Coming Home-Book 1
Douglas Fox
Coming Home
by Douglas Fox
(c) 2013-2021
Prologue
This story follows the coaching career of Kyle Martin and lives of his wife Penny and their four children, David, Jessie, Danny and Robbie. The story is set in 2031, eighteen years after the end of my previous story featuring Kyle, Lost and Found. It is not necessary to have read Lost and Found before you read this, though incidents and characters from that story will appear frequently in this one.
I must thank HandyMan and bigfoot227 for their invaluable assistance with editing this story. The remaining errors that may have crept into the are entirely my fault.
Cover Photo: View of southern Chester County landscape along North Creek Road, not too far from the Martin family’s fictional home. The bridge is over the West Branch of the White Clay Creek, which flows in the back of the Martin’s property.
Photo © 2021, Douglas Fox
Chapter 1
Tuesday, February 4, 2031 – Martin Residence, Pittsburgh, PA
The Martin family was seated around their dining room table for dinner when Kyle Martin's phone tweeted the opening bars of “Stairway to Heaven.”
“Excuse me,” Kyle said politely as he stood and stepped into the open kitchen adjoining the dining area of their stylish, Fox Chapel area house.
“Thank you for calling, Mr. Lurie,” Kyle commented. “No, now is a fine time to call.” Everyone's attention perked up. Kyle had finished his second interview with Jeffrey Lurie and the Philadelphia Eagles brain trust earlier that day before flying back to Pittsburgh.
“Mmmm... hmm...” Kyle agreed as he listened to his phone. The rest of the family couldn't hear Jeffrey Lurie's side of the conversation.
“That is an excellent offer, sir,” Kyle said after listening. “I will consider it and get back to you in an hour or two. Your timing is great. My family is assembled right now and will discuss the possibilities immediately.”
Kyle listened for about fifteen seconds more before saying, “Thank you for the offer. I will get back to you shortly.” Kyle stepped back into the dining room sporting a huge grin on his face.
“Mr. Lurie offered you the job?” Penny, Kyle's thirty-nine-year-old wife asked.
“He did,” Kyle confirmed. “A five-year contract to be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.”
“Fantastic, Dad!” Danny, Kyle’s twelve-year-old son, commented as he exchanged high fives with his almost six-year-old brother Robbie.
“I guess we need to call a family meeting to discuss what we do next,” Kyle said. “You're the oldest, David. What do you think the family should do?”
“It's great you got offered the job,” David replied cautiously. He was the only one at the table that wasn't smiling. “You deserve this. It's just that... well, the offer comes at a horrible time for me. I'm more than halfway through my junior year in high school. Are you and Mom going to drag me across the state and ruin my best high school years for this job? What about Arianna? I love her.”
“You've been dating her six weeks,” Jessie, his fourteen-year-old sister, interrupted. “You're probably going to break up with her in a week or two anyway.”
“You're not helping, Jessie,” Penny insisted. Jessie lost the smirk on her face when she saw the warning glare her mother gave her.
“I am not breaking up with Arianna [DeSalvo],” David insisted. “I love her too much. Dragging me to Philly would be totally unfair! I'm seventeen now. What if I lived with Zack and Leigh Ann [Hayes] while I finished high school? I'm sure they would take me in.”
“Whether they would take you in or not is beside the point,” Penny retorted. “We are a family. We've already suffered through four years of long separations. I will NOT have my oldest son living in Pittsburgh while the rest of family stays in Philly.”
“Your turn to share your thoughts, Jessie,” Kyle said.
“It's funny,” Jessie responded. “I thought I would be more upset at losing my Pittsburgh friends. I guess your interviews last year made me realize that it was likely we would move soon. I am fine with going back to Landenberg. If we move to Philly, we are going to live in our Landenberg house, aren't we?”
“Yes, we will,” Kyle said.
“I have friends here and I will miss them,” Jessie said, “…but I have Kaylie and Ann back in Landenberg, who I've known my whole life. It will be great to spend more time with those friends too. I'm in, Dad.”
“Danny?”
“This is a no-brainer, Dad,” Danny answered. “You deserve this promotion. I'll find a good scout troop somewhere back there. Maybe I can go out for the JV football team next fall.” Danny paused for a moment. “They do have a good football team at this school district, don't they?”
“They do,” Kyle answered. “The head coach, Jacob Meyer, is a Penn Stater and a friend of mine.”
“I'm sold,” Danny said enthusiastically. “How soon do we move?”
“Not before everyone gets a say,” Kyle said. “Robbie, what do you think of moving back to our Landenberg house and living there year-round?”
“La'denberg?” Robbie asked. “The one with the big creek in the back yard?”
“That one,” Penny agreed.
“I'm wit' Danny,” Robbie said. “When do we move?”
“Honey, I guess you get the final chance to speak,” Kyle said.
“I knew this day was coming,” Penny answered. “I am sure they have plenty of sick cows and horses in Chester County, so I will be able to find work. Maybe I'll put in an application at the New Bolton Center. They know me well there. I am delighted that the Eagles are giving you a chance to run your own team. You've earned this. I am also looking forward to moving back to Landenberg. It's always felt like our home base, whether you were playing in Denver or coaching in Pittsburgh. I will be happy in Landenberg.”
“Let's do a show of hands,” Kyle said. “Those in favor?” Everyone's hand went up except David's. “Opposed?” David bravely raised his hand in opposition, despite of his family’s near unanimous approval.
“I'm sorry this chance for me to head coach has complicated your life, David,” Kyle said. “Opportunities like this don't come along every day. You have to seize them when they come.”
“If you and Arianna are truly in love, you will find a way,” Penny added. “Your Dad and I dated and fell in love in high school. We couldn't handle the separation and split up. Love found a way in spite of the obstacles. You'll text Arianna after the move and can stay in touch. College isn't far away. You can apply to the same schools and be together again.”
“Yeah, I guess,” David responded. “It just sucks for me.” Penny allowed the vulgarity to slide. Normally she demanded proper language at the dinner table.
“It does,” Kyle agreed. “Deal with it, David. Our family does things together and it looks like we are Philadelphia bound. Let's enjoy our dessert now. I think all of us are going to have a lot to do after dinner.”
Most of the Martin family talked excitedly about the prospects for the move. David brooded at the unfairness of the move coming now. Nothing would brighten his mood that evening.
Kyle started on his calls after dinner. The first call was to Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, to formally accept the head coaching job. They agreed to a 1:00 PM news conference in Philly to announce the selection the following day. Kyle’s second call was to his now-former boss, Zack Hayes.
“You’re taking the job, Kyle?” Zack asked directly as he answered his phone.
“I am,” Kyle agreed.
“This promotion is well deserved, Kyle,” Zack said. “I'm going to miss you.”
“I'll miss working with you,” Kyle agreed. “The past six seasons have been great. I have learned so much from you. I am anxious to see how I do when I am on my own.”
“You will do great, I know it,” Zack responded. “I already spoke with the Rooneys. We will permit you to take one assistant coach with you when you head east. Any idea who you will want?” Zack laughed hard. “Like there is any question.”
“Ed Fritz, of course,” Kyle answered.
“Ed will make a good offensive coordinator for you,” Zack said. “How about defense?”
“I was planning to ask Coach C[zarwinski],” Kyle said.
“Bob [Burton] said he's slowly going out of his mind in retirement,” Zack said. “C will be easy to convince. Phyllis will be the hard case.”
“I agree,” Kyle responded. “I hope C has made enough of a pest of himself in retirement that Phyllis will allow me to have him just to get him out of her hair.”
“Good luck, buddy,” Zack said. “I had it easy when I became head coach. I only had a couple slots to fill in the staff. You have a whole staff to cobble together from scratch. I'll get out of your way. I am sure you have a lot of phone calls to make tonight.”
“I do,” Kyle said. “Thanks for everything, Zack.”
Kyle punched the buttons for the next call on his call sheet. “What's up, Kyle?” Ed Fritz answered into his phone.
“How would you and Rosa feel about a change of location?” Kyle asked. “Say, eastern Pennsylvania?”
“The Eagles hired you?” Ed asked. “Hot damn! Congratulations.”
“They did,” Kyle said. “I want you to be my offensive coordinator.”
“Did you clear this with the Steelers yet?” Ed asked.
“I talked with Zack,” Kyle answered. “The Steelers are allowing me to recruit one assistant coach. I want you.”
“I'm with you, Kyle” Ed said. “Just one thing. Would you mind if I stayed as QB coach instead? I love working with the QBs and I am not sure if I paid my dues enough to be a coordinator yet. I've only done two years as an NFL coach.”
“If you would prefer that, I am OK with it,” Kyle said, with mild disappointment. Kyle always felt Ed didn't give himself enough credit as a football coach.
“Who are you going to go after for OC?” Ed asked.
“If not you, then Ryan Reynolds,” Kyle answered. “Do you know him?”
“We've met before, though I don't know him well,” Ed replied.
“Ryan taught me Penn State's offense,” Kyle explained. “Ryan and I worked together closely at Penn State for two years. He was on the Broncos staff near the end of my time with them.”
“I heard about that arrangement,” Ed said. “The league wouldn't let the Broncos make you their official receiver player/coach, so they used Reynolds as the off-the-field receivers coach while you were the on-the-field coach.”
“It worked pretty well,” Kyle said.
“I am in if Reynolds wants me,” Ed said.
“You are in because I want you,” Kyle responded. “Ryan's job comes with you as QB coach. That is my choice. One more thing. I'd like to you to fly into Philly with me tomorrow morning.”
“You're the boss,” Ed said. “What airlines are we flying?”
“Penny is lining up a charter for us tonight,” Kyle explained. “One of us will call back with the flight time later. I'll see you in the morning.”
“See you then,” Ed agreed. Kyle was already moving down his call list, looking for the next number.
“Hello, Ryan Reynolds,” the voice said when someone answered Kyle's ring.
“Hey, Ryan, It's Kyle Martin,” Kyle said.
“Kyle! It's great to hear from you,” Ryan exclaimed. “It's been too long. Are the rumors around the league true?”
“They are, if the rumor you are referring to is me becoming the head coach in Philly.”
“Congratulations, man,” Ryan said. “That is wonderful news.”
“We worked together well in the past,” Kyle said. “How would you like to be my offensive coordinator in Philly?”
“I'd like that,” Ryan responded.
“There is one string attached to this offer,” Kyle cautioned. “Ed Fritz comes along as our QB coach.”
“Ed? No problem,” Ryan said. “He has an excellent reputation around the league. Are you and Ed planning to use the Steelers fast break offense in Philly?”
“If the personnel fit,” Kyle answered. “Or if we find new personnel that will fit the offense.”
“Count me in,” Ryan said. “I'd love to see how this system works from the inside. It was a thing of beauty at the Super Bowl last weekend.”
“Yes, and we still lost,” Kyle said. “Can the Vikings free you up enough so you can fly down to Philly tomorrow morning? I want to have some of my key staff on hand when I do the press conference accepting the head coach job.”
“I will call and see what I can do, Kyle,” Ryan said. “Thanks again for the offer.”
Kyle took a few minutes to settle and prepare himself for the next call. Kyle dialed the number and waited a few rings until someone answered.
“Hello?” a woman said.
“Could I speak with Mr. Czarwinski, please?” Kyle asked.
“Whom shall I say is calling?” the woman asked.
“Kyle Martin,” Kyle stated. He waited a minute until the coach got to the phone.
“Kyle! Kyle Martin,” Coach Czarwinski stated. “How are you doing?”
“I am fine, sir,” Kyle replied.
“Congratulations on being named to the Hall of Fame, Kyle,” Coach said. “It is a well-deserved honor.”
“Thank you,” Kyle said.
“What can an old, retired coach do for you today?” Coach C asked. “You want to pick my brain for defensive philosophy some more so you can destroy the other half of the league's defenses?”
“Actually, I want to hire your brain,” Kyle said. “I became the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles about an hour ago. I want to hire the best defensive coordinator I can find. He will be assistant head coach and have carte blanche on defense. Whatever he... [snicker] ...you want.”
“Wow!” Coach C commented. “I don't know what Phyllis is going to say. I can't commit to working five or ten years for you. I am sixty-six and not ready for long wars anymore.”
“I am not looking for a long commitment,” Kyle said. “I want to bring in Jeremy North as linebackers coach and heir apparent to the defensive coordinator’s job.”
“Damned fine linebacker when he was with the Bears,” Coach C commented. “He has done good work with the linebackers at Notre Dame and this past year as their DC.”
“I agree,” Kyle said. “Is he ready to take over an NFL defense yet? I would love to have you tutoring him and sharing your wisdom with him for a couple years before I find out if he's ready. Can your wife spare you for a couple more seasons?”
“A two-year commitment?” Coach C asked. “You'll owe Phyllis big time if I accept this. Who do you see for assistant coaches?”
“You and Jeremy can pick who you think will be best,” Kyle said. “I want young guys who can teach and are out to prove to the NFL they are ready for their jobs. They provide the energy and enthusiasm while you provide the wisdom and point them all in the right direction.”
“That is a good plan, Kyle,” Coach C said. “Can I discuss it with my wife and get back to you tomorrow or the next day?”
“Two days? Sure,” Kyle agreed. “Can I go ahead and work on recruiting Jeremy North in the meantime?”
“I don't see why not,” Coach C said. “He seems like the linchpin holding all this together.”
“You're the linchpin for me,” Kyle said. “You are the one who will build me a great defense. Jeremy is just one of the workers, albeit one of the key workers to help you get there.”
“I will discuss all this with my sweetie,” Coach C said. “Hopefully she will let this old fart out to have fun for a couple more seasons.”
“I look forward to hearing from you,” Kyle said.
-----oooOooo------
Later in the evening while Kyle was packing a suitcase for his trip, David popped into the master bedroom.
“Dad, I thought about one more thing with this move,” David started. “What happens with my swimming? I have a great shot at making districts and maybe even states. Is it fair to me if this move takes all that away?”
“That is a fair question,” Kyle allowed. “I suppose you would be willing to stay with Zack and Leigh Ann until swim season is over, if it were necessary.”
“It would solve my problem neatly,” David said.
“I will run interference for you with your mother IF you show us you can't make district or states when we move.”
“Does this this... uh... school even have a swim team?” Davis asked.
“Avon Grove High School,” Kyle answered. “Research the school and find out if they have a swim team. We also need to find out how mid-season transfers work. I don't know the PIAA rules on that. You can talk to your swim coach tomorrow.”
“Thanks for listening, Dad,” David said. “This gives me a little hope.”
David returned about ten minutes later as Kyle was finishing his packing. “Avon Grove has a swim team. They aren't ranked as high as Fox Chapel is, but they do have a team.”
“Talk to your coach tomorrow about transferring,” Kyle said. “Your mother and I will consider your request depending on how transfers work and whether you would be able to participate in districts and states.”
-----oooOooo------
Kyle left home early in the morning for the Northeast Pittsburgh Airport. Kyle parked near the terminal. Ed Fritz had arrived a couple minutes earlier. The two walked over to the terminal and met their pilot for the charter jet taking them to Philly. The pair spent the hour or so of the flight talking about who they would recruit to fill the coaching spots for the team. Their charter flight put them down in Philly at a little after 9:30 AM.
Kyle and Ed gathered up their luggage and took a shuttle over to the rental car agency. Kyle picked up a rental car for them to use for the duration of their visit to Philly. They circled the airport and parked in the cell phone lot until Ryan Reynolds’ commercial flight came in. They picked Ryan up in front of the United baggage claim.
Kyle headed north, staying on the entrance ramp rather than merging into traffic on I-95.
“Shouldn't you be getting on I-95?” Ed asked.
“No, Penrose Avenue is more direct and quicker,” Kyle said. “I just follow it up to Pattison, hang a right and go down the block to NovaCare Complex. Easy-peasy.” Kyle turned and smiled to Ryan. “I student taught in Philly for five months. I know my way around the city.”
“That will be handy,” Ryan said. “Do you know any of the hotels? Where is the best place for us to stay tonight?”
“I thought we could stay at my house in Landenberg while we are in town,” Kyle replied. “Ed can have Davey's room. You can take Jessie's. We’ll stay there for the duration of our stay. No sense spending good money on a hotel when I have a comfortable house within commuting distance of the office.”
“You’re the boss, Kyle,” Ryan agreed. He laughed. “That will take a little getting used to.” Ryan had been Kyle's position coach and boss when Kyle finished up playing with the Broncos. Less than ten minutes later Kyle pulled the car into the parking lot in front of the Eagles NovaCare Complex. They walked inside the team complex.
“Hello,” Kyle said cheerily. “Kyle Martin, Ed Fritz and Ryan Reynolds to see Mr. Lurie or Mr. Vincent. I am not certain who I am to meet with first.”
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Martin,” the receptionist said. “Actually, both of them are waiting for you in Mr. Lurie's office.”
“Up the steps, down the hallway, last office on the right?” Kyle asked.
“That’s correct, Coach,” the receptionist said. “You have a good memory.”
“Thank you,” Kyle said before leading the threesome upstairs and back to the Eagles owner's office. Kyle knocked at the door before entering.
“Kyle! It's good to see you,” Troy Vincent, team president, said as he shook hands with Kyle. Mr. Lurie, the seventy-nine-year-old owner of the Eagles, rose slowly from his desk to greet his new head coach.
“I would like to introduce both of you to a pair of my prospective coaches,” Kyle said. “This is Ryan Reynolds, who I asked to be offensive coordinator. This is Ed Fritz, who will serve as my quarterbacks coach.”
Troy and Mr. Lurie exchanged greetings with Ed and Ryan. “I hope I didn't overstep my bounds in getting started at recruiting a staff.”
“No, that is a good thing,” Troy said. “As long as you aren't handing out contracts.”
“Just verbal commitments,” I replied.
“Ryan and Ed, I'll have an admin take you on a tour of NovaCare's facilities,” Troy suggested. “Mr. Lurie and I need to have a few minutes in private with Kyle to discuss some matters.”
Mr. Lurie, Troy Vincent and Kyle spent about fifteen minutes discussing the final details of Kyle’s contract. They reviewed how contracts would be arranged for the assistant coaches. This filled the time until the scheduled 1:00 PM press conference to introduce Kyle to the public.
Troy Vincent led the way down to the press room, followed by Kyle and Mr. Lurie. Mr. Lurie, at nearly eighty, was slowing down. He left the day-to-day running of the Eagles to Troy Vincent. He did a state-of-the-Eagles talk just before training camp began and another at the end of the season otherwise, he stayed in the background and allowed the younger generation to be the face of the Eagles organization.
Troy strode to the podium followed by Kyle. Mr. Lurie stopped by the door to watch the proceedings. Flashes popped in his eyes as Kyle scanned the crowd of reporters, photographers and cameramen. He could just make out Ryan and Ed standing at the rear of the room behind the press corps.
“Thank you all for coming,” Troy announced, sporting a big grin. “Today is a great day for the Eagles organization and Eagles fans. All the rumors you’ve asked me about for the past three weeks were true. We had the candidate we wanted since his first interview with us back in wild card week. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finalize the deal until after Super Bowl. Yesterday, Kyle D. Martin agreed to a five-year contract to serve as the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. It took us a while, but we got our man. I will turn things over to Kyle. I am sure you guys have a few questions for him.” Troy gave Kyle a wink as they exchanged positions at the podium.
“Wow!” Kyle said as he gazed across the crowd in the press room. “It is an honor to stand up in front of you today. I want to thank Troy and Mr. Lurie for having faith in me and giving me this opportunity.
“As the son of a life-long Eagles fan and as a boyhood fan of the Eagles, it is such an honor to coach this team. Given my background, I already understand the expectations of the Eagles organization and fans. We need to win a Super Bowl. Nothing less will do. For those of you who watched the game on Sunday, you know I understand better than most how elusive a Super Bowl win is. I pledge to do everything in my power to get our team into the Super Bowl and to win the game. Fourteen years is too long and Philly is way past due for another parade from City Hall down Broad Street to the stadium to celebrate an Eagles championship.
“I am sure all of you may have a few questions. Forgive me today if I point. I will learn your names in time,” Kyle said. He pointed to a reporter in front.
“Kyle, do you see this season as a rebuilding season, a retooling season or a drive for the playoff season?” the reporter asked.
Kyle sighed. “I wish I could promise we will have a great record this coming season, but I don’t know,” Kyle explained. “The team went 7-10 three seasons ago. It was 5-12 two seasons ago. Last season the team went 3-14. To an outsider, it looks like the team made poor personnel decisions, has a poor attitude and has forgotten how to win. My coaching staff and I will examine last season closely to identify who has the talent and the will to be winners. The rest will be let go. I guess you would call this a rebuilding season.
“I would love to promise our fans we will win right away, but the realist in me knows that will be difficult. I have always had winning seasons in football – high school, college and pros as both a player and a coach. I suspect I may need to learn some humility next season. Next question?”
Kyle pointed to another reporter near the front. “Are you going to install the Steelers fast break offense here?”
“In some form,” Kyle replied. “It won’t look exactly the same, at least not until I get some players in who can make that offense work.”
Kyle pointed to a nicely dressed lady in the second row.
“You’re from the Philly region, Kyle,” the lady asked. “Pat’s or Geno’s?” She was asking which Philly steak sandwich shop he preferred. The two shops were opposite each other on Passyunk Avenue and were huge rivals.
Kyle laughed before answering. “You’re going to get me trouble with my wife. The answer to Pat’s or Geno’s is yes. I love them both. My wife would have me neutered if she caught me having very many of their delicious sandwiches. She has no desire to become a widow at forty years old because I had a heart attack.”
“Have you started selecting your coaching staff?” another reporter asked.
“I have,” Kyle answered. “You can see some of the results along the back wall.” He squinted in the TV lights as he pointed towards Ryan Reynolds and Ed Fritz. “Ryan Reynolds has agreed to be the offensive coordinator. Ryan comes here from a stint as tight ends coach with the Vikings. Before that he served as offensive coordinator for the Raiders, and with various teams as a wide receiver or tight end coach, including two years as my wide receivers coach when I played with the Broncos.
“The second coach I secured is Ed Fritz, who will coach our quarterbacks. Over the years many people have asked me how I got so good at catching passes. The answer – practice, practice, practice and more practice. I’ve been catching balls since I was seven or eight. Who was slinging them to me? Ed was. He has been an excellent QB at every level of football. I think he is a better coach than he was a player. I am delighted he agreed to come here to Philly to help me return the Eagles to their proper glory.”
Kyle continued answering questions from the media for over an hour before one of the Eagles press assistants called an end to the conference. Ryan and Ed went with Jeff Lurie’s son, Julian, after the press conference. Julian was the VP for Football Operations for the team. Julian worked out coaching contracts with Ryan and Ed, so they could be shipped off to their agents for final review before signature. Troy took Kyle on a grand tour of the NovaCare complex.
Kyle took Ryan and Ed out to Chickie’s & Pete’s, a restaurant long popular with Phillies and Eagles players and coaches. It was located a couple blocks from NovaCare. Kyle, Ryan and Ed headed for Landenberg after dinner. They grabbed a case of imported beer to enjoy back home as they relaxed and brainstormed their next moves.
-----oooOooo------
David met Arianna DeSalvo at her locker before school started on Wednesday morning. “Hey honey, how are you?” David asked as he gave her hug.
“Good, Davey,” Arianna replied before giving Dave a quick peck on the cheek.
“I have horrible news,” David said.
“Your dad got the job in Philly?” Arianna asked.
“He did,” David confirmed. David and Arianna had talked about the possibility a couple weeks ago when David’s dad flew to Philly to be interviewed.
“That sucks,” Arianna said. “How soon are you moving?”
“I have no idea,” David answered. “I hope you will stay with me until I have to go.”
“You know I will,” Arianna promised.
-----oooOooo------
David made a point of arriving at his sixth period math class early. Mr. Allen Radokovic, the teacher, was also his swim coach.
“Do you have a couple minutes to talk, Coach?” David asked politely.
“Of course,” Mr. Radokovic answered. “I knew you’d be coming. Congratulate your dad for me. This is a well-deserved promotion for him.”
“I’ll tell him that,” David agreed.
“When is your family moving?” Mr. Radokovic asked. “I am guessing you want to know how in-season transfers work with the PIAA.”
“We’re not sure when we are moving yet, but it will be soon,” David answered. “How do in-season transfers work?”
“The key thing with the transfer is that it cannot be done to gain athletic advantage for you,” Mr. Radokovic explained. “That shouldn’t be a problem for you since your whole family is moving in response to your dad getting a new job elsewhere in the state. Your new principal will have to prepare a form stating that your transfer isn’t athletically motivated, but that is it. You will be good to go with your new team.” Mr. Radokovic got a concerned look on his face. “Your new school does have a swim team, doesn’t it?”
“They do,” David answered.
“Good,” Mr. Radokovic said. “I will get a set of all your swim meet results together for your new coach. Do you expect to be available for our meet on Monday against Allderdice?”
“I expect to be,” David promised.
-----oooOooo------
Kyle, Ryan and Ed spent the day on Thursday in conference with the Eagles scouting staff. Julian Lurie led the meetings. Kyle came away impressed with the owner’s son’s knowledge of scouting and managing a football franchise. It was nice to find Julian was going to be more than a pretty face with his name on the door.
The group spent the morning dissecting the Eagles roster. There were a few encouraging signs, but not many. Kyle listened and decided that about half a dozen of these players deserved a spot on an NFL roster. The remainder were expendable.
The afternoon focused on the talent available through the draft. The scouts went through the potential draftees, position group by position group. The quarterback group looked particularly unappealing. That was unfortunate since the Eagles desperately needed a new quarterback.
Kyle was curious as the scouts went through the wide receiver group. Where would his nephew, Noah Martin stand in this group? Noah and his twin brother Connor were graduating from Penn State this spring. The Eagles scouts had Noah rated as a possible sixth round pick. He had a good career at Penn State but not a world class career. His brother, Connor, a cornerback, rated lower. He was rated as a possible seventh round pick with a fair possibility he would go undrafted.
Kyle was given an urgent phone message during a break in the afternoon session. He returned the call immediately.
“Hello?”
“Kyle Martin here,” Kyle said to the voice he recognized immediately.
“Hello Kyle,” Coach Czarwinski replied. “I had a long talk with Phyllis. She will give me a two-year sabbatical from retirement. I am yours if you still want me.”
“Fantastic news, Coach,” Kyle gushed. “Just fantastic.”
“For starters, if you are my boss now, you need to call me Larry,” Coach C said.
“Larry? OK, I will try to do that,” Kyle said. “OK, Larry. How soon can you get your ass down here to Philly? We have a shit load of work to do.”
“Give me an hour to get my bag packed and I will hit the road,” Coach C said. “I figure it should take me around four hours to get to Philadelphia. What hotel are you and the other coaches staying in? I will get Phyllis to make a reservation for me while I am on the road.”
“A hotel isn’t necessary,” Kyle said. “It’s just me, Ryan Reynolds, who is our offensive coordinator and Ed Fritz, our quarterbacks coach. We’re all staying at my house in Landenberg.”
“How long a stay will this be?” Coach C asked.
“Ryan, Ed and I are planning to head back to our current homes Friday evening and organize our permanent moves here. We will reassemble on Monday morning, ready to rebuild this franchise.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Coach C said. “What’s your Landenberg address?” Kyle gave it to him. “I’ll hit the road in about an hour, which means I should probably reach your place around 7:30 or 8:00 tonight.”
“Excellent,” Kyle said. “Think about who you want to hire for your staff. I am a strong believer in delegating responsibilities. You are assistant head coach for defense. Everything related to defense is yours, including hiring and firing staff, with a couple exceptions. We already discussed hiring Jeremy North as linebackers coach.”
“How did that go? Coach C asked. “I think he would be an excellent addition to the staff.”
“I haven’t made the call yet,” Kyle said. “I decided I wanted to secure you as defensive coordinator first before I recruited Jeremy. We can call him together tonight after you reach my place. The team management also hasn’t released three of the previous coaching staff. They would like us to interview them and see if they would fit into our needs. The cornerbacks coach, Joshua Jennings, is one of the three. The second is assistant line coach, Jordan White. The third you know already – Brendan Hayden. He was their special teams coach last season.”
“He would be a good linebacker coach if we don’t get North,” Coach C said.
“Maybe,” Kyle allowed. “He barely played linebacker in the NFL. He was our special teams ace when the two of us were with the Broncos. I am inclined to keep him there if I keep him on staff.”
“You’re the boss, Kyle,” Coach C said. “Or should I call you Coach again? The nickname totally fits now.”
“Whichever you prefer is fine, Kyle or Coach,” Kyle answered.
“I have packing to do,” Coach C said. “I will see you in a few hours.”
“I will see you then, Larry,” Kyle said. Kyle headed back inside to his briefing, which was waiting on his return before starting.
“I have great news everyone,” Kyle announced. “Larry Czarwinski accepted the post of Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.” This news was greeted with smiles and praise around the table.
The group continued on through the remainder of the position groups for the draft. The meeting wrapped up a little before five o’clock. Kyle picked up pizza from the pizzeria in Avondale on his way home to feed his guests. The Eagles brain trust were on their second beers when Larry Czarwinski pulled into Kyle’s long, tree shrouded driveway. He parked in front of the garage.
Kyle dashed outside to greet his guest, followed by Ed and Ryan.
“Wow!” Larry said as he took in the expanse of old, two-story stone farmhouse. “It is good to be a software mogul. The pay must be nice.”
“This is NFL money,” Kyle retorted. “They pay pretty well too. Penny and I bought this place a few weeks after we graduated from college and a few weeks before we married.”
“It is gorgeous, Kyle,” Larry said. Kyle introduced Ed and Larry, who had never met before. They studied film displaying each other’s work, but they never met in person before that evening. Kyle reintroduced Ryan to Larry too. They hadn’t seen each other since Ryan worked in Green Bay a few years ago.
Kyle carried Larry’s bag into the house and upstairs to Danny’s room. Thankfully Danny hadn’t been in his room since last July, so the room was in good condition. The same could not be said of his room in Pittsburgh, at least not until the mover took everything away.
Kyle offered Larry a beer when the group reassembled in the kitchen.
“I suppose the next step is to get you the linebacker coach we all want,” Kyle said. He punched the button on his phone to connect him with Jeremy North, boyhood friend, high school teammate and longtime friendly NFL rival.
“Congrats on the Eagles job, Kyle,” Jeremy said when he answered the phone.
“How are Kathy and the girls?”
“They are doing well,” Jeremy said. “What’s up tonight?”
“I am sitting here with the Eagles brain trust, such as it is,” Kyle said.
“You guys do have a lot of work ahead of you to clean up the mess from last season,” Jeremy responded.
“We know that,” Kyle said. “That is why we are calling. I want to you to join our staff and help fix this team.”
“I am not surprised you are calling,” Jeremy said. “Kathy and I talked about it a little already. I barely keep my head above water against some of the better FBS offensive coordinators now. I haven’t paid my dues in the NFL. I am not ready to run a defense at that level.”
“I agree, Jeremy,” Kyle said. “That is why I want you to coach linebackers now and listen and learn from our assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Larry Czarwinski.”
“Coach C?” Jeremy said. “The architect of the Washington Commanders defense that dominated the league for so long?”
“That’s me, Jeremy,” Larry said. “Larry Czarwinski here. I want you to join us as my second in command. I’ll teach you as much as I can over the next few years. My wife has me on a short leash. I get a couple years to have fun and then I have to come home again for retirement.”
“You know you can coach linebackers,” Kyle added. “Thirteen seasons manning the middle of the Bears line taught you everything there is to know about how to play the position in the NFL. You are a great teacher. Your work at Notre Dame and with Nate Trimble proves that. You took a high school kid who was too small and too slow and made him a dominant linebacker recruited by major colleges. Then you taught him to succeed at that level. To top it all off, you even got Nate into the NFL, albeit briefly.”
“Who is Nate Trimble?” Larry whispered to Ed and Ryan.
“Jeremy’s brother-in-law,” Ed explained. “He’s a too-small, too-slow linebacker who busts his ass working and studying. He’s always in the right place to make a play even though everyone knows he’s too slow to get there.”
“Like a Brendan Hayden,” Larry whispered back.
“Exactly,” Ed agreed.
“Boy… this isn’t what I expected,” Jeremy said. “Kathy and I have pretty well agreed that I would turn you down if you asked me to coach for you. We love South Bend and have no interest in living in the city.”
“Live out here in Chester County near Penny and me,” Kyle said. “We have woods, pretty little creeks and… this is horse country. Your girls would love it.”
“Oh, God! Don’t tell them that,” Jeremy said. “They will be packing their bags tonight for the move.”
“We are getting the gang back together and you are a critical part of it,” Kyle said. “Think about what I am offering you – a shot at working in the big leagues. You already know the linebacker position and are ready to coach at the NFL level. You get an opportunity to be mentored by one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. You get to reconnect with life-long friends and colleagues. You can live in a bucolic paradise while you do all of that. When will you ever get a better career opportunity? Talk it over with Kathy and the girls.”
“I’ll consider it,” Jeremy responded. “How soon do you need to know? Can we think over during the weekend?”
“Let me know by 5:00 PM on Sunday,” Kyle said. “Call me on my cell phone. I will be in Pittsburgh most of the weekend getting my family’s move organized.”
“We will discuss it and I’ll get back to you, Kyle,” Jeremy promised. Kyle turned the speaker off on his phone and ended the call.
“Did we get him?” Larry asked.
“He almost swallowed the bait when I told him you would be mentoring him,” Kyle said. “I have one more thing to clinch this. Excuse me for a moment while I call my daughter.” Kyle pressed the button to reach Jessie’s phone.
“Hi, Daddy, what’s up?” Jessie asked.
“Have you stayed in touch with Allison North?
“We text back and forth occasionally,” Jessie answered.
“I asked Allison’s father, Jeremy, to join us here with the Eagles,” Kyle said. “Could you text Allison about how delighted you are to hear she is moving to Chester County. Tell her about the countryside – the woods, the lakes and the horse farms.”
“You play dirty, Daddy,” Jessie said laughing.
“I do,” Kyle agreed. Everyone in the circle of Kyle and Ed’s friends growing up together knew how much Katie and Allison North adored horses.
“I’ll text her,” Jessie promised.
“I’ll see you Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on when my flight gets in Friday night.”
“I love you, Daddy,” Jessie said.
“I love you too, sweetie,” Kyle answered.
-----oooOooo------
Friday, February 7, 2031 – NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, PA
“Come in and have a seat, Brendan,” Kyle said as he ushered Brendan Hayden into his office. Kyle, at 6’-4 ½”, towered over the 6’-0”, but stoutly built former linebacker and special teams ace.
“Having you here is a breath of fresh air, Coach,” Brendan said as he sat down. “It has been weird for Jordan, Josh and me since Coach Hackett got fired on December 30th. We tried to help out with the exit interviews and with keeping all the coaching records together as people left. Julian Lurie had us help a little with the scouts too, but we really need direction and a leader. Thank you for agreeing consider me for a position on your staff.”
“Your name was on my list of possible coaches before Mr. Lurie asked me to consider retaining you,” Kyle replied. Kyle smiled. “Don’t screw up this interview today. Chances of you staying on are fairly high.”
“I will promise to do my best,” Brendan said.
“What are some of the motivational tools you used last season with your special teamers?” Kyle asked.
“Every player has a slightly different motivation, so I feel I need to individualize my approach for each,” Brendan began. Kyle smiled and nodded as Brendan described some of the various ways he motivated his special teamers to play their best.
“How would you rate the players you worked with last season?” Kyle asked.
“Are you asking me if any of the young players I worked with will be future stars or even starters?” Brendan asked. “The answer is no. These players are a lot like I was when I played with you for the Broncos. A little small, a little slow, but willing to bust their asses to study and make sure they were in the right spot to make a play. They revel in the fact that they are making plays when everyone says they can’t.”
“Let’s go down the list of players you work with,” Kyle said. “Give me your evaluations of each.” Brendan spent about fifteen minutes giving capsule portraits of his players, concluding with whether he thought the player should stay with the Eagles or should be let go.
“You seem to want to keep quite a lot of your players,” Kyle commented. “This is a 3-14 team and I arrived to clean house. Are you sure about who you want to keep?”
“I am,” Brendan said with determination. “Bring me more talented players with the same heart and determination and I will happily replace my guys. Until we get those new guys, this is who I want.” Kyle smiled.
“That’s a good answer,” Kyle said. “Your unit ranked in the top quarter of the league. We aren’t going to gut your unit just because the players played for Hackett[, the previous head coach before Kyle]. I always knew you were a smart player and are someone I had tagged as having the potential to be a good coach. You have proven that. Are you interested in staying on and helping turn the Eagles around?”
“You bet, Coach,” Brendan said. “Thanks for the opportunity to work with you.”
“How long is your contract with the team?”
“Two more years,” Brendan said.
“I’ll talk to Troy [Vincent] and see if we can get your contract extended out to five years like the rest of the coaching staff.”
“Thanks, that would great, Coach,” Brendan said.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off,” Kyle suggested. “You’ve put in a month of make work already. Take Rebecca [Brendan’s wife] out tonight and celebrate. I’ll have a task list ready for you to tackle on Monday.”
“That’s sounds like a plan, Coach,” Brendan agreed.
Larry Czarwinski did interviews with Joshua Jennings about coaching the cornerbacks and with Jordan White about assisting in coaching the defensive line. Coach C was delighted with the two candidates and popped into Kyle’s office to recommend both candidates be hired.
“Good, that is two more spots settled,” Kyle said.
“Do you want to inform them of the decision or should I?” Larry asked.
“You are their boss,” Kyle replied. “They are your hires.”
“OK, will do,” Larry said. He left the office marveling at the transformation that had occurred over the past twenty-two years since he had watched an eighteen-year-old kid show up on Penn State’s football fields and turn heads with his speed and athleticism. Today his new boss seemed just as comfortable leading and managing a football team as he was back then running and catching footballs. Larry had the feeling that he was joining a team that was going places, thanks to its leader.
-----oooOooo------
Kyle and Ed flew home Friday night. Penny stayed up late with her husband discussing the move east. They concluded that it would be best to expedite the move. Kyle lined up a moving company to move their things the following weekend. Kyle visited the Steelers’ headquarters to clean out his desk and say goodbye to all his friends. Sunday night Kyle flew east with Ed and Rosario Fritz. Their kids, Ed Junior and Justin stayed with the Martins while their parents went house hunting for a couple days in Chester County.
-----oooOooo------
Kyle Martin had been wildly successful in the NFL, earning around $20 million with his rookie contract and then re-signed with the Broncos for another ten years for over $100 million. Kyle and Penny were careful with their money and invested wisely. Kyle’s football wealth appreciated to almost $200 million by now. Kyle was a handsome and well-spoken man. He landed numerous endorsements over his career. With endorsement income, his net wealth climbed to almost a half a billion dollars.
Kyle’s brother, Andrew, when he finished playing football for the Rams, teamed up with Andrew’s boyhood best friend, Eric Connell, to form a software company, Conestoga Software. They produced a few moderately successful titles for their company before they went for the big time. Andrew’s company produced a football computer game intended to supplant Madden NFL Football. Thanks to Andrew and Kyle’s connections with the league and the players association, they managed to secure rights to use the player’s names and images and the team’s names and logos in their football game.
Andrew had a brilliant marketing strategy for his new product. He recruited Kyle to be the face of this new game, billing it as “Kyle Martin’s NFL Challenge.” Andrew and Eric gave Kyle ten percent of Conestoga Software so they could use his name and voice. Kyle recorded commentary and voice-overs to be played back while kids were playing the game.
The brightest idea Andrew and Eric had was to make the game customizable. Even though it was billed as Kyle’s NFL Football, the game engine could a handle college or even high school football. Schools, leagues or even individuals could submit the data and permission to use the names and images. Conestoga Software would then quickly create a customized game for the submitted team(s). Best of all, Conestoga Software didn’t share any of the revenue from these non-NFL teams with the NFL.
Kyle’s ten percent share of Conestoga Software, with his other earnings, put his net worth at over $1.5 billion and firmly placed him on Forbes’ list of billionaires. Of course, Andrew Martin and Eric Connell were higher on the list of billionaires, since they each held 45% each of the privately held company’s stock.
-----oooOooo------
Monday, February 10, 2031 – Landenberg, PA
Ed was staying with his wife, Rosario, at a hotel, in preparation for house hunting in the morning. Kyle, Ryan Reynolds and Larry Czarwinski were trading some old Joe Paterno stories from decades ago when they heard the doorbell ring. It was 8:45 at night, so they were confused at who might visit this late. Kyle was surprised to see John and Edna Walters at the door. The older couple rented Kyle’s summer house and had acted as caretakers for the property.
“John… Edna… This is a surprise,” Kyle stuttered. “Please come in.”
“I hope it isn’t too late to visit,” John said as he and his wife stepped inside. “We knew you and your other coaches are extremely busy.”
“Now is perfect,” Kyle said. “We are just winding down after a long day of work,” Kyle said.
“Edna and I have enjoyed looking after your property over the past fifteen years for you and your family,” John began. “Well… you are moving home now and really won’t need us around here.”
“No… you don’t need to worry about that,” Kyle said.
“John and I have been talking about moving to Brinton Woods, the retirement community over in Chadds Ford, for the last six months,” Edna explained.
“I am eighty-three. Edna is eighty-one,” John added. “We are looking at a single-story cottage, so Edna doesn’t have to deal with stairs anymore. If our health deteriorates, we can move into the nursing facility there. Now seems like the perfect time for us to make the move, now that your family is moving back full time.”
“I am sorry to lose you as tenants and as friends,” Kyle said.
“We are only going to be a few miles away,” Edna said. “You and your family are always welcome to visit us.”
“I wish you the best,” Kyle said. John and Edna headed back across the lawn to their home. Kyle turned back to rejoin his friends in the kitchen.
“What’s up, buddy?” Jeremy asked as Kyle sat down.
“It looks like I need to find a new renter for my summer home,” Kyle explained. “John and Edna Walters are moving to a retirement home.” He looked across the table directly at Larry Czarwinski. “Does anyone know of an older couple looking to rent a small pre-retirement home for a couple years?”
Larry asked, “Are you serious?”
“Why not?” Kyle said. “I need someone to rent it.”
“Maybe I will ask Phyllis to come down and take a look at the place,” Larry said. “I wasn’t sure how we would handle housing for the next two years. I didn’t want to live in an apartment or hotel. It doesn’t make sense for us to buy a house. This may be perfect for our needs.”
“I hope it works out,” Kyle said.
-----oooOooo------
Tuesday, February 11, 2031 – NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kyle got a call from his brother Andy about a week before the Combine. “Have you looked at the QB from Cornell, Kyle?” his brother asked.
“Cornell?” Kyle responded, crinkling his nose. “Why would I look at a quarterback from Cornell?”
“I’m not trying to tell you your business, but I think you may want to take a look at this guy,” Andy explained. “One of my techs was generating a set of Ivy League teams for our game. You know how those well-heeled alumni can be about spending money on things from their alma mater.”
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed.
“He was concerned that he did something wrong with the profile for this kid, Aiden Anderson,” Andy said. “The ratings looked out of whack, at least compared to the rest of the QBs in the Ivy League. The stats we have say he’s 6’-5”, 220 pounds, has completed 62.3% of his passes and thrown 1.7% interceptions. His TD/Interception Ratio is 3.9. Does that sound like someone you should be looking at?”
“Yeah… it does,” Kyle agreed. “Thanks for the head’s up, Andy. Give your sweetie a hug and a kiss for me.”
“Will do, Kyle,” Andy agreed.
Kyle went on-line and found stats for the Cornell team from the last couple seasons. Anderson’s numbers looked impressive. He called Ed into his office. “What do we know about the QB up in Cornell?”
“Nothing,” Ed answered.
“Andy came up with some interesting information when his company was rating Ivy League teams,” I explained. “This QB from Cornell was through the roof when they rated him.”
“We’re not staking our coaching careers on a computer game, are we?” Ed asked skeptically.
“No, we’re checking out a decent sized quarterback from a smaller school who posted some intriguing numbers,” Kyle responded. “What’s it cost us to have one of the interns get some video and study this kid further?”
“Not much,” Ed admitted.
“Let’s keep our interest in this kid quiet, OK?” Kyle suggested.
“You got it, Coach,” Ed agreed. He went off to task one of the interns with digging up the info.
-----oooOooo------
Tuesday, 3:30 PM, February 11, 2031 – Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh, PA
The stands for fans were sparsely populated when the Fox Chapel swim team came out of the locker room. No surprise, given that this was a mid-afternoon meet. The late afternoon and evening meets drew more parents, siblings and fans. David Martin was standing along the pool beside his best friend, Levi Weisenbaugh.
“How soon are you guys moving?” Levi asked.
“Saturday,” David answered.
“Shit! You’re joking!” Levi exclaimed. “How in the hell did your dad find a place for the family to live so quickly?”
“We are moving back to our house in Landenberg,” David explained. “It’s close enough to Philadelphia for Dad to commute to work every day.”
“Landenberg?” Levi said blankly.
“You’ve heard me talk about our summer house,” David said. “This is the place we go every July.”
“I thought that was some kind of cabin at the beach or something,” Levi said.
“No, it’s a big, old two-story farmhouse in the country. We’ve got lots of woods and big creek at the bottom of the property.”
“It’s gonna suck with you being gone,” Levi said.
“I agree,” David said.
The two had to step back as the first event started up – the 200m medley relay for the girls. Swim meet protocol ran a girls’ event followed by a boys’ event. Mr. Radokovic gathered the boys A & B 200m medley relay teams together.
Jonathan Kauffman, the team captain, pulled together Team A. “Get us a lead with your backstroke, Levi,” Jon said. “Hold the lead as best you can, Noah [Yeager, breaststroke]. Dave, I want you to pull away. You’re far and away the best butterfly man on this side of the state. I will bring us home.”
The B team – Backstroke-Sophomore Dominic Camargo, Breaststroke-Sophomore Cameron Arnold, Butterfly-Senior Ben Ledford and Free Style-Carter Boone, a senior, gathered nearby and got psyched for the race.
Fox Chapel’s girls got nosed out in the 200m medley relay. Jon helped Emma Baechthold out of the pool. The girls had made a hell of a fight of it.
The boys relay teams lined up. Allderdice A, Fox Chapel A, Allderdice B and then Fox Chapel B. The backstrokers took their marks in the water on the edge of the pool. Levi made gave a powerful kick off the end of the pool and started his powerful strokes backwards down the pool. Levi was the best backstroker on the Fox Chapel team and this was his third season on varsity, even though he was only a junior.
Levi muscled his way as he sliced through the water. Gradually he pulled ahead of the other swimmers. He did a flip turn and powered his way back down the pool. Noah Yeager stepped up ready for Levi’s touch. In a flash Noah dove in and started breast stroking his way down the pool. Levi’s two length lead slowly diminished as he swam for the far end. Fox Chapel A’s lead had dwindled to half a length by the time Noah tapped the side of the pool.
David sprang into the water and powered forward with the butterfly stroke. Fox Chapel A’s lead grew with every stroke. David was hands down the best butterflier on the Fox Chapel team. He had a not-too-secret weapon – his Uncle Hunter. His dad’s baby brother was a nationally ranked swimmer attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship. He was ranked as one of the best butterfliers in the nation. Hunter generously shared his knowledge and techniques with his three-and-a-half-year younger nephew.
Fox Chapel A’s lead was back to two lengths as David flip turned and headed for the near end of the pool. He had increased the lead to three lengths by the time he tapped the pool and Jon Kauffman dove into the pool for the anchor leg. Jon was a strong swimmer in the free style but didn’t do the other strokes nearly as well.
Allderdice A’s anchor was gaining on Jon as they battled their way down the pool. Fox Chapel B was closing on Allderdice A too. Allderdice B trailed badly, all but out of the running for a place and team points. Jon’s lead was down to two lengths as he turned for the final leg of the race. Both swim teams and the scattering of fans were yelling encouragement to their swimmers as they headed for the finish.
Jon found strength to press harder. He held the lead as he hit the end of the pool a length and a half ahead of Allderdice A. Fox Chapel B was an eye blink behind Allderdice A. Allderdice B trailed. Times flashed up on the scoreboard. Fox Chapel cheered wildly when the scoreboard showed 1:40.07 as Fox Chapel A’s time. It was their best time of the season and automatically qualified the team for Districts. Allderdice A’s time was 1:42.08. Fox Chapel B’s time was 1:42.33. Allderdice B’s time was 1:47.15. Both Allderdice A and Fox Chapel B had scored times fast enough to merit consideration for Districts to any remaining slots after all the automatic entries were added to the 24 available slots.
Fox Chapel held a 10-4 lead before the second event, the 200m freestyle. Allderdice’s anchorman from the first race dominated, taking first place. Noah Yeager and Mason Michalopoulos took second and third places. Allderdice took fourth and fifth place.
Jon Kauffman commented to David as they watched the second event. “You looked real good today.”
“I feel good,” David replied. “I feel really good.”
“Kick their asses in the next event,” Jon said.
“I’ll do my best,” David promised. He kept his promise. Event 3, the 200m individual medley, began with the butterfly. David grabbed a substantial lead on this leg. He increased his lead with the breaststroke and increased it further with the backstroke. David was excellent at the specialty strokes, but he could do the crawl as well as any member of the swim team. He powered ahead.
David knew he had the win in hand when he did his final turn and found the rest of the field scattered behind as much as half or three quarters of the length of the pool. He powered home, aiming to ensure he made the districts qualifying time.
David touched the end of the pool and turned back to see his nearest competitor about halfway down the pool. A kid from Allderdice placed second. Ben Ledford placed third, Dominic Camargo, the sophomore, fourth and Jacob Ormes fifth.
The Fox Chapel contingent went wild when times were posted. David had finished in 1:40.20, 0.33 seconds behind the state record for this event. He was twenty-five seconds faster than the automatic qualifying time for districts. David had been flirting with times in the 1:40s for the past two or three weeks in practice. It was great to get his best time at a sanctioned meet, where the time would count.
The dominating performances by Fox Chapel’s swimmers in this event gave their team a 29-17 lead. Allderdice mounted a comeback in the 50m freestyle. They took first, second and fifth places. Jacob Ormes, despite his having just completed an event, grabbed third place for Fox Chapel. Isaac Braun took fourth. Score: Fox Chapel-34, Allderdice-28
Allderdice’s pool wasn’t set up for diving, so Event 5 in the standard list of events was skipped. Next up was the 100m butterfly. David stepped up to the starting position. The four Allderdice swimmers looked down the line at David, knowing they were beaten before they even entered the water. Their best two butterfliers had been bested by David decisively in the 200m IM. All they could hope for was to beat the other Fox Chapel swimmers and salvage some points from this event. David powered down the pool, back again, down the pool and turned for the final leg. The field was straggling behind him. David stroked down the last leg easily. He had to wait about two seconds for Ben Ledford, his teammate to tap the side of the pool to take second. Allderdice took third, fourth and fifth places.
David’s time came up as 0:48.02. The PIAA AAAA boys record was 0:47.05. He had beaten the automatic qualifier time for districts by over eight seconds. This event put Fox Chapel up 44-34.
Allderdice won the next event, the 100m freestyle. Jon Kauffman managed second place and Noah Hartung took third place. The Allderdice swimmers grabbed fourth and fifth place.
Carter Boone won the 500m free style. Allderdice grabbed second, third and fifth place. Dominic Camargo took fourth place. Fox Chapel’s lead was narrowing. They now led 59-51.
Allderdice’s A relay team took the 200m freestyle relay. Fox Chapel’s two teams placed second and third. Levi Weisenbaugh dominated in the 100m backstroke. Dominic Camargo placed third. The sophomore showed promise to be one of the team’s best swimmers in a year or two. The meet score stood at Fox Chapel-76, Allderdice-64 with two events to go.
David lined up for Event 11, the 100m breaststroke. “Are you going to let us have anything today?” the Allderdice swimmer beside him asked before the start.
“It’s a competition,” David answered. “I don’t plan to give you anything.”
David didn’t. The breaststroke wasn’t his best stroke but he was more than competent. David held the lead at the turn and increased his margin as he powered his way back to the end of the pool. David’s 0:58.00 time put him five seconds ahead of the 1:03.27 automatic qualifying time for districts. Noah Wenger placed third. This performance gave Fox Chapel an 85-71 lead. The meet result was now foregone. Allderdice relays teams A & B couldn’t take three places in the final event. Fox Chapel was guaranteed at minimum a third-place finish and 2 points.
Mason Michalopoulos, Liam Evans, Isaac Braun and Carter Boone did better in the 400m relay. Carter Boone dueled with Alderdice A’s anchorman the whole final length of the pool for the lead. Allderdice’s anchorman managed to finish 0.1 second ahead of Carter.
Fox Chapel’s swimmers cheered wildly despite the close loss. Carter Boone’s relay team had given Fox Chapel four points and the meet win, 89-81. The girls swim team didn’t do as well. They were edged out by Allderdice 86-84.
David had a lot to think about on the bus ride back to Fox Chapel High School. He had just qualified for the WPIAL District meet in all four of his events. Uncle Hunter was going to be very proud of David, his swim protégé. What was going to happen when he was half a state away in Chester County when the district meet was held?
-----oooOooo------
David rode the late bus home from school and heated his own supper up in the microwave. His mom was busy helping Danny and Jessie with homework. He put his dirty dishes in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to his room. He needed privacy for a phone call he doubted his Mom or Dad would approve of.
David punched the numbers into his phone and waited for an answer.
“David! This is a surprise,” Zack Hayes said, with obvious delight. “What can I do for my favorite godson?”
“Can we keep this call private from Mom and Dad, at least for a while?” David asked.
“What’s wrong?” Zack asked.
“It’s not anything that’s wrong exactly… um… it’s…” David stuttered. This was harder than he’d expected. He had known Zack for his whole life and got along well with him.
“Spit it out,” Zack counseled. “I can keep my lips sealed if I need to.”
“Well… had you heard I made the automatic qualifiers for the district swim meet in all four of my events?” David asked.
“I hadn’t,” Zack said. “That is fantastic news! But?”
“Districts are the first weekend in March,” David answered.
“And you are going to miss them when you move to Chester County,” Zack said. “What help do you need?”
“I know it is asking a lot, but would it be possible for me to stay with you for a few weeks until the swim season is over?” David asked. “My times have been excellent and I stand a chance of getting invited to the state finals too.”
“When are they held?” Zack asked.
“Middle of March,” David replied.
“I have to talk with Leigh Ann, of course, but I don’t see any reason why you can’t stay with us for a few weeks,” Zack said. David got a big grin on his face. “IF… IF your mom or dad call and ask Leigh Ann and me to help you out this way.”
“Mom or Dad?” David said. “OK.”
“I can’t be part of any fast ones you try to pull on your parents,” Zack said. “Everything has to be above board. Don’t forget. I understand how teenagers work. I have two of my own.”
“I wasn’t trying to pull a fast one, Zack,” David said. “I just wanted to find a way that I could attend districts and states to make sure this swim season wasn’t wasted. Thanks for considering taking me in for a few weeks.”
“That is one of many things godfathers can do,” Zack said. “I want to ask you for a favor too, David.”
“What is it?”
“Make this move as easy as you can for your Mom and Dad,” Zack said. “Your Dad has been preparing for this opportunity to be a head coach for most of his life. Your Mom is carrying the burden of moving the whole family across the state to help your Dad get a head start on resurrecting the Eagles. Help out to make the move painless and smooth for both your parents. Can you do that, David?”
“I promise I will, Zack,” David replied.
“It’s been a pleasure watching you grow from a little boy when you moved to Pittsburgh into the fine young man you’ve become,” Zack said. “A true pleasure.”
“Thanks Zack,” David said as he clicked his phone off. Zack’s words hit home with David. He had been acting like a kid who wasn’t getting his way since his dad received the promotion. He liked to think of himself as a mature and nearly grown-up man. He was going to have to do better to help his mom.
Chapter 2
Wednesday, February 12, 2031 – NovaCare Complex –Philadelphia, PA
The receptionist buzzed Kyle in his office. Jeremy North was on the line.
“Jeremy, it’s good to hear from you,” Kyle announced enthusiastically.
“I have an issue with you, buster!” Jeremy growled.
“What?” Kyle asked innocently. Had he pushed his friend too far?
“Having your daughter wave horses in front of my girls’ faces while my family tries to decide about your job offer,” Jeremy said. “That’s not fighting fair.”
“This is the NFL,” Kyle answered smoothly. “We don’t fight fair. We play to win. You know that.”
“Can’t argue with you there, Coach,” Jeremy said. “You nearly sold me when you told me you would have Coach C mentor me. Who wouldn’t want to learn the tricks of the trade from one of the best defensive coordinators in the league in the past quarter century?”
Jeremy laughed and added, “My wife was a harder sell.”
“What does Kathy need?” Kyle asked. “She will be able to hook up with Penny and [Ed’s wife,] Rosa, just like in the old days.”
“Specifically, she wants the deal to include horses for Katie and Allison,” Jeremy said.
“I don’t know if I can get that in your Eagles contract,” Kyle replied. “Can you accept my word that I will pay for the girl’s horses?”