Author--Larry Webb


The team had just finished the last day of tryouts, and the roster sheets had been posted on the door. Jayden, who had played halfback as a freshman, did not see his name on the JV roster. Devastated, he sat alone on the bench in the dressing room, with his head buried between his knees. His mind flashed back to what his father had preached to him his whole life. “You can’t do that, you’re too puny. You can’t do that, you’re not smart enough. You Can’t do that!”

So, what should he do? Should he give up, or should he fight? With the help of a number of people—his teachers, his counselor, his coach, his soon-to-be best friend and his friend’s mother, Jayden developed his own life’s mantra—I Can, and I Will!