For the final time, I was honored to be chosen for the FORD All-Stars. Two goals checked off at 14 years old — finishing my LaPlace A’s run and making the All-Star team. But we all had one more mission: graduating 8th grade and getting to high school.

We always clowned around — LaPlace, Reserve, Garyville rivalries — trash talking at tournaments and games. But we understood one thing: if we didn’t have the grades, none of this would matter.
I wasn’t worried… until graduation day. We got our report cards, and when I saw my Math grade, my stomach dropped. I barely passed — the lowest D possible.

Instead of shouting “Lord, thank you, I passed!” I found myself saying, “Oh LORD, I almost failed.”

That shook me.
It made me think:

> “Maybe I need a fresh start… somewhere new where I can focus on grades and give myself the best shot at an athletic scholarship. Because if I barely made it here, what’s gonna happen at East St. John with even more distractions?”

I loved my crew, but we were fools sometimes — competitive, fiery, and always pushing each other. That same fire made us great, but it also made it easy to lose focus if you weren’t careful.

Still, there was unfinished business.
We locked in, playing scrimmages to prepare for the tournament.
We knew each other so well by now we didn’t need much coaching — just three signals: Bunt, Steal, and Take.

During a scrimmage in New Sarpy, I did what I always did — bunt, steal bases, cause havoc. After stealing 2nd and 3rd, I saw Terry Charles slap his leg — the “steal” signal.
Without thinking, I exploded toward home.
SAFE!

The dugout was hyped — but Coach Terry grabbed me by the collar and asked,

> “What the hell you doing?”

“I saw the steal signal!” I said.
“Nah boy, I was killing a mosquito!” he laughed.

Everybody cracked up — except one man.
Coach Ervin Nicholas, Chris’s father, stood up for me.
My parents weren’t at the game, but Coach Ervin defended me because he understood:
I was playing hard, staying locked in, trying to prove myself — just like I had been doing since I first put on a uniform at 10 years old.
I couldn’t afford to take plays off. I couldn’t afford mistakes. I had to practice and play like my spot — and my future — depended on it.

In Episode 15:
With our family and friends behind us, we roll through the first round and head to Avondale for another shot to play in the Dizzy Dean World Series!