Ty shook it off, returning to the huddle. Most faces wore confusion as if it were their natural expression, but JJ's eyes blazed with conviction. 'Keep your heads up. Things'll start falling our way if we keep playing our game.'
Others nodded. So what a few fifty-fifties hadn't gone their way? It didn't matter. They'd get more opportunities, they just needed to keep hounding the Tigers.
Ty returned to his position, matching Elliot. Stone faced, that's what Elliot was, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "You're used to getting through by the skin of your teeth, aren't you?" Ty's eyes asked the question, boring it into Elliot's skull. "That shit doesn't fly with me." Elliot glanced down at him as if looking down at a bug—fascinating, but ultimately inconsequential.
The ball was snapped, and Elliot shifted inward, hands up to block Ty off. Travis had his back turned, looking to hand the ball off.
Ty's spear shot out, but Elliot pushed through as if it was a twig, laying heavy hands on Ty once again. He shoved Ty to the outside. Ty's instinct was to cling onto his jersey, but he fought it down, stumbling yet keeping his balance. Elliot whirled around just as Travis did, ball still in his hand. The Dons maintained their lines. Ty burst after Elliot, smothering his Slant. Travis looked away, scanning the field. However there were no openings until the RB leaked out of the backfield and into the flat. The Dons swarmed, keeping the reception to 5 yards.
If the Dons wouldn't bite on Play-Action, then the Tigers would run the ball down their throats. At least they tried on the next play, with the RB slicing between the Right Guard and Tackle, however, he caught a snag at the Line, and was held up, spinning into trouble he was taken down after 2 yards, though managed to control the ball.
Third down. It was Ty's time to shine. He was already figuring out Elliot was good against press coverage, but he didn't back off and give Dumbo any space. He just had to avoid Elliot's fat hands.
The ball was snapped, and Elliot burst forward. Ty's spear knocked aside one of Elliot's hands as Ty took control of the inside, forcing Elliot out. They ran together, Ty unable to force them any wider. A shimmy paused the world for a moment, but when Elliot tried to rush ahead on a Cross, Ty was still connected to him like a shadow.
Travis's eyes dipped to the TE who had sunk in just behind the tight wall of LBs. He lobbed the ball over. JJ pounced, colliding with the TE in midair, both boys getting hands to the ball as it popped up into the air, careening away from them.
Elliot shifted the moment the ball was tipped, cutting back towards it. Ty was a split second behind him, both boys hand-fighting as their race suddenly changed course. Elliot dove, and Ty with him, a heartbeat behind. It was all the difference. Elliot wrapped his hands around the ball, fingers under it to cushion it from the ground, he dragged it into his chest, securing the catch and the first down.
Ty crashed to the ground beside him, both laying face down. Elliot had his first catch; Ty had given up his first reception, and it'd happened in the most bizarre way he could remember.
The catch was confirmed, and the Tigers hoisted Elliot to his feet, celebrating with him. They were so happy about getting so lucky. First they were lucky JJ didn't pick it off himself. Even with the deflection, nine times out of ten it would've fallen to the ground. The one exception should've been Ty's interception. But Elliot had moved without hesitation, as if he knew exactly where the ball would fall the moment it hit JJ's hands, whereas Ty had to see how it was falling.
Zayden moved over, offering Ty a hand. He took it, grumbling. Bullshit or no, the Tigers were within field goal range, even if it would be a long one, and they were edging closer to the red-zone.
'It is what it is,' Zayden said, dusting Ty off.
Ty grunted in response before brushing past him. Zayden didn't take offence—not much anyway—he knew by now Ty didn't have much to say during the game, unless you were on the other team.
The good thing was, bullshit could only take the Tigers so far, and Ty was all over Elliot otherwise. The game was still in the Dons' control, they just needed to weather their storm of bad luck.
Both teams lined up in formation again. After the snap, Travis dropped back for another pass. Ty was all over Elliot's Drag, but elsewhere, a stumble from Deshaun gave his Receiver just enough space on an Out route. Deshaun recovered after the catch, latching onto the Tiger who skirted the sideline, barely staying in bounds and dragging Deshaun forward a few more yards to bring the total for the play to 8.
They didn't quite have the first down, but their long field goal was looking much more comfortable, and with two plays to get two yards, the Tigers were still flying high. The crowd was behind them, feeling a touchdown was inevitable, their cries and cheers filled the field.
Ty ignored the noise. All sound faded until it was just him and Elliot, breathing in sync as they were isolated out wide. A long gain like that on first down opened up an opportunity on second down—a deep-shot which was nearly risk-free. The logic being the worst that could happen was an incompletion, and you could easily pick up another first down on the ground afterwards. Ty wouldn't give them a third chance. He'd pick the ball off right there.
Elliot's poker face was good. You'd never expect he was going for a touchdown based on his appearance before the snap. He was as calm and passive as ever.
'You ain't scoring shit,' Ty hissed just before the snap.
Elliot angled outside for once, pushing Ty aside, racing down the sideline. Ty shepherded him towards the sideline, following easily. He glanced back over his shoulder, hand on Elliot's hip.
A cleat stuck in the turf, dragging up a clump of grass as it threw off Ty's stride. There was a jerking pressure in his leg as he stumbled, followed by a sharp ache as he corrected himself. He pushed the pain down, a step behind Elliot, and gave chase.
Elliot looked back, twisting around with eyes lifted towards the dome and its light; they twinkled like stars in his eyes, but Ty saw the meteor flying towards them. Elliot's hands ready to cradle the ball. Without looking, Ty leapt, one hand thrusting towards Elliot's. He chopped Elliot's wrist just as the ball arrived, sending it tumbling from his grip. They fell towards the earth, the ball falling with them. Elliot went for a second, definitive bite; Ty slapped the ball aside. All three crashed at the same time.
Ty ate turf as Elliot slid on his back. It was incomplete. It should've been Ty's, but he'd take the slim victory if domination couldn't be his … yet.
The air was sucked from the arena as the crowd groaned. So close. The Tigers had been a hair's breadth away from taking the early lead, and at the expense of everyone's most hated Don as well. It would've been a start the Tigers and their fans could only dream of. And Ty had ensured it stayed in their dreams.
Elliot stood, looking contemplatively at Ty. As if he expected the play to succeed and wasn't aware only a fluke could've brought about such a result. He offered Ty a hand, which was promptly smacked aside. Still wearing that same intrigued expression, Elliot returned to the Tigers' huddle. Ty moved back to the Dons, rubbing soreness out of his left knee during the huddle.
The Tigers had another shot. It was only third down. They lined back up. Ty's heart was pounding as he settled into his stance, the momentary pain in his leg already forgotten.
Only 2 yards stood between the Tigers and another set of downs. They were determined to establish their run game as something to respect, and decided to pick up the first on the ground.
The RB charged up the middle, but the Dons didn't budge. Their wall held strong, reinforcements fast to arrive, and they pushed the Tigers back. The RB had no escape, no hole to wriggle through, and was downed in the backfield for the loss of a yard.
At the Dons' sideline, a pocket of ecstatic excitement formed in an otherwise disappointed crowd. The Dons on the field were even more energised. Donte and JJ were at the heart of the celebrations as they came off the field, replaced by the special teams unit.
The Tigers had little hope of a first down, so decided to go for the field goal. The crowd held their breath as the kick was on the way, and sighed with relief after it shaved past the right goalpost and through for three points, giving the Tigers an early 0–3 lead.
Only the Dons' first drive would tell if it was a defensible score or not.
'Good job out there,' Coach Hoang said, welcoming the defence back to the bench. 'Only giving up three is a lot better than seven. Let the offence do their job now and we'll be in the lead.'
The offence still had to wait a moment longer; hopefully, the Tigers' kickoff would go better for the Dons.
Both teams took the field, Chris awaiting the kick. The crowd's cheers surged as the Tigers' Kicker rushed in and put boot to ball. The ball soared into the air, hanging there. It'd fall short of the end-zone, within the five-yard line, however, so Chris backed off; he could field it for a touchback in the end-zone after it bounced forward.
The ball spiked into the ground at the 3, and spun back, bouncing away from the end-zone and further into the field of play. Chris shot after it, eyes wide. He scooped up the tumbling ball and spun away from a tackler that was already swiping at him. Dodging through the chaos, he only managed to get back to the 14-yard line before he was overwhelmed.
'Don't worry about it,' Coach Long said. 'We could start at the one and we'd still score a touchdown if we execute. Stick to the plan and show them how you got here!'
The Dons' offence was almost used to the boos by that point, shrugging them off as they stepped onto the field, finally back to their full strength after the prior week.
'Hey Benny, you gonna get back in the flow with a tuddy?' Stephen asked, thumping him on the back.
Benny smiled, shrugging his shoulders. His ribs didn't ache after Stephen's thump. A good sign. 'That's the plan.'
Drake Tyson led the Tigers' defence onto the field. From the moment the Tigers settled into their formation, tingles like warning signals ran through Jay's body from the back of his neck, across his shoulders, and down his arms to the back of his hands. Instead of facing solitary tigers, it was like a pack of lions were staring him down, like he was a juicy-looking, fat gazelle. "I can't ever catch a break."
Benny would have to wait for his chance at glory, and instead start by leading the way for his brothers. The Dons looked to the ground for their first play, seeing that as an advantage they could take over the Tigers. If the Tigers' run game continued to struggle, whilst the Dons' flourished, the game could turn in the Dons' favour.
Chris's first run was tentative as he cut through the middle, following his blocks and finding the gaps, once through he darted ahead for a gain of 4.
The Dons picked him back up, thumping each other on the back, and kept their foot on the gas. They weren't going no-huddle, but Coach Long wasn't taking long to call up the next play either. They believed another key to winning was keeping a quick, smooth rhythm, and that's just what they tried with their first pass.
Jay dropped back, eyes darting to Cole who stuttered out then shot in on a Slant. Jay hit him in stride and Cole arched his back, stretching away from the nearest Tiger. He burst ahead, but got tripped up after 7 yards by the Tigers' number 20, a wiry, speedy defender built more like a greyhound than a tiger. Still, whilst Cole thought he'd almost broken free, he'd at least earned another first down.
Even with the crowd screaming for the defence—doing their utmost to throw the Dons' timing off—the Dons were still finding their rhythm.
On first down, Jay dropped back for another pass, eyes scanning the field. He settled on Stephen, lobbing the ball over on a short back-shoulder throw. Even with a quick release, Drake had been bearing down on Jay, almost close enough to mess up the timing. But the pass was on the money; Stephen had the leverage on his man, putting his height to good use, he secured the ball on the sideline before being forced out after a gain of 12. The Dons were still rolling.
Jay strolled to the huddle, taking deep, calm breaths. His faith was still in his O-Line. They'd hold up and keep Drake off him long enough. They had to.
They kept the pass rush guessing with another run. Chris followed Benny's blocking more closely, skirting past his edge and turning upfield for a gain of 5.
The Dons stayed quick and snappy through the air. Without even dropping back from shotgun, Jay whipped around and hit Amon on a bubble Screen, and though Cole did his best to hold off the defenders, #20 swept past and kept the play to 2 yards, pushing the Dons to their first third down situation of the game.
An adjustment came from the sidelines as Coach Norman pushed Cameron onto the field, and Coach Long called Chris off.
The Tigers shifted closer to the Line, but Cameron charged ahead for a gutsy run up the middle, busting his way through for 4 yards, and more importantly, the first down.
With his job done, Cam took his seat back on the bench as Chris returned to the field. The Dons were fighting hard, yet hadn't even cracked half-field, nor had their repeated successes hampered the crowd's spirit yet. Gritting their teeth, the Dons returned to the air.
Jay found the last target yet to touch the ball, hitting Benny on a drag which took them across half-field and into enemy territory. Drake lunged out, tripping Benny from behind, ending the play at 5 yards. That was still enough. Crossing that threshold was a symbolic victory. The drive had traction, and the lead was in danger; the crowd felt it in the air.
Coach Long watched closely, pride swelling in his heart, beating back the anxiety that came with every game, every play. The boys had come so far, individually, and as a team. Not just that year, but throughout their time at the Dons.
Even someone like Cameron, who'd been struggling for playing time in JV, had now become a reliable battering ram that would smash down a brick wall for his teammates.
Chris, an undersized, frightened kid, was now a dynamic dual-threat who was never intimidated by anyone no matter how much bigger they were.
Amon, a quiet boy lacking confidence had become a starter that did his part and supported his teammates no matter what they needed from him.
Benny, from indecisive to headstrong, had already proven how he'd put his body on the line for the team.
Cole, who almost quit because he didn't think he was worthy of being of a number one Receiver, was now a selfless workhorse, willing to do whatever was asked of him.
Stephen who had been a brash and arrogant—still kinda was—diva who'd blow a gasket if he didn't get enough targets, was happy being a decoy and sharing the spotlight.
Maybe Jay had changed most of all. A boy who seemed like he didn't even want to be there, who was just there to get out of harder work, and was comfortable sleeping through every film session, had become someone truly worthy of his captain status. He was a leader who had the trust and respect of the entire team.
Coach Long wiped a tear from his eye. He'd cry when it was over. He still had a job to do.
The Dons picked up another first down with a HB Toss to Chris who stretched the defence wide, using his speed around the edge to gain 6 yards.
They kept it on the ground, and kept it wide. An Off-Tackle was their best run of the day, bringing in 11 yards as Chris almost burst free but was again stopped by #20 just before he got into the open field.
The Tigers were on the back foot, but keeping closer after the repeated runs. The LBs started wider, scared of Chris's pace. They were ready for a haymaker. A Counter would've worked well, but the Dons had another idea. At the Tigers' 30, they were within field goal range, but the end-zone was within range too; it was time to test their defences. Play-Action was the call.
'Set … hike.'
Jay turned, faking a Stretch with Chris. He wheeled back around, and Drake was already there. Drake had ignored the hand-off. Had they made it too obvious? No, even then there would've been some hesitation. Drake had just guessed. Jay grit his teeth, eyes flicking upfield as he hurriedly back-pedalled, buying as much time and space as possible. He could take a hit if he just got the ball out, he just had to … there! Stephen cut across the field on a Post and Jay launched the ball towards the end-zone.
The moment the ball left Jay's fingertips, Drake slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Jay bounced and skidded on the shoulder of his off-arm, wincing. But it was okay. He'd done his job. Stephen was open.
Cole and Amon, as well as the Play-Action, where the distractions, keeping everyone's focus up front with shallow routes—a Cross and Out—whilst Stephen slipped in behind.
Jay pushed himself up, looking ahead. Stephen tracked the ball, having open space. It'd land shallowly in the end-zone, but he'd reach it. He'd … Jay's eyes fell to Amon who was watching the ball. A Safety was with him, but that was the only Tiger with him. There should've been two.
'…No way.'
Stephen leapt, eyes locked on the ball. Movement flickered in the edges of his vision. He kept his focus, hands outstretched. #20 launched into the air, back to the ball, but hands up in front of it. He plucked it from the sky right in front of Stephen's face, crashing on top of him as they fell to the turf in the end-zone.
#20 rolled forward. Stephen fought back his shock enough to wrench at the ball, but #20's arms coiled around it tighter than an iron fist. The ball was his. The Dons' touchdown had been snatched away from them and turned into an interception in the blink of an eye.