*1818 Words - x2 Voucher*
It’s a classic american story. A young man leaves the only town he’s ever known to find new opportunities for himself. He makes it to the big cities and eventually finds a new job. After a while of working hard and building his future, he comes across a woman that captures his heart. She’s gorgeous and funny and has a true love of life. They start talking around the office and eventually become a true couple. He takes her back to his hometown to show his family and friends and she falls in love with the small town. They get married, move back to his hometown, settle down together and start preparing for their first child.
A lovely story isn’t it? A tale as old as time but still has so much charm. For Eli and Angelina Malone, however, this classic american fable almost became a horror story. A couple of years after they got married, their first son Mason was born. He was 2 weeks early, he was tiny, no more than one and a half pounds. When Eli lifted Mason up, Mason would fit in just one hand. He was in intensive care almost the moment after he was born. The doctors were so worried about him that they told Eli and Angelina that their son had a less than 3% chance to see his first birthday. Eli then walked passed the doctor, sat by his son and said these words, tears flowing from his eyes:
“Now you listen here… my son is not going to die never seeing the outside of this room. He is going to life. Angie and I are going to take him home to McCall where he’s going to grow up strong. I will bet you anything that not only will Mason live, but he’s going to be 6 and a half feet tall, 250 pounds and play football.”
Those words would soon after be immortalized on a plaque in St Luke’s Children’s hospital because, just as Eli said, Mason would defy the odds and survive. He would quickly gain weight and be deemed healthy enough to leave the hospital. It’s a story that still provokes tears from anyone who hears it, including Mason himself who credits his parents for giving him the courage and mentality to face the challenges of life.
Like his father before him, Mason would grow up in the small town of McCall, Idaho. While there’s only a population of 2,900 people, this led to an incredibly tight knit community of people that felt more like an extended family than a town. With McCall also being situated on the southern bank of the Payette Lake and the weather providing picturesque summers and large snowfalls in winter, there was a lot of activities for active kids to be a part of and Mason was involved with pretty much all of them. In the winters, he was involved in snowboarding, sledding and even some ice skating. In the summer, he went fishing, hiking, played baseball and eventually found his true sport of choice, football.
With a population that small, there was two high schools in the district. The local players would often play on both offense and defence positions. For Mason this meant he would play middle linebacker on defence and be his team's quarterback. A difficult task for anyone to undertake but Mason would lead his men as best he can.
This was not an easy ride for him though and in fact he wouldn’t get a chance for either position at first, because he was developing slower than other boys his age. By the time he entered high school, he was barely 5 foot 1 inch and only just over 100 pounds. Given his early history as well, everyone in town was trying to protect him from getting hurt. He didn’t have the fastest legs either so he couldn’t play wide receiver either. Faced with little options to play, Mason turned to the only option he had left. Train.
He would follow the workout routines of the football teams, he studied film of the greats for hours at a time, he lifted weights with his father and worked on his reaction times with his mother. For his freshman and sophomore years, he didn’t play but worked his butt off to prove that he wouldn’t give up. Then the summer before 11th grade came and his genetics finally woke up. All of that year, he grew taller and taller, reaching a height of 6 feet 2 inches and growing to 175 pounds. With this phenomenal growth, Mason would get his chance to play. He knew that this was his one and only chance to prove himself as a quarterback. He would not disappoint.
In his remaining years in High school, Mason would lead his team to two state titles and be regarded as one of the best QB’s in the nation by some scouts. They praised his leadership, his ability to stare his opponents down and stay strong in the pocket and make the deep throw. Many coaches wondered if he had no fear at all. He wasn’t a mobile quarterback by any means but if you wanted a man to rally the troops to victory and control the game, there was no one better entering college. But not being a mobile quarterback would come back to haunt him as the big colleges weren’t interested in the field general. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, all of them looked at him and said “Nah, we’re good.”
So what do you do when your quarterback from a small town who dreams of the big lights but none of the supposed best colleges want you?
You follow the footsteps of every small town boy and girl who dreamed of fame and head for Los Angeles. Mason Malone committed to playing for USC.
The Trojans needed a new identity on offense. They were one of the quintessential college franchises. 11 national titles, 13 undefeated seasons including 8 perfect seasons and 39 conference championships. But ever since the turn of the 2010s, the trojans have not been a figure in the national championship. Now looking for the chance to become winners again, they were willing to take the chance on the Quarterback from Idaho.
Not that everyone was on board with that. In fact, the head coach had to fight for the chance for Mason to get a chance. The Athletics director and indeed most of the athletics department had another choice in mind. Alex Bridgewood. A two sport phenom, local product, long time fan of USC, he held all the aces over Malone. Not only that but he was also a mobile scrambler type of QB which Mason was not, so they felt that Bridgewood would create a better offense. This would now be a fight to find out who the true number one QB was. But unlike in high school, Mason was more than ready for the challenge. He was now 6ft 6 inches and 245 pounds and was prepared to work harder than anyone else on the field to prove himself the true leader of the USC team. After training camp, Malone would be named the number 1 QB, despite the objections of the athletics director. The head coach then stepped in and told the athletics director one thing:
“I will bet my job on Malone. He is the kind of leader that will lead us to the title. He will get the job done. The team will rally around him… and we’ll play good football.”
The athletics director was not totally convinced and demanded that Bridgewood start the opening game. The coach had to relent and gave Alex the nod. Mason was ticked off by this but he didn’t say anything about it. So opening day arrived and Bridgewood started the game… but after 5 plays, Bridgewood attempted to run but got clobbered by a defensive back, which forced him out of the game with an injury. So Mason then heard the words he had been waiting for:
“Malone! You’re up!”
As Mason put on his helmet and ran out onto the field, it finally hit him just where he was and what he was doing. He was in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in front of 77,000 people looking for him to play football. He had never played in front of more than 5000 people and now… he was here, in front of a national audience on TV too. But then, in the crowd, he saw… them. His parents, his neighbors, his town had shown up for him, to watch him play. In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was time to play football.
In his time at USC, Malone would not win a title… he would win two of them. He got better every game for the Trojans and would lead to the post season every year he played. He would complete 73.6% of his passes for 13264 yards, 128 Touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Only Matt Leinhart had ever done it better. With every pass and touchdown, Malone would go from out of town nobody to school hero. His family and friends would also come to every game they could, filling out a bus to come watch from Idaho. He was on top of the world the brighter lights of the ISFL started to call his name. But if he was going to head to the ISFL, he was going to leave USC with a bang.
His junior season, his final year at USC, would be his masterpiece. He would lead the trojans to the national championship for the 2nd straight time, win the Heisman trophy and play in his memorable game. #2 USC vs #1 Alabama at the rose bowl. The trojans got in the hole early and by the third quarter, they were down 17- 0. It seemed like the dream was dead, but for Malone, who rolled up his sleeves one more time, went to work chipping away at the lead. 3 consecutive scoring drives had USC back in contention tied 17-17 late in the fourth. There was only time for one more play and Mason… was gonna go for it all.
“Malone takes the snap, he’s looking around, where’s he gonna throw it? He steps up; he rainbows it…”
As the ball sailed through the air, Mason didn’t realize it but he had done everything his father said he would do..
“Williams is out in front, can he catch it?”
He grew to 6 feet 6 inches
“Does it have enough on it?”
He weighed over 200 pounds
“Williams jumps for it!”
And played football.
“Williams caught it! Malone to Williams! Touchdown! Trojans win!”
As Mason was handed the trophy, he looked up at the starry sky and had just one thought.
“Not bad for a boy out of Idaho, eh?”
It’s a classic american story. A young man leaves the only town he’s ever known to find new opportunities for himself. He makes it to the big cities and eventually finds a new job. After a while of working hard and building his future, he comes across a woman that captures his heart. She’s gorgeous and funny and has a true love of life. They start talking around the office and eventually become a true couple. He takes her back to his hometown to show his family and friends and she falls in love with the small town. They get married, move back to his hometown, settle down together and start preparing for their first child.
A lovely story isn’t it? A tale as old as time but still has so much charm. For Eli and Angelina Malone, however, this classic american fable almost became a horror story. A couple of years after they got married, their first son Mason was born. He was 2 weeks early, he was tiny, no more than one and a half pounds. When Eli lifted Mason up, Mason would fit in just one hand. He was in intensive care almost the moment after he was born. The doctors were so worried about him that they told Eli and Angelina that their son had a less than 3% chance to see his first birthday. Eli then walked passed the doctor, sat by his son and said these words, tears flowing from his eyes:
“Now you listen here… my son is not going to die never seeing the outside of this room. He is going to life. Angie and I are going to take him home to McCall where he’s going to grow up strong. I will bet you anything that not only will Mason live, but he’s going to be 6 and a half feet tall, 250 pounds and play football.”
Those words would soon after be immortalized on a plaque in St Luke’s Children’s hospital because, just as Eli said, Mason would defy the odds and survive. He would quickly gain weight and be deemed healthy enough to leave the hospital. It’s a story that still provokes tears from anyone who hears it, including Mason himself who credits his parents for giving him the courage and mentality to face the challenges of life.
Like his father before him, Mason would grow up in the small town of McCall, Idaho. While there’s only a population of 2,900 people, this led to an incredibly tight knit community of people that felt more like an extended family than a town. With McCall also being situated on the southern bank of the Payette Lake and the weather providing picturesque summers and large snowfalls in winter, there was a lot of activities for active kids to be a part of and Mason was involved with pretty much all of them. In the winters, he was involved in snowboarding, sledding and even some ice skating. In the summer, he went fishing, hiking, played baseball and eventually found his true sport of choice, football.
With a population that small, there was two high schools in the district. The local players would often play on both offense and defence positions. For Mason this meant he would play middle linebacker on defence and be his team's quarterback. A difficult task for anyone to undertake but Mason would lead his men as best he can.
This was not an easy ride for him though and in fact he wouldn’t get a chance for either position at first, because he was developing slower than other boys his age. By the time he entered high school, he was barely 5 foot 1 inch and only just over 100 pounds. Given his early history as well, everyone in town was trying to protect him from getting hurt. He didn’t have the fastest legs either so he couldn’t play wide receiver either. Faced with little options to play, Mason turned to the only option he had left. Train.
He would follow the workout routines of the football teams, he studied film of the greats for hours at a time, he lifted weights with his father and worked on his reaction times with his mother. For his freshman and sophomore years, he didn’t play but worked his butt off to prove that he wouldn’t give up. Then the summer before 11th grade came and his genetics finally woke up. All of that year, he grew taller and taller, reaching a height of 6 feet 2 inches and growing to 175 pounds. With this phenomenal growth, Mason would get his chance to play. He knew that this was his one and only chance to prove himself as a quarterback. He would not disappoint.
In his remaining years in High school, Mason would lead his team to two state titles and be regarded as one of the best QB’s in the nation by some scouts. They praised his leadership, his ability to stare his opponents down and stay strong in the pocket and make the deep throw. Many coaches wondered if he had no fear at all. He wasn’t a mobile quarterback by any means but if you wanted a man to rally the troops to victory and control the game, there was no one better entering college. But not being a mobile quarterback would come back to haunt him as the big colleges weren’t interested in the field general. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, all of them looked at him and said “Nah, we’re good.”
So what do you do when your quarterback from a small town who dreams of the big lights but none of the supposed best colleges want you?
You follow the footsteps of every small town boy and girl who dreamed of fame and head for Los Angeles. Mason Malone committed to playing for USC.
The Trojans needed a new identity on offense. They were one of the quintessential college franchises. 11 national titles, 13 undefeated seasons including 8 perfect seasons and 39 conference championships. But ever since the turn of the 2010s, the trojans have not been a figure in the national championship. Now looking for the chance to become winners again, they were willing to take the chance on the Quarterback from Idaho.
Not that everyone was on board with that. In fact, the head coach had to fight for the chance for Mason to get a chance. The Athletics director and indeed most of the athletics department had another choice in mind. Alex Bridgewood. A two sport phenom, local product, long time fan of USC, he held all the aces over Malone. Not only that but he was also a mobile scrambler type of QB which Mason was not, so they felt that Bridgewood would create a better offense. This would now be a fight to find out who the true number one QB was. But unlike in high school, Mason was more than ready for the challenge. He was now 6ft 6 inches and 245 pounds and was prepared to work harder than anyone else on the field to prove himself the true leader of the USC team. After training camp, Malone would be named the number 1 QB, despite the objections of the athletics director. The head coach then stepped in and told the athletics director one thing:
“I will bet my job on Malone. He is the kind of leader that will lead us to the title. He will get the job done. The team will rally around him… and we’ll play good football.”
The athletics director was not totally convinced and demanded that Bridgewood start the opening game. The coach had to relent and gave Alex the nod. Mason was ticked off by this but he didn’t say anything about it. So opening day arrived and Bridgewood started the game… but after 5 plays, Bridgewood attempted to run but got clobbered by a defensive back, which forced him out of the game with an injury. So Mason then heard the words he had been waiting for:
“Malone! You’re up!”
As Mason put on his helmet and ran out onto the field, it finally hit him just where he was and what he was doing. He was in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in front of 77,000 people looking for him to play football. He had never played in front of more than 5000 people and now… he was here, in front of a national audience on TV too. But then, in the crowd, he saw… them. His parents, his neighbors, his town had shown up for him, to watch him play. In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was time to play football.
In his time at USC, Malone would not win a title… he would win two of them. He got better every game for the Trojans and would lead to the post season every year he played. He would complete 73.6% of his passes for 13264 yards, 128 Touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Only Matt Leinhart had ever done it better. With every pass and touchdown, Malone would go from out of town nobody to school hero. His family and friends would also come to every game they could, filling out a bus to come watch from Idaho. He was on top of the world the brighter lights of the ISFL started to call his name. But if he was going to head to the ISFL, he was going to leave USC with a bang.
His junior season, his final year at USC, would be his masterpiece. He would lead the trojans to the national championship for the 2nd straight time, win the Heisman trophy and play in his memorable game. #2 USC vs #1 Alabama at the rose bowl. The trojans got in the hole early and by the third quarter, they were down 17- 0. It seemed like the dream was dead, but for Malone, who rolled up his sleeves one more time, went to work chipping away at the lead. 3 consecutive scoring drives had USC back in contention tied 17-17 late in the fourth. There was only time for one more play and Mason… was gonna go for it all.
“Malone takes the snap, he’s looking around, where’s he gonna throw it? He steps up; he rainbows it…”
As the ball sailed through the air, Mason didn’t realize it but he had done everything his father said he would do..
“Williams is out in front, can he catch it?”
He grew to 6 feet 6 inches
“Does it have enough on it?”
He weighed over 200 pounds
“Williams jumps for it!”
And played football.
“Williams caught it! Malone to Williams! Touchdown! Trojans win!”
As Mason was handed the trophy, he looked up at the starry sky and had just one thought.
“Not bad for a boy out of Idaho, eh?”