“Five Star running back Erik Bufford transfers from Utah University to the rival BYU,” read aloud my five-eleven, 205-pound self. 

“Where did you read this stupid nonsense?” yelled out Quarterback Jaren Hall. The loud chatter in the room suddenly stopped. I never thought in my entire life that a coach would ever do this to me. Jaren and I walked to the weight room, and right away I swear everyone was talking about what happened earlier today. Then I saw the entire Brigham Young University(BYU) O-Line coming toward me, and I was ready for every lecture because it is football season.

“What happened, are you going to lose your starting spot?” asked the maloduros O-Line.

I replied in a hesitant voice, “No, never.” I was concerned about my spot at this point, but I believes the coach’s relationship with me is the best that it has ever been before. 

Later on in the day when I felt more comfortable being in the weight room. I lifted as hard as I could,  and not be lectured about when I was going to be able to work out. Then not even two minutes later when I started I saw the transfer getting walked around the school by the coach. I was livid to the point that I felt like a volcano, at the coach’s decision to do this. 

The next day I saw on my calendar that we had a whole team practice tonight. Then I heard that the new transfer was attending practice, and there was nothing but confusion running through my mind. Is he going to start over me? Will the team like him better than me? I met up with my best friend that has been on my side through all the hard times, and also the easy times ever since grade school. 

“Hey Jaren, I swear you look better and better every time I see you,” I complimented. 

“Hahaha, funny,” Jaren yelled out as if I was a mile away

“What are you getting to eat?” I asked.

“Jeese, is that even a question? C’mon, you honestly don’t know what I am getting? I have gotten this every time since the first time we went here,” Jaren aggressively replied, “I am 

getting the Salmon Basil Pasta with the Strawberry basil drink,” 

“I feel like getting the same thing as you,” I proudly replied. “That food was so unique and so tasteful” I shouted. Twenty minutes later we got our food,  and we were so excited as we were really hungry. We both were talking about our lives, and then we got on the topic of the transfer from Utah. We thought that he was a hot bag of trash, but we also knew he was going to be good. 

“We both have to start putting the work in for the next game, so you can start, and so we both can win this important game,” demanded Jaren. We both moved on and then started to leave the best restaurant in the world. I thought to myself, Jaren is right, we have to start putting in this work, especially me. I am going to work for this starting spot until I am able to get that damn spot. So later that day we had practice with just the specialists such as the running backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers. This was the first practice that I have ever accounted for with Erik. Just the way he walked, and the way he talked I hated him. Then later in practice, he began talking to the wide receivers and started to talk trash about them. 

“Jeeze, you guys have to catch that ball,” Erik aggressively yelled across the field. “Hahaha, you guys suck,” Erik laughingly lectured them. 

“Shut up, just because you're a five-star doesn’t mean you own the team,” I aggressively replied.  Then later on in the practice Jaren and I were connecting for these beautiful passes down the field. I saw Erik lining up for a route, and he went long. T

hen he dropped a really easy pass that he should have caught. “Hahaha,” I laughed. 

In the end, the coach came up to me and murmured, “Good Practice bud.” I was so proud of myself because this gave me a lot of confidence and I knew that I had that starting spot because it was like bread and butter between Jaren and me. Later that night, I went on a stress-relieving activity. It was the walk that happens every night. After a while, we got to the top of the mountain and it was so peaceful that I saw a cougar out of the corner of my eye. 

“Woah, Woah,” I said frighteningly. Then I made the decision of walking slowly away and thought about my team. Then after I got farther away I ran as fast as I could toward the university. I have never run this fast in my life before, I was scared for my life. I mean at least I got a run and I got some good exercise in. I thought of the positive stuff from this crazy experience. I never thought that tonight I would’ve seen this creepily pale, and fierce cougar in the wild. That night I told my mom about what happened when I was on the walk and she said that was weird for a cougar to be out on that specific pathway. She believed that it was for an excellent cause and that I was lucky that nothing had happened to me. 

The next day I knew it was the practice where we got to see who was starting for this very important game against Utah. So I was all pumped and ready to take it to this sissy boy transfer. I was not going to let my confidence ruin the way I play. Right before practice, I was able to lift and get to talk to my buddy Jaren. “Wassup bud,” I shouted through the room.

“Not much, ready to take on that transfer,” Jaren confidently replied. 

I could tell that he was on my side and wanted me to be the person to take the spot home. We worked out together for a little longer then we went to practice early to get some reps in so I was warm. But it was going to be a cold one. On the radar, it said it is supposed to snow and all of that stuff. I feel like my hands are going to be hurting really bad. Then everybody got there and I could tell that everybody was ready for this competition between Erik and I.  

All of a sudden the coach yelled, “ Everybody in a Hudl right now.” There was a distant chatter in between everybody in the hudl. “Silence,” the coach demanded. “We all know there is going to be a position battle tonight for the running back spot with new transfer Erik Buford and senior Lonnie Wheels,” announced the coach. 

We did our stretches before practice and all of our warm-ups. We started to practice and right away I loved it because I could tell there was going to be a lot of competition between us. Then I finally was able to go out for a wheel route and Jaren lofted it over my left shoulder to the sideline and I was able to feel the leather of the ball hit my hands. Then the very next play I was still in and they gave me a run up the middle and I was able to break through the line to get a really nice twelve-yard run. After those two plays, we switched so Erik went in and he went for the same route I ran. He had the same pass I had over the left shoulder and went for the ball and missed the catch. 

“Yeah, C’mon what was that,” I cocked off. Inside me, I was laughing at the way he acted.

“Shut up,” Erik replied. I could tell he was heated and there was nothing except bad all over him. “It is so cold out here, like a blizzard,” Erik complained. Right after that play, he ran the same exact play as I ran it up the middle. He tried to run it up the middle and got stopped after a two-yard rush. “Really, C’mon O-line. I have never ever seen an O-line block as bad as you guys are,” Erik disrespectfully said to the whole O-line. 

“Whatever dude, you just transferred and you think you can own the world,” I announced.

“What are you talking about? All these excuses huh,” the O-line replied. I always knew there was nothing good about him and he was such a little sissy. For the rest of the practice, I kept on playing really well. Erik kept on with the back and I actually do not respect his game. And he was just not playing well at all. After practice, the coach called us to his office, and right away I knew it was for the starting spot. I had such a good feeling about this and there was nothing that I could think that I did badly. 

“Ok guys, you probably know why you guys are in here,” Coach openly said, “and this is based on the practices lately and especially this practice.” I was ready for what he was going to say and I was so confident I was getting it. “So let me just be direct, the person that is starting this week will be,” Coach blurted. I felt like I skipped a heartbeat. “The starter will be Lonnie Wheels, congratulations,” shouted the coach. I was so relieved and was for sure ready for this next game to happen. As soon as I got that spot I thought back to that Cougar.

“Damn it,” Erik shouted angrily.

“Thanks, coach, I will be ready for that game,” I gracefully announced. I walked out of the room and saw Jaren. “I got the spot,” I shouted.

“Let’s go,” Jaren shouted. I was never this happy ever. 

I went home later that night and called my mom. “I love you so much mom,” I respectfully said. I just wanted to say that because of all the work she made me do and let me do and how she pushed me. Then I hung up the phone and started to go to bed. The very next day we had a game against rivals Utah. We all went into the game focused and ready to play and we were not messing around about this game because these guys are rivals. In that game I went off literally, I was on fire. I was the player of the game and not only that we won the game. I got interviewed for the player of the game. 

“How did you do it,” the reporter questioned. 

“I just played my game, thank you, mom,” I replied.