Karma and the Championship

Like all ladies, she needs to be respected. She holds all dreams in the palms of her hands, yet many people don’t even realize that she’s the key to their success. They are under false illusions that they alone can carry themselves to glory, only to find out that everyone needs help.

This is a cautionary tale for athletes with unlimited opportunities ahead of them, and a reminder that it’s up to them to do their part in their quest for success. Everyone is held accountable, and those who lose can only blame themselves. Heed this warning, athletes—lest you feel the crushing disappointment of opportunities lost.

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“There you go, there you go, QB, that’s the way it’s done! Okay, okay, bring it up, bring it up,” commanded the head coach. His players quickly gathered around the man who had brought them to the edge of a Valley Championship, a championship ring, and being in a select group of champions, which hadn’t happened at Lincoln High School since 1954. The coach waited for everyone’s eyes to be on him before he continued. “Okay, listen men, you have a chance to make history. You win tomorrow, this town will always remember you. We’ve come a long way, but there’s one last task before you are crowned Valley Champions. Look, I believe in you, all of you, but I’m asking everyone for a favor.” He put his palms together in the universal sign of prayer. “Tomorrow at school, be on your best behavior, don’t piss off your teachers, and don’t be a jerk to your classmates, because we need all the help that we can get to make sure we come out victorious, so in other words, don’t be a turd at school tomorrow!”

“We’ll be on our best behavior,” announced senior nose guard, Jordan Williams, with a gleam in his eye.

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“Hey, hustle, or we’re going to be late for third period, come on,” urged senior quarterback Alejandro Sanchez, as he put his arm around his backup.

“Back off, Alex. I’m not going to that boring class today, plus I’m chatting up Veronica, so mind your business,” replied Carlos Carbajal.

Alex looked at him, then slowly shook his head. “I guess you think coach was bullshitting. Did you already forget what he said about not being a turd?”

“Just go to class, I’ll be there later.  Plus, it’s not like I’m going to see the field in the championship game,” replied Carbajal. He pointed toward the classroom, hoping for some privacy. Alex looked at him with a scowl on his face, then he shook his head and headed for class. He made it before the tardy bell sounded, but before the door closed, he could see four other players scurrying in the hallway going towards their classes. Alex had a sick feeling in his stomach, thinking of how the players were not heeding their coach’s advice. He felt angry at his teammates, who failed to listen to the man who guided them to a championship game.

On the other side of campus, Williams, the nose guard, was sitting outside the Dean’s Office for horseplaying with an underclassman.

“Williams, come into my office,” bellowed Mr. Gallegos. He opened the door, let Williams through, then slammed the door shut behind him. He motioned for the student to take a seat. Then he quickly began. “I know Coach Ramirez well, and he’s big on having positive energy on gamedays, especially one as big as tonight’s. So, Williams, tell me why you were sent to my office?”

“Mr. Gallegos, it was me. I was trying to make my classmates laugh, and I forgot what Coach said. I’m sorry.” Gallegos could tell Williams was sincere because he kept punching himself in the chest. Williams was a huge player, standing six one and weighing two hundred and fifty pounds. His jersey stretched, and underneath Gallegos could see the strength in his arms. “Go back to class Williams and behave!”

“Mr. Gallegos, will you tell Coach Ramirez?”

“You bet I will, and I hope he runs your ass for not following directions.” Gallegos opened his office door, then said, “Williams, good luck tonight, now go to class.”

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The first quarter was a nightmare for Lincoln High School, and they trailed 0-24 at the end of the quarter. They were down from the first play as Baker High School ran the opening kickoff back for a score, then they were successful on their two-point conversion. Lincoln High fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Baker High recovered the ball at the Lincoln ten-yard line. They quickly cashed in for another six points, followed by another two-point conversion. After trading possessions, Baker scored again on a quarter-ending drive that ended with a one-yard plunge for their third score of the evening, again, Baker bypassed the extra point attempt and scored on another two-point conversion.

Lincoln High did not give up and scored on a forty-yard pass play before the end of the half, then they converted their two-point conversion and went into halftime trailing 8-24, but with momentum on their side. They received the second half kickoff and drove eighty yards on twelve plays. Their touchdown came on a quarterback keeper by Sanchez, then converted their two-point conversion. Lincoln High now trailed 16-24, with six minutes and eighteen seconds left in the third quarter.

The rest of the quarter had the teams trading possessions. Both offenses couldn’t sustain any momentum, and it became a field position game. Coach Ramirez had a good feeling about the game since Baker High had done their damage early in the game. After the first quarter, with the Baker High offense held in check, the Lincoln High defense flexed their dominance. As the third quarter ended, Ramirez reminded his team how they had clawed their way back and were in position to win the game.

With under six minutes left in the game, Baker High was at the Lincoln two-yard line and was stuffed on fourth and goal. Lincoln High took over at their own two-yard line with five minutes and twenty-two seconds left in the game. Eight plays later, they scored on a tight end hot route on a fourth and goal play, but the two-point conversion failed. Lincoln High trailed 22-24 with three minutes left in the contest.

Because the Lincoln High defense was on fire, coach Ramirez elected to kick deep, and Baker High took over on their own thirty-yard line, with 2:52 left in the game. Baker High’s possession was shaky from the start, and soon called timeout, as they hoped to convert a fourth and one from their own thirty-nine-yard line. The play was doomed from the start, and a bad snap lead to a turnover on downs. Lincoln High had new life.

The Lincoln High School Wildcats had the ball at the Baker forty-yard line with all three timeouts left. On first down Sanchez connected with his split end for a gain of twenty, then called their first timeout, with one minute and twenty seconds remaining. On first down, their belly dive play was stuffed, which forced Lincoln to call their second time out. They now faced a second-and-long with fifty-eight seconds remaining. Coach Ramirez felt comfortable lining up for a game-winning field goal by their three-time All-League kicker, so he instructed Sanchez to place the ball on the right hash mark. The quarterback took the ball and was headed to the right hash when he was struck in the ribs by a defender and crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Coach Ramirez knew immediately that he’d lost his starting quarterback, and more importantly, his holder for a possible game winning field goal. A cold chill came over him as he called for Sanchez’s replacement. “Carbajal! Get over here!”

“Yes coach!” replied the backup quarterback and now holder of field goals. Carbajal had a sick feeling in his gut, having never thought he’d play in a valley championship game.

Coach Ramirez gave the backup quarterback some encouragement. “Hey, you can do this. Now go over and practice on the sidelines.” After Sanchez was assisted off the field, Lincoln High called their final timeout, and so the stage was set. Lincoln High lined up for a twenty-nine-yard field goal attempt by Lalo Yanez. Before Yanez set up for the kick, he lightly tapped Carbajal’s helmet for encouragement. The game came down to this play. The snap was perfect, and the ball spiraled towards Carbajal’s hands, and he tried to grasp the ball but lost control. Yanez saw what was happening and tried to adjust his rhythm, but the Baker High defense penetrated and tackled Carbajal. The Baker High School Knights would be this year’s valley champions.

Coach Ramirez addressed the team in the locker room and reminded his team of how proud he was of them and their effort tonight, but his players could tell from the flatness of his voice that he was crushed. The players were devastated. Many people thought it was cruel to come so close to a championship, only to lose in such a heartbreaking fashion.

As for the underclassmen, they hoped to get back to the precipice of glory, but there was no guarantee. The seniors on the team were crestfallen at their lost opportunity, and each player asked themselves if they had done their part to help to be victorious. Several people knew the answer—this loss would take a long time to heal.

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Karma is temperamental, and if you go against her, you should expect swift, negative consequences to be paid in full immediately. Karma also provides a quick reminder of wasted opportunities, and the painful realization of what could have been had they only listened to their coach.