We Got All The Smoke pt. 1

It’s been almost two years since I wrote the article entitled, “We want all the smoke.” At that time, Brysen had played with a new team for the first time, the Ocala Pride (now North Side Pride). It was the 2019 preseason. The plan was for Brysen to play preseason and post season with Pride on the 8u level while playing 10u regular season with his local team. Brysen had scored over 30 touchdowns the previous season on 8u locally. We knew it would be too boring for him to return to the same age group. Also, his best friend had to move up to 10u, so they could still play together. He enjoyed his first weekend competing with his new team and was excited for the opportunity.

Unfortunately, Brysen was never able to pursue playing with his new team that year. I didn’t think it was an issue at all, which is why I made it public and wrote the article. I know for a fact that many kids have previously played for multiple teams during a season and at UYFL Nationals. However, other teams in our area were quite upset about Brysen playing with Pride and said they would. I knew others had done it in the past, so I looked through all the UYFL rules and guidelines. I discovered it was possible for Brysen to play with his new team despite having already played regular season games with West Augustine. However, it could potentially force the team to play in the All-Star bracket. Although Brysen was already certified completely with Pride, I told the Coach that we didn’t want to mess anything up for the team. I told him not to include Brysen on his roster when he submitted it to UYFL Nationals.

I hated it for Brysen too. The decision was made right before Pride was scheduled to play M.O.T. His 10u team ended up with a bye that week so Brysen was going to get to play against a tough opponent. We went to watch the game and they won without him. Pride went on to when the conference championship and 8u UYFL National Championship as well. Brysen’s 10u team ended up losing in the semifinal of his conference.

Fast Forward to the 2020 season and Brysen is now with Pride full time as a 9u player. I resigned my position as President of the local organization and began coaching High School football again. Brysen will be playing against tough competition and I won’t have to miss any games.  He won’t be able to make every practice, but he will be at every game. The team schedules a preseason game against the defending Battle 8u National Champions, Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes. Brysen is excited and I’m 100% sure we will win.  The win will make Pride the number 1 team in the country. Brysen wasn’t the only kid Pride added to the roster and the team was loaded. There is also a preseason game scheduled against M.O.T. for preparation.

Sadly, our plans get derailed yet again. Just three weeks before his first game, Brysen fractures his wrist. He is crushed. Our initial diagnosis at the ER was 3 weeks and that would put him back on the field in time. The follow up at the Orthopedic put him out for 12 weeks so he missed both games. The team beat MOT in overtime and lost 6-0 to FTL. “If Brysen plays, we win by 3 touchdowns.” I said to a few people regarding the FTL game. Their corners were too short. And well, follow Brysen on Instagram @bfye904 for a post every Monday about why. Moss Em Mondays is real lol. Brysen’s team cruised through the regular season blowing everybody without him. The competition in the local league was terrible. I thought the team was going to play 10u, but other teams decided to go 9u as well.

Luckily, Darrien Green and Generation Nexxt started a new event called Southern Hospitality that got some teams across the country playing midseason. We got matched up against the number 6 team FU Gold, and the number 7 team Heir Academy. We were number 5 at the time. The games were scheduled exactly 12 weeks from when Brysen broke his wrist. But at his most recent check in, his final appointment was scheduled for the following Tuesday. No way I was going to let him miss if he didn’t have to. I got his appointment rescheduled for the Friday before and hoped for the best.

“If It was my son, I wouldn’t let him play all year.” – Dr.

“You mean all of 2020, the team plays through December.” – Me, hoping he could at least play at Nationals.

“I’d say at least until the middle of November. You don’t want to risk him coming down and being piled on top of him. But he is cleared for PE and running around” – Dr.

The details of the remaining conversation are blurry but basically Brysen was cleared to play everything except football and Rugby. After, Brysen still wanted to play, and I still wanted him to also. I knew if the team lost those games, going to Nationals was out of the question. And that’s why we joined the team. We decided that he would play anyway but I told the coach he wasn’t allowed to play RB or in the trenches. He would stick to WR/S so he would be away from any pile ups.

How did Brysen do? After 12 weeks of no football, no training, no contact? Like he always does. Put his stamp on it. It’s truly amazing how he performs on the biggest stages. He’s consistent. There has never been a big game he’s played in where he hasn’t made an impact. His first game was Saturday against Heir Academy in the prime time 8pm slot. Heir came all the way from Washington and had a great passing team. But the ball in the air is Brysen’s specialty. He was all over the field breaking up passes and saved multiple touchdowns. He also had a few big hits. He wasn’t able to get it going with a limited pass attempts his way on offense, but I knew that would come later in the season. His team pulled out the victory 20 – 0 over a tough team. He was super excited about the game and so was I.

The next day, they would face FU Gold. A newly assembled team but I knew exactly where the pieces came from. They honestly had the best roster at 9u in the country in my opinion. The team had quality skill players but loved smash mouth football running behind the best OL in the country. You wouldn’t believe how physical their OL was without seeing it for yourself. Completely opposite game for us to turn around and play. The game was physical with neither team doing too much offensively. FU had one solid drive that ended up with 6 after we turned the ball over. Brysen finally linked up with his QB this game on a deep ball and split 2 defenders for Pride’s only TD of the game. The game ended in a tie. I was proud of how he played his first weekend back in action.  The team needed him, and he stepped up. He helped the team leave that weekend still in the top 10 and still with a chance at Nationals.

He played the remaining regular season with the team, but it was a bore for him. We blew every single team out. The local 9u teams were just no match for our team. The two 10u teams they face with Brysen were likely the worst two in the league. Everything we did on offense or defense worked. We scored with 1 or 2 play drives for touchdowns. We also lived in the opposing backfields with 3 or 4 straight plays on defense with tackles for losses. He didn’t even want to go to the games anymore. “Dad when we gone play somebody good?” he asked constantly. Those good opponents came, but not until Nationals. Stay tuned for Part 2. Until next time, B U!