Chapter 17
With the score tied, the two teams were required to go directly to a penalty-kick shootout. It was a controversial way to finish a hard-fought game and, as he walked toward the bench, the impact of what was to take place nearly made Cory's knees buckle. Five of West's best kickers were going to be shooting at him from 12 yards away! The outcome of the championship was resting on his shoulders now. Yet, as he felt the responsibility weighing on him, he also felt excitement.
Quinn signaled for the players to huddle at the midline. Cory glanced over at Gene, who was still on the bench. Gene was writing something down on the clipboard but looked up. He smiled and gave Cory a thumbs up. Cory smiled back nervously, wondering if Gene or the others knew how he felt. The players grouped on one knee around the coach.
"Boys," Quinn began. "I want you to know, whatever happens in this penalty-kick shootout, you're League Champions as far as I'm concerned." Quinn shifted his feet, looking at the ground, then back up at the boys. "That was the greatest comeback I've seen in all my years of coaching. You boys showed what it's like to have guts. And heart!"
The boys let out a cheer. Quinn raised a hand, and they quickly fell silent.
"We're not out of the woods yet. So let's give these guys a finish they'll never forget. Brett, you kick first. Next, Jimmy, then Manny, then Billy, and last will be Jeff." Quinn looked at his five kickers. "The only advice I can give you boys is to pick a spot and don't change your mind." Quinn looked at Cory. "We're glad you showed up, Towson."
A light murmur of approval went through the huddle, and a couple of guys behind Cory slapped him on the back. Cory suddenly relaxed and smiled.
"Thanks, Coach."
"The spotlight's on you now. Ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
The boys in the huddle cheered again, including Gene, who was standing, clipboard in hand, just outside the circle.
Grandview won the coin toss and elected to shoot first. Both team's kickers sat in their own huddle at center field, with each kicker walking down to the goal to take his turn. Cory was off to the side, away from the goal, pacing around and trying to stay calm. But as he watched Brett walk to the penalty spot and set the ball down, panic swept over him. How was he going to stop West's best kickers? They shoot rockets from 12 yards out!
The West 'keeper slapped his gloves together and stood in position. The referee looked for him to signal he was ready. The whistle blew.
Brett stepped back, looked at the goal then the ball, and ran to it. He planted his left foot and hammered a low drive to the left corner with his right foot.
GOAL!
Cory reeled, a coldness in the pit of his stomach, as he seesawed from sudden relief to panic. It was his turn in goal. He swallowed hard, ignoring the squeamish feeling, and jogged over. He quickly sidestepped from post to post trying to get focused. The West kicker was waiting. Cory dug his toes into the chewed up grass, palms waist high and out, his body shifted forward. With his head buzzing, almost sick, Cory signaled he was ready.
The West player approached the ball and shot. It was waist high and to Cory's left. Cory jumped right, the wrong side, sailed briefly in the air and hit hard two feet from the right goalpost. The ball flew into the goal. Score! Grandview 3, West 3.
"I can't believe I did that," Cory groaned, as he looked at the ball in the back of the net. He stood up and walked off to the side of the goal to wait. He avoided looking up as he walked and was bumped by the West 'keeper as he walked past. The bump knocked Cory out of his fog. He looked up, but the West 'keeper kept walking.
Meanwhile, fans for both sides were cheering. Cory tried to block out the noise and the next kick to get ready for his second turn. He paced around in his wait area, away from the goal. Then, staring at the ground, he did a strange thing. He kneeled and placed his forehead on the grass, cupped his gloved hands on top of his head. It was the same position he used when resting from Tony Banks' grueling workouts. For some reason, this helped him shut out the crowd and the pressure. Closing his eyes, Cory imagined he was training again. And, scarcely at first, then in tiny waves, he felt his racing heart slow down. His breathing eased.
Back at goal, it was Jimmy's turn to shoot. He stepped back from the ball and waited for the whistle. The whistle blew and he rushed to the ball. Jimmy struck it hard, but waist high. The 'keeper was quick and judged correctly, blocking the shot! The West fans erupted in cheers.
The sudden clamor from the West side of the bleachers jolted Cory from his meditation. He immediately stood up and felt his stomach tighten. Walking to goal, he swung wide and avoided eye contact with the West 'keeper. Again, in goal, he dug his toes in to secure his footing, took a deep breath, and signaled he was ready. The kick came. This time, Cory dove left. But the ball rocketed right! West scored again!
All Cory could do was groan as he felt a sudden desire to quit. To simply walk off. To run off and disappear somewhere. Away from here. But, instead, he found himself standing up and taking his position off to the side of the goal area. Not running away, but staying, and feeling more than hearing the cheers of the West fans. It was now West 4, Grandview 3.
Again, Cory kneeled and put his forehead on the grass, covering his head with his gloved hands. He did not care if he looked silly. All he could think about was he had three more shots to stop. And so far, he hadn't stopped anything - - the shots, the nausea, or the cheering West fans! Eyes closed, he smelled the mustiness of the grass and dirt. And, again, he imagined he was at practice. No championship game, no people. Just practice. Slowly, his monkey mind slowed, and he realized his team was only down by one goal. There was still a chance.
Manny stepped up to take the next shot. The whistle blew, he trotted up, and slammed home a blistering rocket that pushed the net three feet out in the back of the goal. The 'keeper never had a chance. Now, it was the Grandview fans who exploded in cheers. Cory looked up, then jumped to his feet. That brought the score back to even. Manny's goal was the boost he needed. Cory walked to goal, this time without hesitation.
The West 'keeper forgotten, he found himself standing between the goalposts ready for the next shot. The whistle was quick, and the shot came at him, straight at him! Because of the quick whistle and shot, Cory did not have time to dive. He caught the ball in the stomach, surprised it was there, and tucked it safely under his gloves. The score stayed even at four goals apiece.
Cory tossed the ball to the referee and walked out of the goal. This time, he passed the West 'keeper. They both looked at each other, but the confidence was gone from the other boy's face. He was expressionless except for a slight widening of the eyes. Cory felt a pang of sympathy, but quickly looked away. Something told him not to think about the other 'keeper, to just concentrate on his job.
The number four kicker, Billy, calmly placed the ball on the penalty spot. He waited for the whistle and then casually jogged up to the ball and easily slotted it low and to the right. The goalkeeper made a valiant effort, but the ball was beyond his reach. Grandview had the lead for the first time in the shootout and in the game - - Grandview 5, West 4. The fans were cheering so loud now that the referee had to blow harder on his whistle for the players to hear. But he didn't seem to mind. He was smiling.
Cory felt charged up. He jogged into goal and stomped his feet, finding the small dugouts for his toes. He gave the "Ready" signal, and the referee blew his whistle. The West player jogged up to the ball and hammered it to Cory's right. Cory let himself simply react, diving and stretching out to his full length, sailing through the air. He saw a white blur flash towards his hands and hit them. But the ball was so powerfully hit, he couldn't hold on, and it ripped through his grip and into the net.
Cory hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath. Almost! The word whirled in his head, repeating again and again. This time, as Cory passed the other
'keeper, there was a smirk on the West 'keeper's face. That smirk burned into Cory's mind and mixed with the swirling word "almost." He walked to his resting spot, deliberately crouched down, and let the closeness of the grassy ground calm him.
The teams were tied going into the last two kickers. With the score 5 to 5, the pressure was turned up even more. It was Jeff's turn to shoot for Grandview. Cory blocked out the scene over at the goal, not wanting to know. Not wanting to get distracted and, maybe, disappointed. He thought only about being calm, imagining practice at Lions Park with Mr. Banks. Cory flashed on a memory. Something Banks had told him once about blocking penalty kicks. About watching the kicker's eyes. That's it! Watch the kicker's eyes to see where he's going to place his shot.
"Most of the time, a kicker will look at the spot," Banks had said. "And give it away." Cory smiled. It just might work.
Jeff now walked up to the penalty spot, bent over and adjusted the ball. The West 'keeper was in position and ready. Jeff moved back a few steps, measuring distance to the ball and looked straight at the goalkeeper. The crowd fell silent. Like an alarm, the whistle blew! Jeff glanced at both sides of the 'keeper, apparently trying to confuse him. He slowly dropped his head back down to the ball, hesitated, then approached and nailed it. Jeff's form was flawless and the ball launched off the spot. One of the hardest penalty shots for a 'keeper to stop, he blasted it into the upper left corner. The 'keeper made a desperate lunge but wasn't even close. The ball slammed into the high corner of the net. Jeff had scored!
The silence was swept away as the Grandview fans and players burst into cheers and shouts. Cory looked up, saw Jeff jumping for joy, and flew up off the grass pumping his fist. Jeff raced over and grabbed Cory's head with both hands.
"You can do this, Towson!" he said, gritting his teeth. They were touching foreheads. "I KNOW you can, buddie!"
Cory smiled, then broke away to get focused. Jeff ran back to the huddle of teammates, slapping hands, and Cory walked over to the goalmouth and took his place on the line. He sidestepped between the posts and then settled exactly midway between them. He was slamming his gloved hands together, trying to block out of his mind everything but the ball. The Grandview players and fans had fallen silent and were intently watching Cory.
Unexpectedly, Cory threw up a hand to signal he was not ready and walked out of the goalmouth. The referee held the whistle to his lips but did not blow it. The West kicker looked confused. Cory paced a few moments just outside one of the posts. He was looking down, gently tapping the top of his head with his two gloved hands, knowing he was not ready. Then, he abruptly turned and walked back to the goal line, digging in his toes.
He shifted his weight alternately from one foot to the other, looking at them, and then looked at the ball. It was deathly quiet. He stood ready and signaled the referee. As he did this, he looked into the West kicker's eyes and saw him looking to Cory's right. He looked left once, but came back to the right.
Everything went black except the kicker and the ball. He heard nothing as he stared at the ball on the penalty spot, his mind made up. The kicker ran to the stationary ball and planted his left foot beside it. His right leg seemed to be moving in slow motion as it swung back and then down toward its target.
Just when the West player's foot hit the ball, Cory exploded off his right leg, four feet above the ground, parallel to it. His arms were stretched out, reaching toward the right goalpost. The ball launched off the penalty spot and rocketed to the same side. The kicker blasted it! But, to Cory, it felt like slow motion. The ball rose with speed as it flew towards goal. Cory's hands were out, fingers spread, and shuck!, the ball sucked right into both hands. And stuck!
Instantly, everything snapped back to normal speed. Cory hit the ground with a jolt, and sound exploded around him. He felt the ball in his hands and clutched it to his stomach, as if to never let go. The bleachers, the players, every Grandview fan erupted in celebration! Grandview 6, West 5. Grandview was the League Champion!
Cory jumped up, the ball still in his hands, as the team came running down from midfield and mobbed him. Everyone was yelling, Gray Pritchard the loudest.
"That was amazing, Towson!" Gray cried. "You've got to show me how to dive like that!" He was slapping Cory on the back.
"Dude! You are incredible!" yelled Brett, as he ran up.
"Towson," whooped Tim, running up behind Brett. "All World, man. I can't believe you did that!"
"Yeah?" Cory said, brimming with pride. "Believe it, Turner!" They both laughed.
At that moment, with all the excitement, the cheering, the celebration, Cory was not afraid anymore. Of Tim, of the divorce, of Allen, of the future. He knew he would have to take it little by little, but he felt a calm deep inside for the first time in a long time. Tim and Jeff lifted Cory up on their shoulders. They carried him across the field while the rest of the team packed around, jumping and celebrating. In the bleachers, the Grandview fans were still cheering, smiles everywhere. Even some of the West fans were clapping with respect. Cory felt as light as a feather as the boys carried him over to the bench and set him down. Quinn fought his way through the mob and put his arms on Cory's shoulders.
"Well done, son. Well done."
All Cory could do was walk around and soak up the victory. The atmosphere was electric. People he didn't even know were coming up and shaking his hand or slapping him on the back. Cory felt a light touch on his shoulder, and he turned around.
"Mom!" he shouted and threw his arms around her. She hugged him tight while the crowd surged on both sides of them, seemingly unaware. To Cory, it was a warmth he had forgotten and welcomed all at once. He pulled back to see her face. Her eyes were watery, and she seemed to be embarrassed about it.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Cory said.
"Cory Towson," she said, suddenly looking angry. "You scared the living daylights out of me!" Then a look of relief flooded her face and she hugged him again. "I'm so glad you're safe. To think of you out there by yourself. Alone."
"Aw, mom," he groaned. "I was okay."
Mrs. Towson drew back and rested her hands on her son's shoulders. They were getting wider, she noticed. He was as tall as she was and still growing.
"Cory?" she said softly. "I'm sorry, too. I was thinking more of what I wanted and not enough of what you needed. Your feelings. And I've decided to slow down with Allen and spend more time with what matters most in my life."
Cory noticed how warm her eyes looked.
"And that's you."
Cory hugged her again, not caring what the rest of the guys thought, especially Tim. This was family. All the family he had right now.
"Mom?" he said, pulling back and looking again at his mother. "I don't want to lose any more family. If Allen comes around sometimes, that's okay with me."
Mrs. Towson smiled.
"And maybe Mr. Banks will keep teaching me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have saved that shot."
"Are you sure about all this, Cory?" she said with a concerned look.
"I'm sure."
He was going to say more, but an image of his father, leaving in his car that last morning at their old house, flashed across his mind. Then, a brief picture of Allen. He looked at her. "But let's take it one day at a time. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Hey, Cory!"
It was Gene. He was fighting his way through the crowd, staggering as he bumped into people. Cory and Mrs. Towson started laughing as he walked up pulling his sweater around to straighten it.
"Hey, man. The team's going over to Nick's Pizza. Let's go!"
Just then, Gene noticed Mrs. Towson for the first time and suddenly acted formal.
"Hello, Mrs. Towson."
"Hello, Gene," she answered, still chuckling. Cory looked from Gene to his mother.
"Can I, Mom?"
"Of course!" she said. "And, after celebrating at Nick'
s, why don't you bring Gene over to the house for banana splits? What do you say?"
"All right!" both boys shouted. Then, Cory leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. He and Gene, who still held the clipboard, melted into the crowd towards the locker room and the rest of the team.