As another successful extra point sailed through the uprights—pushing the score to 14–0—Ty promised it would be the LAST time Lennox had anything to celebrate.
'Keep your chin up, Samuels,' Coach Hoang said.
Ty hadn't even noticed the presence by his side. He looked around, the members of the defence were looking at him, concern on their faces—the offence stared up at the scoreboard. A two possession lead had never looked more insurmountable.
'We'll figure this out,' Coach Hoang promised, patting Ty on the back.
Figure out? What was there to figure out? He just had to be better, play better, play like he was supposed to. He'd win—he'd ALWAYS win. Never again would he stomach the bitter taste of defeat.
Chris was ready for the kick-off, returning it to the 19-yard line before getting dropped by the Trailblazers. The offence had their worst starting position of the day, though it changed little.
They stretched the defence wide, attacking the edges and the sideline. Stephen's frustration grew as he repeatedly failed to break free from Lennox's shackles.
Before the Dons even reached halfway, the Trailblazers squeezed them, closing off the edges, blocked the sidelines, funnelling them right up the middle, where their stout wall and hidden battering ram were waiting.
The Dons fell a few yards from crossing half-field. At least their punt was better, pinning Sierra Canyon deep in their own territory rather than bouncing into the end-zone for a touchback.
But with the way the game was developing, it didn't seem starting position mattered. Sierra Canyon seemed like an unstoppable juggernaut, blazing a trail through the Dons and into the end-zone. They could've started at their own 1-yard line and they would've got a touchdown.
On the other hand, it felt like no matter where the Dons began, no matter how close, they'd always fall short.
After the punt, Ty stood, following the Dons' defence back onto the field. They marched slowly, though there was no delaying their next battle against Sierra Canyon's offence.
'Keep him in front of you!' Coach Hoang shouted. He didn't name names, but it was clear he was talking to Ty. The message wasn't great, but it was the only piece of advice either of them could come up with. Still, it was a lot easier said than done.
A simple mission was better. If that's all Ty had to do to win, he'd do it. No matter how hard Lennox was to read. When they met again, Lennox sneered at the defiance in Ty's dark eyes.
'You that stupid you still think you can win?' Lennox asked.
'You that stupid you think you've already won?' Ty snapped.
Lennox laughed, shaking his head. 'You don't get it. You're good, I'll give you that, but you're not on my level. We'll play three quarters, run up the score—I'll get five touchdowns, I've already got what, two? And there's plenty of time left in just this half. Add my interception on there as well, meanwhile you're at a big fat zero. Maybe I'll even let someone else in on the fun for one or two touchdowns—and then for the last quarter we can let the second stringers take over. I doubt they'll score, but your offence is so miserable they won't do shit either. This game IS over.'
Ty's glare darkened the longer that asshole monologued. Each word was fuel to the raging fire in his heart. But Lennox said one thing Ty agreed with—the game WAS over. If Lennox still had that attitude; still desired to sit out for part of the game; still thought he was so far above everyone else he could get away with that. Ty knew he'd eat him and the rest of the Trailblazers alive. The game was won, but it was the Dons who'd be victorious. Ty knew it as certain as he knew grass was green.
For all of Lennox's shit talking, the Trailblazers started with a run. Ty couldn't give a shit what Spike was doing with the ball. He slammed into Lennox, meeting him fiercely, knocking him back a couple of yards.
Their struggle, more akin to a wrestling match than a blocking battle, ended well after the actual play did, and only when an official separated them. Both boys returned to their huddles, scornful gazes locked on one another. The official's warning barely reached their ears.
Spike's run barely gained two yards. The Trailblazers returned to the air next. Even with the other Receivers well covered, Kieran refused to look Lennox's way. He found Spike instead in the flat, though the dump-off pass only gained 4 yards.
Third down was upon them, Ty's chance. He just needed one stop. The Trailblazers were still playing too cocky, still not throwing at him constantly, expecting Lennox to pull them out of a bad situation, expecting him to win at every turn.
Ty tried to convince himself they were playing like this to minimise the risk of throwing at him. Even the best QB and WR were bound to slip up once, especially if they were the only ones playing the game. The more times Kieran threw at Ty, the more chances he could fuck up, and Ty could steal a pick-six.
Ty tried to believe that story. It didn't matter what their reasons were. He had his one chance here. He didn't need a pick right now, not yet. Just a stop, a deflection, holding Lennox behind the chains. ANYTHING to keep the Trailblazers from getting another first down.
The ball was snapped, and Lennox rushed forward. Ty backed off, not even feinting. He knew the ball was coming this way, knew he had to stop them.
Lennox sprinted forward, Ty refused to turn, stretching as far as he could with backpedalling. They came to the breaking point. Ty started to swivel his hips around to transition to a sprint, and at that exact moment, Lennox swivelled back towards Kieran.
Ty planted his feet. It was a fake, but he was already caught in the trap. Lennox hadn't stopped moving, not fully, he'd blow right by now that Ty had. Ty lunged, bumping Lennox off his feet. The two crashed to the ground just as Kieran loosed the ball. It sailed well past Ty and Lennox, finding only the turf.
Flags lay strewn across the field. Lennox shoved Ty aside, laughing as he stood.
'You already know you can't beat me. So now you're just gonna foul me?' Lennox taunted. 'Why don't you save yourself the embarrassment and stay on the bench?'
Ty said nothing as he stood and dusted himself off. An official was already separating them, shepherding Lennox back to his huddle. Ty returned to the Dons on his own.
The foul had been a desperation move. He'd been beat, AGAIN. It wouldn't have been another touchdown; he could catch Lennox if he got past him, but it still would've been a big gain.
As Ty walked back to the others, he listened to the head official's call. It was deemed illegal contact, a penalty of only 5 yards, though still an automatic first down. If Ty had bumped Lennox a second later, it would've been DPI, and the spot of the foul would've been much further downfield instead.
JJ tried to keep spirits high in the huddle. He knew they could lock the Trailblazers down. The rest of the Dons knew they could too, all but one Trailblazer at least.
Ty felt eyes on him. He was the one not pulling his weight. That's what those stares said. Surprisingly, Deshaun wasn't holding one of those angry stares. The look on Deshaun's face was more worrying. A strange kind of acceptance, almost. If Ty couldn't stop Lennox, who could?
Zayden looked beyond Ty, over to the bench. Coach Hoang was the one who held his gaze. The plan was working, except for Ty's part in it … but Coach Hoang was leaving him out to dry. Zayden just had to trust the Defensive Coordinator knew what he was doing.
Donte stared at the ground, unique in that. Everyone else looked at either Ty, or JJ, or off to the coaches. But Donte looked inward. Ty was struggling, that was true, but what was he doing? Nothing. He couldn't get anywhere near the QB, couldn't put any pressure on. If those passes came out just a split second later, Ty could recover. If the QB was pressured maybe he'd make a mistake, throw an inch off course and somebody could do something.
Ty shook his head, walking away from the huddle before anyone else did. JJ broke it up a few seconds later. They returned to their positions, the air around the Dons thick with tension.
Noise rained down upon them, the chanting of the Dons' fans at their weakest yet.
Lennox and Ty stood before one another. 'You're just delaying the inevitable,' Lennox said.
Ty was. That was the funny thing. But Lennox wasn't inevitable, Ty was, and so was the Dons' victory.
The fire raged within him, and sweat rolled down his forehead, slicking the inside of his helmet, dripping down his nose, stinging his eyes even. But he stared at Lennox, unblinking.
The ball was snapped. Ty glanced over as Kieran backed away. Spike didn't even go for it; no run, no Play-Action.
Lennox came out hard, running with purpose. Running like he knew the ball was coming their way. Ty stabbed at him with an arm, found only air. Lennox shifted outside, slipping by the spear, then inside just as Ty was turning out.
The Slant was fast, the connection faster, and Lennox broke away from Ty's grip, ripping free of the single-armed tackle. He straightened, and was only stopped after a 14-yard gain.
Ty punched the turf before standing up from where he'd landed after his diving tackle attempt. Another catch for Lennox, and still it felt like it was all he could do to get a hand on him.
It seemed the Trailblazers were content to stick with Lennox, no longer trying to brute force the other members of their offence into the game.
Inside and outside Lennox struck, with Curls and Go routes he pulled Ty up and down the field, raking in one catch after the other.
Ty stopped trying to predict what Lennox would do, stopped looking for his tell. As the Trailblazers sat just outside of the red-zone, another play came, another snap started them all into motion.
Lennox batted aside Ty's press, slipping by it with ease. Ty turned, running, overtaking Lennox, facing him once more as he shifted back, scrambling. He watched and waited. He'd react, then pounce when he was sure the ball was coming.
Lennox shifted inside. So smooth and quick, not missing a stride or beat. Ty shifted with him, looking sluggish in comparison. The ball was already on its way, already in Lennox's hands by the time Ty lunged.
Lennox spun back to the outside the moment the ball hit his hands, ripping it away from Ty's diving attempt at a disruption. Ty wasn't even a second behind them, barely a half-second late to react after Lennox's move, but with a well-oiled machine like Sierra Canyon, with a premier QB-Receiver pair like Kieran Valentine and Lennox Freeman, that was all the time in the world.
Ty crashed and burned as Lennox escaped down the sideline. He tumbled, springing to his feet. He took a step, then stopped. Nothing stopped Lennox from racing into the end-zone for a 21-yard touchdown. The lead jumped to 20–0, soon to be 21 itself.
Ty was lost, drifting aimlessly in the ocean. It didn't matter which way he went, what he tried—reacting or predicting—there was no help in sight, he only drifted further and further away. A shark has to keep moving to stay alive … but what happens when they lose the will to take another step?
Ty trudged off the field. Of course, the extra point was successful. It wasn't even halftime, and the deficit was already over 20 points. With the offence shut out, the championship was becoming out of reach. The already insurmountable mountain was stretching higher into the sky the further the Dons tried to climb.
But the game wasn't over yet. They still weren't giving up. On offence, the Dons had a new plan. After the kick-off—a touchback—a great change washed over the team as the offence came out in a new formation. JJ joined them, taking his spot in the backfield, lined up just in front of Chris as a FB, acting as Chris's bodyguard.
But that wasn't all, Stephen was brought closer to the O-Line. Begrudgingly, the giant lined up as another TE, on the opposite end of the line compared to Benny.
Lennox's dark eyes filled with confusion, but he stuck with Stephen, now crowded amongst the Line alongside his LBs.
Everything about the new formation SCREAMED "run". So, going against expectations, the first play after revealing it was a pass.
Benny rushed past the LB who expected him to block, slipping away into freedom, and caught a quick pass, rumbling ahead for 8 yards before being tripped up. THEN the Dons ran the ball and picked up the first down with a run of five yards as Chris burrowed through the opening JJ carved for him.
The Dons—and their fans—were reinvigorated. Ty sat on the bench, shoulders hunched, searching for an answer to the Lennox conundrum. He may as well have tried to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. But as the Dons progressed downfield, steadily eating up little chunks of yards at a time, as was their customary style, he heard one voice loud and clear amongst the babble of cheers and chants.
He looked back, eyes locking onto Meg. She glanced down at him for a second, eyes wide and teary, but she wore a hopeful smile, fists clenched tight in front of her chest. 'Let's go, Dons!' she shouted.
Despite the first play, the new formation was still run-heavy, and with JJ leading the way, the Dons marched forward. Small, quick throws were sprinkled throughout, either to Benny cutting across, or Cole working with more space. Even Stephen once slipped away from Lennox after blocking for a moment. A Play-Action fake helped sell the deception, and Stephen broke away with enough space for a catch. It was only 5 yards, but it was more about the relief than the yards.
They bulldozed across the halfway mark, JJ still clearing a path, holding off Mason, making the other LBs stop Chris or Cameron.
As they did so, the game passed into the two-minute warning. The second quarter had melted away, and soon the first half would be over. The Dons had one last chance to cut into the lead before then.
During the break, Coach Long told his boys not to worry about the scoreboard, not even the clock. He'd manage it, and they had plenty of time to find the end-zone. They just needed to focus, and keep ploughing ahead.
More words of encouragement were spread, and soon the boys were striding back onto the field, heads held high for what felt like the first time since the start of the game.
A screen pass to Chris brought the Dons into field goal range, taking them all the way to the Trailblazers' 31-yard line. The Dons called timeout afterwards. Coach Norman reiterated they just needed to keep pushing; they were almost there.
But it was after the timeout when they ran into a brick wall. A run up the middle, something that had been working so well for them, was blown apart. Whether JJ was running out of steam, or Mason had found a second wind, the Trailblazers' captain smashed through JJ's attempted block, sending him crashing into Cameron.
Cameron remained on his feet, though unsteady, but Mason wasn't done yet. He charged forward, relentless, and cocked back. A shoulder like a cannonball smashed into Cameron, whilst a fist like a bullet spiked the ball free from his grasp.
It bounced across the field, through legs and off boots. Jay tracked it amongst the chaos where others looked around confused, unable to see what was right under their noses. He dove, toppling Linemen from both sides as he snatched up the ball, and was crushed under a growing pile.
The Dons had to move back a yard, but at least they maintained possession. It was the Trailblazers' turn to call timeout.
Coach Long tried to keep the boys calm. It was only a small setback, Jay did great to jump on the ball and keep their drive alive. They still had time and chances. They couldn't falter again.
Unfortunately, the next play wasn't much better, as a pass intended for Cole was swatted out of bounds.
Suddenly, the Dons were looking at third down, with over 10 yards to go for another first. Coach Long took his time deciding what to do. He stuck with the formation in the end. They went back to the screen, the one that had worked for 17 yards just a few plays earlier. Maybe it was too recent.
The Dons set up a wall around Chris as he caught the ball in the flat, but the Trailblazers were better prepared. They swarmed faster, and beat against the shield more resiliently, breaking it apart. Mason cleaved through them, opening a path for another to take Chris down after a gain of only 7. The Dons were forced to fourth down. Another timeout came from the Trailblazers.
Not all was lost; the Dons were in field goal range. This was their chance. They could erase that zero from the scoreboard. Any margin, no matter how big, looked more manageable when your own score wasn't zero.
The kicking unit set up. It was the Trailblazers' fans who were loud now, stomping their feet and screaming nonsense, their words jumbling together into gibberish. It didn't matter, all they wanted was to cause a distraction, any slip of focus.
The ball was snapped. The hold bobbled before planted into the ground. The kick was hard, curving, curving … curving.
Silence smothered the field as the ball flew … until the goalpost rung like an old church bell. The ball slanted off it, and bounced back, falling into the field of play. The field goal was a failure. The zero hung over the Dons' head. The score hadn't changed.
Dejected, the Dons returned to the bench, heads low. One wondered how many were hiding tears behind those helmets. Shocked silence filled one half of the stands, jubilation the other.
The Trailblazers' offence swaggered onto the field. The Dons' defence slowly rose, feet dragging as they wandered out to meet them. It felt like even the football gods had it out for the Dons.
Everything was going to be fast with so little time left, and the Trailblazers only having one timeout—something they'd probably save for a final shot at the end-zone, or right when they wanted to set up for a field goal.
Ty and Lennox hurried to one another, but said nothing. Ty hunched down into his stance, off line with Lennox, favouring the outside of the field. Lennox frowned at him, but the taller boy's face was a mask of concentration. The Trailblazers were looking at a shortened two-minute drill—more like just over a minute—not a lot of time to go over 70 yards. A field goal was more likely, but the Dons needed to stop even that if they still wanted a chance in the second half.
The Dons' zone fanned out, leaving gaps in the middle—only shallow—but forming a wall along the outside.
The ball was snapped and Lennox jutted inwards, Slanting across the field. Ty closed in on his hip just as the ball arrived. Lennox made the catch, even as Ty tried to pry his arms apart. The bigger boy carried Ty forward for 7 yards, but was stopped there. Time ticked away.
Coach Hoang leaned forward in his chair, watching the pair closely. Both teams forwent their huddles; there was no time. Ty and Lennox faced off again, Ty still positioned outside, less so this time.
Lennox Slanted inwards, just like before, but Ty closed faster, shut off the pass before it could even be made. Lennox straightened, but Ty was glued to his hip.
Kieran had to look away. The rest of his options weren't much better. Another shallow pass over the middle would eat up too much time, but the sidelines were locked down. He looked back to Lennox; he could make miracles happen.
He heaved the ball across the field, a low, tight pass, favouring Lennox's position. Receiver and CB jumped for the ball in unison, but Ty's hand reached it first. His fingers failed to dig into it like claws, his grip too loose. He spiked it into the turf. An incompletion, a stopped clock, a proper victory over Lennox.
Coach Hoang's eyes brightened before glazing. He leaned back in his chair, thinking over what had just happened, what he'd seen, and how it connected with everything else in the game leading up to that moment.
The Trailblazers resorted to a Draw play to pick up the first down, which they did, but time continued to run down, like sand spilling from a broken hourglass.
Their two-minute drill didn't even cross half-field before they resorted to running out the clock, and the Dons let them, taking the defensive stand as a small victory in what was otherwise a bleak first half.
Even with it, momentum was still fully in the Trailblazers' favour as both teams retreated to their locker rooms for the half-time break. Sierra Canyon in control with a dominating lead of 21–0.
But Coach Hoang had hope, and so did many others in the Dominguez camp.