As the game wore on, Mike kept calling his own number on rushes just to keep the score close.
By rough count, in the second and third quarters alone, he'd flattened defenders at least ten times on the run.
Fans loved the aggressive, smash-mouth style—it was exciting as hell to watch. But that kind of high-intensity pounding was starting to take its toll on Mike's stamina.
Trying to carry an entire team on your back was too much, even for him right now.
Drained and gasping on the midfield line, Mike finally got what Coach George had been trying to tell him: football is a team sport.
He tucked the ball and tried bulldozing ahead twice more, but when he couldn't break through their multiple blockers, he glanced over to the sideline at Sam.
Sam was itching to make a play and help the team, but two Austin defenders were glued to him, shutting down any passing window.
Realizing there was nothing open out wide, Mike scanned the whole field.
That's when he spotted little George running a solid route in the secondary again.
No time to hesitate—with the play clock ticking down, Mike lofted another high-arcing short pass that dropped right into little George's hands.
Little George snagged it cleanly this time and took off toward the back of the field.
But running straight ahead wasn't his strength. He didn't get far before the safety assigned to shadow him dragged him down.
"NO, NO, NO..."
Melford's second down stalled again. Coach George on the sideline could see Mike getting frustrated and yelled out, "Easy, slow it down! We've got time..."
Normally, yeah—Austin's lead heading into the fourth quarter wasn't big enough to put the game away. If Melford just settled down and played smart, they'd have plenty of chances to come back.
But out on the field, Mike saw the bigger picture more clearly. Getting into a slow, grinding battle with them would just wear Melford down even more—it'd be suicide by inches.
So when he got the ball back, only one thought was in his head: Run.
Mike powered forward again, and the game got intense once more.
But like always, one guy's strength can't match a whole team's energy forever.
In the rapid-fire exchanges that followed, Mike started running on fumes. No surprise, Austin pulled away further and further.
Beep—
The final whistle blew, and Mike finally stopped. His face was drenched in sweat, like he'd just stepped out of a shower.
79-65
Melford lost by a huge margin, ending their summer league run for the year.
Staring up at the scoreboard, the Melford players all had that look of frustration—like they couldn't believe it was over.
They had a beast like Mike on their side. If they'd just stepped up a little more, maybe the outcome would've been different.
...
Out in the stands, the crowd gave both teams a huge round of applause for one heck of a game.
Sure, overall talent-wise, Melford was way outmatched, but Mike's never-quit attitude earned him a ton of respect from the fans.
"Hey man, you were awesome out there today. Looking forward to running it back next year," Austin's quarterback said, walking over to Mike after the game.
You could tell Mike's dominance had straight-up impressed his opponent.
But a loss is a loss.
Not in the mood to chat, Mike brushed him off with a few quick words and headed off the field with his teammates.
"You guys did great out there—heads up. We've got next year," Coach George said on the sideline, patting each player as they came off.
Then he walked to midfield for the post-game handshake with Austin's head coach.
"Really enjoyed this matchup with your team—great game. Hope we get to do it again next year," Austin's coach said with a big smile.
"Likewise," Coach George replied coolly, shaking his hand politely.
Clearly, he was still a little salty about them taking out Captain Aaron early.
With the handshakes done, the top-10 showdown officially wrapped up.
The defeated Melford players had none of the excitement they'd arrived with. Looking like beaten roosters, they quietly boarded the bus.
Two hours later, the school buses rolled back into Melford.
"Relax, everybody. We had a solid season this year. If you're still fired up about today's loss, channel it into training. We'll get stronger, and next year we'll go get our revenge on Austin High," Coach George said up front, pumping the team up.
(No typos in this version! First release of the chapter.)
"Coach is right. We've got the spring invitational next year—another shot at beating Austin," Captain Aaron stepped up and shouted, "Everybody got that fire?"
After a full morning of battle, the Melford guys had grown a lot.
Hearing Aaron, someone yelled back, "Yeah!"
Then more joined in, voices getting louder, eyes burning with determination.
"That's the spirit," Coach George said with a grin, giving a few more encouraging words before dismissing the team.
Once everyone else had left, Mike headed to the locker room with little George.
On the way, little George suddenly spoke up. "Mike... do you think I'm just not cut out for football? Like, no real talent?"
"What makes you say that?" Mike asked, surprised.
Little George hadn't lit up the stat sheet today, but he'd played solid—nothing to be ashamed of.
"I..." Little George started, then glanced at Mike and sighed. "Never mind. Forget it."
What was there to say?
Because his dad was the coach, little George had been playing football since he was a kid.
Coach George had always wanted to turn his oldest son into a legit player.
Back then, with his dad's encouragement, little George really believed he could be great. But after today's game, he finally understood how big a role raw talent plays.
Compared to Mike, he felt worthless.
Mike thought for a second and figured out what was eating at him. Football does come down to physical gifts a lot—it's all about who can dominate with their body.
And yeah, little George just wasn't built that way.
For that reason, Mike wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better.