'Oh my god, that kick was amazing!' Jasmine exclaimed.
The crowd was abuzz with similar chatter. At least the Titans' side was. The Eagles' side was more muted, though the murmurs coming across the field were still positive. It was a rare instance where both teams went into the half feeling good about the game even though one team was leading; 4 points was hardly a secure lead.
'They just need to keep up that kinda stuff,' Jackson said. Even if it was just field goals, if they could clamp down on the Eagles, they could win. 'They have to start strong next quarter.'
Jasmine nodded agreement. Tommy rose from his seat before saying: 'Hey, I'm gonna grab food and drinks. Kenny, why don't you come help?'
Kenny looked a little reluctant, but stood, shrugging. Tommy turned his attention to Rudy. 'My shout, Rudy, why don't you come pick out what you want, too? There's usually a lot of good stalls.'
'Thanks, but nah. I'm good,' Rudy said, not looking up.
Tommy shifted, smile faltering. His eyes darted across the group then rested on Rudy again. 'Uh, right. You sure? What about a drink?'
Rudy shook his head. 'I'm good, I'm sure. I don't need anything.'
Tommy stood there for another awkward moment. 'Alright. Cool, no problem. Uh, just hotdogs for everyone, yeah?'
Jasmine and Jackson nodded, then Tommy was walking away, still looking back over his shoulder as he descended. Kenny looked back too. He had a feeling Tommy's plan had just been foiled thanks to Rudy … and a part of him was glad? He looked away, shaking his head as he followed Tommy. Those were stupid thoughts.
Jasmine leant close to Jackson—Rudy shot them a look. 'I really think they can do it,' she said.
'Me too,' Jackson said. 'I'm sure they'll win.'
Rudy scoffed. 'Yeah, I wouldn't be so certain. Both sides have kept it to their stars in the first half, but I reckon it'll come down to how well the next guys up do in the second half.'
'Like who?' Jasmine asked.
'I mean, I don't know who they'd be for the Eagles, but for the Titans, it'll probably come down to if Grant can be a consistent second target,' Rudy explained.
After taking a moment to remember which one was Grant, Jasmine's expression soured. She didn't like the idea of the team relying on HIM of all people. Jackson didn't either, but he knew Rudy was right.
'They can do it,' Jackson said. 'As a team.'
They'd have to wait until the second half began before finding out which team got the greater lift from their supporting cast … or if one star could rise above all.
Jackson, Jasmine, and Rudy sat in silence, watching the teams head into their locker rooms, waiting and hoping for a quick return from Tommy and Kenny.
The Titans were riding high after Nick's field goal, gravitating towards him within the locker room. Shane and the coaches made sure the others didn't get too ahead of themselves; they were still trailing after all.
'There's a lot we need to work on in this next half,' Coach Otsen said. 'Don't be confused, the score is close, but this game is sitting on a knife's edge and the fucking thing could cut our heads off if we make one false step.' He scanned the stern faces around the room. 'We need to step up. They're beating us, but we've moving in the right direction, so let's keep moving.'
'Keep moving, MAXIMUM!' Coach Vasquez parroted.
As Coach Otsen pulled Coach Knight aside, shifting their attention away from the players, Grant got up and moved over to Wesley, surrounding him with Daniel and Demetrius.
Wesley looked up at them, frowning. There wasn't any concern or unease, not even anger on Wesley's face, just annoyance. 'What do you idiots want?'
'Oh, I don't know. What could we possibly want? Hmm, maybe for you to keep passing us the ball? I think I can count on one hand the number of times you threw to either of us. COMBINED!'
'This shit again?' Wesley sighed, exasperated.
'Yes, this shit,' Daniel said.
'You think this a joke?' Demetrius asked, looming closer.
Wesley stood, unafraid even though he was outnumbered. 'What if I do? What you gonna do about it?'
Grant thrust an arm in front of both Daniel and Demetrius. 'Relax.' His eyes narrowed at Wesley. 'Look, we're all just trying to win and make each other look good. And the key to winning is getting us the ball.'
Wesley laughed, shaking his head. 'Nah. We're doing fine on offence. Ain't no reason to change it up. The problem ain't us, it's the defence.'
The three Receivers turned around, gazes cutting across the crowded room, locking onto Shane on the opposite side. His shirt was off, a sheen of sweat covering him as he massaged and stretched his neck and shoulders. Nobody could ever accuse Shane of not giving his all, but sometimes that just wasn't enough. However, before the four could confront him, Coach Carson sat next to him, occupying his attention. Grant growled, dragging Daniel and Demetrius away from Wesley, leaving with a final remark reminding Wesley to look their way more often.
Coach Carson looked Shane over, concerned about the strain he'd already pushed through during the first half. All for a losing effort—that was the worst part. 'How are you feeling, Shane? Any tightness? Pain?'
'No, ma'am, nothing more than the usual aches,' he answered, beaming at her. 'There'll be some bruises, but any defender who doesn't come away from the game bruised wasn't doing his job.'
She nodded. Already some dark splotches had appeared in places over his body, none bigger than a coin yet. 'You're doing good, and I know you've got the toughest job today … but I need more from you.'
His smile didn't waver; he knew he needed to be better simply from looking at the scoreboard. 'Of course, ma'am. What more do you need from me?'
If only every player could've had Shane's attitude. 'Your assignment is still to guard Fale. He's your man. You don't need to get up close enough that you can taste his breakfast on his breath, though. Before the snap, I want you to keep your distance, stay a few yards back.'
Shane nodded, listening without interrupting.
'When they run,' Coach Carson continued, 'don't panic, don't get sucked into Fale's vortex. He wants you to engage him so he can take you out of the play. Observe the field and use your judgement to put yourself in the best position. Control the field like you normally do.'
Again Shane nodded. His smile was gone, replaced with furrows of concentration as he committed these orders to memory. He knew it'd be hard to do what he usually did, to impose that control on the game with Joseph Fale in the way, but if Coach Carson thought he could do it, then he would. Simple.
'When it's a pass, control the inside,' Coach Carson said. 'You'll have help from your teammates on the outside, plus the sideline. Running him to the outside is good, but you shouldn't force it; control the inside. You just need to make sure Fale doesn't break through and find a gap over the middle of the field.'
After a pause, Shane's smile returned. 'Is that all, Ma'am?'
'Yeah, just a couple of last things. Go out there, win, and have fun.'
The Desert Christian Eagles had formed a circle immediately upon entering their locker room. All the players and staff knelt, hands extended, braced on the backs of those next to them. The coaches led them through a prayer thanking their Lord for the successful first half, and asking for a continued blessing in the next half.
When it was over, and still with the muttered "amen"s echoing around the room, the Head Coach, Coach Lipp, approached one of his captains. It was their RT, the one who looked like the Marshmallow Man with a gym membership.
'Elias. You're pulling double duty in the second half,' Coach Lipp said.
Elias grunted in acknowledgement, his expression hard to read on his pudgy face. 'What's my purpose?' he asked.
'You've got one mission—break up the Titans' Option.'
That was all they said to each other; Coach Lipp moved on quickly after that. It wasn't much later that the Eagles came together in another circle, re-emphasising their initial prayer. With one last collective "amen", they left, venturing out to the field to conquer the Titans again.
Tommy and Kenny returned just as the Titans emerged from their locker room. Jasmine cheered, and Tommy chuckled, casting a glance over his shoulder before grinning at her. 'It's just us, but thanks for the warm welcome.'
'Oh hah hah,' she said, taking her food from them.
As Kenny and Tommy took their seats, Jackson took his dog from the tray as well. 'Lines were long?' Jackson asked.
'BRO! You've no idea,' Kenny said. 'There was this crazy Karen up there asking about every damn ingredient in the hotdogs cause of some shit about her little chihuahua having allergies. The guys running the food truck looked like they wanted to put HER stupid little dog in the next batch.'
Jasmine paused, mouth open for a bite. She looked at her hot dog as if it'd bark at her. Tommy scowled at Kenny, shaking his head. Jackson chuckled, taking a bite. 'Mmph. I can't imagine wanting to actually KNOW what's in these things. As long as it tastes good, ignorance is bliss, right?'
'Right?' Kenny said, taking a bite of his own.
Jasmine frowned at hers, holding it away from her face. 'Maybe Rudy had the right idea…'
Jackson swallowed. 'No, no. I promise it's good. And I swear there's no actual dogs in it.'
She jabbed her elbow into his side. 'You're not helping!' She tried to turn her frown towards him, but she couldn't maintain it, bursting out laughing.
Thankfully for Tommy and Rudy, the game restarted. The Eagles would start with the ball at their own 25 after Nick sent the kickoff out of the end-zone for a touchback.
The Titans walked onto the field bursting with confidence. Coach Carson watched from the sideline, eager to see how the defence stood up with the adjustments she made.
As the two sides marched out to meet one another again, roars washed over the field. The noise came from everywhere and nowhere. Jackson couldn't even pick out Jasmine or Tommy's voices, and they were right next to him.
But he could feel their energy, and the energy of those around him. They were witnessing something special that day; the Titans were going to win, he just knew it.
Starting the second half, the game was much less explosive and energetic. Still, the tension loomed, feeding off itself, but on the field, the Eagles ran straight into a brick wall.
Shane was all over the Post route Joseph ran. There was nowhere for Joseph to go; he was smothered, and the Eagles had to look elsewhere. But the Titans were rejuvenated, and their defence was too fast, too expansive. There were no options, no other targets. The QB had to throw the ball away.
The Eagles had paid for their hubris, gaining nothing when they wanted it all on their first play. So they followed it up with a run. Joseph pushed through his side, but his eyes flickered to Shane, expecting him to come crashing towards him. Shane didn't, and the momentary distraction caused Joseph to stall as more Titans rushed down.
Shane picked his spot, following Rocket as he danced behind the Eagles' O-Line, looking for an opening. When he found one, Shane was there first, shutting him down for no gain.
Two plays had gone by, and the Eagles hadn't moved. Their fans wavered, the Titans' noise overpowering them, the cheers and chanting for the defence becoming distinct.
If Shane was going to sit back, Joseph would punish his hesitancy. Despite facing third down and still needing 10 yards, Joseph convinced his team to follow him, and the Eagles kept the ball on the ground.
Joseph surged forward at the snap, rushing ahead, and as Rocket followed behind, Shane descended. The timing was impeccable. He dove in just as Joseph pulled too far ahead, slipping past his block without even having to confront him. It was like Shane was a Rocket-seeking … rocket … he slammed into Rocket, dragging him down, stopping the run at only 3 yards, far from picking up a first down.
The ball had to be punted over to the Titans. Their fans were ecstatic. That euphoric reaction, the bliss and hope the Titans felt now they had a chance to take the lead and control the game, was what fuelled the Eagles.
The roles were reversed. The Titans' offence took over at their own 34-yard line, and the Eagles' defence matched them with a smouldering intensity. Of course, the Eagles had their own changes to enact, and they hoped they'd be as effective as the Titans' adjustments initially had.
Elias joined the defence now, anchoring himself right in the middle of the Eagles' Line, nose-to-nose with the Titans' Center. The Titans' offensive key was their Option. How would they react when the Eagles tried to smash that key? Joseph would find out. Soon.
The ball was snapped. Joseph and Shane shoved past one another, though Shane found no open spaces even beyond Joseph. Whilst Joseph went straight for Wesley. Keeping his calm, Wesley handed the ball off to Micky, who sprinted ahead. The Titans' O-Line collapsed, and like an avalanche, it and the surging Eagle's D-Line overwhelmed Micky, burying him behind the Line for a loss of 1. Of course, Elias was at the centre of the destruction, having tackled Micky. Really, it was more like Elias had fallen on top of Micky.
It'd take more to deter the Titans than one bad play, and the same could be said for their fans. There was a slight dip in their cheers, a brief pause until they got over the shock of the crushing tackle. Then they were cheering just as hard, once again drowning out the Eagles' supporters.
The Titans went with their Option on the next play as well, but knowing that big fat Elias had parked himself in the middle of the Line, Wesley kept the ball, even with Joseph still barrelling after him. That turned out to be a mistake.
Shane was still covered, so he wasn't available for a quick pass. Wesley tried to sidestep as he turned to look for Grant or one of the other Receivers, but Joseph speared right into him, knocking the wind from his lungs and crushing him to the ground. Thankfully, he held onto the ball.
The sack pushed the Titans back another 5 yards and gave the Eagles' fans a greater foothold. Just like their team, the Titans' supporters were losing their grip on the game.
The Titans sent Shane in motion on third down, getting desperate. They hoped to give him a head of steam before he shot up on a Vertical, but the Eagles switched it, Joseph staying put. When the ball was snapped, the O-Line had to stretch out wide to cover Joseph well enough, and even Micky was drawn over to guard him.
Elias crashed right through the weakened middle of the Titans' O-Line and was right in Wesley's face just two seconds after the snap. Wesley backed away hurriedly and flung the ball up high into the air before he was crushed again. He was fortunate, as the wild throw sailed into the stands rather than the grasp of an Eagles defender.
The Titans had failed as well, and the score remained 13–17 as the Eagles took over for their second drive of the half. However, neither team found much success in the quarter.
Joseph and the Eagles struggled to understand the Titans' new defence, and Shane kept the Samoan TE in check. On the opposite side of the ball, the same was happening. The Titans' offence struggled, barely treading water as the Eagles—led by an angry Joseph and Elias—crushed any attack before it could even start.
Without the Option being an option anymore, none of the Receivers could get open. Joseph could handle Shane one-on-one, and without Shane drawing that extra pressure and opening up more space for Grant and the other Receivers, they were hopeless.
Whenever either offence tried something, the defences only needed to make a minor adjustment to continue their domination. By the end of the quarter, neither team had come close to scoring.
The energy had been sapped from the crowd. Instead, everyone sat in their seats, shivering even though it was still a warm day. The tension had the fans quaking. The feeling was deserved when one more touchdown could break the entire game open and reveal who the winner would be. Going into the final break, one had to wonder just how shaken and nervous the players themselves were.