An ex-high school quarterback turned author reflects on his and his team’s senior season of 1962.

SYNOPSIS:

Jack Stevens is the star quarterback of the Willowbrook High Tigers. Sadly, unlike the great lineage of past Tiger quarterbacks, including his late older brother, Ben, he has yet to win a state championship.

There is reason for optimism, however, as Jack and most of his teammates enter their senior season. The team is led by their iron-fisted coach, Richard “Hawk” Haywood. Joining Jack are the shy halfback and Jack’s best friend, Aaron Fisher, and the burly and sturdy center, Larry Simmons.

New on the team is the talented receiver corps of the athletic but arrogant Andre “Flash” Ferguson, and his humble brother, Kenneth. The defense is led by their intense and irrepressible linebacker, Doug Dombrowski. With a team like this, Willowbrook seems destined to win it all.

Unbeknownst to the team, however, are the problems that lay ahead. Jack, a talented writer, grapples with the decision of choosing between a career in athletics or literature, trying to live up to comparisons to Ben, and trying to find time for his steady girlfriend, Cindy. Aaron battles with all the attention that comes with being a star player, as well as diabetes. Coach Haywood tries to face another rigorous coaching season, along with myriad questions surrounding his program.

The new guys also face some hardships. Andre and Kenneth, two of only a handful of African-American students, try to fit in at their new school. Yet Andre’s success and boastfulness make him and Kenneth easy targets, particularly among members of the defense. Doug too struggles, as he frolics in some off-the-field escapades. Yet they pale in comparison to his lethal and secret use of performance-enhancing drugs, which he will soon share with other members of the team.

Despite it all, the team persists, practicing and playing hard in hopes of reaching and winning the state championship game. The season will be an unforgettable one, as the moments off the field will be as memorable as the ones on it.

FOURTH AND LONG