High School Football Accomplishments

From a young age, my parents have always focused on teaching me to be the best person I can possibly be. Life skills, discipline, and good morals highlighted the long list of qualities my parents believed I should practice and aim to perfect. However, the most important thing to realize and accept, according to my parents, is that life will not always go how you want it to go, and that one can never dwell on the past. Being a football player, I had always heard that high school football was politically based, that the coach's favorite players would be given more opportunities than others. Upon hearing such assertions, I had trouble believing this to be true, that the best player deserves to start regardless of the popularity of the athlete. Despite my initial perspective, when I finally worked my way to a spot on the varsity football team, I realized that high school football was not what I thought it was,

and I was now facing a challenge bigger than the sport itself.
As a young kid, I always dreamed of playing football.

I loved everything about the sport, knew everything about the sport, and simply wanted to be physically involved with the sport. I signed up for my local football organization and greatly anticipated the start of the season. My first season our team finished undefeated, winning each game with ease. I played offensive line and enjoyed every play, finally being a part of the sport I loved. My coach at the time admired my hard work and dedication, repeatedly telling my fellow teammates that we should all aspire to have a work ethic such as my own. At the end of the season, my coach suggested I practice to become a quarterback. A quarterback is usually one of the skinniest players on the team, a trait I certainly didn't have. If I were to be a quarterback, I would have to lose at least thirty pounds and practice almost every day until the next season. As crazy as the suggestion seemed to me at the time, I gladly accepted the challenge and almost instantly began to work to become the best quarterback I could

be.
Prior to high school football, I had played in two national championship games, winning one and being crowned the most valuable player as well. I had set records for passing in my league and my football resume ultimately helped me get recognition by my high school as a "face of the future." Everything seemed to be so promising, I couldn't wait to display my talents at the high school level. I played junior varsity football as the starting quarterback and successfully led the team to the school's first ever winning football season. At the end of the season I was promised a varsity position, something I had dreamed of since my first day of football. I worked hard all season, pushing myself to get better, but nobody noticed. The varsity coaches continued to focus on a different quarterback, the offensive coordinator's son, practically ignoring my requests for extra help and want for success. I tried to convince myself that I was over-thinking the situation and that the coaches wouldn't just ignore me for seemingly no reason. By the time the season rolled around, I was the backup quarterback for varsity football. I watched every practice from afar, never given an opportunity to play despite my requests. I would think back to when I was praised for my hard work ethic and determination, wondering how high school coaches could ignore such valuable traits.
My perspective of high school football changed that season. The coaches started suggesting new positions for me to play, never allowing me a chance to play quarterback. I took it upon myself to be mature and accept any suggestion the coach had for me, but I still wanted to play quarterback. I knew it was not fair to treat me this way without explanation, but, as my parents always said, life is not always fair, and neither is high school football.