Bret Harris arose before the sun did on Semifinal Saturday and headed to the school to watch Bedke on film one final time. Gametime was set for 1 p.m., and players were told to be there no later by 11 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., when no one was there, the coach began to get worried.
He wondered if the Bedke club would get up early and drive the entire distance the day of the game. He knew better. Certainly, they would've driven to Weston the night before, got some rest and made the short trip to Lakeville the day of the game. And he was right.
When he ran into the Bedke AD shortly after the bus pulled in, it was confirmed. Bedke had arrived at Weston yesterday at 4 p.m., had worked out at the high school and would be ready to play come 1 p.m. The coach hoped his team would be.
The pre-game warmups went well, Bret thought. The team seemed crisp, like the cool air outside. The smell of hotdogs, burgers and popcorn filled the air as the wind carried the smoke from the concession stand across the field and into the neighboring farm fields. Bret kept a close eye on his placekicker, Mike Dean, and on Bedke's. In warmups, it really was hard to tell them apart as far as skill was concerned. Dean was making extra points with ease and so was the Bedke kicker. But there was no pressure in warmups, no one rushing the kicker, no fans screaming.
As the teams got ready to retreat back to their locker rooms for final instructions, Bret heard the public-address announcer brag that they'd all be getting updates on the Oaktown-Valley Falls game. Just what the coach wanted for his players -- and himself: another distraction.
The final speech was not a rah-rah type thing. The coach methodically pointed out what had to be done to win. They had to convert on third down and keep Bedke from converting on third down. They couldn't turn the ball over, yet someone had to step up and force turnovers. Those were the major points. After saying that, it was time to go.
Bret spotted well-wishers -- and bed partners -- in the crowd as he led the team back onto the field for the coin toss, National Anthem and the other pagaentry of this semifinal playoff game. The Lakeville side was packed, and Raider fans had spilled over onto the other side of the field, surrounding the tiny Bedke crowd. For those Bedke folks who couldn't make the trip, they would sit by the radio and listen to all the action as if they were there.
Clarence Kemp pumped his fist when he saw Bret. Carrie Kemp licked her lips. Cheerleader Monique Sellars smiled that toothy grin. Her mother, Michelle, flashed that same smile. The sexy secretary, Cindy Morgan and her kid sister, Kara, huddled together, drinking hot cocoa. They probably would've rather been huddling between the sheets somewhere, but both wanted to watch their favorite male lover coach his high school team to the state finals.
Bret spotted Josh Barlow and girlfriend Sara. Josh wore the proud smile of an alumnus who was pleased to see his beloved football team in the semifinals. Sara wore a sexy smile of someone who enjoyed sucking the coach off and eating his cum. It was the smile of someone who wanted to do it again.
His mind back on football, Bret watched as his team won the coin toss and elected to receive. He stared at the American flag as the Lakeville High School band played the National Anthem. He donned his headset and tested the earphones and microphone with his assistant coach in the booth at midfield.
And then the semifinal game began. The game had everything -- but scoring. It had turnovers, penalties, missed opportunities, bad play calls by the coach and bad calls by the officials. The first quarter ended with the score 0-0. The second quarter ended with the score 0-0.
As Bret Harris jogged to the dressing room to address the troops, he heard the PA man announce: "At halftime in Oaktown, it's Oaktown 0, Valley Falls 20."
The crowd didn't know whether to boo or cheer. No one wanted to face Oaktown, but no one really wanted Valley Falls in the finals either. Lakeville had beaten Valley Falls twice, but it was now looking like Lakeville might not even make the finals. Bret tried to put the score of the other game out of his mind, but his players had heard. They were whispering to each other as the coach entered the dressing room.
"Anyone who's more interested in that game than this one can just stay in here and listen to the rest of it on the radio," the coach said, beginning his halftime speech. "Because if you're not interested in winning our game, we don't want you out there."
The halftime talk continued, and it focused on Xs and Os more than heart, more than desire, more than will. Finally, as the team got up and got ready to head back out, Bret raised his hand, quieted the team and said simply, "Fellas, it's a matter of who wants it more."
Both teams appeared to want it early in the third quarter. Bedke drove the length of the field and scored on a short pass. The conversion kick was straight and true and Bedke led 7-0. The update from Oaktown: Valley Falls 20, Oaktown 7.
Lakeville came back, moved down the field and had a first-and-goal at the 4. Four plays later, they punched it in from the 1. It was 7-6. Seven minutes still remained in the third quarter. Bret felt good about his offense on that drive and decided to try to tie the game. Kicker Mike Dean lined up for the 20-yard extra point and proceeded to kick the ball into the back of his center. Bedke 7, Lakeville 6.
Dean got another chance late in the third quarter when Lakeville stalled at the Bedke 7. On third down, the quarterback was supposed to maneuver so the ball was lined up in the middle of the goal posts for the fourth-down field-goal attempt. It didn't work out that way. The play ended on the right hashmark. Dean, overcompensating for the angle, hit his field goal try plenty high and plenty long. But he hooked it. Bedke 7, Lakeville 6. Only one quarter remained.
The main thing running through Bret's mind was Bedke's 7-6 victory over Thompson Butte the week before.
"They're going to go to the state finals with two one-point wins," the coach said to no one in particular. "We've got to get down there and convert."
But it was Bedke now, driving down toward Lakeville's goal line, eating valuable time off the clock. During an injury timeout for one of the Bedke players, it was announced that Oaktown had pulled to within 20-19 of Valley Falls with eight minutes remaining in that game. It appeared the Oaks had righted the ship and were on their way to a comeback win.
Back at Lakeville, Bedke drove to the Raider 3 before running into a stiff defense. A field goal would put the guests up 10-6 and force Lakeville to score a touchdown. But an onrushing Raider lineman blocked the attempt and the Raiders were still in business.
Slowly, steadily the Raiders moved down the field. Using their timeouts and getting out of bounds to stop the clock, the Raiders drove to the Bedke 13. Only 25 seconds remained, and Lakeville had one timeout remaining. Bret instructed his team to go for the end zone with a series of passes. He didn't want to have to rely on the foot of Mike Dean to win the game.
A first-down pass was incomplete. On second down, the quarterback was sacked back at the 20. It would be a 37-yard field goal from there, Bret thought, as he talked over strategy after using their final timeout with 10 seconds left. With no timeouts remaining, the coach called a Hail Mary-type play, one where the quarterback lobbed the ball up in the end zone in hopes of a miracle catch. Bret thought they'd have two chances since it was only third down.
