Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Overview… “QB1” (i.e. starting quarterback) for the Panthers of Permian High School. Mike is a serviceable if unremarkable quarterback for a football-crazed Texas town. The pressure to perform on the field is immense and ever-present – especially pressure from his mom to get a scholarship so he can go to college, and pressure from the citizens of Odessa to give their town something to be proud of.
Personality… laconic, soft-spoken, polite, and serious. Mike is a man of few words who rarely smiles. Unlike many of his teammates, he’s not one to “go around foolin” the night before a game. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, even though he could basically have his pick since he’s the quarterback. He is one of the hardest workers on the team, and the principal reason is that he wants that scholarship so that he can get the hell out of Odessa after high school.
Get to Know him in...
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Gary Gaines, the coach of a local football team in small-town Odessa, Texas, propels his squad to the state championships. But the path to glory is paved with racial and economic strife, and the coach must help his players navigate through the maze so they can play like winners.
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Return once again to the enduring account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa -- the winningest high school football team in Texas history.
