Noah

The late afternoon sun beat down on the field, baking the grass and making the air feel thick and suffocating. Sweat dripped into my eyes, stinging, as I crouched in my stance and waited for the snap.

I needed to get this play right.

This was supposed to be my reset — my chance to block everything else out and focus on football. The game was over, we’d won, but with the recruiter watching, every practice mattered just as much as Friday night’s performance.

The whistle ...