The break between quarters flew by. Coach Long was searching for the answer to the offence’s new conundrum. ‘Stay on your toes. Keep the energy high. Don’t give them space or time to think.’ Were Coach Hoang’s messages as he sent the defence onto the field.
With the Cats trying to take over the game, it was up to the Dons’ defence to start the fourth quarter strongly. The game hinged on them, if they could hold the line in the sand or not.
The Cats knew this too, they knew they could end the game with this single drive. Who’s might, who’s will would prevail? That’s what they were going to find out.
Initially, the Cats had the upper hand—specifically Blob did, as he led the way for a 7-yard long run from Archie.
A hunger had infested the Cats’ usual stoicism, their desire and determination were clear in their eyes, no matter where they looked.
The Dons weren’t backing down, but a short pass to a shallow Cross from the Cats’ TE was enough to earn a first down.
After that, JJ gathered the huddle in tight. ‘Get close, hermanos, this is important. Everything is important, but this moment right here IS everything. They think they want it more than us, they think they DESERVE it more than us. They’re WRONG. We can’t let them roll over us. They’re not stronger. We are. It’s time we proved it.’
Steely eyes gazed back at JJ. Whether it was veteran seniors with everything to lose like Deshaun, the juniors and sophomores with everything to prove like Donte, or the freshmen who had to survive the fire like Zayden, they stared back at him with eyes that showed their resolve to win.
Ty’s were the only eyes that didn’t meet JJ’s. Ty’s gaze was focused on the ground, his mind on Vance. He had to beat him. He had to stop him. “I’ll play off. Let him have his space. I’ll still beat him.” He wouldn’t be manipulated.
‘Hey, we’re hermanos, brothers. All of us, don’t forget that.’ JJ nudged Ty, then placed his fist in the middle of the huddle. ‘Brothers.’
One by one the rest of the defence placed their fist over JJ’s. ‘Brothers.’ Even Ty added his fist.
‘Brothers!’ They charged out of the huddle and to their positions. Already, Ty was a few steps further back than usual, and Vance noticed. A puzzled look overcame him, and though the cogs were visibly turning, he didn’t voice his question.
But, if Ty was going to play back, he was going to take what Ty was giving him. He stepped forward at the snap, ran ahead a few yards as Ty continued to back away and keep his distance. Vance snapped around with a quick hitch Curl. The QB fired the ball in, and Vance widened his stance, spreading his body out to block Ty off and protect the ball as it came towards him.
Panic flashed through Ty. He burst forward and dove around Vance, one arm stabbing towards the ball, thrusting his hand right between Vance’s as he went for the catch. Disrupting the catch, the ball popped into the air away from both Ty and Vance.
Chaos erupted. JJ’s eyes locked on the ball. He rushed towards it as it came crashing to the ground. He dove, hands extended. He cushioned the ball, thudding to the ground. It bounced off his hands. He lunged again, adjusting to the ball. He caught it once more, this time squeezing it so tight even a bear wouldn’t have been able to pry it from him.
Cats pounced on JJ from all angles, burying him at the bottom of a heavy pile. His brothers rushed over to knock the pile off him. Whistles pierced the sky as the officials closed in and broke the pile apart, getting to JJ at the bottom of it. They confirmed his interception and awarded the ball to the Dons.
Ty sat, watching the proceedings, a smile on his face. It wouldn’t show up on his stat sheet, but that interception was his making. He looked to the scoreboard, and his smile slowly faded. The offence would need a touchdown just to tie the game. He told himself it was fine; if he could cause one interception, he could cause another.
As the Dons switched from defence to offence, JJ, and even Ty were swarmed with praise from teammates and coaches alike. Ty kept the joy from his face, it was easier thanks to his annoyance at all the helmet slaps and friendly bumps and nudges from his teammates … still, he was always glad to have his greatness recognised.
The offence was glad to have another chance to make up for their earlier three-and-out mistake, and this time they were already starting within field goal range.
The Cats weren’t about to let them do as they pleased, however, and the Dons still had to overcome the new scheme confronting them.
First up, Chris was used as an answer. Not on the ground this time, but through the air. Benny was kept in to block, neutralising Muscles and keeping him from the play, whilst Chris ran over to the side of the field Stephen cleared out, hoping to find an opening in the void he and his double team left behind after they’d moved on.
Unfortunately, Chris was shadowed by another LB, and his Wheel route was covered, the pass getting deflected. At least the deflection didn’t bounce into another defender’s hands.
Cole was tried next. With Stephen attracting Safety help on the opposite side of the field, Benny was sent forward, barging through Muscles and bulldozing his way up the middle of the field to distract the second Safety, leaving Cole alone with Smoke.
Cole tried to flaunt his speed, but even with the afterburners all the way up, he couldn’t break through the cloud enveloping him, and Jay had to toss the ball away with no one open.
But with Cole and Benny both so closely guarded, a Mesh concept was called to free either one of them.
Cole was shifted in motion before the snap, then he and Benny ran across the middle of the field both with shallow Crosses in an attempt to get their defenders caught on one another. Benny went under Cole.
Even from his teammates, Smoke was untouchable and he wasn’t even fazed by Muscles, not missing a beat as he continued to run alongside Cole. On the other hand, Muscles stumbled as he crossed past Smoke and Cole, staggering in his stride.
Benny had some space, Jay flicked the ball over, and Benny caught it, turning upfield. Muscles recovered quickly, and with impressive speed, closed the distance between him and Benny, snagging his ankle and tripping him up.
Benny crashed to the ground after 8 yards. The Dons were on fourth down.
Coach Hoang looked to Coach Long. ‘Go for it. We need that touchdown. We’re close to breaking them open, trust in the boys, Coach.’
Coach Long’s bland face was twisted with worry. He mulled over Coach Hoang’s words, and turned to Coach Norman, wanting to hear from both his coordinators before making such an important decision regarding the fate of the game.
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Coach Norman shrugged. ‘It’s your call, Coach.’
‘Trust your gut, Dad, when’s it ever let you down.’
Coach Long smiled at his daughter. He turned back to the field. Kicking a field goal wouldn’t do much unless the defence could get another stop. But going for it was too risky, and there wasn’t any guarantee the offence would go on to score a touchdown even if they got a first down. It wasn’t worth it.
‘Send the kicking team out,’ he said.
Coach Norman signalled for the offence to leave the field, and the kicking team took their place. Heads were hung once more, but Benny spoke up, apologising to his peers. ‘I had that pass, if I just got those extra yards. I’m sorry.’
Cole shook his head. ‘If I was just a bit faster, I could’ve gotten away from that guy and been wide open for a touchdown pass on the play before. It’s not your fault.’
Stephen thumped loudly onto the bench as he sat down. His frustration with the double team—and his inability to break through it—was building.
Thankfully, the Dons did NOT miss their field goal. But even with the successful kick, the Cats held onto a 17–13 lead.
The Dons booted the following kick-off through the back of the endzone for a touchback. Coach Hoang held his defence up before they took the field.
‘I couldn’t ask for anything better than what you did last drive. Keep that pressure up, don’t let them off the hook, squeeze until they crack.’
Ty chuckled. He’d crush them, and this time he’d make sure not to leave anything up to chance; he’d rip their heart out and deliver it straight to the endzone personally.
The Cats had thrown out all stoicism now, but they weren’t desperate; they still had control of the game. They just had to slow things down, and eliminate all mistakes.
They opened with a pass this time, Ty backed off from Vance, sticking with the strategy that caused the interception.
Vance crossed through the middle of the field, the ball was thrown his way, and instead of holding his ground and trying to block Ty out, he stepped another yard closer to the pass. Ty’s diving lunge came up just short, and Vance secured the ball. He shrugged off Ty’s diving tackle, and pulled ahead for another few yards before another Don brought him down.
Ty picked himself up, frowning. He had just been a step too slow. If he could get there a little faster, he could cause another deflection… if he could be even faster than that, maybe he could get the interception himself.
But on the next play, Vance ran a Curl this time, and the same thing happened. Ty’s lunge was just short, his hand just didn’t reach the ball in time, and Vance caught the pass before spinning away, and with Ty still in the middle of the dive, he had no strength or leverage to bring Vance down.
Vance escaped for 11 yards before another Don made it over to him.
Archie was handed the ball on a Draw next, and following Blob, he picked up 5 yards.
Vance wasn’t the only Cat who could secure a catch either. The throws weren’t long, but they were effective. Whether it was a shallow Cross or a quick Slant, an opening could be found for a few more yards, and Archie could pick up the rest with his feet.
But, Vance was still the driving force. He’d figured out Ty’s gamble, and found the way to nullify it entirely. If Ty backed off, he couldn’t recover fast enough to get around Vance and impact the catch, but when he stuck close, Vance could push him around and manoeuvre him however he wanted.
Ty was stumped, and he was running out of time to find the answer. With a healthy mix of runs and passes, the Cats marched down the field, methodically and carefully. They chewed through the clock, and as time drained lower, they drew closer to the endzone until they were right at the goal-line.
With the Cats knocking on their door, the Dons huddled together. ‘We know what they wanna do,’ JJ said. ‘They’re gonna bust straight through us. We have to make a wall, a wall so strong it’ll stay standing no matter how hard they hit it, and they’re gonna hit it HARD. No matter what, if we stick together, we won’t be knocked down.’ He grabbed the Linemen and pulled them close. ‘We have to stay strong, because I believe in our teammates, our DBs, and if we give them a chance, they can stop their opponents too. Before that happens, we have to stand up and force the Cats back.’
The Line was expansive when both teams faced one another next, Zayden was brought in close like he was another LB, only Ty and Deshaun were left isolated on either side of the field with their respective Receivers. They expected the Cats to run, but Ty and Deshaun were still on their toes, they wouldn’t be able to impact the run defence, so they could only focus on their jobs of staying in front of their Receivers.
The Cats were straightforward with their first attempt, they only had three yards to get, and they were confident they could brute force their way forward. They handed the ball to Archie, and Blob surged forward. Archie slammed right into his backside, pushing him forward, but they only moved a single yard before the Dons wall held strong and forced them back.
The Cats were shocked, but they weren’t deterred. They needed two more yards, and even if they could only move one yard at a time, that was more than enough.
The next play was the exact same run. Archie used Blob as a battering ram. As he did so, Zayden rushed forward, slamming into the Dons wall from behind. The two forces collided, and it was the Cats who were repelled, bounced back for no gain at all this time.
Both Archie and Blob had been toppled, and the Dons stood over them defiantly, roaring triumphantly.
Panic-stricken, the Cats were unsure what to do. It was third down, realistically they had two more attempts to break down the Dons wall, but they still needed two yards, and what if they tried again and found no success? What if they were pushed BACK a yard?
“You know you want to throw a fucking pass,” Ty thought. He watched the Cats’ huddle, staring at Vance. “C’mon, tell them to trust you.”
The Cats’ huddle dispersed, and Ty knew from the way Vance strode to his spot that they were throwing. He grinned, but he didn’t tell anyone else about his hunch, he didn’t need to, no one else could interfere anyway, and he didn’t want them too.
But now that Ty knew they were passing, he only had one more play to figure something out, some way to stop Vance. “If I stay back, he secures the drop zone and I can’t get through him, but if I stick on him, he just shoves me off at the last second and they never call it… …what if? …”
He had to try something new. It was a gamble, of course, but he liked the odds of it better than his other options.
The ball was snapped, and this time the QB dropped back without even looking to hand it off. Vance and Ty locked arms. Vance shifted to the inside, Ty shifted with him. When Vance exploded to the outside, he pushed off Ty to keep him inside, but before Vance could pull him far out of position, Ty stepped back, keeping Vance at arm’s length, even as he gave up the outside.
He wasn’t as far back as he’d been playing before, but he wasn’t close enough for Vance to push around, he’d found the middle ground, a sweet spot Ty was happy with.
That was fine by Vance; he knew he was one-on-one, and he knew his options whether Ty was inside leverage, outside leverage, or smothering him over the top. He rushed forward, drifting out, then cutback to the ball and the inside.
The QB threw the ball over, and Vance stopped. As Ty rushed forward, Vance leaned back to bump Ty away and keep his catching area clear. However, Ty didn’t try to force through the contact, nor did he try to go wide around it. Instead, he spun off it, brushing by the initial impact and skirting around Vance’s block by the thinnest margin, putting himself right in front of Vance, right where the ball was.
Vance stumbled, eyes widening as Ty caught the pass against his stomach. Adrenaline rippled throughout Ty’s body from the impact the ball made against his core. He grinned, wrapped his arms around the ball, and took off.
Archie scrambled over to cut Ty off, he and the QB were the only ones with a chance of stopping Ty, the only ones capable of getting in front of him.
Archie knew Ty would cut further outside to keep his distance from the QB, he knew the boundary would help him contain Ty as well, but he couldn’t overcommit. He knew it.
Ty came forward. He knew Archie knew. He faked outside, shifted inside. He stepped inside, he was going inside. Archie thought it was crazy, but he didn’t know if Ty was crazy enough to go inside, to juke right into another tackler’s path. But he couldn’t leave it up to someone else, he had to take matters into his own hands and stop Ty right there. He lunged to the inside.
Ty’s cleats dug into the ground and he pushed hard off his inside foot. Archie fell to the ground, left in Ty’s dust, as Ty cut to the outside and tip-toed along a tightrope of green grass to stay in bounds.
Archie looked back, hoping he’d at least held Ty up enough for the QB to make it over and shove him out, but when Ty found solid, balanced footing, he shot away like a rocket. Everyone was left behind. It was just Ty, running free in the wind.
Ty soared across the field and into the endzone. His touchdown stole the lead for the Dons. He screamed as he flung the ball into the stands.