General Point of View
Andrew had just finished his first playoff game, a victory, as expected. In fact, it was even more comfortable than he had imagined.
Throughout the week, surrounded by so much confidence, from the media, subscribers, and Mater Dei students, he refused to let himself get distracted. He trained as usual, even harder than usual, determined not to be caught off guard.
In the end, he delivered one of his best performances: 7 touchdowns. Though this time, he did throw an interception.
He could've blamed it on Victor's overconfidence, Andrew knew better. Victor could be confident, yes, but never halfway. When he sensed a pass could end in a touchdown, he went all in. And that Crespi player, Brad, number 43, simply won the duel. It was the cornerback's merit, and a miscalculation on Andrew's part, one he'd later review to avoid repeating.
It was only his second interception of the entire season.
Even so, if Andrew had to pick his best performance, it wouldn't be tonight's game against Crespi. Statistically, it was brilliant, but his duel against Bosco had been even better, same number of touchdowns, but no interceptions, and a completion rate above 70%. Considering Bosco's defensive level and the stakes of that matchup, it meant more.
In football, incomplete passes fall into two categories:
1. Incomplete passes (the vast majority).
The quarterback throws, but the receiver doesn't catch the ball.
It can happen due to defensive coverage, a deflection, a receiver drop, an inaccurate throw, or the ball going out of bounds.
The play ends where it was thrown, the offense loses a down but keeps possession.
2. Interceptions (a tiny fraction).
A defender catches the ball midair.
Result: immediate turnover.
For a quarterback, it's recorded as an interception (INT), one of the most negative stats possible.
At major programs like Mater Dei, a starting QB typically throws 20–30 passes per game. In tougher matchups, that number can rise to 35–45, especially if the offense leans on short passes.
Completion percentage is a key metric for evaluating a quarterback's quality:
A good high school QB hovers around 50–55%.
An elite five-star QB, like Matt Barkley, Jimmy Clausen, or Matt Leinart, operates between 60–70%.
Andrew, after 8 games with Mater Dei, boasts a 75% completion rate.
That's insane, especially since most of his throws are mid-to-deep passes, which are much harder to complete.
That means only 25% of his throws aren't caught.
Of that 25%:
-The vast majority (24%) are standard incompletions, defensive coverage, drops, or throws out of reach.
-Barely 1% or less are interceptions. In real terms: only 2 in 8 games.
Coming back to his personal pick for best performance, Andrew wouldn't choose the Crespi game, despite the 7 touchdowns. It was spectacular statistically, and even looked great on TV (though it was a regional, not national broadcast). But it ended up being an easy one on paper, a lopsided score without real challenge.
Nor would he pick the Bosco game, even if it was statistically excellent and a media frenzy: 7 touchdowns, national coverage, pregame controversies, and all the pressure. The blowout was historic, but Andrew knows, if Mater Dei's defense had been tighter, the gap could've been even wider. He can't play both sides of the ball.
His true choice would, without a doubt, be the Servite game.
Even though he "only" threw 5 touchdowns, it was against the reigning sectional champion, the strongest defense in their history, under the same national spotlight. No pregame controversies, but still heavy pressure, it was the league championship game.
That's the game he would keep as his favorite.
After the handshake at midfield, Andrew was named MVP of the game once again. Another postgame interview awaited him, it had become routine by now, his third straight game in front of the cameras.
The Fox Sports West reporter, a young woman with a notepad in one hand and a microphone in the other, asked the usual questions:
—How does it feel to make it past the first round of the playoffs?
—Did you imagine you'd have such a great season in your first year with Mater Dei?
—Now that you've reached 42 touchdowns in eight games, surpassing your predecessor Matt Barkley, what does that mean to you?
Andrew answered calmly, used to the kind of questions, with Bruce standing beside him.
But then came a different question, one that caught him slightly off guard.
"Andrew," the reporter said with a faint smile, "I think everyone saw what happened after your last touchdown. When your teammates started dancing and celebrating, you went over and stopped them. It was a great show of respect toward Crespi. Why did you do it?"
The microphone hovered in front of him. Andrew blinked a couple of times. How was he supposed to answer that? She had already said it herself, respect. There wasn't much more to add.
"As you said… it was respect," Andrew finally replied. "The game was almost over and we were already winning. There was no point celebrating like that. Respect isn't just about shaking hands at midfield when the game ends, it's something you show during the game too."
The reporter nodded, satisfied, her smile revealing that she already had the perfect quote for her article.
Next to him, Bruce patted him on the shoulder, smiling slightly, proud. Setting an example wasn't just about discipline, performance, and winning. It was also about moments like this.
The interview ended. Andrew said goodbye and started walking toward the tunnel leading to the locker room. His mind was already shifting, changing clothes, seeing his family, and kicking off Halloween night.
He needed a win, maybe even more important than the one over Crespi: beating Claire in the prank war.
Maybe he was exaggerating.
As he thought about that and neared the tunnel entrance, Madison intercepted him. She threw herself at him with an excited hug, still holding a pom-pom in each hand.
"Congrats, record man!" Madison said with a bright, enthusiastic smile. "You were amazing, as always."
"Thanks. You too," Andrew replied, accepting the hug, though a bit cautiously.
Ever since that party at Katie's house two weeks ago, when they ended up kissing, and then… the rest, things had changed. He had walked her home afterward, where they both, exhausted, had literally fallen asleep. Since then, Madison had gotten much closer. Too close, too fast.
He'd noticed it at school: she looked for any excuse to be around him, greeted him with increasingly obvious gestures in front of others, and seemed to focus all her attention on him. He didn't mind; in fact, he liked her energy, she was attractive, fun, and different from how he'd first imagined her.
And if he had seen anything he didn't like, he would've made it clear, would've pushed her away without hesitation. But no, there was genuine interest in her, and Andrew could feel it.
The problem was the pace. Andrew wanted to take things slow. He'd told her he'd just come out of a relationship and wasn't planning to jump into another one right away. He said he didn't want commitments, and she had said the same. But in practice, it didn't seem that way.
Madison was moving fast. Or maybe he was the slow one.
In the weeks since Katie's party, nothing else had happened. No dates, no plans outside school. And last Friday, when Madison invited him to another party, Andrew said no.
He'd already gone to one the week before. Two weekends in a row? No thanks.
"We have to celebrate!" Madison said with her playful smile, still holding onto him. "Riley's throwing a Halloween-themed party at her place. You're coming, right?"
Andrew raised an eyebrow. Before he could answer, she added with a teasing wink, "I promise we'll leave early. I'm exhausted anyway, and this time I won't force you to be my pillow and… we could, you know, repeat that night. I miss your fingers," she added, laughing softly, her last words barely above a whisper.
"I can't," Andrew said.
"Can't…?" Madison repeated, her smile fading from her face.
"I've got a family party tonight, if I skip it, my aunt will kill me," Andrew explained, keeping things brief.
He didn't elaborate further. The truth was, he didn't want to miss it. If he did, Claire would never let him hear the end of it, she'd mock him for forfeiting the prank war, claim he didn't have a single trick prepared, and crown herself the Halloween champion. Andrew wasn't about to hand her that victory.
Besides, bringing Madison to a family party wasn't even an option. Not because he didn't want to see her, but because he knew his family far too well:
His dad Cam would turn it into a full-on show, instantly assuming Madison was his next great love and daydreaming about futures that would never happen, or were at least very unlikely.
His dad Mitchell would be cautious, analyzing everything with a furrowed brow, convinced Andrew was rushing into another relationship too soon.
Gloria, half-gossip and half-motherly, would be thrilled yet protective, eager to know every detail.
Claire would go into full interrogation mode, trying to judge whether Madison was "good enough" for him, just like she had done with Pippa.
Haley would be the classic big sister: overprotective, watching Madison's every move, maybe even openly hostile at first.
Manny would probably start a case file, drawing deep conclusions about why Andrew was already meeting another girl and whether it was his way of moving on from his last relationship.
The only ones who'd welcome the news with open arms would be Phil, delighted at the idea of his nephew dating a cheerleader, and Luke, who'd think it was awesome. Jay would just grunt, indifferent, as long as Andrew stayed focused on football. Alex would barely raise an eyebrow and, with her trademark sarcasm, call him a cliché.
Andrew knew it: inviting Madison would open the door to a full-blown family circus. He liked her, sure, but not that much.
"What a shame," Madison said with a sigh as she stepped back, "Guess I'll see you Monday at school."
Andrew exhaled quietly before replying, "You do know there are ways to hang out that don't involve parties, right?"
"Of course," she said, crossing her arms and glancing away, "but I didn't want to sound that desperate."
Andrew couldn't help laughing.
"What's so funny?" Madison asked, frowning.
"You say you don't want to sound desperate, yet you invite me to a party every Friday, and most of the time, I turn you down. You've only managed to get a 'yes' once."
"Shut up! It's not my fault you're such a discipline freak," Madison said, laughing as she gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.
"Relax, that's why I'm inviting you this time. Tomorrow I've been invited to a UCLA game, against Arizona, at the Rose Bowl. Want to come?" Andrew said.
Madison's eyes widened, surprised and delighted all at once. Finally, the stubborn bastard was asking her out somewhere alone.
For her, inviting him one-on-one had always felt too desperate; that's why she stuck to group parties, where rejection didn't sting as much.
Derrick, one of the UCLA scouts who'd known Andrew since summer, had invited him. His mission was clear: convince Andrew that UCLA was the best choice for his future. NCAA rules forbade giving free tickets or gifts to junior prospects, but they could still grant access to the recruits' section: prime seats surrounded by other players they were trying to lure in.
This time, Andrew wouldn't be going with his family. The week before, he'd attended a USC vs. Cal game with them, where Barkley, Mater Dei's former quarterback and now a star for the Trojans, had shined in a comfortable 48–14 win.
But Andrew wasn't a USC fan when it came to his own future.
The next day, however, his family already had plans, and Andrew didn't want to turn Derrick down. So he figured it would be a good idea to bring someone along. Madison seemed perfect for that.
"Seriously?" Madison said, her smile lighting up.
"Yeah. I'll pick you up around eleven tomorrow. After the game, we can grab something to eat outside, stadium food is just hot dogs and grease, you know? Not my thing," Andrew said with a nod.
Madison laughed, amused. "Such high standards! But of course I'm going, sounds great."
Andrew gave her a small wave goodbye, and Madison finally let him go toward the locker room.
A few minutes later, freshly changed and showered, he stepped out of Santa Ana Stadium, where his family was waiting. They greeted him with hugs, pats on the back, and words of pride. Out of all the congratulations he'd received that night, theirs meant the most.
"I'm so proud of you, especially when you stopped that dance. That, son, is character," said Cam, eyes glistening, looking on the verge of tears, dramatic as always.
Jay nodded seriously. "That's respect for your opponent. Well done."
"Yes, that was a very nice gesture, Andrew," added Claire with a smile.
Mitchell nodded with quiet, paternal pride, as if that kind of behavior was simply standard for his son.
"Crushing them with class…" murmured Alex under her breath, more to herself than to anyone else.
And then Haley spoke up, her comment having nothing to do with football, "I saw Madison all over you near the tunnel entrance. What were you two talking about?" she asked, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
'Here we go…' Andrew thought, shaking his head internally.
Haley was protective, way too protective. She'd learned from the best. Just like Claire used to interrogate any boy who showed interest in Haley (and sometimes even sent Andrew to intimidate them), Haley had inherited that same habit, only now she used it on any girl who showed interest in Andrew.
With Pippa, it hadn't been much of an issue. Claire and the rest had liked her right away: serious, studious, kind, and with clear goals for her future, basically the ideal girlfriend.
But a cheerleader like Madison? That was going to be a whole different story.
Gloria, delighted by the brewing drama, jumped right in. "I noticed that too! You two looked very close."
"Madison's awesome!" Luke chimed in enthusiastically. "I've never seen a cheerleader that good, right, Dad?"
Phil nodded eagerly. "She really is! Her level's incredible. Even back in my best cheer days, I never saw anyone with that kind of talent."
"Phil, that's not the point," Claire cut in, shifting from proud to serious in an instant. She turned straight to Andrew. "Is it something serious? What's she like? Does she take things seriously? What colleges is she applying to?"
Off to the side, Leonard and Howard watched the scene like it was a soap opera that had nothing to do with them. Willa, arms crossed, kept a neutral expression.
Luckily for Andrew, he had an ally.
Jay exhaled. "Enough with the pointless gossip. If the boy performs on the field, I don't care if he's dating one cheerleader or all of them. Let's go, we need to eat dinner and then get to that stupid party," he said with resignation, clearly having been strong-armed by Claire and Gloria into attending.
'Thanks, old man,' Andrew thought, grateful.
But Haley wasn't done. "I just want to know why you two talked for so long," she pressed, glaring again.
Andrew couldn't help feeling a flicker of irritation. He'd broken up with Pippa because that relationship had become toxic, built on mistrust. And now, he had a cousin dissecting every hint of his possible love life.
"I invited her to come with me to the UCLA game tomorrow," Andrew said calmly. "Happy now?"
Haley's face tensed, but before she could reply, Andrew countered with a smile:
"It's a shame you can't come with me. If you could, I wouldn't have invited her. But hey… you've got that important date tomorrow with that guy, Anthony, right? Seems pretty serious. Congratulations."
Anthony. The guy with the cap Haley had met at previous games.
"Anthony?" Claire repeated, frowning. "I thought you were going out with some friends."
Phil also turned to his daughter, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, looks like our little girl's found love… Want to tell your friend about that special guy?"
Phil referred to himself as your friend, speaking in the third person, as if he were sharing teenage secrets.
Haley's expression, once hard and accusatory toward Andrew, collapsed. Her face went pale at her mother's direct question, caught in her lie, and the discomfort doubled as she watched her dad trying to talk to her like a peer, as if they were the same age.
Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger when she looked back at Andrew, who now wore that triumphant expression that clearly said he'd done it on purpose.
'You bastard,' Haley thought.
'That's what you get for prying,' Andrew thought back, meeting her eyes. Mission accomplished: the attention had officially shifted.
Moments later, Andrew climbed into his Camaro, heading to his grandfather's house with Leonard and Howard. Gloria had prepared a Colombian protein-rich meal that only needed reheating. After dinner, they'd drive straight to his uncles' place for the long-awaited Halloween party.
As for Haley, after surviving her mother's interrogation, she went straight home with Willa. They had already eaten at the stadium and were now focused on getting their costumes and makeup ready for the night.
Claire, Phil, Alex, and Luke also went back to their house, Claire had to finish setting up for the party, which would start in just an hour.
The football game was over.
And Halloween night was officially about to begin, later than usual.
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