William Smagula

Ashley's Team William Smagula

This is the story of Ashley Anderson, who became the first girl to play for the Essex High School football team. Sixty-year-old coach John Jankowski is not pleased with Ashley making the team because he feels she'll be just a distraction to his team, which is loaded with talent. But Ashley knows that if given the chance, she can take care of the one weakness that Essex has. Ashley is the product of a broken home, where her drunken stepfather physically abuses her when he decides to make an appearance at home. Ashley realizes that the Essex High football team is more than a team to her. It is her family. Coach and his wife, Annie, take her in when her situation at home becomes intolerable. This story is filled with humor, especially the relationship between Coach and his players, as the Essex High Red Demons march toward a championship with the help of an unlikely source, Ashley Anderson. This is also a hard hitting, unorthodox story about a high school team that has the talent to attain what most other teams can only dream about-an undefeated season and a number-one ranking in the all-important newspaper polls. This book captures the desire, dedication and sacrifice it takes to be champions.