Tag Archives: basketball

Football

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Football

Coach screamed “go go  subs” . It was at the NFL Chiefs camp I was drafted and the 5 pick in the draft. I ran in and I was a QB, “Down set hiiik” I snapped the ball one of the D line break thru i scrambled to the right side of the field them i let it go it went flying

 Zip 

I flew past everybody straight to Jim Hardy (one of our WRs). But at the last second, an interception that was my first day at the training camp, my first snap. I screamed in rage.

That night when I was about to leave the camp when the coach called me over I knew I was done for. He said “follow me we need to talk…” 

When I arrived at the office he “said take  a seat”. 

“Ok I know you are trying your best but we might have to cut you if you don’t lock in.”

 I sat there for a minute or two before I broke the silence. 

“ I really am trying to do my best but I…”

 ” DON’T CARE” said the coach “ YOU WILL GET CUT, FIGURE IT OUT.” he told me. I went into my car and drove out.

When I was driving home I was muttering to myself the whole time about how stuipd that

  dream of mine was. To be in the NFL. I saw a gas station and decided to stop and get a snack and some gas. When I went in, I heard a lot of screams. I walked in and I said “What’s wrong?” That’s when I saw him, a short guy, 5 foot 6, mask, with a glock. I started panicking. 

He said, “Go to the ground with your hands behind your back.” 

 I went to the ground. 

He said, “Give me your money.” 

I said “no,”

 He pointed the gun at me as I rolled out of the way. He fired again and missed his shot. I jumped up on him and he fell to the ground. I grabbed his gun and threw it to the side. Just as the cops came in and arrested the guy, they said thank you but next time not do that again. 

I got into my car and drove home. I wasn’t really thinking about the chance of being cut off the Chiefs roster. I was just thinking about how I almost died. I was so busy thinking about that that I zoned out and wasn’t paying attention to the road. “BOOM” everything went black.

I woke up in the hospital and I screamed, “What is going on?” 

The nurse came over and said, “You were hit by a deer while on the road.”

 “Ok, I need to go to football practice. How long has it been?” 

“About that… you might want to talk to your coach.”

 I thought to myself, “Oh no, I got cut, didn’t I? Then the coach walked in with a worried look. 

He said, “Tim we got a problem” 

“What” I said.

 “Well it’s been 5 months.” 

“ FIVE MONTHS!” I screamed. I looked outside and I saw it was fall outside. 

“And even worse” said the coach.

 “What could be possibly worse?”

 “Jones has been injured”

 “ Oh crap”

 “Yep,” said the coach, “we need you to play and you’ve been in a coma for 5 months.”

The next day I went to practice and everybody was depressed. I knew what they were thinking, “We are cooked.” 

When the coach said “starters,” he didn’t sound happy. I went out very nervously. I snapped the ball. I was very rusty and I almost dropped it. I scrambled down to the 10 yard line for a first down. This was my chance to prove myself. Down, set, “hike” . I snapped the ball and I saw an opening. I let it fly, straight dot to his chest  

“ Touchdown,” said the coach, smiling. 

My other teammates were shocked alright Everybody said the coach practice is over we all went home the next day was the first game.

I woke up early in the morning and drove to  practice. We warmed up and drove to the Bronco stadium. We didn’t win since 2025 with Patrick Mahomes now in 2100 we had not been in a Super Bowl since then so when we arrived we warmed up then the announcer said let the game begin and I went on the field and said “hiiik”                 

Mad Muck

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Mud Muck

      By: Barry Dingle

One day Stevan and his best friend Moxxie had seen a flyer saying that a soccer team needed more players. They decided to call the number to join the team. The coach answered and warned the boys that if they were to “join the team now they would play a game the very next day”. The two boys thought about it for a minute and decided they would be okay with a game tomorrow and told the coach that they were in. The coach told the boys to come to the high school gym. When they arrived they saw the coach, she asked them what their sizes were to get them uniforms before the game. Once the boys had their uniforms the coach told them to spend the day in the field practicing. Stevan grabbed his soccer ball and Moxxie and him went to the field and set up the goals. Once they were all ready they started practicing. After they were finished practicing the sun was setting and the boys knew they needed rest for the game but they also knew they needed to buy cleats. So Moxxie and Stevan headed to their local store. Once they had made it they rushed straight to the shoe section, They found their sizes of cleats and went to checkout. After Stevan and Moxxie bought the shoes they parted ways to head home. Stevan had made it home safely and his parents had made dinner while he was gone. He sat at the dinner table with them and ate his food. Once he had finished eating he brushed his teeth and went straight to bed. He layed in his bed feeling weightless as his eyes grew heavy. Before he fell asleep he had set a timer so he could get ready for the game early.

Stevan woke up feeling well rested but then he realized he had slept through his alarm. He started to panic and get dressed for the game. He was gonna be late if he didnt leave soon. Once he had finished getting ready he got in his car and drove to the field for the game. As soon as he arrived he noticed everyone was already there including Moxxie. He sat down on the bench next to Moxxie as they waited for the game to start. Eventually everyone from both teams were there. The other team looked really competitive and strong, it intimidated Moxxie but Stevan thought that they wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt them if they had too to win the game. Moxie thought otherwise he was thinking that if they had to hurt them in any way they would even do it without reason. They all got ready on the field, Moxie looked so scared like a mouse surrounded by a hundred cats. Stevan was confident in their chance of winning almost like a proud courageous lion. They blew the whistle commencing the game. Stevan and Moxxie had no idea what was going on except that they were losing. Their team started making more goals as the game went on. Everything was going their way until the rain started. The field became a slip and slide and it was almost impossible to score for both teams. Moxxie passed the ball to Stevan, Stevan finally got an open shot but right before he was about to kick, He heard someone screaming bloody murder. Stevan quickly turned around to see Moxxie on the ground covered in mud. His knee was on the side of his leg. 

He noticed one of the players from the other team standing over him. He was immediately filled with anger and fury. A whistle was blown to let everyone know to stop the game as if the scream didn’t already. Stevan ran over to Moxxie as he heard an ambulance in the distance. Moxxie was taken to the ER while the player who pushed him was kicked from the team. A few minutes later the game resumed. Stevan was too destressed to think. When his teammate passed to him again just like Moxxie did he had another open shot. People in the bleachers started counting down. Stevan went for the shot. He actually scored this put his team ahead of the other. With barely any time left there’s no way they can win now.After the game ended Stevan didn’t care that they had won he just wanted to go straight to the ER to check on Moxxie.

Stevan got out of his car and walked into the ER. A kind nurse greeted him and led him to Moxxie’s room. Moxie greeted him with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?” Stevan asked. Moxie replied “Not really but they said I should be out of here soon”. An idea popped into Stevans head “How about we head to my place to celebrate the win”? “Sure why not,” Moxxie said. “It’s nice to know you’re okay,” Stevan said. “You too,” Moxxie said with emotion in how voice. Stevan paused for a second but then said “I’m glad we’re friends”. “Me too Stevan me too” Moxie said with a sparkle in his eyes. Stevan asks “best friends forever right”? Moxxie replies quickly “of course forever”.

The Game That Changed Everything

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The Game That Changed Everything

  By: Dogman Smith

Tyler Jackson, the 16-year-old captain of the Willow Creek Wildcats, had one dream, to lead his team to their first-ever state championship. But this season wasn’t just about soccer. A rift within the team and personal doubts threatened to tear apart everything Tyler had worked for. This is the story of how he, along with his friends Emma, Malik, and Coach Harper, confronted adversity on and off the field to achieve the impossible.

The Wildcats had always been a tight-knit group. But tension began to surface as the semifinal game against the undefeated Silver Valley Strikers approached. Tyler’s best friend and the team’s star midfielder, Emma Williams, had grown increasingly frustrated with his leadership style.

“Tyler, you don’t listen,”  Emma snapped practice one afternoon. “You’re so focused on scoring that you ignore our practiced plays. Soccer isn’t a one-man show.”

Tyler bristled at her words. He felt the weight of the team’s expectations on his shoulders, and he believed he had to take charge to lead them to victory. “I’m doing what I think is best for the team,” he shot back. “If you can’t handle it, maybe you’re not as committed as I thought.”

The argument left a bitter taste in the air. Malik Thompsin, the team’s goalkeeper and peacemaker, tried to meditate. “Guys, we need to work together, not against each other,” he pleaded. But the damage had been done. Emma’s trust in  Tyler was shaken, and Tyler began doubting whether he was the right person to lead.

The rift couldn’t have come at the worst time. The Wildcats were about to face their toughest opponent yet, the Silver Valley Strikers, a team known for their speed, skill, and Ethan Miller, the league’s top scorer. Tyler knew the Wildcats couldn’t afford to be divided, but he struggled to address the growing tension.

Coach Harper noticed the discord during practice. “What’s going on with you two?” she demanded, pulling Tyler and Emma aside. “If you don’t resolve this, you’ll lose the game before you even step foot on the field.”

Emma crossed her arms. “He doesn’t trust me to make decisions. He’s acting like he has to do everything himself.”

Tyler hesitated, then admitted, “I just feel like if I don’t take control, we’ll fall apart.”

Coach Harper’s voice softened. “Tyler, leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s about trusting your team. And Emma, if you see something he’s missing, tell him but do it in a way that builds him up, not tears him down. The Wildcats need both of you to win.”

The day of the semifinal arrived. The stadium buzzed with energy as fans packed the stands. From the first whistle, the Strikers dominated the field. By halftime, the Wildcats were down 2-0, and Tyler felt the weight of failure pressing down on him.

In the locker room, Tyler stood silently, unsure what to say. Then, Emma spoke up. “We’re not playing as a team,” she said, her voice steady but firm. “Tyler, we need you to lead, but you have to trust us too. Let’s do this together.”

Tyler looked around the room, seeing the determination in his teammates’ eyes. “You’re right,” he said. “Let’s stick to our strategy. Emma, call the plays. Malik, keep doing what you do best. I’ll be there when you need me.”

The second half began, and the Wildcats played like a different team. Emma orchestrated the midfield with precision, threading passes through the Strikers’ defense. Tyler scored their first goal with a powerful strike, reigniting hope. Malik, with his trademark resilience, made save after save, keeping the Wildcats in the game.

With just five minutes left, Emma executed a perfect corner kick. Tyler leaped into the air and headed the ball into the net, tying the game. The crowd erupted, but the Wildcats weren’t done yet. In the final moments, Emma intercepted a pass and sent a long ball to Tyler, who dribbled past Ethan Miller and scored the winning goal.

The Wildcats had done the impossible. They defeated the Strikers 3-2 and advanced to the championship.

As the team celebrated on the field, Tyler and Emma exchanged a glance. “I couldn’t have done this without you, “Tyler admitted.

Emma smiled. “And I couldn’t have done it without you trusting me.”

Their bond, once strained, was now stronger than ever. Coach Harper beamed with pride as she addressed the team. “You showed heart, discipline, and teamwork today. This is what champions are made of.”

The Wildcats’ journey wasn’t just winning a soccer game. For Tyler, it was about learning to trust his teammates and embracing the fact that leadership isn’t about control, it’s about collaboration. For Emma, it was about finding her voice and using it to strengthen the team. And for Malik, it was a reminder that optimism and resilience could carry a team through even the toughest challenges.

The Wildcats went on to win the state championship, but the true victory lay in the lessons they learned along the way. Sports, they realized, weren’t just about competition, they were about growth and connection.

Brace Yourself

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Brace Yourself

By: Anita Dump

5..4..3..2..1

ring ring

School’s out for the day. I head to my locker and grab my gym bag, then wait for my best friend Hailey. 

“Hey Emily, are you ready for practice? I heard we are doing a lot of running,” said Hailey, “are you sure your ankle is going to be ok?”

“Yeah,” I said, “It doesn’t hurt as much as it used to.”

Right before basketball season, I sprained my ankle during PE doing relay races. It caused me to sit out the first two games, but now I am able to play just having to wear an ankle brace. 

We headed down to the locker room and start getting ready for practice when all the sudden we hear the Weller twins, yelling everyone’s ear off per usual. This time it was about one of them getting new shoes. It finally stops when the coach comes into the locker room and yells at us to hurry up, and of course Hailey and I are the last ones in the locker room.

“Hurry up,  Coach Rachel is going to yell at us for taking so long,” Hailey complained.

“Sorry my brace takes like a million years to put on.”

Finally we get into the gym to warm up, and  Coach gives us a firm look so I just hang my head.  She l calls us in and gives us a lecture about taking too long in the locker room and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me including Coach Rachel. Once she is done lecturing us she tells us what we are doing in practice today.

“Since you guys lost your last game we are going to do conditioning today”Coach Rachel said.

You could just hear the groans throughout all the girls, then the excuses started.

“But we have a game tomorrow, we will play worse because we are soar,” said one of the twins. 

“Well, maybe it will teach you guys not to slack off while playing,” said Coach Rachel, “and as a matter of fact every complaint or excuse I hear is one down and back.”

We started the conditioning and on the first drill with running I hurt my ankle and fell to the floor. 

“Emily, are you ok!” said Hailey in a worried tone.

Then the Coach came over.

“What hurts?” said Coach 

“My ankle,” I said  while trying to stay calm

After that Coach Rachel called my mom and I went home early. On the car ride home my mom told me I should probably sit out on our next game.

“No I can’t sit out, I have already missed two games this season, I can’t miss another one.” 

“I scheduled a doctor’s appointment for the morning. We will see what he says,”my mom said.

After we got back from the doctor, he said I was fine to play. I just had to be careful considering my ankle is weak. I got to school an hour late just in time for second period with Hailey.

“So can you play today?” Hailey said in a nervous voice.

“Yeah, the doctor said I just need to take it easy.”

The rest of the day went by slowly but when the final bell rang I was ready for our game. We got to the locker room and put our uniform on and shoes then I looked in my bag and realized, I forgot my brace! This causes me to get really nervous, so I started to overthink everything. After all this is the first game I am playing, and everyone has already played two. What if I am absolutely terrible and the coach doesn’t even play me, or worse she tries playing me and I make us lose. 

We got on the court and started to warm up and I didn’t miss a single shot which really boosted my confidence. Once warmup was over she sent the starters out on the court. I saw Hailey was starting like usual and it made me kind of sad I wasn’t out there with her this year. The game was going smoothly and half way through the first quarter I was in the game and right off the bat I made a shot and forgot all about that I am not wearing my brace and should take it easy. I decided to guard the biggest girl on the court, she was rough. She pushed me over which caused me to fall then stepped on my ankle.The pain was excruciating.

“Emily, are you ok!?” said the Coach.

I tried to respond but I couldn’t get a word out of my mouth. I saw my mom rush over. She picked me up and took me to the car and drove me to the hospital. At this point I am terrified because I am in urgent care. I am in extreme pain, I am brought to the hospital bed and a doctor comes to the room. 

“By the looks of it, I think that’s broken,” the doctor said, “but we will go ahead and take some x-rays.”

He was right, it is broken and I will be on crutches and have to wear a cast for three weeks. He also said I will probably be out for the whole season because I need to rest, which breaks my heart because this is the first year I can play school basketball. The doctor also mentioned that my injury might lead to later problems down the road and that my ankle might never fully recover.

The three dreaded weeks are finally over and I am going to go back to the doctor to see how I am healing and take off my cast. It has been miserable sitting around while I know all my friends are playing basketball, but Hailey has made sure to tell me everything that happens when I am not there to see it for myself.

“And then number 45 started to get mad and threw the ball at the ref just for calling a foul!” 

Though Hailey made sure I didn’t feel left out, part of me was still really sad. So that is why today is important. It could either be one of the best days of my life or one of the worst. We showed up at the doctor and got in to my appointment.

“Let’s take this cast off and see what we are dealing with.”

How could he say that so calmly this could determine my future.

“Well there is certainly still quite a bit of swelling.” Not what I wanted to hear. “But you should be fine to play basketball in a couple weeks.”

That was great news! I am so excited that I am able to play this season and trust me I will always remember to bring my brace, maybe even a backup.

Making it Pro

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Making it Pro

By Scarful

Hello there you should read my story. It’s about my life. I really recommend it.My name is Tanner Rock. I am a 15 year old male. My dreams are to make it pro in the NBA but I’m not very good at basketball. I recently moved to Nevada with my mom. My dad passed away when I was younger. And I wanted to make him proud and make my dream come true. But my mom is living in rough conditions. We moved so my mom could get a better job. 

On the first day of school I met a really nice kid. His name is Oliver. His dreams were also to make it pro in the NBA. But he was 10x better than me. And he said he could give me some pointers on my ball handling and shooting. After school he gave me his number to text him. I  went to his house later in the day to practice my basketball skills. We practiced for around

2 hours and his mom said,

 “Hey do you wanna stay over and have some dinner?”.

 After I ate I walked home. It wasn’t a very far walk to my house. When I arrived home I told my mom what I had done at Oliver’s house. She was really happy that I made a friend. At my old school I didn’t have that many friends. Oliver and I tried out for the high school team. We both made the team.

After my freshman year I didn’t start that much and I still wasn’t a shooter, I was more of a passer. I only scored around 30 points the whole season. But my sophomore year I scored a lot more points than I did the year before. I was averaging 19.3 points a game. My junior year I was on varsity so I didn’t play a whole bunch but I was still averaging 17.6 points a game. But my friend Oliver was doing very well; he was averaging 25.0 points a game. And in our senior year I was averaging 26.1 points a game. My last game there was a college scout and this was my chance to make a college team. I was playing really well; this game I had 23 points in the 3rd quarter and I finished out the game with 36 points. And the college scout came up to me and we were talking for a while. I made the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Oliver on the other hand he did make a college team, but he’s on the Iowa State Cyclones. We both did pretty well; our freshman year he averaged 22.4 points a game and I averaged 23.2 points a game. And through the rest of my college years I decided to go in the NBA draft.I didn’t get drafted till the 5th round. I got on the Houston Rockets.

And so did my friend Oliver. We finally got reunited. I got the starting center position at 6’8 and my friend Oliver got the starting point guard position. He’s only 6’3 but he can do everything he can drive down hill. He can shoot three pointers really well. And he’s the best at his mid range shots. We were 24 games into the season and we were doing good.

Then Oliver tore his ACL. He was out for the season and the thing that sucks is it was his rookie season. He was on pace to get rookie of the year. He was averaging 22.3 points a game more than any rookie this season. I’m only averaging 19.8 points but I was averaging 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The very next game after Oliver got injured he got my first triple double. I had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. When we were getting to the end of the season. I actually got rookie of the year with averaging 23.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists. 

The thing I was the best at was tip offs. I won almost all of my tip offs besides one and I only lost because I slipped when I jumped. After the season me and Oliver would train every day with our private trainer. When the next season arrived, me and Oliver both got 21 points in our first game of the season. 

Week 8 of the season we had to go against the boston celtics they were 7-0 and we were 5-2 not off to a bad start but we didn’t have the best start to the game we were down 10 points at the end of the first quader. The score was 29 to 19. I had 3 of those points with a lay up and 0ne made free throw but Olliver didn’t have any points so he was really discouraged but when we were on the bench I had to give him a little speech so he didn’t feel down on himself. 

After that when we went in halfway through the second i gave it to Oliver on the give and go and he got his first points. After that he got hyped up and got 10 points after and at halftime the score was 56-55 we were up by 1 point. During halftime our coach gave us a pep talk. I only had 7 points so I was kind of mad. But after half i got 14 points in 4 minutes. I had 21 points going into the 4th. We were up by 5 points with 2 minutes left in the game. Then they got a lay up and a three pointer with 20 seconds left and it was 120 to 120 and then they got a layup in 5 seconds so we had 15 seconds to either get a three pointer or a layup and we gave it to Oliver then he gave it to me in the post and i passed it to Oliver in the corner for a three and he MADE IT!!! To win the game. The only team to beat the Boston Celtics was us so far. 

  At the end of the last game of the regular season I had 45 points, the most I’ve ever scored. In the off season I was working out with Oliver and I was doing squats and I tore my quad. But luckily it was right after the season was over. So I had enough time to heal. It’s gonna take around a month for my quad to heal. After the offseason was over I was all healed up and ready for my 3rd season. On the first game of the season I jumped up for a rebound and got injured. After the game I went to the hospital and I found out from the doctor that I won’t be able to play for the rest of the season. And Oliver was having the best season of his career. 48 games into the season he was averaging 25.6 points a game. After the season they ended up 72-12 and won the championship. But gladly I got a ring. 

My 4th season on my first game I didn’t do any good. I was still a little hurt from the previous season. I had 0 points in my first game. And I didn’t get too many in the first 10 games. So the Houston Rockets decided to trade me. They traded me to the pistons. I wasn’t a starter for the Pistons and barely got any playing time. And when I got in the game I wasn’t doing anything. Then the Pistons traded me the next season. Then every team that traded for me would trade me a season later then my last shot to prove I’m still good. The last game of the season I was playing for the Lakers and I got injured again. I knew my career was most likely over. And I got cut a week later and no team wanted to pick me up so I had to retire early. And Oliver went on to win 5 more championship games and be known as the GOAT.  

Hoop Dreams (1994)

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January 12

This is one of the most recognizable, iconic documentaries of all-time and it was one of the first films I placed on the list of possible docs to watch during this Genre-ary. Hoop Dreams follows two black youths from the inner-city Chicago area on their struggles to get through high school with a dream to make it to the NBA.

The two boys were named Arthur Agee and William Gates, and, one of the things that I liked about Hoop Dreams was it was much more in depth than just basketball. It truly looked at the problems each boy faced as they navigated their way through their specific high sachools.

At first, it seemed as if they would both be going to the same high school, St. Joseph, but after their freshmen year, Arthur was behind on the tuition payment and wound up being removed from the school. William had financial issues too, but he received help from donors of the school. It was implied that William received the aid because he was seen as the stronger basketball player.

The film spent time with family members of both kids too. Arthur’s family provided the most drama as his father left during his high school years and ended up in prison. He was able to return to his family eventually and did appear to have turned a page on his criminal activities.

William went through an injury to his knee during his high school days and it was something that really caused problems for the young man. There were moments of game footage that was tough to watch as he struggled to make it through the injury.

Coach Gene Pingatore was a major character in the documentary, and he was not always portrayed in a positive light. He was that old school basketball coach in the vein of a Bobby Knight (who did cameo in the doc) and watching that today was challenging at times. Pingatore’s final meeting with a senior William was about as awkward as it could possibly be.

Hoop Dreams was a deep dive into the inner city youth whose only hope to escape came with a basketball. Both of the young men involved faced their difficulties with a differing level and reached for what they could. It was a very involved doc.