The vitiligo-ridden Safety turned and strode to the bench, his head held high as he was welcomed with adoration.
Ty followed, sitting right next to him on the bench. 'Supporting cast? I wouldn't even call you that. A supporting cast has to at least show up. Don't think one interception makes you important.
'One inter… look, asshole, all fucking year we have to cover for you. You're taking on ONE guy, everyone else is covering the whole field. But you wouldn't know, you're blind to everything outside of that one-on-one.
The Safety stood and found another spot on the bench far away from Ty.
'One guy?! I shut down… what the fuck is his problem? Jealous bitch.'
'You and Zay got problems?' JJ took the empty spot beside Ty.
'Zay?'
JJ looked to where the Safety was now sitting. 'Zayden… you don't know him? Huh, thought you two would've been close, you're in the same year.'
Ty's brow furrowed and he looked Zayden's way. "Another freshman… is that why he's so pissed I'm better than him?"
After the interception, the Dons started their drive right around half-field, however, they didn't get much further before they were already facing third down.
Before the snap, with both teams in formation, Jay scanned the field, and his eyes rested on one of the Gauchos' Safeties, number 37.
They weren't remarkable in any particular way. They looked more like a LB than a Safety with how broad they were, but, it wasn't their appearance that was striking. Jay was honed in on their feet and the way they positioned them.
The Safety stood far back, about 15 yards away from Jay, but Jay could've sworn one foot was positioned in front of the other, like the Safety was ready to sprint forward.
"A blitz?" Jay looked at Stephen who was spread out wide. Jay tapped both hands against his helmet. Stephen nodded in response to the signal. He stared down his opponent, unable to keep the smirk from his face.
Jay then turned to Chris. 'Stay in. Watch for 37.'
'Got it.' Chris's eyes flicked across to number 37.
The play had changed, the Dons knew it, the Gauchos would've known it too, though they didn't know what had changed. The Dons did—Stephen was going deep.
'Set … hike.'
Stephen feinted to the inside, shoved aside his defender's hands, then burst by the defender's outside shoulder. He streaked down the sideline at full speed, one hand in the air, eyes on Jay.
Jay's eyes were on the other side of the field for the moment, but they drifted towards the centre, looking for number 37, expecting to see him rushing right into Chris's waiting block … but number 37 was still on the right side of the field, high up in his zone, directly in Stephen's path.
Jay cursed. His eyes darted around, but the other Receivers were covered too, and Chris had double-teamed one of the Gauchos' Linemen. Jay didn't have anywhere to go.
Jay heaved the ball in Stephen's direction, but threw it well over his and both defenders' heads. The ball sailed out of bounds and the Dons were pushed to fourth down.
As the Dons returned to the bench, Jay apologised to Stephen.
'Nah, don't worry about it. You thought you saw something and you tried to punish that. Hah, just throw the ball somewhere I can catch it next time. I'll Moss both those pipsqueaks.'
'Ahh … yeah. Guess I shoulda just trusted ya.' Jay smiled.
His smile dropped when Coach Norman was waiting for him at the bench.
'What was that, Jay? Come on, now, are you even trying? You're just throwing it away out there. You better not be coasting on the back of the defence and thinking they'll win this game for you.'
Jay shook his head, moving past the OC to sit on the bench. He dumped his helmet beside him. 'No. It weren't nothing like that. … I was just trying something. Thought I saw something when I didn't. … But I got them figured out now, just you watch.' He gave Coach Norman his patented easygoing smile. 'Next drive … I promise we'll score a touchdown.'
'You owe us that. Not just me, but your defence too. You let that hard-earned turnover go to waste. Don't let it happen again, we need to capitalise on mistakes like that if we're going to win State this year.'
Jay sighed loudly as Coach Norman walked away. He hung his head back and covered his face with his cap. 'What a pain.'
When Ty next took the field, he kept an eye on Zayden.
In the Dons' Cover Three defence, Zayden was the Safety that played closest to the ball, and on the more congested side of the field—the Strong Safety.
As the Guachos' opening play was a run, Ty watched closely. Zayden surged towards the ball carrier. If someone did manage to get by JJ and the other LBs, Zayden was waiting for them.
The next play was a pass. Ty couldn't focus on Zayden during it, all his attention was put on Allen. The ball didn't come Ty's way. After the play was finished (for a short gain of 4 yards), Ty saw Zayden was still hovering closer to the line, more on the LB's level.
Ty scoffed. "The one time we were in Cover Four you got a random pick? What a fluke."
With only 4 yards needed for a first down, the Gauchos went to the air again.
Ty smothered Allen, JJ and Zayden shut down the middle, Donte pressured the QB. The QB stepped up and flung the ball out.
Deshaun dived around his man who was waiting for the ball after their Curl route, and spiked the ball into the turf. 'Get that shit outta here!'
Deshaun rolled to his feet, laughing and grinning. The Gauchos had a quick three-and-out of their own, and the offensive struggles of this low-scoring game continued.
The Dons offence, and Jay in particular, had another chance to redeem themselves. Jay had to think clearly, and work his way through this puzzle. He was close, he knew it, he just had to find the missing piece.
Before every snap, he watched number 37, he knew they were the weak link, he could feel it. He just had to find the right time to exploit it.
"He's announcing every play they make. Just gotta find the signs," Jay told himself.
To start the drive, the Dons moved the ball methodically. Jay wasn't the only one studying the Gauchos' moves, and with both Coach Long and Norman working on the problem, the Dons had no trouble progressing downfield.
With passes and runs, the Dons marched past half-field in their customary, slow, controlled fashion, only taking what the defence gave them.
When they reached field goal range, Jay stopped and analysed the Guachos' positioning again. "Find the sign, dammit."
His eyes fell on number 37 once more. The feet were aligned like they had been before … "What else is different?" Like fog clearing from his mind, Jay saw what was right in front of him.
He quickly turned to Chris. 'Stay in again. This time for real … I promise. … Oh, but if I'm wrong, just slip out and give me a target."
Chris nodded.
Jay turned to Cole, patting his chest, and then gave the same sign to Stephen. You couldn't have just one signal to send someone deep after all.
Jay took the snap and dropped back. He looked at Cole first, then worked his way across to the other side of the field where he knew Stephen would be racing down the sideline. And this time, he watched number 37 run headlong into Chris and stop like he hit a wall.
Jay smirked then launched the ball deep in Stephen's direction where he was left one-on-one with his man.
Jay threw the ball with all his might. As it plummeted towards the ground, Stephen leapt high above his defender and caught the ball above his head. He landed after a complete three-sixty and planted his feet firmly in the endzone.
Just like Jay had promised, the Dons had scored a touchdown.
Stephen ran back to Jay and the two dapped before walking to the bench together, where Coach Norman was waiting for them.
'That was a hell of a throw. A hell of a catch too. Good work out there,' Coach Norman said.
Jay quickly threw off his helmet. 'Nah, that was nothing. Should've been able to do that last time.'
'We'll see if you can keep doing that.'
The extra point was successful, and the Dons took a 13–0 lead.
When the Gauchos received the ball from the kick-off, they didn't have much time left in the half to hit the scoreboard and stop this run.
They kicked things off with a risky pass over the middle but it paid off. The Receiver took a big hit from JJ but they held onto the ball and the Gauchos picked up a quick 11 yards.
They hurried into the next play, though made the mistake of targeting Ty on another Corner route. The ball grazed Ty's fingertips before dropping out of bounds as the Gauchos narrowly avoided another turnover.
They didn't dwell on the fact for long and soon were looking for another pass. Not much was open, however, and the QB was forced to dump the ball off underneath to Joey.
Joey scampered forward and to the outside, though just before they could step out of bounds after a gain of 8 yards, Deshaun yanked them back in and the clock continued to run.
The Gauchos preserved a timeout, and pushed forward with a surprising run which earned them another 6 yards and a first down.
Now they called timeout. Both teams had a short breather. Afterwards, the Gauchos' next pass failed, thrown behind the intended Receiver as they once again targeted the middle of the field.
Going back outside, Allen came away with his first catch of the game on a Comeback route. His reception only earned the Gauchos 5 yards, and even though Ty shoved him out of bounds, Allen was moving backwards when he stepped out, so the clock didn't stop.
Facing third down, the Gauchos let the clock run as they planned their next attack. The Dons were content with time winding down despite the opportunity to get the ball back with one more stop.
The Gauchos came out with a fake Draw as their desperation rose. It almost worked. The ball reached the Receiver's hands. It was another cross over the middle, and though the double fakes had brought JJ slightly out of position, he'd recovered extremely quickly and was there in time to crush the Receiver right as he got his hands to the ball.
JJ speared the Receiver into the turf, and the ball bounced away as an incompletion.
The Gauchos had to punt the ball back to the Dons, but with under a minute left, and already holding a two-score lead, Coach Long was conservative and decided to run out the clock rather than risk anything.
In the locker room for the big break, Coach Long couldn't be happier with his boys.
'Defence, you boys need a big round of applause. You're playing perfectly. You've shut down everything they've tried, and even came away with a turnover. I couldn't ask for more.'
The coaching staff and the players—even the defenders themselves—clapped.
'The offence deserves praise too. You boys bounced back as well as you could've. We just have to keep punishing their defence and turn those red zone opportunities into touchdowns in the second half.'
Before the Dons left the locker room, Ty walked over to Zayden. 'Hey. I know you're just jealous of me for being better than you ever could. But stay out of my way, got it? I don't give a fuck what else you do as long as you don't screw me over.'
Before Zayden could even respond, Ty shoved past him and left. As Ty walked down the hall and towards the field, he heard Zayden's laughter bouncing after him.
In the second half, the Dons—led by their defence—continued to dominate.
The Gauchos' woes looked to be endless. Running to the outside didn't work, whether it was a direct Stretch or a Counter. Donte could hold down the edge, and the rest of the team would swarm after the ball.
Running up the gut was a no-go. They couldn't fend off JJ for long enough, not even with a lead blocker for Joey.
Any pass short and over the middle was smothered and stopped as well. Both JJ and Zayden led the swarm those times.
Ty had Allen clamped, and not even a short Curl or a one-step Slant could get enough separation.
Anything deep was impossible. Never mind the fact that the Gauchos' O-Line couldn't buy enough time to let such plays develop, the Free Safety (FS) was sitting on deep balls down the middle, and Deshaun had his side locked down.
The QB looked towards the empty space to the left side of the field, which would've been Ty's responsibility if he wasn't right on top of Allen, who had barely run a route at all if you could call his decoy Curl a route in the first place.
Before any other Receiver could race across the full width of the field to the opposite corner, Donte broke past the O-Line and crunched the QB into the dirt.
It was time for the Dons' first chance at offence in the second half.
The Gauchos defence, on the other hand, had much better adjustments after the break. They weren't trying to be as deceitful with their positioning before the snaps, nor were they as aggressive. They still got in the Dons' faces, but they weren't blitzing as much or as mindlessly.
They sat back, waiting and observing in a dense, wide Zone, and though Jay had plenty of time to find targets, none of them were open.
Maybe there was something from Chris when he slipped out of the backfield, but that would only earn them a single yard if any at all before the Zone collapsed on him.
The same could be said for if the Dons tried to run. The Gauchos' defensive wall was sturdy and steadfast. They weren't pushing too far forward, nor were they sliding back. Chris struggled to find a gap, and by the time he did, the rest of the defence would be waiting for him.
It wasn't long before the Dons had to give the ball back to the Gauchos.
It looked like the scoring had well and truly dried up, and the game was turning into another drawn-out defensive slog … just the kind of game Ty loved.
The Gauchos weren't happy with that.
They opened with another run, back to the outside. Ty watched Joey come towards him, but when Joey passed the QB, the QB held onto the ball. Ty stuck with Allen … but, Allen wasn't going anywhere.
When the run turned out to be fake, JJ and even Zayden skidded to a halt. Donte too. He'd been worried about chasing after Joey, and when he realised his target was still the QB, he was already in the O-Line's clutches.
Beyond Zayden, a Receiver sprinted by, unmatched.
The FS ran across, trying to close down the wide-open space behind Ty, but he was a step too slow.
The ball spiralled over the Receiver's head and fell right into his waiting hands. The FS got there in time to shove the Receiver out of bounds, but not before he picked up 22 yards.
For the first time all game, the Dons' crowd was silent.
When Ty reached the Dons' huddle, Zayden was glaring at him. 'See what I mean when I say we gotta cover for you?'
'Me?' Ty snapped. 'I'm not the one who fucked up and got pulled out of position by a fake.'
'Yeah, you were just distracted by a Receiver who didn't even run a fucking route!'
'Hey! Quit fuckin' bitchin',' Deshaun said. 'God damn freshies whinin' 'bout one fuckin' play. I can't stand that shit. Ty's right. You guys got caught out. His job is to play man coverage.'
'It's a team problem, and we'll fix it as a team,' JJ said. 'We can't let them do that again, and we have to respect the Play-Action too.'
Ty and Zayden were still glaring at one another as the huddle dispersed.
Ty lined up a few steps back, no longer pressing as close as he could to Allen before the snap.
After the snap, Allen came forward, lining Ty up as he initiated a block. Were they actually running this time?
Ty backed off another step and kept Allen at arm's reach. Allen didn't push further. He turned back instead. It was Play-Action. Again.
Allen curled back towards the ball, but Ty ignored him. His focus was on the QB. The QB wasn't looking this way, they were watching that same Receiver break through the middle of the field and towards the area behind Ty.
Zayden turned to follow them this time, but he was still a step behind the Receiver. Ty drifted further away from Allen, eyes still on the QB. When the ball left the QB's hand, Ty launched into a sprint.
He darted back to the drop of the ball, and threw himself in its path. It was HIS. Every ball was meant to be his. He dove far, and stretched his arms as much as he could until his hands clasped the ball … and then the Receiver hit him and the ball was dislodged from his grasp.
It tumbled to the turf, and Ty lost another interception.
Zayden turned away without helping Ty up. Ty stood and brushed himself off.
The next play the Gauchos finally gave the ball to Joey. After a couple of Play-Action passes in a row, the Dons were wrong-footed by the legitimate run, and it took them a second to react, during which Joey squirted ahead for 8 yards.
With the short yardage situation, JJ pressed closer to the Line. The Gauchos didn't even fake the run this time, but Ty had still backed off from Allen. The QB slung the ball over after only one step in his dropback. But Ty pounced like a loaded spring.
Allen had the wherewithal to step in Ty's way, and instead of a clean interception and possible pick-six, four hands met the ball at once and sent it crashing to the ground.
Ty growled, teeth grinding up a storm. He was keeping track of every pick he should've had, and the tally was growing way too big.
It was fourth down, but instead of leaving the field, the Gauchos kept their offence out.
They were beyond half-field by now, but not within field goal range. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and everyone could see the Gauchos were desperate.
The Dons matched them, and the Gauchos went back to the ground. No tricks, no Draw, just a straight Dive up the gut.
Joey squeezed ahead one yard, then slammed straight into JJ. It was a head-on collision, and Joey got the worst end of it. His teammates had to peel him off the turf, and though he held onto the ball, he was a yard short of the first down.
For the second time that day, the Dons started their drive within 5 yards of half-field … however, just like the previous drive, they failed to score any points from the excellent starting position.
As the Dons' offence headed for the bench after another embarrassing three-and-out, Cole, Benny, and even Stephen apologised for their inability to get open, but Jay shrugged. 'Don't worry about it. … Just look at the scoreboard.'
Jay had a wide smile as he and the others turned their attention to the scoreboard. The Dons' shutout was still intact, they still had the lead. The offence had done their job well enough, and the defence continued to over-perform in theirs.
As things moved into the fourth quarter, neither team had scored in the second half, and though the Gauchos were still within two possessions of turning things around. Even that felt impossible when faced with the Dons' defence.
'Hey! Samuels,' Coach Hoang said.
Ty slipped his helmet on and looked over, just about to enter the field.
'Drop back into Zone coverage. Forget 80, just watch the deep ball, look for that long Cross they've been doing.'
'What?'
'Something wrong with your ears? You heard me. You almost got a pick doing the same thing, so just trust me and do it, except this time, don't mess around acting like you're playing Man.'
Ty didn't have the time to argue. Snarling, he jogged onto the field. When he lined up, he was grumbling to himself. 'The hell is that stupid fucking coach thinking? Telling me to play Zone. I'm the best shutdown Corner in the country. I don't play Zone.'
'Are you okay? Should you be saying that out loud? I can hear what you're planning now,' Allen said.
'Shut up! Why do I even care about guarding worthless trash like you? I don't! You're beneath me. I could cover you in my sleep!'
'…That'd be … impressive. I'd want to see that.'
Ty's teeth ripped through his mouthguard as they ground together.
When the ball was snapped, Ty did as he was told and dropped back into a Zone, right where that Crossing route would've ended.
The QB looked that way, but seeing Ty sitting on the route, he pulled the ball against his chest. He looked towards Allen, ready to pass, but found Donte sitting in the flat with him.
The QB didn't see Zayden rush around the edge of the Line, unchecked, not until Zayden speared him into the turf.
The ball spilled free, rolling away. Zayden scrambled after it on all fours and threw himself over it before a pile of Linemen fell on top of him. When the officials got to the bottom of the pile, Zayden was still there, squashed down but still clutching the ball.
The fumble and the Dons' recovery of it might've ended the game, but Chris running in a touchdown a couple of minutes later was the final nail in the Gauchos' coffin.
The Dons cruised to victory both on offence and defence after that, and closed out their season with another shutout.
When the clock struck zero and the game was officially over, the field came alive. The fans and players alike were celebrating like they'd won a championship. All except Ty.
Coach Long chuckled and let the boys have their fun for a minute before he stepped in. 'Hey now. I know you're excited but let's save the parade for when we qualify for State at least,' He was beaming, and the smile didn't leave his face, even when the players dumped a barrel of ice and Gatorade over him.
Ty was the only member of the team who wasn't laughing after Coach Long was drenched.
As the Dons celebrated their way to the locker room, the final score read 20–0.
The coaches let the boys dance and cheer their hearts out as they revelled in their victory. Ty sat in the corner of the room, watching silently.
Coach Hoang soon approached him. 'You don't look happy, Samuels.'
'Why are they THIS happy?'
Coach Hoang looked across the room. 'It was another great win. And this is the best season they've ever had. Eight wins, two losses? That's the best year we've had since I've been here. It could also be that this year, it feels like, not only could we reach State, but we could win it.' Coach Hoang grinned as he looked at Ty's astonished face. 'You're a big part of that, Samuels, so you should celebrate and enjoy it too.'
Ty shook his head. 'I'll celebrate when we're National champions.'
'Hahaha. God, you're a buzzkill.'
When things eventually settled down enough for Coach Long to address the players—still in his soaking wet clothes—he awarded Zayden the game ball, stating that his two turnovers changed the flow of the game.
Ty stewed in silence, but once everyone was packing up to go home, he stepped over to Zayden. 'I wonder where that kind of effort and performance has been all season. Maybe you shouldn't need to get mad at me just to play the best game of your life. Don't you think your opponents should give you more motivation instead?'
'Holy shit you're so fucking full of yourself. Hey asshole, news flash—no one here gives a single fuck about you. You're the one who sounds mad jealous right now.' Zayden tucked his trophy under his arm. 'Maybe if you focused more on yourself instead of what I'M doing, you could've taken this home instead.'
Ty was bewildered for a moment before he broke out into laughter. His laughter turned to a cackle as it echoed around the room. 'Jealous!? Why the fuck would I be jealous of a pale-faced freak?! I'm the best! Everyone knows it. And I'll back it up too. I don't need to brag about some disgusting fluke of a game. I've been the best player all season, and when I hoist the State championship, everyone will know I'm the best CB in California. … Then, I'll do the same for the nation.'
Zayden was already leaving. He didn't look back. Ty left not long after and stalked off into the night, steaming under the cool, autumn moonlight.