Signing Day Read online

  “So what’s the deal? Are you recruiting these boys?” Mr. Gibson looks at Mr. Henry. What I’ve learned about Mr. Gibson in this past year is that he likes people to get to the point.

  “I was here to watch another player, but these two boys caught my eye,” Mr. Henry turns to Mr. Gibson. “I’ve watched a lot of high school games over the years, but this game had me on my feet. These two young men kept their team in the game. They showed a lot of promise out there. That is something we’re looking for at UCC. Not only talent, but promise.”

  I look down at the card in my hand. Black block letters against white. Wallace J. Henry, it says at the top. And then beneath his name are the words University of Coastal California, Division I in crimson.

  “Why haven’t we seen you two at camps before?” Mr. Henry asks.

  “It’s a long way to the mainland,” Mr. Gibson says. “Those college football camps are expensive and not easy to get to when you live this far away.”

  Mr. Henry nods. “I looked up both of your stats,” he says, taking out his phone and reading them off. “Calvin here has had 40 receptions for 476 yards and 16 touchdowns.”

  Calvin nods at this. Mr. Henry looks down at his phone and back at me. “You’ve got some pretty impressive numbers too: 310 carries for 2,211 yards and 15 touchdowns.”

  “Yes, sir,” I say.

  “Plans for next year?” Mr. Henry asks both of us.

  Calvin and I look at each other.

  “We’d like to play college football for a school like yours,” Calvin says.

  “Yes, sir,” I add. “We want a chance to play.”

  Mr. Gibson says to Mr. Henry, “A school like UCC would be lucky to have these two. They’re hard workers. I’ve never seen either one of them give up, and on top of all of that, they are smart, good kids.”

  “Well, I’d certainly like to be in touch,” says Mr. Henry. He takes out another card, flips it over to the blank white side, and hands it to Calvin and me. “Write down your email addresses, would you?”

  While we’re doing that, he keeps talking. “I’d like you both to send me your game tapes and school transcripts.” Mr. Henry points to the card in my hand. “And it might interest you to know that UCC and a couple of other schools in the area are holding a football camp in a few weeks. We like to call it the last-chance camp. It’s an opportunity for seniors to show off their talent to coaches and staff still looking for players. I’d like to extend an invitation to both of you. I’ll be there with the UCC coaches.”

  Mr Gibson still looked uncertain.

  “Let me see what I can do about getting you two an official visit to our campus around the same time. We could help out with airfare and accommodations too.”

  Mr. Gibson nods at this.

  “That would be great,” I say.

  “Thank you,” Calvin says as he hands back the card we wrote on.

  “And your coach, Freddie Kainoa, tell him to give me a call too,” Wallace Henry says. “He was a great college player. I remember him from back in the day. I’d like to talk to him.”

  Calvin and I look at each other. We knew Coach played in high school, but he’s never mentioned he played college football.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Mr. Henry says.

  We watch him head across the parking lot toward Rain Bok and his dad. Rain doesn’t even look up at him. He continues to text on his phone. The kid probably has a dozen recruiters talking to him every day.

  Chapter 5

  When we get home, I grab my laptop and look up Wallace Henry. There he is—UCC’s top recruiter.

  “He’s known for unearthing unknown talent,” Calvin reads.

  “That’s us,” I say. “Unknown.”

  “Not anymore,” Calvin says.

  I nod at this and open my email. As usual, Coach has already emailed us a recording of today’s game. I click on the video, and Calvin and I watch the game as spectators instead of players.

  Calvin opens his own laptop, and for the next few minutes we sit side by side as we download footage, cut and copy our best plays, and add them to our game tapes. As we work, I ask, “Do you think we would’ve gotten more attention from recruiters if we’d played for a team like the Sharks?”

  We’ve sent game tapes to dozens of schools, but we’ve never heard a word.

  “I don’t know if we would’ve gotten that much time on the field,” Calvin says. “The Sharks have a lot of really good players. Maybe we would’ve been stuck on the bench.”

  “Maybe,” I say.

  Calvin finishes cutting together his last couple of clips, and I add our stats at the end.

  “I’m glad we played for the Warriors,” I say as I type a note of thanks to Mr. Henry. “It was a good time.”

  “It was,” Calvin agrees, attaching a video file to his own email draft.

  “Well,” I say, looking over at Calvin, “I hope Mr. Henry was serious about giving us a shot.”

  We press send at the same time.

  Chapter 6

  The next day, I slather on sunscreen and put on a baseball cap.

  Calvin laughs at me.

  “You look like a tourist.”

  “No,” I say. “I’d look like a tourist if I was burnt to a crisp.”

  When we get to the beach we see Coach pulling a boat into the dock. We wave and walk over.

  “I’ve been out since early this morning,” he calls to us. “Caught a couple of big ones! We’re eating well tonight, boys.”

  Calvin and I smile and help Coach unload supplies from the boat. As we carry his fishing gear and a few massive coolers of fish down the beach, we tell Coach about Mr. Henry approaching us in the parking lot.

  “He wants you to call him,” I say.

  “He called me this morning,” Coach says. “He wanted to know all about you two.”

  “What did you say?” I ask.

  “That you two are strong and focused athletes. That you’re coachable and natural leaders. That they’d be lucky to get you both.”

  “Do you think UCC is really interested?” I ask.

  “They see you have talent and potential,” he says. “They don’t invite players to tour their program if they aren’t serious.”

  By now some of the other players have shown up on the beach. We look out to the water where a couple of the guys are swimming. Ty grabs Louie from behind and tosses him into the crashing waves. For a second it looks like Louie won’t come up, but then he reappears, spluttering and laughing. They splash water at each other and yell in surprise when another wave comes crashing in on them.

  “Watch yourselves out there!” Coach yells as they bob to the surface again. “We need Louie in one piece for next season!”

  The guys in the water laugh but come in closer to the beach all the same.

  ***

  A little while later, Coach gathers us around and teaches us to clean the fish he’s caught. After they’re cleaned, we wrap the fish in palm leaves and cook them over hot coals on a grill. When they’re done, we sit around on the sand, looking out over the water as we laugh and eat.

  Eventually it gets dark. No one seems to want to leave, but one by one, guys start to head out. Calvin and I stick around and help haul things to Coach’s truck.

  “Make sure you follow up with Wallace Henry,” he tells us. “Let him know that you want to play for UCC. Let him know you’re willing to work hard for a place on the team.”

  “We want this,” Calvin assures him. “To play Division I football would be incredible.”

  “Yeah, and you boys deserve it,” Coach says with a grin. “You’ve worked so hard. But you’ll have to keep working hard if you want to get on that team and stay on it. Understand?”

  “Yes, Coach,” Calvin and I say together.

  “So you used to play college football?” Calvin says as we put the cooler in the back of Coach’s truck.

  Coach is silent for a minute.

  “Mr. Henry mentioned it,” I explain.

>   “I played for a season,” he says. “I wish I would’ve played longer.”

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “Spent too much time partying and not enough time studying,” he says in a voice that’s supposed to sound casual but doesn’t. “I flunked out my second semester. It was bad. I lost my scholarship and ended my career.”

  Calvin and I stand there speechless. Coach has always seemed so focused.

  “I made a mess,” Coach says. “But I worked hard to clean it up. I got a job, went to a community college, got my grades up. After two years, the school let me back in, but I didn’t get back on the team. I’m happy now. I moved on, but it would’ve been great to play a few more years.”

  He shuts the tailgate and looks at us.

  “I’m rooting for you two. I know that you both have what it takes. But you’re going to have to work for it. Training starts tomorrow morning at seven. Meet me on the field.”

  Chapter 7

  The next day, Calvin and I head to the football field behind Regent High.

  Coach is setting up cones when we arrive.

  “Let’s get going,” he says. “We’ve got some work to do.”

  “Wallace Henry hasn’t even emailed us back,” Calvin says.

  “Be patient,” Coach replies. “But be prepared.”

  We follow him down to the end zone.

  “Do you want an invitation to UCC?” Coach asks.

  “Yeah,” Calvin and I both say.

  “Do want to play college football?”

  “Yeah,” we both say again.

  “I didn’t hear you,” Coach says.

  “Yes!” we both shout.

  “Louder! Loud enough for the coaches at UCC to hear!” he yells again, pointing in the direction of the mainland.

  “Yes!” we shout again.

  “Then want it and work for it,” he says. “You need to set yourself apart from the others. Win every drill. Stand out. Got it?”

  Calvin and I nod.

  Coach has Calvin and me line up on the white line at the end zone. He walks down to the forty yard line.

  “Sprints,” Coach says.

  We get into position.

  “Ready?” he yells. “Get set. Go!”

  He blows his whistle.

  Calvin and I race each other, arms and legs pumping. Calvin’s long legs work furiously, but I stay right beside him and pass him at the very end.

  “Let’s do it again,” Calvin says, panting hard but flashing a competitive smile my way.

  “When you first start running, keep your chin down,” Coach says. “If you stand up too fast, you limit your leg drive. Stay low.”

  We race again. Calvin wins this time, but I improve my time by a tenth of a second. We race again and again.

  When we stop and drink some water, Coach looks at the two of us.

  “Keep pushing each other,” he says. “You’ve got this.”

  We work at all the drills, repeating them over and over.

  At the end of the set, Coach tells us, “Come back here this evening. We’ll run the drills again. And we’ll run them every day after school. In the meantime, keep your body stretched and loose. Get sleep, stay hydrated. And remember, you’ve got one chance. A split second can make or break you. Push yourselves like you’ve never pushed yourselves before.”

  Chapter 8

  That night, Wallace Henry calls Calvin while the two of us are studying in Calvin’s room.

  “It’s Wallace Henry,” Calvin says, covering the phone with his hand. I shut my book and move over to sit next to him.

  “Yes,” Calvin says and then, “Iggy’s here too if you want me to put you on speaker phone.”

  There’s a pause, and for a moment I think that he doesn’t want to talk to me, just to Calvin, but then I hear Mr. Henry’s voice.

  “I watched your videos,” Mr. Henry says.

  Iggy and I both hold our breath and hover over the phone.

  “Are you there?” he asks.

  “Yes, sir,” we say at the same time.

  “I showed them to some people around here, and Coach Washington wants you both to come out for a visit. I’ve scheduled it for the last Friday of this month, the same weekend as the last-chance camp. That way, we pay for your plane tickets, and you get a tour, plus a chance to watch the Titans play against the Branford Bears on Saturday. On Sunday you’ll have to take a bus to and from the camp to be sure we don’t break any rules, but we’ll take care of you once you’re back on campus. For now, work hard and be ready. The coaches at the camp will be clocking your speed and testing your strength and endurance. Run all your basic drills. Know them blindfolded.”

  “Thank you,” I say, trying to take it all in: an official visit, watching the Titans play the Bears, last-chance camp, drills, coaches. It’s all happening so fast.

  “I’ll have someone here take care of your tickets, and I’ll email you the details.”

  “We won’t disappoint you,” Calvin says.

  Mr. Henry is silent a few moments then says, “Coach Washington makes the final decision. I just bring him the talent. There have been dozens of prospects who have visited the school already, and there are only a few more scholarships left. This isn’t a sure thing.”

  “We understand,” I say. “We’re prepared to work hard. Can you tell us what Coach Washington is looking for?”

  “Speed and strength,” Mr. Henry says. “Practice as hard as you can to get things right.”

  After Mr. Henry ends the call, Calvin and I don’t move right away. Then we both start yelling. No, not just yelling, roaring. Making so much noise that Calvin’s parents both run into the room.

  We tell them everything, and then I call my mom.

  This starts to feel real for the first time. Calvin and I might have a future on the field—as teammates—after all.

  Chapter 9

  In what seems like no time, Mrs. Gibson is dropping us off at the airport for our trip to the mainland.

  After we check in and head to our gate, we find out our plane is delayed. A mechanical problem, we’re told.

  “This isn’t good,” Calvin says, pacing back and forth in the waiting area. “What if they cancel our flight?”

  “Then we get the next one out,” I say. I try to stay calm, but I’m anxious too. We’ve spent so much time preparing for the trip. Using every spare minute we could find to watch UCC game footage, lift weights, and run drills. Every moment we have on campus counts.

  I get us some food, and we sit in uncomfortable plastic chairs and wait.

  “We’ll get there,” I say, looking out the airport window at our plane. The sky is going dark. “We have to get there.”

  ***

  It’s after midnight when our plane finally takes off. I try to get some sleep during the flight, but my mind won’t turn off. I start thinking about all the things I want to do with my life—get a scholarship, play college football, graduate, work in medicine, find a better way to treat cancer—and I think about how this trip could be the start of my dreams.

  It’s a long time until I finally get sleepy. I close my eyes, but just when I start to drift off, the cabin lights go on, and we begin our descent.

  My head feels fuzzy as we walk through the airport. Calvin and I duck into a bathroom where we change into dress clothes and splash water on our faces so that we look presentable. Then we grab our stuff and go to meet Mr. Henry outside the baggage claim area—except, he isn’t there. We look around for him and then check our phones.

  “Mr. Henry is in a meeting,” Calvin says as he looks at his phone. “He said his assistant will pick us up. She’ll be driving a red car.”

  Calvin and I hoist our bags over our shoulders and walk around outside. We see a woman with long, brown hair holding a sign with the words Ignatius and Calvin.

  She smiles as we approach.

  “Iggy,” I say and shake her hand. “No one calls me Ignatius.”

  “It’s quite a name,” she
says. “Kasey,” she adds, introducing herself. “I’m Mr. Henry’s intern.”

  She opens the trunk of the red convertible. Only one bag will fit. Calvin throws his bag in and then jumps in the front seat. I throw mine in the backseat and sit beside it.

  “Nice car,” Calvin says.

  “It’s Mr. Henry’s,” Kasey says as she buckles her seatbelt. “He meant to come get you himself, but he didn’t think you’d be this late.”

  “We didn’t either,” Calvin says.

  “Are you a student?” I lean forward and ask. She looks young.

  “A senior,” she says. “I’m working for Mr. Henry because I hope to get into college sports someday.” She turns around and looks at me. “Buckle your seatbelt.”

  I quickly click the belt.

  “Thanks for picking us up,” Calvin says.

  “No problem,” Kasey replies as she exits onto a six-lane highway. “I’m hoping we can make good time. Mr. Henry wanted you two to be there for the team practice.”

  Calvin and Kasey keep talking up front, but the wind and the traffic make it too hard for me to hear anything, so I just sit in the back and try to fight off my exhaustion.

  Pretty soon Kasey exits the highway, and after a few miles, I see the red brick buildings off in the distance. This must be the university. It’s smaller than I imagined. I don’t have a lot of experience with college campuses, but I expected something more like Branford University. It’s a beautiful campus. My dad took me there for a game when I was eight. I remember driving up this long road lined with palm trees, and gold-colored foothills rising up behind the campus.

  “Here we are,” Kasey says, pulling up next to the athletic building. “We’ve missed the start of practice by now. We should hurry. I’m sure Mr. Henry wants to get you guys out there.”

  Chapter 10

  With our bags slung over our shoulders, we follow Kasey into the athletic building and up to Mr. Henry’s office. Kasey hands him back his keys and leaves.

  Mr. Henry looks us up and down.

  “Why don’t you change into something a little more causal for practice. Grab your bags and follow me.”