Beating The Beast - a true story

It was a Monday afternoon and finally school had ended. I quickly made my way to the film room. I didn’t want to be late because I didn’t want to run. Coach would make us run extra wind sprints when we were late. The opponent that week was tough. They were beating everyone they played because they had a super weapon or should I say a superhuman. Their nose guard was the biggest kid I have ever seen on film and even bigger in real life. His name was Norberto Gorrido and I was soon going to become acquainted in a very up close, personal way.

As Garrido appeared on the film there were many audible gasps and nervous giggles from the other guys in the room. Everyone shot glances in my direction. The six foot five, three hundred pound goliath looked funny on film at first because he looked like double the size of everyone else. He would pound his chest like King Kong after he made a good play, greedily absorbing everyone’s attention. It was the very first play of the game and Garrido or ‘the Beast’ as we affectionately called him lined up on all fours very close to the center. Before the ball was even snapped that center was launched backwards and then he went up and up. The Beast raised him up over his head and threw him on to the quarterback who was looking on, stupefied by the horror playing out in front of him. 

Suddenly, I heard a chorus of doom reverberate through the room, “ooh Sully, Sully!’. That was me Gary Sullivan they were shouting at. They pointed to me and then the screen laughing and chanting my name, half warning me and half feeling sorry for me because I was the center for our team. I was the Beast’s next victim and everyone knew it.  

Later that week I was finishing dinner and about to go to bed exhausted from  practice and my dad set the newspaper down on the table. I looked through it lazily until my eyes popped open wide. “Oh my goodness, that’s him! Dad! You gotta see this! They have a whole page in the highschool prep section on Garrido!” That’s right the week I was going to face off head to head with Garrido the Tribune had to do a feature story on how Garrido was recruited by USC. It was a good story. They covered his whole childhood and how he just grew and grew and how strong he was and how great he was on and off the field.

I had trouble sleeping that night. The next day, Thursday morning,  I went into the coaches office as soon as I could. Coach Pasqy was there behind his desk in his preppy sweater vest and neatly combed blonde hair. “Sully, What's going on? Everything Ok?” He said cheerfully as if he was oblivious to what was about to happen to me the next night. I didn’t say anything at first. I reached into my bag and pulled out the newspaper and laid it out on his desk. “Coach, I don't know…this guy is like a college kid already and now he’s famous? What are we gonna do?” I didn’t  want to be the reason our team lost. I was just a nice kid doing my best at center. At the time I weighed only 155 pounds and I was 5’10 if I combed my hair right. This was a real life David and Goliath situation and I needed answers. Coach did his best to build me up and reassure me. “Sully, don't worry, this guy is just a big goof. You’re going to be fine. We will get you help on certain plays and we can change up the cadence to keep him guessing on the count.” 

I was surprised that he thought I could do it. He wasn't going to replace me with someone bigger. He was going to let me have my chance at the Beast and he believed we would end up with a win. I walked away with a renewed sense of pride, even a chip on my shoulder. “Who does this Garrido guy think he is? Some big shot now because he was in the newspaper? Coach is right, he is just a big goof!’ 

It was gameday and I had my game face on. My pregame ritual began with a short walk to my school locker where I could be alone to pray (I went to a public school so we did not pray as a team). I opened my locker and looked at pictures of people that I loved and drew energy from them as I said quietly but audibly the Our Father and three Hail Mary's. I told God, "If I get embarrassed or crushed at least I will have made my stand and I looked forward to the opportunity to play against them that night'. I thanked God for the opportunity before me and asked for his protection. What else could I do? I had to get psyched, I had to be fired up, I had no choice. At first Garrido was lined up on the guard next to me as they were in an even front. Everytime I had to block him I had an angle to get my head in front and seal him off or I scoop blocked him very low at his knees causing him to fall over me. I was used to cut blocking because I was always under sized compared to my opponent. 

The Beast looked angry and dejected every time we gained a first down. We were moving the ball easily and I was so relieved and pumped up. At half time we were up 14-0 and their coach decided to change it up and line the Beast up right over me. I tried to drive-block him to keep him honest and he was like a giant pillow. I pushed forward but he didn’t move. He stood straight up and growled as the runner sped past him to score. The rest of the game I blocked him using a cut block technique. Shooting out low after snapping the ball with my shoulder and side of my body crashing into his knees followed by a flurry with my legs to get him to give a little ground. It worked. He fell like a giant sequoia every time. 

Then it happened...The game was basically over, but out of frustration he got up after a cut block and the Beast had a strange look come over him as he switched into WWF wrestling mode. He jumped in the air and came crashing down like Randy Savage, all 300 pounds onto my little seventeen year old scrawny body. Something popped and my body became as flat as a pancake and the trainers came out as the other players cleared the field. It wasn’t dislocated but my hip came out of the socket and went back in. Being a scrappy player for eight years in youth football and in high school this was the only time I had to leave a game early. I didn’t want to leave but it was late in the fourth quarter and we were up 26-0. As I made my way to the sidelines coach Pasqy came over to check on me and he said, “I told you that you would be all right, Good Job. You did good.” That was the best sports moment of my life. I went four rounds with the Beast and came out on top.

We went on to win the league Championship for the first time in many years. Coach Pasqy (Mark Pasquerella) was named ‘Coach of the Year’.  As for the Beast (Norberto Garrido), he indeed went on to play at USC and he had great success. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 1996 and played five years in the NFL. 

As coach Lombardi said, "Football is like life. It requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority."  Football was the best teacher that I ever had. In life I have had to face many proverbial Norberto Garridos. We have all had to face the Beast from time to time. If it wasn’t for my many experiences in the game of football, I would not be the man I am today. I owe it to my teammates, my coaches and yes, my opponents, especially the Beast.