keep their name anonymous.” Cody had rehearsed this part. He kept eye contact, his tone intense. “These guys have been hit by so many problems they’re thinking of not playing this year. They aren’t sure they’ll have a team.”
The guys shifted, curious and maybe even slightly irritated. DeMetri raised his hand. “Do we play this team, Coach?” He looked at Arnie and Marcos. “I mean, are we supposed to help the competition?”
“No.” Cody shook his head, adamant. “They’re not on our schedule.”
Again the guys shifted, wary, their eyes on Cody.
“Every day we’ll have a chance to win three-thousand dollars for one of the players on that team — money that could make the difference for whether that player stays with football or not.” He paced to the other side of the room, looking each guy straight on. “The prize money is being put up by a player from the Indianapolis Colts, and it involves only our team.” He stopped and folded his arms. “Here’s the catch. We can only win the money on one condition — we have to take first place that day here at camp. Every day Coach Henry picks Lyle as the number one school, every day Lyle has the most points for the day — we’ll earn three-thousand dollars for one of the players’ families on that Indiana team.”
The indifference on the guys’ faces confirmed Cody’s fears about this stage of his plan. Why should they care about some other team … or the problems of a group of guys they didn’t even know? Cody took a deep breath and made it more personal. “Tomorrow we raise money for an eight-year-old girl with bone cancer.” Cody paused. “She has already lost most of her right leg, and now the cancer has spread.”
He was careful not to stare, but out of the corner of his eyes Cody saw Larry Sanders hang his head. “This little girl’s family needs three-thousand dollars for an experimental medication that might … it just might save her life.” He paused, his voice ringing through the room. “Imagine if that little girl was your sister. Missing school … missing time on the playground with her friends … struggling with crutches and hoping to see another summer.” His voice fell, and he struggled with his own emotions. “Three-thousand dollars, men. You can win that money for her tomorrow.”
Suddenly, with the slow certainty of a sunrise, Cody watched the message begin to sink in. The guys stood straight, their expressions intense. A few of them even had tears in their eyes. “Are we ready to win this thing tomorrow? For that little girl?”
The guys shifted, restless, like they were ready to get started. “Yes, sir!”
Their voices came together in a resounding response that caught even Cody off guard. He clapped a few times. “Alright … let’s bring it in.” They gathered around him more quickly than they had at any time that day, their hands high at the center of the circle. “Dear God … use us. Bring us together and use us. That’s all we ask, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.” He paused briefly. “Whose way?”
“His way!” The guys were loud … intense because of what they now knew about the girl with cancer.
“Whose way?” Cody’s voice boomed out from among them. “His way!”
“Three thousand … on three …” Cody didn’t let up. “One … two … three …”
“Three thousand!” The words were a cry, a shout that echoed against the walls of the room.
Cody could see the smiles on the faces of his coaches. “Alright, men, let’s get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us.”
After praying much of the night for his guys, the next day was like a scene from a feel-good movie. From the moment the Lyle guys began stretching drills after breakfast until the last play of the afternoon scrimmage, his Buckaroos played with a heart and desire Cody had never seen. Arnie threw passes even he hadn’t known he was capable of, and Marcos blocked like his life depended on it. Only a few times did Cody have to call the guys together and remind them, saying things like, “She’ll never run like the other girls … but at least she has a chance to live. It’s up to you, men. Help her live! One … two … three …”
“Three thousand!” Fire filled the guys’ expressions, and their eyes shone with a determination nothing could thwart. They were playing their hearts out for a little girl