DJ awoke to the sound of his alarm blaring, and he knew it was game day. He quickly went through his morning routine, working out, showering, and eating a hearty breakfast. As he dressed, he felt a sense of anticipation build. The school day seemed to pass in a flash as it was time.
He got to the lockeroom where he slipped on his carefully planned outfit: white wristbands, a compression shirt under his teal jersey, two white leg sleeves. He took a moment to admire the reflection in the mirror, remembering the saying 'you look good you play good, you play good they pay good .'
The atmosphere was electric. The air buzzed with the excitement and tension of game day. DJ could hear his teammates joking and hyping each other up as they got ready. Coach Thompson walked around, offering
words of encouragement and last-minute advice.
DJ began his own pregame ritual, double-checking his gear and stretching out. The locker room was a cacophony of sound: the
clatter of cleats on the floor, the rustling of jerseys, and the murmur of focused conversation. DJ put in his earbuds, allowing the music to drown out the noise as he mentally prepared himself for the game.
"Sharks on 3, Family on 6. 1-2-3 SHARKS! 4-5-6 FAMILY!" DJ shouted, the team's battle cry echoing through the locker room as they finished their warm-up and ran onto the field.
'It's go time.'
The team then headed to the field for their
warm-up drills. The stands and student section were already packed, a sea of teal and white as fans eagerly awaited the start of the game. DJ's heart swelled with pride as he spotted Brianna and her family in the stands, their presence giving him an extra boost of motivation. His dad was there too, a rare
sight due to his busy work schedule. Even more surprising was the sight of his older brother, Jalen, standing beside their father, both of them waving and cheering him on.
'How is he even here?'
The cheerleaders performed an energetic routine, their pom-poms flashing in the night lights. The school band played a rousing
rendition of the school fight song, their instruments gleaming under the stadium lights. The crowd's energy was infectious and at all time high, and DJ could feel it fueling his focus.
Kickoff was approaching, and DJ took his place on the sideline, watching as Malik lined up for the return seeming relaxed as if daring the team to kick it his way. The ball sailed through the air, and Malik caught it cleanly, his speed and explosiveness immediately on display. He dodged a few defenders, weaving through the field with precision before being
brought down just past the 40-yard line. The crowd erupted in cheers, setting the tone for the game.
On the first play, Malik was used on a jet sweep since coach could tell he was feeling it today. The ball was snapped, and Malik
took off, taking the handoff from James and sprinting to the edge. He turned the corner and gained significant yardage, leaving defenders grasping at air. The Sharks' offense was firing on all cylinders right from the start.
First Quarter
DJ lined up for his first route of the game, a
deep post. The cornerback opposite him looked young and a bit inexperienced he
couldn't even look DJ in the eyes, a stark contrast to the seasoned defenders DJ had faced last season and in the sim. At the snap, DJ exploded off the line, hitting a double move as he faked an out route before cutting sharply. James saw the opening and launched the ball. DJ tracked it over his shoulder, leaping up to make the catch, twisting his body mid-air to secure the ball. He landed and sprinted downfield, finally being tackled inside the 10-yard line.
"Man, DJ's on fire already!" Malik
shouted as he jogged over for the next play.
On the next down, seeing the corner backed up a little bit DJ used a hop release as if trying to lull the corner to sleep before running a quick slant, catching the ball in stride and diving into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. The crowd erupted, with the band playing triumphantly as DJ celebrated with his teammates with the lineman raising him up high.
The Sharks' defense managed to hold Lincoln High to a field goal on their next possession, making the score 7-3.
Back on offense, DJ was wondering which route the offensive coordinator was gonna call for him: out routes, slants, posts,
comebacks, curls, go routes. Each time, he left the cornerbacks trailing behind, using his speed and precise footwork to create separation so the coordinator had options. On one play, he executed a perfect out route selling with his eyes and shoulders that he was cutting inside before hitting the brakes and moving towards the sideline, catching the ball just as he stepped out of bounds, leaving the cornerback shaking his head in frustration.
Second Quarter
Lincoln High managed to score a touchdown on a long pass, taking the lead at 10-7. The Sharks needed to respond.
This time DJ lined up against a more experienced cornerback this time, he seemed older and had more size to him. On the first
down, he ran a sharp comeback route selling the go route. Before James hit him perfectly, and DJ turned upfield, dodging a defender by lowering his center of gravity and planting his weight on his right foot before shifting it and
gaining extra yardage before being taken down. The Sharks were moving the chains.
On the next play, DJ ran a slant route again,
drawing the attention of two defenders. This left Malik open on a curl route. James saw it and fired a dot to Malik, who made the catch and turned upfield, juking past a defender by simply stopping on a dime and dodging a diving tackle, gaining a crucial first down.
The Sharks continued to march down the field. On third and long, DJ ran a deep out route. The corner was all over him, but DJ
used his strength to create just enough separation. James threw a high pass. DJ
jumped, extending his arms to make an incredible one-handed catch over the arms
of the corner. The crowd went wild as DJ came down with the ball getting up and slamming his hand against his chest as he got hype, keeping the drive alive.
Near the end zone, DJ ran a fade route, he stuttered with his feet for a moment before bursting forward and leaping up, outmuscling
the cornerback and high-pointing the ball to score another touchdown. The Sharks took back the lead, 14-10.
Lincoln High managed to score another field goal before halftime, making the score 14-13. The game was close, and tensions were high.
Halftime
In the locker room, Coach Carter rallied the team. "We're doing great out there, but we need to tighten up on defense right
now there not confident in there passing so were gonna adjust to stop the run, and keep pushing on offense. Stay focused and keep playing our game."
DJ and James shared a moment, discussing their strategy for the second half. "Let's keep them guessing," James said. "We'll mix up the routes, I'll try to get the line backers and safety to bite on some pump fakes and worry about me scrambling so you can go free."
Third Quarter
The Sharks received the ball to start the second half. On the first play, DJ ran a go route with Coach Carter wanting to bomb
them deep from the start, drawing double coverage. This left Travis open on a crossing route. James hit him in stride, and Travis used his strength to break a tackle and gain extra yards as he stiff armed someone into the ground.
DJ continued to dominate his matchups. On one play, he ran a perfect slant route as he saw James scrambling to his right, James immediately threw it to him on the run with DJ catching the ball and using his speed to break away from the defenders. He lowered his shoulders and waist as he exploded towards the sideline before planting his foot and spinning to his left, gaining significant yardage before being brought down, putting the Sharks in scoring position.
Near the red zone, DJ ran a post route while tapping his helmet trying to get James attention to show there was a short corner on
him, it was a mismatch. James threw a high, arching pass with the corner hot on his tail but DJ leaped off one foot, rotating his body in mid-air to adjust to the throw, and caught the ball with outstretched arms over the corner as he used his body to shield the ball away. He landed smoothly and continued to the end zone, leaving the defenders stunned. The Sharks extended their lead to 21-13.
Unexpectedly Lincoln High responded with a
touchdown as they faked a handoff before lobing it up to their Tight End who was free. And they ended up scoring a two-point conversion, tying the game at 21-21. The game was intense, and both teams were giving it their all.
Fourth Quarter
The Sharks knew they had to dig deep. DJ knew it was his time as his body felt light due to 'Closer' he lined up for a critical third down. Where he ran a smooth out route, catching the ball just as he stepped out of bounds,
keeping the drive alive. The crowd cheered, sensing a momentum shift.
On the next play, DJ ran a curl route, drawing the attention of the outside linebacker and middle linebacker. This left Malik open
on a jet sweep. James handed him the ball, and Malik used his speed to turn the corner and get 1 on 2 with the outside linebacker and safety on the right side of the field, But in open field Malik felt invincible as he froze for a moment before making the linebacker miss and gaining significant yardage.
With the ball near the goal line, DJ ran a zig route. As he sold the slant route before hitting the brakes and running to catch the ball in stride near the sideline, but instead saw that James was throwing out of a sack so DJ seeing the ball get thrown behind him whipped his arm behind to snatch it from being an interception and stepped into the end zone, scoring his third touchdown of the game. The Sharks took the lead, 28-21.
Lincoln High tried to respond, but the Sharks'
defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs. The Sharks took over, looking to seal the win.
On a critical third down, DJ ran a deep post
route. The cornerback was right on him trying to press him at the line, but DJ used his strength to swipe his arms away before using his agility to create separation as his feet dug into turf making sound that sounded like a his feet trying to rip the field apart. James threw a perfect pass, and DJ caught it in stride, securing the ball and gaining significant yardage.
The Sharks were in control. With time running out, they handed the ball off to Malik on a jet sweep. He turned the corner and sprinted downfield, dodging defenders by making quick short hops left and right and ducking to dodge defenders gaining good yardage. The Sharks were in scoring position once again.
Near the end zone, DJ ran a fade route being quick with his feet by selling the cut to the middle before he leaped up, outmuscling
the cornerback and high-pointing the ball to score another touchdown. The crowd
erupted in cheers as the Sharks extended their lead to 35-21.
With only seconds left, Lincoln High managed to score a quick touchdown, but it was too little, too late. The final score was 35-21 in favor of the Sharks.
———
As the final whistle blew, the team gathered on the field, celebrating their hard-fought victory. Coach Carter gave a quick
speech, praising their effort and focus. "Great job out there, Sharks! Keep this momentum going. DJ, you've set the bar high. Let's keep raising it!"He said as he hand him the game ball
Brianna and her family, along with DJ's dad and brother, made their way onto the field to congratulate him. Brianna ran up and hugged DJ tightly, before DJ picked her up and spun her around.
"You were amazing out there!" she exclaimed.
DJ's dad pat him on the back, smiling. "Proud
of you, son. You played your heart out."
Even Jalen, who was usually reserved, gave DJ a nod of approval. "Nice work, bro. looks like my trip wasn't wasted."
"Wait how are you even here doesn't your season start in a couple of week." DJ asked
"I didn't have classes today so I asked coach if I could come see you, so don't worry about it." He said while smiling
DJ felt a deep sense of gratitude. The support of his family and friends meant everything to him. As they walked off the field together, he knew that this was just the beginning of a promising season.
Nearby, Malik was having his own post-game moment. Addison, a girl he had been talking to lately, ran up to him, her face beaming.
"Malik, you were great, congrats on your win!"
Malik grinned, wrapping his arms around her.
"Thanks, Addie. Couldn't have done it without you." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek while grinning like a fox, the excitement of the win boosting their emotions. Addison blushed deeply, her heart pounding in her chest, "Hey don't everybody's looking stop."
"Don't worry about it, they can just talk to me at school on Monday or just text me." Malik said while putting her in a vice grip determined to not let her go
"Just let me go for a little." She said weakly
"I refuse."
"If you don't let me go ill refuse to talk to you."
She said as she wasn't good with public displays of affection
"Don't worry about It ill just refuse your
refusal." Malik nodded like it made perfect sense.
Not far away, Travis was sharing a moment with Ellie, a girl he had been getting to know recently. She had been cheering loudly for him all game to the point she was losing her voice, and now she looked at him with a mix of admiration and something else. "Travis I don't really understand the rules that well but you looked cool." she said, her voice filled with awe.
Travis chuckled, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Thanks, Ellie. Your cheers really kept me going." They lingered in the hug, their faces close, the air thick with unspoken feelings. Ellie bit her lip, looking up at Travis while simply saying "your sweaty."
"Oh sorry do you want me to let you go." Travis said while starting to let her go before he felt his rib cage about to break
through his pads and jersey."
"I didn't say that you idiot." She said tightening her grip "I don't mind." she said while smiling
Game Stats:
Final Score: Sharks 35 - Lincoln High 21
DJ's Stats: 12 receptions, 275
yards, 5 touchdowns
Malik's Stats: 8 receptions, 85
receiving yards, 95 rushing
touchdown
Travis's Stats: 4 receptions, 60
yards, touchdown 3 Blocks