Fifteen Hearts

My knuckles,
So scraped,
So bloody.
My body was specked with dirt from a field too muddy.
None shall pass or knock through me,
While I draw breath I refuse to flee.
Face me if you can,
But you cannot win while I still stand.
Striped arms go up, now the moment's tense,
The thumping in my chest felt neither dull nor dense.
With a wave of a hand and cry of a whistle,
Fifteen brothers shot forward like missiles.
A band of wolves charged with our stolen pride,
Our chain of fifteen links bound them on all sides.
With nowhere to run they stormed our line,
The ball-carrier's eyes were locked straight into mine.
I invited him in,
I dared him to approach,
I'll break this lone wolf and make proud my strong coach.
Before we crashed he shot a mean look,
The collision was huge but not a step back I took.
With a stroke of luck and sleight of hand,
The ball was dropped and roamed free on the land.
I lunged at the ball and hugged it close to my heart,
Tore down the field while wolves had me marked,
A lightning quick step and roll to the side,
I burst through their pack and shifted the tide.
My race down the field was not over yet,
One more wolf stood and made sure that we met.
I'm not afraid because if i should fall,
Fourteen more hearts will come to my call.