Ty looked across the Trailblazers' captains again, ignoring Lennox. Lennox was beneath him, not worthy of an answer. Mental Warfare.
JJ stepped towards their opponents, offering a handshake. Kieran accepted it first. Lennox took a second to see the extended hand, then shook it, keeping his eyes on Ty. Mason stepped up last.
He squeezed JJ's hand tightly. Ty saw the veins popping out on Mason's forearm, the malice in his grin. JJ's smile became strained, but didn't fade. Mason's eyes widened as the ambush turned into a contest of strength.
The moment only lasted a few seconds before both young men pulled away from one another; a draw based on their reactions as they both flexed their still trembling hands.
Jay shook his head, looking away from JJ and over at Kieran. 'Nice haircut,' he said, his carefree smile sliding back into its familiar place.
Kieran snickered, looking Jay up and down, measuring him on the spot. 'Same. You off to Yemen after this?'
The other Trailblazers laughed, a mirthless thing that never touched their eyes. Jay kept his smile as he turned to the official and listened to their instructions regarding a game.
The officials wanted the boys to play clean and have fun above all else. Ty pushed the droning voice into the background noise alongside the hum of the gathering crowd.
'I know you heard me,' Lennox said.
Ty only responded when the head official asked the Dons for their choice regarding the coin toss. He leaned over and said: 'Tails.'
Jay glanced his direction, but said nothing about the overstepping of any boundaries. JJ just smiled as the coin flipped through the air and landed on the turf, the tails side facing the sky. The Dons had won the toss, and Ty marked down another point in his column for the mental warfare.
'We'll defer,' JJ said.
Lennox shrugged as Mason interacted with the official and told them which end of the field they'd attack in the first half. 'Hey, it's better we start with the ball,' Lennox said. 'Means I don't have to wait to expose you as a fraud.'
'The only frauds here are you guys,' Ty said. 'Undefeated champions for how long now? All because you've never had to face me. Enjoy your last hour as champions. The trophy comes home with me today.'
Lennox laughed. As the teams separated, he was still grinning.
Ty returned to the bench, finding Coach Hoang waiting for him. 'You know the plan, right?' Coach Hoang asked.
'Of course,' Ty said, 'but that won't stop you from going over it again, will it?'
'Just sit down, Samuels, and save the smart-ass comments for your opponents.'
Ty scoffed like he was actually offended, though sat with a smile. Coach Hoang continued.
'You're gonna be one-on-one with Freeman to start the game, and even if things go south, it's gonna have to stay that way. I can't waste any resources bailing you out of a bad situation. We need to use those numbers to cover everything else in our Zone.'
'I got it. You can trust me. That shit against Mater Dei was a fluke. I don't need someone watching my back. You know I'm at my best when everyone else is in a Zone and I'm playing MEG coverage. It's just the way I like it.' The discussion brought another Meg to Ty's mind. He fought the urge to turn around and scan the crowd for her.
'For all our sake's I hope you're right about not needing help, but Mater Dei and Langford weren't a fluke, Samuels. Don't let Freeman become a "fluke" either.'
Coach and player stared at one another as the teams took to the field for the opening kick-off—Spike Weedon, Sierra Canyon's starting Running Back, was also their return man.
'I'm not losing,' Ty said.
Coach Hoang nodded, convinced by Ty's resolve, though not all his fears had been removed. He rolled away from Ty, as the opening kick-off resulted in a touchback.
'Remember the game plan,' Coach Long said as the defence streamed onto the field.
'Let's go, Dons!' Bella shouted.
Ty finally looked back as he stepped onto the field, quickly scanning the crowd. Meg stood out as if she were glowing—she was surrounded by strangers. But she was there, a few rows above the Dons' bench. She waved frantically. Ty raised a hand in acknowledgement, then turned back to the field, eyes locking onto Lennox.
The crowd reached a fever-pitch as the two teams lined up opposite one another. Ty knew he had the lead mentally, but that tally had to take a backseat now that the real contest would begin. Still, there was time for one last exchange.
'How many catches do you think you're getting this game?' Ty said. ' 'Cause I can tell you the answer.'
'Let me guess, zero?' Lennox responded dryly.
'Three less than me,' Ty said, grinning.
Lennox matched him grin for grin. 'Actually, I think I'll be getting more interceptions than you, this game. We have to show everyone who the real number one defence is, after all.'
The Trailblazers snapped the ball; the first play began. Lennox jabbed towards the inside, Ty shimmied that way, then followed him as he burst outside. Ty's spear struck, and Lennox caught the blow. Both boys fought for leverage and positioning. Meanwhile, Kieran had handed the ball over to Spike.
It was a run, a tester up the middle through Power. A pulling Guard led the way, though the battle-hardened Dons D-Line slammed shut and held firm. Spike squeezed through a narrow gap and ran into the waiting arms of JJ.
It was like a bear with boa constrictors for arms had him in its grip. There was nothing he could do, any fight was futile, as JJ dragged him to the ground for a gain of only a single yard.
JJ helped him back to his feet, and Spike accepted the hand, once again marvelling at JJ's strength. He walked back to the Trailblazers' huddle, rubbing his arms, feeling as if they'd bruise after the game from the first tackle alone.
He laughed, and his teammates looked at him funny. Spike ignored them. He knew why King Denzel had fallen and been dethroned. But that meant the throne was his for the taking. He'd just have to beat JJ a different way.
Ty and Lennox had come away from their first confrontation in a stalemate. Stalemate's benefited the defender, but Ty knew, even without the play being a run, they'd both been feeling out the other, testing the waters. Nothing conclusive had happened.
The next play was another run. Again Lennox burst forward, this time running straight through Ty, slipping aside from the initial press, but Ty was quick to recover and follow, bumping him off his line and staying in front of him.
Spike took the ball outside on a Toss. If the middle was congested, and the Dons had the power advantage, he'd burn them with speed.
The edge was sealed off. Donte cut off any wide route, holding his ground against the Tackle. Spike cut through the opening between Guard and Tackle, taking a narrower route. He was shocked to see JJ already closing on him.
He tried to spin away from the tackle, further inside, against the grain of JJ's momentum, but one of those thick arms wrapped around him and he was stuck. Writhing and thrashing; spinning more only trapped him further.
He crashed to the ground for a gain of 2 this time. The Dons' defence was number one for a reason, and Spike was knowing the rushing side of that ranking more intimately with each play.
Third down, and still with seven yards to go. Sierra Canyon were unfazed. It was business as usual for the juggernaut, even as they met such fierce resistance. And the plan hadn't changed despite the hole they found themselves in.
On the third play, Lennox shot towards the outside, no fake out of the gate. He slapped Ty's hands away, shrugging off the persistent press, though Ty slowed his acceleration and kept pace with him down the sideline. Initially, it looked like the first pass would happen. And then Kieran handed the ball to Spike on a Draw.
Sierra Canyon looked to catch the Dons off balance. Logic dictated the best odds of picking up a first down in their situation depended on a pass, but they wanted to use that to their benefit by going against it.
JJ wasn't fooled. Despite the run ending with their biggest gain so far, it was only 3 yards, not nearly enough for a first down.
The Dons came away with the first victory of the day, as the Trailblazers resorted to their punting team.
Ty separated from Lennox, neither boy smiling nor frowning. They each still had too many questions to answer. Namely, who would be the first to figure out the other?
Coach Hoang welcomed the defence back, ecstatic with their performance. 'THAT's the effort I need to see from you EVERY play. That was perfect! Sit down, sit down, rest up.' He patted the boys on the back as they streamed by. 'Don't forget what just happened and don't ease up next time you're out there. They'll start passing next time, but we can't forget about the run. You know, I thought we might've struggled with their run. I thought their speed could've been a problem. It'd be much easier if they were a power running team like Warren.'
JJ laughed. 'Nah, that's nothing to worry about. The King was faster than this guy. Scary fast.'
Ty nodded in agreement as he gulped down his water. Denzel was a freak of nature. As sturdy as a tank, as fast as a Formula One car. And they'd taken him down. No other RB could ever pose a problem for them.
'Hey, don't forget about sealing the edge,' Coach Hoang said. 'I don't care if Kingston was faster. Their only way of moving the ball on the ground will come from the outside.'
'Sir yes Sir, you got it, Coach!' Donte answered. 'If they can't break through me, they won't be fast enough to get around me, I promise.'
Coach Hoang laughed. 'Good.'
After a fair catch on the punt, it was the Dons' turn on offence. Raucous cheers welcomed them onto the field, and again the crowd built to a crescendo as the teams faced off against one another for the first time, now with roles reversed.
The Dons started slowly, keeping things on the ground for the first play. They wanted to stretch the Trailblazers, test their edge, and they paid for it.
Sierra Canyon swarmed around the edge of the Dons' O-Line, and tackled Chris in the backfield, bringing him down for a loss of a yard.
Jay was the first one over to help him back to his feet, telling him not to worry about it. His voice carried none of the usual carefree drawl he had, almost like a stoner-accent, and instead was firm and sharp. It was a voice that said there was no point worrying about it, because they'd get those yards back and more.
Whilst technically true, the result of the Dons' second play wasn't MUCH better.
The Dons went to the air earlier than Sierra Canyon and found a formidable anti-air system awaiting them. Everyone was covered tightly, and the pocket collapsed quickly. Jay found Benny for a dump-off pass, but the TE was buried immediately after catching the ball, and only gained 3 yards.
Jay told the team not to worry, but now his mouth was set in a tight frown. The Dons were staring down the barrel, with 8 long yards to go. The situation called for another pass.
This time, Jay looked to his trusty reliever. Stephen was their best bet, even if he was being matched by Lennox.
The duel between the two seemed as much a stalemate as Lennox and Ty's had been. As Stephen hurried down the sideline, Lennox matched him step for step.
Jay lobbed the ball up high, making use of Stephen's superior height … but Lennox's leap was better—better timed and higher—and he reached the ball first, swatting it out of bounds.
The Dons' first drive ended as quickly as the Trailblazers' had. The game was an early stalemate, with both defences reigning supreme after each offence's first outing.
Coach Long welcomed the offence back to the bench with encouraging words, telling them to keep their heads up. It was a marathon, not a sprint, and the game was still anyone's for the taking.
Spike got some room to work with on the punt return, and earned Sierra Canyon another 7 yards, bringing their starting position out to their own 31 yard-line.
Ty and Lennox came face-to-face once more. Ty was the first to smile.
'Are you guys too scared to pass the ball?' he said.
'Careful what you wish for,' Lennox responded, a grin creeping onto his face just before the snap.
He shot inside, one arm raised like a shield, shrugging off a glancing blow from Ty's spearing hand. Lennox rushed across the field on a Slant, and Ty chased, draped over him, cutting off any possible pass. Ty's gaze flashed towards Kieran. It was a real pass, not another fake, even so, Ty felt Lennox was holding back.
On the other side of the field, Deshaun covered his man well, working within his limits and running him into help from another Zone.
Big Barry Bundy, the Trailblazers' TE, found the middle of the field too congested, and even as he drifted out to the flat, JJ shadowed him.
Kieran saw no openings, no windows to throw into. The O-Line was holding, but not forever. Still, he didn't panic. He waited as long as he could, and when time ran out, he threw the ball away.
In the following huddle, he pulled Spike forward and had a word with him.
Ty took the first actual victory, as minuscule as it was. 'Zero catches,' he said, reminding Lennox of his promise. Despite the results, both boys walked away with a smile.
The next play, Sierra Canyon stuck to the air. Lennox shot inside again, again deflecting Ty's spear. This time he burst forward at a lesser angle, more vertical as Ty raced ahead of him, backpedalling rapidly. Lennox cut outside after 10 yards, and Ty lagged behind a fraction of a second—the slightest hesitation. It cost him half a step, but he was still there to cover Lennox.
Elsewhere, everything played out similarly to the first play. The only difference was that Spike floated out to the flat instead of Barry, and he was open for a check down pass. He didn't get far before Deshaun and others dropped down to stop him, only 5 yards, but it brought Sierra Canyon halfway to their goal. All they needed was one more play.
Ty and Lennox stood opposite one another, staring deep through each other. 'Don't they trust you? They're not passing to you,' Ty said.
'I haven't called for it yet,' Lennox said.
'So you don't trust yourself?'
'I just don't need to make my move. YET.'
Neither boy moved before the snap, not even a twitch. When Kieran's cry sent them into motion, Lennox shot outside.
Ty hesitated, almost missing him completely with his spear. Lennox smirked. They raced down the sideline. A battle of straight-line speed favoured Ty. Lennox shimmied and stalled Ty for a moment, but it was only a faint and the race continued, Ty catching back up.
Without warning, Lennox twisted around, hands jutting out. Ty whirled. His attention had been captured by Lennox and he'd lost track of the ball. His hand flung out even before he found the ball, and that instinct saved him. The ball was much closer than he expected; Lennox had waited until the last possible moment to spin around for the catch, showing off supreme confidence and chemistry between Receiver and QB to have such perfect timing with one another. Ty knocked the ball aside.
Lennox finished his spin and staggered to a stop. Ty almost fell over, but caught himself, then clapped his hands together aggressively. That should've been an interception. If he was paying attention, that would've been a pick.
Despite the incompletion and what it meant—another punt for the Trailblazers—Lennox came away grinning. Did he know they'd only escaped an interception by the skin of their teeth?
With the scowl Ty wore when he returned to the bench, you'd have thought he and Lennox had switched teams. Even though the first exchange went in Ty's favour, Lennox was the happier of the pair.
Coach Heenan met Lennox by the Trailblazers' bench. 'You alright, Lennox?' he asked. 'What's the smile about?'
'Oh, I'm better than alright, Coach,' Lennox answered.
The final piece had fallen into place, and with it, the greater picture had become clear. Lennox could see it all now. Despite being hailed as the best CB in the state, leading the charge for the best defence in the state, Tyrese Samuels wasn't anything special. But if he was so highly touted, he was Lennox's meal ticket. Beating him, dominating him, embarrassing him, would ensure Lennox got a mixtape of his own after this. The world would be abuzz with the one who took down the "Black Hole" and Lennox would establish himself as a true contender for the greatest.
'I've got him downloaded,' Lennox said. 'This game's an easy win.'