Mick narrates once again. He speaks very passionately about football in this chapter because he has a lot to prove. The main conflict in this chapter was that Mick gets invited to try out for the varsity team at Shilshole High School for the spring. Most of the other layers are older and bigger than him so he must prove that he is ready. After he makes the varsity team he realizes that no matter how good he is, the coach will never start a freshman over another player. The coach seems stubborn and non-cooperative about the idea of Mick starting, even though he proves that he is the best running back on the team. He gets a chance to start in a championship match when the starting running back gets arrested for drinking but technically the conflict is never resolved.
Themes
Determination- Mick had his mind set on making first line of the varsity team and he worked harder than he ever has before in his life. This was the most clear theme in this part of the book. Determination like no other.
Nervousness- From the moment that the scout watched his game up until the varsity tryouts, Mick was extremely nervous. This was the first time it shows him this way, usually he is confident and ready for anything.
Tension/Conflict- Mick goes head-to-head with the starting quarterback who constantly underestimates him and tells him that he will never make starting line.
Important Quotes
- "Downs doesn't start freshmen. Freshmen do the dirty work- punt returns and kick returns, all that special teams crap. It's his way of breaking you in. Stop looking at the board-your name is never going to be above mine".
This quote is important because this was when Mick realized that no matter how hard he tried or how much he impressed the coach, he would never be a starter on the varsity team. This was on of the biggest setbacks he ever faced because he would have to wait two years until the other quarterback graduated.
- "Mick, here's what I say: keep outworking that Drager kid. Outwork him every damn day in every damn drill. Make that son of a bitch coach play you".
This quote is important because it shows that after everything that happened between Mick and his father, his dad can still give him valuable advice. It shows how close they truly are and that things will most likely go back to normal eventually.
- "I ended up practicing hard every single day, just like my dad wanted, but I wasn't doing it because I thought I had a chance to start. I was doing it because I didn't know how else to play. If the ball was in my hands, I was taking it as far up field as I could, and it didn't matter that it was only practice. Football was in my blood.
This is an important quotation because it shows a major attitude change for Mick. He is no longer playing hard to get something out of it, now he is playing hard because that's what he loves to do. There is nothing more important to him than football.
- "The same feeling came to me that always comes when I break a long one. It was as if I were four years old again, out in my backyard, the little mini football cradled in my arm, the green grass underfoot, and the end zone straight ahead".
This is an important quotation because even though it's clear that Mick is growing a lot better as a person and at football, his true love for football has never changed. And it seems like it never will.
Personal
This book has progressed a lot in part two and it is very enjoyable. My favourite part of the book was when Mick's father gave him advice because I thought that after the events from part one, their relationship would have changed a lot. My least favourite parts of this section were when Mick asks the coach if he can be the starting running back and the coach is offended and says no without a good reason. Personally I think he is stubborn and unfair. The starting line should be decided by skill, not by who is a freshmen and who is not. Also I didn't like how Mick was unable to win the game for the team even though he came so close. I wish he could have won it all for them so that he could prove Matt Drager and the coach wrong. So far I dislike the coach for being stubborn and I dislike the starting running back, Matt Drager, because he is rude and obnoxious. However, I like Mick's friend Drew because he is a lo like Mick and he seems like a good friend. In conclusion this book keeps getting better and better, I can't wait to read more.
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