The Season That Never Was

Coach Leroy Willis stops to close his eyes, pat his dog on the head, and think about the year that's gone by-finding comfort in the good things his football team accomplished during a difficult year. There was the routine: At every practice, he whistled the young men to the middle of the locker room, where they all took a knee, talked about the practice schedule, and any problems. Every time, they closed with a team prayer. There was the not-so-routine, such as when Ricky approached him with tears in his eyes, saying, "Coach, I don't know if I'm going to be able to play next season." When he found out the reason-that his girlfriend was pregnant-he gave him the best advice he could think of, advising him to take some time right then to talk to the Lord about it. It wasn't always just the players: When one of his coaches told him he was going through a divorce, he was shocked, but he provided as much support as he could. After all, the team was a family. Even though it might not have shown up in the win column, Willis finds comfort in looking back on The Season That Never Was.