has their own cliques, do’s and don’ts, and traits. It felt like this class would be defined by ‘don’t run your mouth about the football team.’

JC laughed, “Who is she trying to sleep with on the team?”

Jeremy shrugged, “I don’t know. Just kinda threw it out there.”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

Monday’s were usually a walk-through day. They would review an hour or so of last Friday’s film before getting a quick lift in then going out for a light practice where they would begin to install the coming week’s gameplan. Coach Penny was obviously not in a pleasant mood, but he wasn’t mad at the team. Redwood played hard and almost won with an allotment of new starters. It was evident that he was having to deal with the parents of the suspended players.

Tre called a players-only meeting prior to film. Everyone gathered out back behind the fieldhouse. The North Carolina heat was still present but it was lessening heading into the autumn. They found a place in the shade and near forty or so players found a seat in the fried grass. Three seniors wanted to speak: Tre, Lamar, and one of the senior linebackers named Cason Jones.

Jones was your textbook unathletic kid who just loved football. It took him four years of constant work in the weightroom to get on the field. Even with his hard work, he was still small around 5’8” and 180 pounds. He was their starting Will and had a great football IQ. However, his overall lack of athletic ability was a key part in the problems of their defensive front. Regardless, he went on about the cliche things such as working hard and not giving up.

Lamar was an awkward speaker. Usually quiet- it was apparent that being up in front of everyone was nerve wracking. It was a shame as he had an excellent speaking voice. Very deep with a lot of bass. He also fell into the trap of following things beaten into the ground such as trusting each other and playing for your teammates. Nothing wrong with that but not necessarily groundbreaking.

Tre was the finale, and he definitely knew how to talk. Pop used to tease the two brothers that JC would become a lawyer because of his critical thinking and book smarts while Tre would end up being 10x richer because he knew how to talk and people loved him.

“Okay, so none of us were wanting to be having a players meeting two weeks into the season. But here we are. We got half our team suspended and now they’re going after Coach. First of all, if anyone asks about how Coach treats us- y’all need to be ****ing honest. You know he didn’t screw them over. That’s all I’m gonna say on that. We got **** that needs to be done and needs to be done fast. I’ve cost us the last two games. I know we win as a team and lose as a team but Coach called the offense around me and I ****ed up. I promise you I’m gonna fix my ****. I promise. We can’t control who gets suspended. We can’t control the other team. We can control our effort though. Like Coach said, we need to be conditioned. I was watching film and in the third and fourth quarter we were all moving slow. So tomorrow and Wednesday we’re gonna be running extra gassers. And on the field, we need to play harder. The only way to play harder is to practice harder. So we need to stop being buddy-buddy out there and start competing. We have a great opportunity this Friday. Not to downplay North Point, but we whip their *** every year. This is a chance to get back on track and get right. We’re gonna alright. Now, let’s go work!”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

“Son of a bitch… d-tackle! D-tackle!” Coach Sampson hollered along the sideline.

Everyone looked around quickly. The line group, already thin with suspensions, just had another player limping off the field. JC was in between the ruckus from their coordinator and the offensive group going over the last drive on the bench.

“D-tackle!” he yelled.

One player emerged from the group while frantically putting on his helmet. Sweet Lou. The tubby freshman already exhausted from playing two and a half quarters of offensive line now sprinted out to take over at one of the tackle positions. JC and Jayden watched their friend sprint in typical big boy fashion and line up just as the ball was snapped. To his luck, North Point tossed the ball the opposite way. Not to Redwood’s luck, the ball carrier scurried to the edge and scored to tie it up 14-14 midway in the third.

The Redwood crowd groaned behind the visitor’s bench. They had travelled well, decked in red and white. North Point was only about a fifty minute drive south. JC wanted to groan too but knew he had to prepare to go out on kick return. Once again, he failed to secure a starting job and worked in on only special teams. However, as he strutted to prepare to huddle with the return team, he heard a familiar voice shriek in the crowd, “Bench the QB!”

Her voice was penetrating. It stood out. Coach Penny, Tre, JC, and maybe even the players on the field heard it. No one had to guess. It was Kyle Erlewine’s, QB2, mother- a notorious parent they had experienced or at least knew about through the youth leagues. On this occasion, many in the crowd might have picked her side. Despite a fast 14-0 start and 150 yards in the first quarter alone, Tre had gifted North Point two interceptions in the redzone and ultimately had let them tie it back up. JC didn’t have time to gauge everyone’s reactions to the blatant calling out of the quarterback and coach.

The message had been received. Tre did not veer. He looked up in the stands and met eyes with Erlewine’s mother. He then scanned and found Pop up at the top right of the bleachers. Both had the same look. One of anger but also one of opportunity. Tre found Coach Penny, who was equally fed up with parents, and said, “Call Zorro.”

That he did. On the first play, they ran a pass play called Zorro. Tre rolled out right and then immediately tucked and ran. It was usually open to do so but he normally chose to hit a receiver. Instead, he ran full speed up the field. A North Point safety came crashing down and Tre took advantage to show how much he had been in the weightroom. He gave an even larger smack of a hit than his younger brother a week ago. Tre, however, stayed on his feet and scrambled for another eight yards. Everyone wearing red lit up.

Tre signaled for a no huddle and to run Zorro again. He rolled out again and acted as if he would replicate the previous play. However, as the deep corner hesitated, he forwarded his momentum into a deep shot down the field into the arms of a receiver who easily took it in for a touchdown.

Every season has their plays that change games. This game’s play changed the season. Redwood’s fire had been lit. Past the distractions and the naysayers, the Raiders began playing like the team they were and exposing North Point for the pushover in which they were. The next defensive series was capped with an explosive hit by Max on the other team’s quarterback near the sideline. It was penalized but the aggression was ever-increasing.

Redwood got the ball back and Tre put on another clinic throwing the ball. His focus was clear. JC watched his brother pick apart the defense for another long drive and score. JC wasn’t sure but he definitely had to be over 300 yards in the air. If he wasn’t by then, he soon would be. He was all over the field and was just faster, stronger, and smarter than all of North Point’s defenders. With several minutes left, he cemented the victory with a slant over the middle to Billy Reynolds to move to 35-21.

With everyone seemingly pleased. On North Point’s final attempt at a score, senior linebacker Cason Jones slipped through the line and forced a fumble on the quarterback- of all people to get on the ball it was Sweet Lou. Not only that, but the big fella tried to scoop and score. He was quickly upended, however. Redwood’s side did not care. Electricity ran through the sideline and bleachers. Redwood was back.

After the teams had shook hands and piled back into the lockerroom, they all awaited Coach Penny to come in. JC had already stripped off his shoulder pads and Sweet Lou came running over whilst being absolutely drenched in sweat. He gave a passionate hug, covering his much smaller friend in moisture, “Let’s go!”

Coach Penny entered the lockerroom to everyone’s joy. It wasn’t pretty in the middle but it was nice to get a win. The older man with his sweat-covered polo removed his cap to show his bald head. In the other hand he held a worn out football, “How about them Raiders!”

The team cheered enthusiastically.

“We started as we should then we went through a bit of struggle. Right? And some adversity, right? But, it’s not about what happens it’s about how you respond and if we can capture that last quarter and a half in a bottle, guess what fellas? We’ll be alright,” he said with a smirk as everyone cheered, “And one last thing. I want to congratulate the team on a win. Wins aren’t easy. They practice too. And tonight, I want to give this game ball to Tre Rhodes for breaking the single passing yards record for Redwood with 493 yards! How about it!”

Spoiler

[Tyro11]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ANGER

September 9th, 2017 (Hickory, North Carolina)

JC looked around. The stadium was nice. Very clean with cool graphics lining in great spots. The cascading trees surrounding gave a fantastic atmosphere. He especially liked the bright, alternating green turf contrasting with dark black and red endzones. However, despite his own school’s lack of a big stadium, he still felt compelled to say, “This is a college field?”

Tre turned his head and shook his head, “Yes, bro. A pretty good college field.”

His younger brother shrugged, “I just thought it’d be bigger. Like Ohio State or something.”

Pop, who sat on the other side of Tre uttered, “Lenoir-Rhyne ain’t that big. They invest in private education not fancy concession stands.”

The three had taken a road trip to visit one of the Division II programs that had offered Tre. It had not even been twelve hours since Tre’s heroic performance to get Redwood their first win of the year. He was feeling confident but still knew that he needed to clean up his game. Still, it was nice to be shown the dog and pony show by a collegiate program recognizing his work.

“Man, you would start first year here,” JC let out.

The game was in the mid-second quarter. Lenoir-Rhyne’s opposing team was on offense and called a deep passing play on third and long as JC let out his remark. As he said that, a large, brutish safety came flying across the field with a head of steam. As the ball reached the visitors’ receiver, the ballhawking defender nearly decapitated him with a vicious collision. With the lack of huge bleachers, the hit on the field was even more audible. The safety stood over the jumbled pass catcher as his teammates hyped him up.

Over the speaker the announcer let out, “And a big hit by #2 Kyle Dugger! North Greenville moves to fourth down.”

Tre looked over at JC, “Division II ball isn’t what you think. People get all caught up in playing D1. Most of these guys could start on D1 rosters, they just slipped through the cracks. The big difference is really just the limited scholarships. They don’t have the same depth.”

JC nodded to the wisdom and humility of his older brother, “Yeah, I know. I just think you could go bigger.”

Pop chimed in to his two grandkids, “As long as you get that fancy piece of paper saying you’re smarter than everyone else- I don’t care where you go. That goes for both of you.”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

The junior varsity players all sat in the lockerroom with their heads hung a bit low. It was finally their first game of the year after both previous ones had been cancelled due to the suspensions. Now that everyone had their feet back and new roles in place, they finally got their chance to play some actual ball. However, their inexperience even on the JV level was evident. North Point, not known for their football ability, was up 20-0 at the half against a ragtag group of Raiders.

JC, Jeremy, and a runningback named Michael Vincent were the three captains of the JV. It felt like such an honor. All had taken the opportunity to mimic the seniors with their leadership. Though their constant speeches and hype-talking bordered cringeyness, the intentions were great. However, the lack of execution on both sides of the ball was clear. JC was hoping to have a dominant game but their offensive line gave no time to their ninth grade quarterback so no passes found their way out. Defensively, they were mostly getting obliterated by the run so he too was ineffective out at corner.

Into the lockerroom walked Coach Hays. He was a younger coach that truly looked like Coach Penny thirty years younger. He was a hyper and enthusiastic coach taking any role he had seriously. Currently, he operated as Redwood’s special team’s coach, runningbacks coach, and junior varsity coach. He walked in a bit upset but not angry. He removed his blazer sunglasses revealing a noticeable tan line on his pale bald head. Coach Hays rampantly chewed gum behind a shortly cut and red-haired mustache and goatee.

Behind him walked some else. He looked sort of young but it was hard to tell. The man was about six foot five standing beside the sub 5’9 Coach Hays. His skin was the same as JC’s, a light brown, and he had a sprouting curly hair. He wore a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie both colored maroon.

“Alright, we broke the ice out there. Got some nerves. I get that. We’ll be alright, let’s just try to play a bit smarter. I want all box players to come with me over to the white board: linemen, backs, and backers. All skill guys, if you don’t know, this is Braxton Sampson- Division One tight end. At one point he was in the same seat as you. He’s going to run over some technique stuff for receivers and DB’s. We got 10 minutes, let’s go.”

The skill players all orbited around the former star Raider. He wore a confident but humble look as he dapped up all the junior varsity wide receivers and defensive backs. Immediately he looked at JC, who sat on a stool, and asked, “You Tre’s brother, right?”

JC nodded. He now remembered the name and how him and Tre were good friends. JC really had never just seen him without pads catching bombs from Tre.

The 19 year old used JC as the focus of all the info he was about to give, “JC, right? Come up here,” he motioned.

“A lot of you guys are getting stuck on the line because you aren’t using your hands. If you wanna release, you can’t let them get a hold of you. If you’re strong enough try something like this,” Braxton displayed a series of hand attacks on JC’s stretched out arms, “Or, if you got quick feet- you could try some type of back shuffle.”

Braxton went on for nearly the entire halftime. JC was actually learning a lot from him. Not that he had bad coaches but JC found it very useful the toolbox of tricks the D1 tight end showed instead of relying on one technique. After Coach Hays came roaring back in to get them back out, JC lagged behind to thank Braxton for the coaching.

“One more question, what’s the key to blocking?” JC asked with his first foot out the door and helmet going onto his head.

Braxton thought for a second and replied, “Anger.”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________

“Damn, I was watching film when y’all were lifting and you went off against North Point,” Tre said while pulling onto the main road from Redwood High School.

“Yeah, still lost though,” JC shrugged.

His older brother wouldn’t let him avoid the compliment, “Nah man. You went off second half. You had to have almost one hundred receiving, right?”

“I mean I was open most of the game, it was just the line not really giving us time. But, I also threw in some new stuff on my rotes,, and their corners couldn’t touch me. Don’t matter though. Still lost.”

“Eh, it’s JV. Not that it’s not important but we have some freshmen and sophomores playing varsity so it really isn’t their best versus our best.”

JC knew that Tre didn’t mean to imply that his brother wasn’t among the best in his class hence why he was on junior varsity. Regardless, he agreed. Basketball was still JC’s love but football had some grip on his heart now too. The driving factor was mostly unknown but perhaps a mix of competitiveness and wanting to help the team win. He still needed to work and get better to have a chance on varsity. He leaned forward and turned on the radio.

“And now they are coming off a record-breaking performance by senior quarterback Tre Rhodes…” the sportscaster spoke.

“Hey, it’s on us,” JC said while increasing the volume.

The radio continued, “The 2016 Cinderella team will host the Midland Minutemen tomorrow at home on Griffin Field. Last week our callers went nine out of ten on their picks. Let’s see what… Tammy from Red Springs thinks.”

A woman came on the radio, clearly speaking from a telephone, “Yeah, hi Jim. I think Redwood loses at home for the third time this year.”

“No hometown bias from you, huh?” the man laughed.

“No, I love Redwood but that coach is a piece of **** dictator who is going to run that team into the gr-”

The woman’s voice cut off as the man apologized, “Sorry about that. Remember callers, let’s keep it clean.”

Tre reached over and cranked the volume down in annoyance.

[sgf83]

Re: Unforgettable ~ The Story of JC Rhodes (NCAA/Madden)

I just started reading through this and was reading about JC in the tobacco fields in the North Carolina sun and it was like the flashbacks hit me like a ton of bricks. I too am a Carolina boy and can relate to his story.

I'm showing my age here but when I was younger my grandpa had some tobacco land and we had to prime tobacco every summer. That is definitely character building for sure. As hard as that work was I would give anything to go back for just a day. Maybe not to the actual fields but sitting in the barn eating our lunch of sandwiches and nabs with Pepsi to drink. So many of those people are gone now...my grandpa, my dad, many cousins.

I will definitely be following JC's journey.