The sweat dripped from his face. The time on the clock ran down fast. It was over time, and Vandegrift was up by three. All they needed was a touchdown to win. They had always dreamed of beating Vandy, and on Oct. 10 last year, they had their chance.

Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. Hut. Before he knew it, the student section was blaring, and he was being picked up by the linemen. The game was over, and they had won, 63-59.

Matthew Snow is the starting varsity quarterback, and has been for three years. He is a senior, and this is his last year on the football team.

When Snow was younger, he had a neighbor who played football, and they would play football together in the streets. His neighbor always urged him to play quarterback though he had wanted to be a wide receiver. When he tried out in seventh grade, he made the position, and he’s been the quarterback for six years now.

“I joined the team because I heard there were other benefits to it that I didn’t understand then, but I understand now,” Snow said. “It’s almost like being a part of something that’s bigger than yourself. I love to play because when I’m on the field, and I’ve had a bad day it takes my mind off of things. Your mind is free, and you’re having fun.”

This is Snow’s second year on varsity leadership council. Players nominate teammates, and then the majority of the team has to vote for them.

“It was a huge honor being nominated for team captain two years in a row,” Snow said. “Being a team captain as a junior was weird at first because I had never done anything like it before. I didn’t try to make a big deal out of it because there’s really no difference than any other player on the team. No one is really higher than anyone else. People might think this person is better, but that’s not really the case. It is an honor because it means the players look at you and say, ‘We trust you to lead us and make our team better.’”

This is Snow’s last year on the team, and the coaches will have to bring up a JV quarterback for the 2016 season.

“When we’re in practice, we’re all helping each other,” Snow said. “If they have a question or need help, I’ll help them. It comes down to we’re all helping each other, and we’re all building each other up. Not just when it comes to football, but also when it comes to just being a person. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from my coaches is that you can be huge, you can be the best person in the world, but you have to be nice to people and respect people, or else all of the rest is thrown away.”

Most of the team’s fans are saying that this is their year to go to state.

“We have to take everything one step at a time,” Snow said. “No one is thinking state. They’re thinking about one game at a time. We have to just focus on the next game. Of course our goal is to win state, but I don’t think that’s all we should be focused on. There is more to football than going to state.”

Snow has been teammates with some players for six years. After six years and about 60 games with them, he has learned a lot of life lessons, but there is one he will never forget.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from my team is that you have to do what makes you the happiest,” Snow said. “Having the feeling of friends and knowing someone will always be there for you is rewarding and amazing. I’ve also come to realize that there are bigger things than yourself in this world.”

At the last game, Snow wants all the seniors to take a moment to look at each other and reflect on the year.

“I know that this is my last year on the football team, but I also know that this isn’t my whole life,” Snow said. “There are bigger things ahead of me. At some point in your life, you will have to walk away from something you love and move on. I think that the real joys in life are after high school, when you’re starting your own life. For the last game, I want everyone to look at each other for a while and say, ‘This is it, we gave it our best. We made it all these years, and we worked our hardest.’”