Ty lowered into his stance. Both he and Fale were paragons of their teams' intensity. A run would open the second half, and test which side's fire was greater.
The ball was handed off to the Eagles' RB, and he charged ahead, following his O-Line into the trenches. The Dons swarmed. Even as Fale trampled Ty, Ty tangled the larger man up; his teammates had his back.
JJ swooped in, meeting the RB hard, bringing him down after a gain of 3. Not a particularly bad result for the Eagles, but they were much more disappointed than the Dons who rallied behind JJ. They were still pumped from their wins at the end of the first half.
The team's reset, dusting themselves off. The Eagles put their disappointment behind them, and Fale stared daggers at Ty. A smile answered that scowl. Ty had ended up on his back in the last play, but he knew it was still a win for him; the Dons wouldn't be run over so easily.
After the snap, the Eagles turned for another run—the RB came away empty-handed. Play-Action sent the Dons scrambling. Fale cut out then straightened, rumbling ahead. Ty was with him every step of the way, shadowing his every movement. Ty glanced at the QB who scanned them. Ty saw the fear in those eyes, and watched as they passed by completely.
The QB found an opening over the middle of the field, a Slant found space—some would argue a shove from the WR helped him get open—and the Receiver slid into the catch and the first down.
Despite that, Fale was still tense as he walked back to the Eagles' huddle. The Dons formed their own, glossing over the mistake; it wouldn't happen again.
The next play proved that. The Eagles went back to the same well too quickly, and a second Play-Action didn't catch the Dons off-guard. Deshaun covered the targetted Receiver closely, and though the QB tried to thread the needle, he overshot his mark, and the ball fell out of reach.
Coach Lipp was a man who preferred surprise over practicality, which is why, on second and 10, when most would go for a pass, he went for a run. The previous attempts of Play-Action kept the Dons back for a moment, and allowed the RB to get a head of stream as he smashed through the hole. The run got the Eagles back on track with a gain of 5.
On third down, Coach Lipp had a tough choice to make. Could he hope for another solid run to earn the first? No, the Dons wouldn't hesitate again. But if that was the case, maybe another Play-Action would work? Or would that leave the Eagles too vulnerable?
Ty knew they'd pass. An opening drive was almost as important as a game-winning one, and that didn't change just because it was the second half they were opening instead of the game. When it came to third down on important drives, team's looked to their stars. The ball was coming Fale's way.
The Eagles didn't try Play-Action, the QB dropped straight back, eyes darting to Fale who jumped forward a step then slanted out. He cocked back to throw, but hitched, Ty drawing his attention. What if the ball was picked off? The QB shook the thought off and fired the ball over.
Fale turned, already expecting the pass. He didn't stop running even if it was a step late. He tried to body-block Ty again; the ball was almost there. As Fale extended for the ball, Ty slipped around his jutting shoulder and lunged, stretching out, he reached the ball first and knocked it down. If the QB hadn't hesitated, he might not've made it in time with the extra adjustment he needed to get around Fale.
A groan came from the crowd, giving voice to the QB's frustrations with himself. The Eagles had to punt.
Their offence jogged off the field, all but one head held up. The QB thudded into his seat on the bench, still staring at his cleats. Fale sat beside him and said: 'Chin up, Ryan. There's no salvation down there.'
Ryan pulled his helmet off, a lick of blond hair falling free over his forehead. He brushed it back into place with a hand. His face was drawn and sullen, the colour draining from his large eyes. It was clear the game weighed heavy on his narrow shoulders. 'Sorry about out there.'
'Apology accepted, even if you didn't need to say it.' Fale thumped him on the back. 'I let you down out there. Stay strong and have faith. We'll get through this together.'
Ryan smiled at him, a tiny twinkle in his eye. The game was far from over, and the scoreboard was still on the Eagles' side.
Chris signalled for a fair catch on the punt, and the Dons took over from their own 18. As their offence emerged, the crowd was still firmly behind the Eagles, but little by little, the cheers for the Dons grew louder.
They knew the game plan—short and sweet. Benny had his orders, and he knew he was the focal point for once. Their first meeting against Downey had led to this moment, when Stephen was suspended and the offence had to rely on him … he only hoped they'd have a better result than that game.
Fale hunkered down just in front of Benny, and they met eyes. Neither boy blinked, fire meeting fire as they awaited the snap. At Jay's drawn out cry, Benny shot forward then curled around on a Hitch route. Unfortunately, Fale was breathing down his neck.
The Samoan hadn't blitzed, and was fully covering Benny; Jay looked elsewhere. The Dons fanned out, and he finally had time AND enough targets to work with. Cole stretched the defence wide, and Jay found him on a Corner. Cole dragged his feet before stumbling out of bounds, 12 yards further down field, earning the Dons a quick first down.
The Dons looked to capitalise on their growing momentum, still overflowing from before the break. Their huddle was short as they moved up and went for another pass. Fale was still back in coverage, smothering Benny's Drag, but this time Jay found Stephen on a Slant for a short gain of 6 yards.
Each completion elicited another groan from the Eagles' supporters, though quieter than the last. The noise drove the Dons onward, adding more fuel to their fire; if they wanted to view the Dons as the bad guys, let them, the Dons would just have to shut them up.
Feeling good, the Dons decided to test how their run game would look in the second half. Jay handed the ball off to Chris, who cut away from the middle. The Eagles reacted quickly, flowing with him. Elias's lateral movement was quick for someone his size, and with Fale protecting the back end, the rest of the Eagles went all out in their pursuit.
Chris only clawed a yard out of the play before being brought down. As unfortunate as it was, the Dons still wouldn't have any support from the ground.
They faced a vital third down, and though they only needed three yards, it was obvious they had to get them through the air. Knowing this, the Eagles backed off, dropping more players into coverage. Benny's was covered, and so was Cole and Stephen, even Amon couldn't find room. But just because the run game was stuffed, didn't mean Chris couldn't help the team.
Seeing as the Eagles didn't send extra pass rushers, Chris's protection was unnecessary, so he slipped out into the flat, and Jay flicked the ball over. Even with the Eagles swooping in to stop him, Chris only needed 3 yards for the first down, and raced across the threshold before stepping out.
The Dons were moving, but the Eagles weren't panicking. Slowly but surely, the noose was cinching tighter around the Dons' throats. Yards were harder to come by the longer the drive went. Fale was still smothering everything Benny tried, and Hawk directed the secondary, leading the charge as they blocked off more of the Dons' options.
Eventually, the Dons squeezed into field goal range, but that was as far as they'd go. When fourth down came, Benny hadn't earned a single reception.
The kicking team was sent out to cut the lead down further.
A rejuvenated crowd screamed and chanted like wild, trying their utmost to distract the Kicker. Coach Long and Bella both lowered their heads, crossing their chests as they uttered prayers. Ty snorted as he saw Fale and the others doing the same, kneeling with their heads together. A smile crossed his lips as he watched the ball split the uprights, and the scoreboard tick over to 6–14. They were still behind, but at least it was only a one score game.
The kickoff was returned to the Eagles' 30-yard line, though as their offence ventured out, Coach Lipp pulled Ryan aside.
'Don't hesitate, Ryan,' Coach Lipp said.
Ryan looked like a scolded dog with its tail between its legs. He nodded.
'Hesitation breeds mistakes. Have faith and courage, in yourself, your teammates, and God. We. Will. Win.'
Patting the boy on the helmet, Coach Lipp sent him onto the field. Ryan joined the already-formed huddle, and put his head together with the rest. 'Let's get another touchdown and end this game. I won't mess up this time.'
Fale clenched his teeth. His friend was beating himself up so much about one bad drive … and it was the Dons' fault—Ty's fault! His teeth were still grinding through his mouth guard when he lined up opposite Ty. His brow furrowed deeper, anger building when he saw Ty's smug face.
'Just one score,' Ty said. 'That's all we need. One pick-six and you're fucked.'
Fale's eye twitched at the vulgarity; Ty's grin spread wider. 'And what happens when we score right now? Are you gonna take it? Or crumble and start crying?'
Ty cocked his head. 'Interesting question. Too bad it's a hypothetical. I already told you—you're not scoring again.'
The ball was snapped and Fale burst forward, slamming into Ty. Ty slammed into the ground a moment later, Fale crushing him as he landed on top of him.
The run flowed up the middle of the field, but the Dons were tuned into the Eagles' timing. The Eagles' surprises only started after the first play set you up for them. Without that, they were getting predictable.
JJ and the Dons wrangled the RB down after only 2 yards. Despite Fale and the Eagles' fire—and whatever the scoreboard said—the Dons still had the upper hand, and they weren't about to relinquish control any time soon.
Fale picked himself up, stomping away from Ty as Donte hefted him to his feet. Ty rubbed at his chest, high up. Fale had jammed his forearm right into him, almost sliding up into his throat; Donte and the rest of the Line had to deal with that shit every play?
'Fucking Tight Ends,' Ty grumbled.
'Huh? What was that?' Donte asked.
Ty waved him off, not taking his eyes off Fale as they returned to the huddle.
Fale's scowl seemed a permanent fixture of his face after that. He and Ty lined up, and Ty took a step back—if another run came, maybe he could take out Fale's legs instead of getting run over. But a second run wasn't likely.
The ball was snapped, and as expected, Ryan dropped back to pass. Fale sped off towards the sideline with Ty giving chase. He turned upfield with a wide arching Wheel route, rushing past the Safeties who let them go, knowing Ty had him.
Ty frowned but kept up with Fale. Easily. His brow furrowed as his eyes darted between Fale and the QB. Why would they use Fale like this? Shouldn't they be keeping things close where they could at least attempt to bully and bruise Ty using the size advantage?
Ryan didn't hesitate. Putting his faith in his teammates, he heaved the ball deep towards Fale. Ty matched Fale's strides, and located the ball. Whatever the Eagles were thinking, he wasn't about to pass up a free interception. He readied himself, planting, and then leapt early, knowing he could out jump Fale.
It was a subtle bump, but once Ty's feet were off the ground, it was enough to throw him off course, knocking him under the ball. His fingertips just barely missed their mark. The ball passed by close enough for Ty to feel the wind from its spiral. After passing Ty, the ball dropped right into Fale's arms.
Ty landed on his feet, stumbling. He recovered quickly, as did Fale, who remained inbounds, walking a tightrope of green grass along the sideline.
Both boys started into a sprint at the same time, Fale a step inside the white line, though with a few yards head-start. Ty closed the distance slower than he liked, and threw himself at Fale, pushing through an attempt to shove him back. He knocked Fale out of bounds, ending the play after a gain of over 40 yards.
Incensed, Ty bounced to his feet, glaring all around. He didn't find what he was looking for—no flag dotted the field, and the only whistle he heard came after Fale stepped out. "This is bullshit."
Fale dusted himself off and handed the ball over to the nearest official, smiling at them as if they were childhood friends. Ty stalked over, death in his eyes. 'Try that cheating shit again,' he demanded.
Fale shook his head, not even looking Ty's way as he said: 'The righteous hero always overcomes the villain in the end.'
Ty sneered at his retreating back. What Fale didn't know, was he'd just put himself in a lose-lose situation. The reason the heroes always won in the movies was because it's the opposite in reality. But even if their game would have a fairy tale ending, Fale would quickly realise he wasn't the hero.
With Fale's big catch, the Eagles had found their second wind, and their fans with them. They once again drowned the Dons' supporters' cheers and jeers with their own. Ty would knock them back into reality.
In the huddle, Ty assured his teammates the Eagles had got lucky and it wouldn't happen again. They trusted him, even Deshaun offered a begrudging smile and pat on the back, which Ty accepted without complaint or resistance. It warmed JJ's heart, seeing how far the two had come.
The huddle broke apart, and the teams lined up against one another. The Eagles were eyeing the end-zone—it was almost in their grasp and if they had another big play like the previous one, it'd end in a touchdown. It was up to Ty to prevent that. The game would be lost otherwise.
Ryan took the snap and turned to hand the ball off to the RB. Another run. It made sense after a big pass play. The defence would have the previous play at the back of their mind, they'd take a step back, be more cautious and wary of something deep, so you attack them upfront. Ty knew JJ and the rest could handle it; the Eagles would be highly mistaken if they thought the Dons would crack because of something so simple. A plan like that relied on two things—for the defence to be scared, and for the boys upfront not to trust the secondary watching their back. The Dons weren't scared, and every single one of them trusted their brothers.
Ty stuck with Fale as he rushed forward. Ty was right to stick to his guns. It was Play-Action, and Ryan kept the ball. The Dons shifted back quickly, maintaining their zones. Ty backed off, watching Fale straighten. If they wanted to go deep again, he'd hang back, he wouldn't play into their trap.
Back back back. Ty gave up so much space. It was almost perplexing, but Fale paid little heed to it as he cut towards the sideline with a semi-flattened Corner route. He couldn't worry about what was going on in the strange mind of Tyrese Samuels. Ryan lobbed the ball over.
If he were anyone else, Ty had given up too much space, backed off too far. He would've been in trouble if it was a Curl, but that'd only be what, 9, 10 yards? Plus, a deep Curl was harder to pull off with a TE over the middle of the field. The Eagles probably thought he'd backed off too far as well. But Ty knew his speed, knew he was the fastest—he shoved Nate Langford to the back of his mind—with a clear runway, Ty could close the distance, and take flight where Fale couldn't hold him down or push him around.
The pass flew through the air, floating in Ty's vision as he raced towards it then pounced. At that moment he was more off an eagle than anyone playing for Desert Christian. The ball was his prey, and he plucked it from the air; the cleanest kill possibly.
Fale saw the ball get snatched right from his grasp. Instinctively he lunged, catching onto the blur that shot past him, snagging Ty's shirt, slowing him for a moment.
Ty grinned down at him and kept running. Fale pulled. There was an audible tear before Fale fell to the ground, a strip of Ty's jersey in his grasp as Ty bounded freely down the sideline.
The crowd screamed, some in excitement, most in horror as Ty raced down the sideline, both teams screaming about the interception. Dons reacted quicker, racing to join Ty's side or take down the nearest Eagle. Soon a contingent of Dons were running across the field, escorting Ty as he ran.
He slowed so they could keep up, watching as more of his brothers fell, taking human-shaped bullets for him. The blocks were so heavy both Don and Eagle crashed to the ground as a result. Ty navigated the fallen bodies carefully, side-stepping and leaping over them. Then Elias crashed through Zayden and rumbled onward.
Ty slammed his foot down, backstepping as Elias launched himself like a cannonball. The huge Eagle reached out, talons slashing at Ty. Just before they could reach him, JJ slammed into Elias's side, knocking him away.
Ty started forward again. Ryan rushed towards him, following in Elias's wake; he was the last Eagle to beat, then Ty would be home free.
Ryan was uncomfortable in the role of defender. Ty could see the nerves, and practically smell the fear coming off him. You could count on your hands the amount of tackles Ryan had laid in a real game.
Ty jabbed towards Ryan, towards the middle of the field. Ryan lunged to block him off. Ty planted his foot and spun back outside, leaving Ryan swiping at nothing but the air. Ty was free.
He ran into the end-zone, turning the interception into a pick-six which had started beyond half-field. Dons chased him, Eagles watched with hands on head. All except Fale, who ran after him even if he was 20 yards back.
Ty rushed through the back of the end-zone, heaving the ball into the stands. 'AAAAAHHHH!' It was a primal scream, one that boiled up deep from within Ty's soul. Nothing was better than moments like those. He was made for them.
Boos rained on him. The idiots in the stands didn't know the greatness they were witnessing. "Let them boo," Ty thought. He laughed at their reddened, mad faces, standing under their boos, absorbing their outrage.
As the scoreboard ticked over to 12–14, the Eagles' lead shrinking, Ty stood proudly in the end-zone, facing his hecklers and flipping them off, cackling like a madman.