Quite possibly the most significant time of my life was during my senior year as part of the Edison High School football team. The story of our 2006 season is a reflection of my life and testimony to my beliefs and values.
Underdogs from day one, we represented not only our school, but also our community and families. Early expectations of the 2006 Eagles were low and the surrounding community was under the belief that Edison would be lucky to go 6-4 with the inexperienced players and the loss of such a talented senior class. Suddenly, I was starting as the outside linebacker/defensive end for the first time in my career along with 18 brand new starters. Unexpectedly, a green group of replacements were 5-0, half-way through our season. After suffering two straight losses, the Edison team regrouped and refocused to win three straight games en route to an 8-2 season and a playoff run for the history books.
Our first round game would be against Yorktown who beat us in the regular season and whose offense was led by a University of Virginia-bound running back. This game proved to be no contest, as our defense shut down Yorktown and their running backs and won the game by a surprising 27-7. The second game of the playoffs was against dreaded Stone Bridge. Undefeated Stone Bridge was not only ranked as the best team in Virginia, but led the state in every statistical category. Due to strength of heart, focus and preparation, we won the game 31-17, holding Stone Bridge to their lowest point output of the season and shocking the Northern Region by becoming Region Champions for the first time since 1986. Unexpectedly, an inexperienced and small Edison football team had ended the expectations of the best team in Virginia and was poised to take the state by storm.
After another decisive win in the state semi-final, the Eagles were in their first State Championship berth since 1986. Although we lost the state championship game, both teams played the best game of their lives and unfortunately someone had to lose. Through grit and determination, Edison’s football team achieved more than anyone, including ourselves had ever imagined. As our head coach said in a Washington Post interview, “ This may not be the most talented team I’ve ever coached, but it may be the best team.
They have done more with less than any team I have ever coached and I’m mighty proud of them”. Being a small, not very fast and not very strong team clearly was not the reason for our success. The ability to be coached, to sacrifice your own personal agenda for the team, to accept your role on the team regardless of what it may be, and to work hard with a “ refuse-to-lose” attitude is what won our games. I do not believe that winning means you are successful or that to be successful you have to win.
Likewise, perfection and happiness do not always come from winning or having money. The most important lesson I have learned this season was that being perfect is not about the scoreboard. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you did everything you could – that there wasn’t one more thing you could have done, and when the going got tough, you did not put your head down and give up, but you fought on.
Winning is not about who hits the hardest, but who can get hit hard and still keep moving forward. Applying that mentality to my life has made me a more successful and happy person regardless of whether or not I win, lose, triumph or fail. Life and football are very similar, both have their ups and downs, and your ability to keep a level head and never get too high or too low is what makes you a winner. The experience of my last year of high school football was the culmination of all the lessons I have learned through out my life, on and off the field.
