this scene just shows the realities of football. these guys are deep in football country, played on one of the best HS teams and nearly won state championship and almost none of them went on to play football in college and they all ended up with regular jobs.
When men play as a team they become brothers. Anyone who has ever played a team game knows that the guy on the team would walk into a war with you. And you would do the same. Everytime.
This movie was my life. 4 years of high school varsity football 87 88 89 90. We were 45 and 7 with an undefeated season 14 and 0 in 89 with a state title. This movie still chokes me up at 51 yrs old.
One of the most bittersweet moments in my life was exactly this. Played high school football for all 4 years, then senior year when the season was over when me and the other seniors went in to clean out our lockers, walked out to the parking lot, and we all just looked back at the stadium before we went into our cars. Some small talk, some jokes. I remember just feeling sad, an amazing chapter of your life is closed but you’re happy you experienced it.
This hits so close to home. Lost the game before the championship. It has been 10 years since I played. This movie still makes me cry every single time
i love that despite the fact that he led the team to a state championship the very next year the author of the book chose to focus on this particular season. the ending is devastating but also beautiful and it just captures so accurately what it means to make it so far and not win the ultimate prize. many other sports movies end in triumph; this one is more interesting, more powerful, and honestly more grounded because it ends in triumphant defeat.
This scene hit hard because the day after my last football game my dad took me to our rival team’s playoff game and I seen a bunch of little kids playing football near the parking lot as we left and it made me think of this scene
You never realize how fun it was till it’s actually over. I remember hating those hot summer practices and workouts at 6 am in the summer and after my senior season I realized how much I really miss those workouts and practices in the summer and being with the guys I grew up with. We were having the time of our lives and didn’t even know it.
Despite the misery and pain of demanding practices during summer, it's worth it if a team makes it to state and becomes champion. That's got to be the most euphoric feeling on Earth. 💯
Definitely! High school football is just special and even if you play college or nfl nothing can come close to the high school ball experience. And to understand that and the feeling you get after your senior season you have had to play to understand it. Baseball, basketball and even golf you can go to the field or court and play a pickup game of those pretty much at any age or play on recreational teams but for a lot of seniors after their last football game that’s the last time they will ever wear a helmet and pads and play a game for as long as they live. You’ll never play with that group of guys you’ve played with all the way from flag or peewee tackle through middle school and high school. And not knocking down the other sports but highs school football is one of the most relatable sports about life. I’ve moved on in life to bigger things but I’ll always miss those playing days and the bond I had with all the guys and the Friday feeling on game days and getting those butterflies before the game and I can tell you this too I learned more life lessons playing football Than I ever did in the classroom
According to the book, Ivory had the talent to play at TCU, but no longer had any passion to continue playing football. Don’t feel bad that he became a truck driver as they make a good living.
Same here cleaning that locker and then next semester not having football as my last block of the day at school was when it all really set in for me. It was really over. It had come and gone. I wish I could just go back for one Friday night and feel the butterflies and adrenaline rush as we ran through the banner and hear the crowd one more time. You don’t realize how fun it really was till it gone
Coach Gary Gaines is in his office and gazing at the 2 deep chart. One by one he removes the names of the seniors from chart and drops them into a drawer. One by one the players we have come to know and watch fight through games and lives drop off. Coach Gaines places a new name at the top of the depth chart. At last he comes to Mike Winchell’s name. He pulls it off with ritual care, stares at it for a moment and gently drops it into the drawer. The season is over. The memories made. The glory passed. The players departed. But the coach and town continue the narrative with a new cast and new dreams the next day
Never forget my last high school football game, we got the brakes beat off us by the eventual state champs. Had a rushing TD, and threw a pick on my final play of my career. I regret nothing. I never played a down of football after. The tears flowed, the memories will be there forever.
You have no idea how real this scene is. I went to a big time texas school as well and we won state and came back to the locker room that following monday after school and the entire locker room was changed, the draft chart on the wall was changed, the numbers where given to juniors taking your place, the names in the lockers where already changed, you put your heart and soul into that uniform and now folded up in a box in your closet and probably won't be seen for many years. Same thing with college. I played for university of Texas for all 4 years. I onto started a handful of games from freshman to junior, then was a starter my senior year. Then finally same thing again. Go in to empty your locker and everything has changed. Names off the locker, names off the charts, and now your uniform is folded up in the same box with your high school uniform. And now you're married with kids.
