“Looking back, I probably should have come out before that play,” Hall stated softly. “I felt like I might be sick. During the timeout, I looked to the sideline and I could see [fellow fullback Daba Fofana] was ready to come in.
“But I still felt like I was okay. I wanted the ball. I wanted to score. It was the kind of moment anyone who plays football dreams about.”
Quarterback Xavier Arline, who had been stopped twice from contained in the 5, handed the ball to Hall out of the shotgun formation. After reaching the 1, Hall dove for the aim line. “Honestly, I thought I was in at first,” he stated.
But the ball had been punched free by Army’s Austin Hill, and on the backside of the pile with the ball was the Black Knights’ Darius Richardson.
“When I realized they had the ball, in that moment, I felt as if I had just destroyed the Navy football program … ” Hall stated. “If you look at the tape, if I had made a cut to the outside, I’d have walked in. But I was just trying to keep going forward.”
Several of Hall’s teammates grabbed him as he went to the sideline to supply reassurance. Linebacker Nicholas Straw informed Hall: “The game’s not over. We’re going to get a stop for you.”
The Navy protection solely conceded three yards to Army’s offense, however Army was simply making an attempt to get the ball centered for a discipline aim try. Kicker Quinn Maretzki drilled a 39-yarder to present Army a 20-17 victory. That was when Hall’s distress actually started.
“I felt so guilty,” he stated. “During the playing of the alma maters, I had a towel over my head because I didn’t want everyone to see me crying. I know that was wrong, but I just couldn’t help it at that moment. I was devastated.”
Things received worse earlier than they slowly started to get higher. After the sport, the gamers had been informed that there was an emergency workforce assembly on Sunday morning. Normally, the day after Army-Navy is an off day, so everybody knew one thing main was up.
Something main was certainly up: In the wake of the loss, Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk had fired Coach Ken Niumatalolo after 25 years at Navy, the final 15 as the pinnacle coach.
“It was a complete shock when he told us,” Hall stated. “I just sat there thinking, ‘I’m the reason this happened. This is my fault.’ ”
As he was speaking to his gamers, Niumatalolo observed that Hall was crying. “He was just bawling,” the previous coach stated this month. “He couldn’t stop himself. I felt terrible for him. He didn’t lose the game; we all lost the game. In a game like that, there are lots of plays that decide who wins. His was just one of them.”
When the assembly ended, the gamers lined up for farewell hugs with their coach. Niumatalolo held Hall tightly and stated, “Without you, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win,” referencing the landing run. “Remember that. You’ve got a great career ahead of you here.”
Just a few seconds later, Niumatalolo’s spouse, Barbara, gave Hall an analogous hug. That made him cry once more.
“He happens to be a great kid,” Niumatalolo stated. “He’s grown a lot since he came to the academy. The place isn’t easy for anyone, but he’s really hung with it from the start.”
Hall is 5-foot-8 and weighs 198 kilos. When he will get rolling, he is robust to sort out. He completed the season with 390 yards on 89 carries — a median of 4.4 yards per carry. But fumbling has been a difficulty.
“You can’t put the ball on the ground, I know that,” he stated. “Coach said to me early this season, ‘If you can’t hold onto the ball, I can’t play you.’ I understood that. I focused on it. Now, I’ll focus on it more if that’s possible.”
Hall and fellow sophomore Amin Hassan had been each recruited out of Gulliver Prep, simply exterior of Miami. The solely relative Hall had with a army background was his nice uncle, a Marine who served in World War II. He plans to change into a Marine, too.
“It just felt right for me,” he stated. “I really do believe we’re playing for more than just winning games. We represent the Navy when we play — and the Marines.”
Hassan dedicated to Navy first and urged Hall to comply with him. The two of them have remained extraordinarily shut since driving the bus to high school each morning in highschool. “When I walked into the locker room after the game, the first thing I saw was Amin with his arms wrapped around Anton,” Niumatalolo stated. “It gave me a chill, especially after what the two of them had gone through in November.”
On Nov. 13, three University of Virginia soccer gamers had been shot and killed after a visit to Washington. One of them was D’Sean Perry, who had joined Hall and Hassan on these morning bus rides to Gulliver Prep.
“The three of us were inseparable,” Hall stated, his phrases coming slowly. “My fumble was a football tragedy. This was real tragedy. Even thinking about it now is very hard.”
Brian Newberry, employed 4 years in the past by Niumatalolo as his defensive coordinator, is now Navy’s head coach. He’s still adjusting to the concept he’s the person within the large workplace with the spectacular view of Annapolis Harbor.
“There are players on offense whose names I don’t even know yet,” he stated with a smile. “My focus has been so much on the defensive side in the past. I need to sit down and get to know the kids on offense before we start spring practice, and they need to get to know me.
“Anton is someone I not only need to get to know better, but someone I need to make sure knows he has my complete support and everyone’s support around here.”
Hall understands that. He’s grateful for the fixed assist from his teammates and coaches, and from outsiders who contacted him to let him know he isn’t accountable for the loss.
“All of that means a lot to me,” he stated. “But it still hurts a lot. Around here, when you mess up, you don’t make excuses. I know I have to move on. I want to be a great player these next two years. It’s still up to me. I’m not going to say I’m over it, but I am going to move forward. It’s what I have to do.”
