Reflective Essay

Reflective Essay

I was a senior in high school and I had never played high school football before. Most of my friends had played since they were freshmen. They always talked about how amazing it was and how much fun it was. They also told me that you're not just playing football but you get to be a part of something special. So they finally talked me into playing my senior year. I was new to everything; even practice was something way different for me. I don't think I have ever worked so hard in my life. Everyday seemed like hell and it just kept on getting harder too. After every practice I thought to myself that this was not fun at all and there is definitely nothing special about this. I would always dread going to practice after school but I knew I had to go if I wanted to play in the game.

It was finally game day and I couldn't wait. Before the game I was really jittery. I was scared but excited at the same time. I didn't know what to expect but I was just anxious to get out on that field. While we were waiting in the locker room everybody was pumped and ready to go. Then our coach gave us a stunning speech which just got me ready for the game even more. Walking out to the field was intense. Everybody was looking at you and waiting for the game to start. I remember looking up at the stands from the field and it was a totally different sight for me. There were so many people. I was used to just watching the game from the stands and not actually playing in it. We started to do our pre-game warm up I was stretching on the field and all I can smell is the scent of the freshly cut grass. It was kind of soothing and actually relaxed me. Then we went through all our plays and got ready for kick off.

We did the coin toss and lost so the other team got the ball first. I was on the kick off so I had to get ready to go out on the field right away. The coach gave us one more speech and then I was off. I got to my spot and looked down at the other team. I was just waiting to go down the field and hit someone. The kicker finally kicked the ball and we were off to the races. I was dodging and weaving through all the blockers. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to come out of my chest. It was one of the biggest rushes I have ever felt. I saw the guy with the ball and I went straight for him. I met up with the ball carrier and laid a hit on him. I made the first tackle of the game in my first high school game. It was pretty exhilarating.

It was time for our defense to go out on the field. I was the free safety for the team so I just stayed out there. Our captain told us the play and then we went to our position. I was still nervous but not as bad as before. My eye was on the ball just waiting for it to be snapped. They snapped it into the quarterback's hands and I had to find out if it was a run or a pass before reacting. I noticed it was a run right away so I went charging in. I was just about to make the tackle but then a blocker came out of nowhere and blind-sided me hard. I was so close to making the tackle, but he only got about five yards so it was alright.

Our defense stopped them and now it was our turn on offense. I was only on offense sometimes but I was actually in on the first play so I ran back onto the field. I got into the huddle and the QB told us the play. I hustled to the line