Saturday arrived, the day of the Medford Invitational Tournament.
Although the game was on the weekend, to witness history, the field was still packed with students who came to support their school's Football Team.
Among the crowd, there were also many enthusiastic spectators holding signs that read, "Go Medford!" and similar slogans.
From the lively atmosphere on site, Medford High indeed showed signs of becoming a strong sports school.
To serve as a warm-up, Medford's opponent for the first invitational game was the St. Patrick's High School Football Team, a team at the bottom of the state league.
"Mike, I'm sorry. Your joining the team will probably have to wait a while longer…" Aaron spoke with an apologetic expression outside the bustling crowd.
"It's okay, I can tell you've done your best," Mike shook his head, not blaming him.
Then, he turned to look at the preparation area beside the field and asked curiously, "Is it because of the coach?"
At this moment, Coach Wayne was sitting in the preparation area with his head down, exuding a low, dispirited aura.
His detached demeanor made him seem like he was in a completely different world from the lively crowd around him.
Upon hearing this, Aaron also glanced at the crowd, then explained insincerely, "Coach Wayne is indeed a bit out of sorts right now due to family matters, but I believe he will adjust very soon."
Because of the good results achieved last year, many new players had joined the team, including quite a few strong and promising talents.
In this situation, even if Coach Wayne's skill was not as good as George's, as long as he fulfilled the responsibilities of a head coach, the overall strength of the Medford Team this year would not be bad.
However, Coach Wayne did not seize this opportunity; due to personal family matters, he had not seriously managed the team for a long time.
Even during the essential practice time every afternoon, it was difficult to see the head coach on the field.
And Mike's application to rejoin the team was also overlooked by him.
It could be said that the Medford Team had become a mess due to Wayne's inaction.
It would certainly be unrealistic to say that Aaron, who saw all these situations, had no resentment in his heart.
This big boy, full of passion for football, must be in agony right now.
...
Just as Mike and the other person were chatting, a bus carrying St. Patrick's High School Football Team players slowly drove into the Medford campus.
Seemingly knowing that they would be a stepping stone for the opposing team, the St. Patrick's High School Football Team players who got off the bus were not in high spirits.
At this point, the Medford Team's home advantage was fully displayed.
Even though the students on the field did not boo the St. Patrick's High School Football Team, the high-intensity lively atmosphere around them still caused the morale of the St. Patrick's High School team to drop significantly again.
"Don't be discouraged, kids!"
The head coach of St. Patrick's High School clapped his hands, attracting the attention of his players, and encouraged them, "Medford was a top ten team last year; playing against them will give us more experience. And as challengers, we might not necessarily lose this time!"
"So, everyone, please cheer up…"
"St. Patrick's High School—"
After motivating his players, the head coach of St. Patrick's High School was the first to extend his hand.
Then, the players of St. Patrick's High School also tried to put their hands together.
"Go!"
"St. Patrick's High School—"
"Go!!"
...
Amidst the attention-grabbing shouts, the players of St. Patrick's High School somewhat regained their fighting spirit.
Seeing this, the head coach of the St. Patrick's High School team also smiled.
Afterward, he arranged for the players to go to the field to familiarize themselves with the venue and prepare for the upcoming game.
Evidently, this head coach of St. Patrick's High School had not given up on this game.
Mike, at the back of the crowd, seeing the St. Patrick's High School players enter, also said to Aaron beside him, "The game is about to start, you should go prepare too."
"Okay, we'll talk about your matter later…" Aaron clearly also attached great importance to this invitational tournament, and after greeting Mike, he turned and walked towards the field.
As both teams finished warming up, the time reached ten o'clock in the morning.
Seeing the two teams appear opposite each other on the midfield line, the spectators, realizing the game was about to begin, immediately let out a huge cheer.
Then, during the coin toss, after Medford first gained possession, the spectators supporting them from outside the field created waves of sound with their enthusiasm.
This shows the popularity of football in the local area.
On the field, because Coach Wayne had not arranged tactics, Aaron could only organize the players, still using last year's "Wolf Pack" tactic.
Among the veteran players, Sam replaced Mike's role from last year, becoming another core of the team.
Beep—
As the game began, the Medford players, familiar with the dual-core tactic, still maintained a certain level of understanding.
Under the cover of their supporting players, Aaron and Sam both broke into the opponent's half.
Then, facing the opponent's second line of defense, the football was passed between the two several times, and finally, Aaron carried the football and rushed into the opponent's end zone.
Medford Team +6 points.
Aaron, who achieved the first touchdown, excitedly threw the football into the sky and then let out a huge roar.
From his appearance, it seemed as if he wanted to vent all the frustration he had accumulated during this period.
The spectators on the sidelines, watching their team's wonderful performance, were also infected with excitement, simultaneously giving enthusiastic applause and cheers.
After a round of celebration, Aaron on the field also pressed on, and in the opportunity for a second additional score, he cooperated with his teammates to once again achieve a second touchdown.
6 points + 2 points.
The Medford Team gained a huge advantage of 8 points in the first round of offense.
With the even more intense cheers from the Medford students outside the field, everything seemed to be developing in a good direction.
"Don't be discouraged, kids! We still have a chance—"
After the ball possession was exchanged, the head coach of St. Patrick's High School stood on the sidelines, continuously encouraging his players.
Looking at Coach Wayne, sitting in the preparation area, he was completely spaced out, his attention still not on the game.
And defense has never been the Medford Team's strong suit.
In the subsequent game, St. Patrick's High School also scored a field goal with their steady and methodical sparrow tactic.
St. Patrick's High School +3 points.
With the ball possession exchanged again, the score of 8:3 seemed acceptable for Medford High.
Just as they were preparing to redouble their efforts and further widen the score, the head coach of St. Patrick's High School called a timeout.
"Listen, kids, Medford is not invincible…"
Through a round of offense and defense, the head coach of St. Patrick's High School discovered the Medford Team's weakness: "In the next round, I want you to pay attention to that big guy, don't be afraid of collisions… His agility isn't high…"
Yes, the weakness discovered by the head coach of St. Patrick's High School was Sam, one of the dual cores in the Medford Team.
As a power running back, Sam did not have Mike's agility in the wolf pack tactic, which created a loophole in this tactic.
And the head coach of St. Patrick's High School keenly seized on this point.
Strictly speaking, at this point in the game, it was a test of both head coaches' adaptability.
It was just a pity that Coach Wayne's mind was not on the game, so he naturally couldn't give his players the necessary advice.