Being rushed is never a good thing. Being rushed can physically hurt someone. Being rushed can ruin a game. Being rushed can ruin a season. A time where I was rushed in a situation was when our sixth grade, very talented, football team was playing our biggest game of the year, and the game was a scrimmage. As a Franklin Lakes team, we despised the Mahwah football players, as they were mean, and always had this look on their faces that they were the best team out there. We heard all the talk about them, and how good they were and everybody thought we were going to get crushed by them. Although that did not happen, we still did not finish the way we wanted to.

Our number one goal for the game was not even to win, but to prove to the rest of the bigger teams that we were just as talented, and that we could hang with any team out there. Franklin Lakes is a very small town and all of our sports teams get a reputation of being called soft and weak. We played in a lower league where we dominated everybody, but could never get a win against a bigger town, since they were not in our division. But our team was special, as we defied that reputation and knew that we could beat anyone, and we were arguably one of the best teams to go through Franklin Lakes, ever.

The game started with a loud bang. We had kicked off to them, and already, after the play ended, one of their players illegally hit one of ours, giving one of our reliable players a concussion. There was a little bit of tension that rose after that moment, but nothing too serious. The game constantly stayed close throughout the beginning of the game, and it seemed like every other play, there was an injury or some sort of controversy. There must have been a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on every play because both teams were playing after the whistle, and it was easily the most physical game we have ever been involved in before.

At halftime, the score was 7-6, Mahwah, and we had already suffered three injuries.  I distinctly remember in the huddle, as I was calling a play, one of our linemen was looking the other way, completely clueless to what was going on. As the huddle broke, he started walking the wrong way. He turned out to have a concussion and he would go on to miss the rest of our season. Still, our team persevered and never quit.
The third quarter began, and we were still going at each other. The crowd was constantly roaring and the refs were constantly being scrutinized. We started off the quarter with an immediate touchdown. We had all of the momentum now, as they were miserable that a team from Franklin Lakes (Franklin Lakes!) was going to beat them.

We got a huge stop on defense, and the game looked like it was over. It was now the fourth quarter, and they got the ball. They must have had some talk in their huddle because they ran down the field and simply annihilated us on that possession, giving them the lead with two minutes remaining. It was now our turn, all the pressure on us, to get a score and win the game, one that we worked so hard for.

I have never been in a more pressured situation, as I remember the butterflies in my stomach to this day. We took the ball and steadily moved down the field. We were coming close to scoring, but the clock was ticking and we had to get a play off. All we needed was ten yards to score, and we had ten seconds left. We ran to the ball, as the clock ticked. We were in a rush, and we failed miserably. I got the snap, dropped back, trying to be as quick as I could to make a perfect throw to one of my receivers, who was wide open, and I threw it way over his head. The game was over. I rushed my throw and we just sat there as their players stormed the field and we sat there, in shock. A game we had in our hands, a crucial game to us, we lost because I had rushed a throw. Although I rushed, we still managed to make a name for ourselves but still to this day, I regret not taking my time and not making the throw to beat them.