Claw to the Top | A University of Vermont Catamounts Dynasty

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(*click for ratings*)

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Week 1 vs Syracuse

MLB and Captain Eric Kamback makes the interception in the first quarter


OLB Chris Dola jumps in front of the receiver to make the pick in the second


WR Tim Monaghan dives for the ball for the 11 yard TD at the end of the first half


WR, Captain, and All-American James Dillard makes the over the grab opening the third


QB Jack Kramer fights his way into the endzone in the third quarter

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Chatter. The locker room was filled with chatter. Lots of noise. Everyone yapping about as they remove their pads and
tape, walk out of the shower, get their stuff together, put their things in their locker.

"So where are you guys going now? I heard there was gonna be a party at some chick's house on Pearl St.? The rumors
true?"

"Man, I think I hurt my ankle on that play in the second where I was clipped, I think I'm gonna talk to coach about taking
the next couple practices off."

"Dude, the crowd tonight was huge, I couldn't believe it, and damn did the hotties come out. You see that girl two
rows back behind our bench?"

"Shit man, and I thought regular chemistry was hard, this class is like 10 times harder."

"Did you guys see the game last night? If the bullpen doesn't get it together there is no way we're catching the Yankees."

And so on and so on.

Coach Motherway just sat in his office and observed through his window. He couldn't hear them but he could see. He
could see the attitudes of his players. He sat in silence just watching them, watching their mouths move up and down at
a near constant rate. He saw the occasional laugh here and there. He just watched. In silence.

Finally, he got up. He opened the door and walked out into the locker room, the barrage of noise hitting him square in
the face. Not a player flinched, and kept about their business. He stood there for three minutes, adjusting himself to the
noise. He couldn't deal with it.

He walked over and turned off the lights. His players slowly quieted down, looking around, confused, wondering what
was going on, thinking to them selves of the inconvenience. Eventually they caught Coach Motherway and his
expression standing by the door, and noise slowly transformed to silence.

It stayed that way for a minute or two, as he looked for words to say. Finally, he spoke, in a very calm tone.

"Are you serious?"

He waited for an answer. Then he said it again.

"Someone answer me, are you serious?" Again, he waited in the dark for someone to respond. He looked in the eyes of
freshman tight end, Jelani Jacques, who had scored his first touchdown of a promising career in the game, and he asked
the question a third time.

"Tell me, are you serious?"

"Uhhh, I'm not sure what you're asking coach..."

"What, its a simple question," he looked back at the whole locker room, his voice raised a bit, "Are you serious, is this a
joke to you, not a tough question to answer, a yes or no would do. Cause I've been sitting in that room [points] for the
past half an hour, doing two things, watching you, and thinking about the beating we just got layed down on us. I've
been thinking about all the things that I could have done differently so that we could have won, or heck, even stayed
in that game. But then I look out here and think,'you know what who really cares, its not as if these guys do."

The heads of all the players slowly tilted towards the floor.

"So I'll ask again. Are you serious?"

Still no reply.

"Does this mean a god damn thing to you guys? Cause it sure doesn't look like it. You're all out here jabbering away
about everything other than what just happened. So forgive me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't look like you care."

"We care coach." said Senior captain linebacker, Eric Kamback.

"Oh really? Do you? How am I supposed to know that?"

Eric looked back down at his feet. He didn't have an answer.

So until you can prove to me that you care, I don't want to hear a god damn thing in this locker room, I don't want to see a
single mouth move. I want you all to think about this game. Think [i]hard[i] about what each of you could have done
to have prevented the outcome.

"We were given a chance guys. We can't show them that we don't belong."

Coach Motherway walked back into his office, closing the door behind him, and sat down at his desk. He rested his chin
on his knuckles, and stared. Not at his players, but at nothing, thinking about everything.

The team, in total silence and still darkness, a remorse feeling throughout the room, finished there de-padding and de-
taping, finished their showering, finished getting their things together, with the reminder of Coach Motherway peering in
the corner of their eye, sitting in the lighted room.

And one by one, they slowly dispersed out of the locker room, until Coach Motherway was sitting alone in his office,
staring at nothing.

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