Page 24 of Catch
I was bursting with pride. I had a good feeling about today. One of the hottest singers, Bristol Baines, was singing the national anthem. A local high school was singing “God Bless America,” and three stealth bombers were going to fly over before the start of the game. My dad texted that he was in the stands even though I told him he could be escorted to me. I would catch up with him after the game.
“Cheetahs! Cheetahs!”
Hearing the fans scream gave me such a rush. I wasn’t expecting my introduction to make such an impact, but when I was announced, I was given a standing ovation. I waved and smiled, swallowing the lump that lodged itself in my throat. If I cried now, nobody would take me seriously. I found my dad on the fifty-yard line wearing a Cheetahs polo and whistling. I blew him a kiss and waved back. This was a big moment and as much as I hated attention, I loved every second. I was the first female offensive coordinator and people were celebrating my milestone. I wanted to fall to my knees and cry for every success and every failure I ever had on the football field. Instead, I took my spot on the sideline with the Cheetahs and waited patiently until kickoff. There were still another ten minutes of pre-game rituals before the game even started. The Browns won the toss and deferred. We were getting the ball first.
“Get out there and get good field position,” Bill yelled. He looked patient waiting for the kickoff. I was ready to jump out of my skin.
Ian Camper, our kick returner, caught the football and was off. It was so hard not to race beside him on the sideline. He broke through the first wave of tacklers. When he got to the forty, all of us started yelling. Not only was he slipping through holes the special teams created, but he was on track to run it all the way to the end zone. I clutched Bill’s arm unprofessionally as we watched the twenty-two-year-old walk-on from my alma mater stiff-arm the kicker and run it in for the first touchdown in the Cheetahs’ history book. Everyone went wild.
“If that doesn’t motivate all of us, I don’t know what will,” Bill yelled.
Ian raced over to Bill and handed him the ball. “That one was for you, Coach.” Fuck. I started tearing up. I turned my back and grabbed my tablet from the bench just to remove myself from the moment. We still had a whole game to play. I couldn’t afford to be outwardly emotional.
When Grayson threw the winning touchdown pass with forty-two seconds left in the game and our defense took the field to sack their quarterback, I celebrated. I wiped away tears and laughed as the linemen surprised Bill with the ceremonious Gatorade shower. I ran when I saw them coming.
I asked security to bring my dad down on the field. I smiled as I absorbed the atmosphere of our stadium and the fans who stuck around to watch our first win. I did my first solo interview with NBC’s Monica Meadows who was one of the few journalists I trusted. She was a reporter on the sidelines on big games and I knew she wasn’t going to blindside me with sexist questions.
“Coach, congratulations on the win. How important was it?” Monica asked.
“Nice to see you again, Monica. Today’s win was everything. It showed the world that the Cheetahs should be taken seriously and that we aren’t stopping and we’re not giving up.”
“You led the entire game. Was it hard to adjust to the game as it progressed?”
“Not at all. I feel like we had the advantage.”
“How so?” she asked.
“We watched games of the Browns from last season to get ready and they didn’t have any games of us to watch. They adjusted well, just not enough to win the game.”
“I know you have some celebrating to do. One final question. How’s the journey been to get here at this point?”
“It’s been both wonderful and strenuous, but worth it.”
“I know you’ve worked hard, Coach McCoy. Congrats again on a very memorable and emotional win.” I heard Grayson behind me so when I turned to congratulate him on a great first game, Iwasn’t expecting Parker and their daughters to be on the field with him. I hated that she looked so perfect. She was wearing shorts and a Cheetahs jersey with Moats across the back. Seeing them kiss cut my great mood in half.
“Great game, Grayson.” I nodded at him.
“Same to you, Coach!” He had to yell over the crowd of reporters who surrounded him.
“Sutton!” my dad shouted.
Brandon was escorting him to me. I met them halfway and hugged my dad tightly. We were both crying. I didn’t care that we were in a field of cameras and interviews. My dad, the person who inspired me the most and stopped living his life so we could focus on mine, was here.
“I’m so proud of you. You did it, Sutton. You did it.” His aftershave took me back to when I was in high school. I could tell he’d lost weight. He said it was to be healthier, but I thought it was because he was slimming down for his new girlfriend.
“Wait a minute. Judy’s here and you left her in the stands?”
He wiped away his tears and laughed. “Well, security only grabbed me.”
“Dad, I’m going to have to give you dating tips because leaving your girlfriend in the stands isn’t going to get you any brownie points.”
“Mr. McCoy?” Parker said from behind me. “Hi. I don’t know if you remember me, but I used to go to Oak Grove with Sutton.”
My worlds were colliding again. I never told Dad that Grayson and Parker got married. The look of surprise on my father’s face couldn’t be faked.
“Of course, I remember you. Parker O’Neal. It’s good to see you again,” Dad said.
She put her hand on his hand briefly. “You look happy andwell.”
