Most school football teams transport there players with two, full yellow busses. Although, It was never the same with the Greece Arcadia Titans.

All twenty five teammates enter a bus and we sit quietly and in comfort before every battle. Anxiety is rushing through our bodies not knowing how things are going to turn out. The football game was on our minds. The very first hit of the game was rushing through our heads. Who was it going to be, I think to myself, who is going to dominate the gridiron

The time came for the season opening game against the Canandaigua Braves. We step off the bus after an hour long bus ride and we stare at the community. We sense the hostility of the environment as they quietly watch us step onto the field. It seemed as if we were not invited to their party. We all knew we were the outcasts at their party. We wore the colors maroon and black as hundreds of people were smothered in gray and red. We were about to put an end to this party I thought to myself.

Signs all around us stated the words “Go Braves!” Where was our fan section? I thought to myself, at least the crickets were cheering. However this did not stop us from putting forth a victory because all that was on our minds was “Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can’t Lose!” The scorching heat was not in favor of any of us. All we relied on was each other and the adrenaline flowing through our bodies.
The time came for the opening kickoff of the 2011 section five football season. I lined up for the kickoff and I watched each sweat droplet drip down from my arms and face. I glimpsed at my hands as they are covered in black face paint from rubbing sweat from my eyes. This would not stop me one bit from leaving it all on the field. I would leave the face paint to if that meant we would win I told myself.
I watched the ball as it was booted into the atmosphere and taken into the hands of we, the Arcadia Titans.
After the first play, exhaustion already found its place in me. As much as I hated it, it only got worse play by play. The Braves would sneak up on us time and time again and score.
At the half it was 20-6 the Braves in the lead. We marched off the field in search of the nearest shaded area. Off came our pads and out came the vomit. I felt as if I ran a marathon, even worse because marathons don’t hit you back.

All along I stayed loyal to the chant. “Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose”. I knew I had something to play for. I relied on twenty four titans to play their hearts out for me, as they relied on me, as the twenty fifth Titan, to play mine out as well. My heart remained full. Once again, adrenaline found its place in me and kicked out the exhaustion. Once again all eyes on us as we walk onto the field. But this time, we came with new colors added to our jerseys. The colors of blood, sweat, dirt, and grass united with our original colors of white and maroon. The score from the first half did not stop us because we had clear eyes. The size of them didn’t scare us because we had full hearts. Their trash talking didn’t seize us because we simply could not lose! Play after play we punched the pigskin into their end zone, as if the game just begun.
With two minutes left in the battle, the score was tied up. The biggest come back of my life was taking place. Could we do it, I asked myself with confidence. We could not lose! We punched it in the end zone yet again to proclaim our victory!
I stand there wobbling forcing myself to stand as I watch the clock tick down to zero as satisfaction rushed through my mind. I look into the eyes of the braves and see defeat, when they should have been clear. Their hearts were empty as ours were full. We were the victorious bunch in the hostile environment.
We literally drag each other off the field. See you next year, I yell at one of the Braves.