He glances up at the clock and sees that there is only 17 seconds left on the clock.
The scoreboard reads, “51-48,” with Fayetteville in the lead.
The crowd roars in the background as the Bulldogs ready for the kickoff. He knows this could be one of the last chances his school gets.
He had to make it count. Fayetteville kicks the football and it nears towards senior Shawn Sayarinh.
He catches the ball, and returns it for a 92 yard touchdown with three seconds left, ensuring Har-Ber the win they had been fighting for all night.
“When I went through the line it was like a war zone – pads poppin’, bodies flyin’.” said Sayarinh “Lancelot blocked for me and opened the hole up for me even more.” Sayarinh dove into the end zone before any Fayetteville players could get to him and ran to the sideline as if the school had won.
The crowd cheered as Coach Wear congratulated Sayarinh saying, “You deserved that. You needed that.”
Since Sayarinh had previously attended school in Fayetteville, they understood just how fast he was.
“I went to elementary school with some of those guys so they knew,” said Sayarinh.
Sayarinh is the school’s main kickoff return specialist, but was only given one chance that night. He most certainly made his one opportunity worth while.
“He couldn’t quit smiling,” said Coach Wood. “It was a huge win for us.”
This was the school’s first kickoff return for a touchdown this season. It was also the first allowed by the Bulldogs.
“I still have more to go, but this was definitely my best moment so far,” said Sayarinh. “I feel like I need to work harder. People expect me to do more.”