
The Moon Shot
Before I ever fired a shot, I was trapped in a camper shell with a gassy dog, freezing my tail off, and trying not to pass out. By sundown, I’d botched the flush of a lifetime, dodged my own shotgun spray, and earned a nickname I’ll never live down. This is how one hunting trip in Red Cloud, Nebraska, went from moon shot to punchline—and why my dog still gets the last laugh.

Valiant Pond Dive
What started as a joyride turned into a mud-splattered rescue mission when our car high-centered in a pond—just an hour before kickoff. With our football jerseys soaked, our jeans stuck with tadpole slime, and the starting offensive line still missing from the bus, we had to claw our way out of Lawyers Pond, beat the clock, and prove once again that in Picher, survival was half the game.