Lennox had a short break during the punt, which Chris fielded with a fair catch. Then he was back out, following the Dons' offence, and facing off against Stephen.
Stephen had a few inches on the two-way Trailblazer, but he stared down at Lennox like he was a whole foot taller. Lennox leered up at him with a sharp, cocky grin Stephen had seen all too much throughout practice that year.
The ball was snapped, and Lennox didn't back down from Stephen. He kept his focus on the big man, even as Jay looked to hand the ball off to Chris. It was a fake, so Lennox made the right choice in sticking to Stephen like glue.
Across the field, the Play-Action had earned Cole some rare space, and Jay was quick to capitalise on it, hitting him mid-stride on his shallow Cross.
Cole scrambled ahead, but was tackled shortly after the catch. The play was good for 5 yards, meaning the Dons were already halfway to earning another set of downs.
With extra plays in hand, the Dons went back to the ground; no tricks, no Play-Action. The hand-off went to Chris as he sliced up the middle. Upon reaching the Line of Scrimmage, he slammed into an immovable wall, and then the ground a heartbeat later.
The Trailblazers' D-Line was as impenetrable as Chris had even seen. It made sense how they could withstand Denzel and even dominate him. But the wall wasn't insurmountable, no, the thing that made it so imposing, was the hidden cannonball that came exploding through it.
Mason Eubanks was, if not a physical match for JJ, even more formidable. He'd been the one to stop Denzel. Getting hit by him was like getting trampled by a rhino. If the ball hadn't been pinned between them, Chris would've lost it.
The Dons had to help Chris back to his feet and send him off to the bench. Thankfully, he was just winded and nothing was broken. Cameron took his place for the third down, but the Dons were passing either way.
Lennox had won his first exchange with Stephen, but Jay wouldn't give up on the giant that easily. Unfortunately, Jay still hadn't seen through the oppressive defence and found their weakness, but every play was another clue he desperately needed.
Jay and Stephen locked eyes before the snap, nodded at one another.
'Set … hike.'
Jay took the ball, eyes locked on Benny over the middle of the field. They needed to clear some space for Stephen. Cameron stepped up, an extra shield to buy Jay the time he needed.
Stephen had burst forward at the snap, and Lennox backpedalled after a tentative press. 8 yards deep, Stephen made his move. He turned outside, but it was only a feint. As Lennox followed, Stephen stepped through and spun back to the inside. He leaned towards Lennox as he passed him, lowering his shoulder. If Lennox was going to play so close, Stephen would use his size and strength to force open a space. With how big he was, he didn't need to push off fully, didn't need to foul to create the space he needed.
But Lennox wasn't there. He'd swayed back a step, and Stephen found nothing to lean against, nothing to shove off. Stephen stumbled, caught himself a step later, and continued his charge across the middle of the field, attacking the opening Benny had created.
Jay watched him. There was just enough space; Stephen was just big enough that if he threw it high, only Stephen could catch it. Jay stepped into the throw, loosed the ball. He should've been watching Lennox.
Lennox was a half step behind Stephen after the cut back inside, a gap he could close whenever he wanted. He waited for the right moment and found it when Jay cocked back to throw. The raised arm was the signal, like the starting gun before a race, and Lennox jumped into motion. He jumped the pass early, undercutting Stephen, putting himself between the giant and the eventual flight path of the ball. When it left Jay's hands, the ball had only one destination—Lennox.
Lennox snagged the ball from in front of Stephen's face. The Dons' side of the crowd gasped in terror. Stephen lunged, latching onto Lennox's shoulders, yanking him to the ground. The Trailblazers' fans were already screaming.
Ty watched the play from the sideline, outwardly silent and impassive. It had been a good move from Lennox. The entire sequence was good, and Ty knew the outcome was what Lennox had intended from the onset. He hadn't been playing just to stop Stephen, he'd been playing for the interception, and he'd executed his plan to near perfection. Ty wouldn't have changed much, but he definitely would've run the pick back for a touchdown.
Lennox was clearly a talented CB, and Mason was a nigh-unbreakable MLB. Ty saw why they were the second ranked defence. Second because they were just an off-brand version of the Dons.
Ty knew the stuff Lennox did on defence took a lot of practice and study—learning your opponent's habits, their tells, and their favourite plays was half the battle for a CB—which was why it was so insulting that somebody who dedicated so much time to the other half of the game thought they could defeat Ty.
As the Dons' defence and Ty hurried back to the field after the interception, Ty knew the momentum had shifted greatly. He wasn't worried. He'd snatch it right back.
Passing Jay, he muttered apologies to everyone, meeting their gaze as he told them he was sorry for fucking up and throwing the defence into such a dangerous situation.
Sierra Canyon's offence marched onto the field. Lennox stood planted where he'd landed after the interception. His team circled around him, slapping him on the helmet as the huddle formed. His grin pierced through the bodies, looming over them, locked on Ty. The first catch had gone to Lennox in an unexpected way, but Ty could even the score.
He and Lennox came to their isolated patch of the field, Lennox still wearing his grin. Ty spoke first. 'Congrats. You think that's impressive? Anyone can guard that giant dumbass. The amount of balls I've stolen from him could fill this football field.'
Lennox shrugged. 'I wouldn't doubt it, but you're not guarding a chump like him today, you're guarding ME. It must be embarrassing to have a Receiver get more interceptions than you in a game.'
Ty shook his head. 'You should've stayed on the defence. It's the only place you'll be catching anything today. And the difference between our interceptions is I turn mine into pick-sixes.'
'Hahaha. Yeah? Too bad you won't be able to prove it today. You're not getting ANYTHING against me.'
Lennox's grin was full of confidence, completely lacking fear and anxiety. Ty thought it was naïve.
The Trailblazers had a short field to work with. After the interception, they started their drive on the Dons' 33-yard line, already within scoring distance. Ty would need to get an interception of his own if he wanted to keep them scoreless.
The Trailblazers would give an opportunity on the first play as they looked to pass right away.
Lennox shifted inside. That low-angled, slanted release made Ty hesitate. His spears had grazed by, ineffectively, but he couldn't give up the inside for free. He thrust his hand out late, and Lennox exploited that hesitation.
The inside was just a feint, and when the late press came, Lennox was already exploding outside. He kept his head down, shoulders low, and Ty's spear blew by, striking only air. Lennox rushed up the sideline, and Ty chased a step behind. He could catch up, but the Trailblazers wouldn't give him the chance.
Kieran lobbed the ball over. It was shallower than he would've liked, but they had to move fast. Lennox laid out for the ball, diving to extend the gap between him and Ty, and because he wouldn't reach the ball otherwise. They couldn't take any chances with Ty's extreme reach.
Ty's head whipped around, following the ball as it fell into Lennox's grasp, well out of his reach. Running by, he tagged Lennox while he was still prone, and ended the play there. The catch had been good for 11 yards; the Trailblazers were a third of the way to the end-zone.
Lennox popped up, dusting himself off, grass staining the front of his pants and jersey. 'What was that about only catching balls on defence?' he asked.
Ty shot him a glare, but made no other response.
The two went back to their respective huddles, Ty stalking to his, Lennox strutting. Anger twisted Ty's expression. He'd slipped up, and the Trailblazers had punished him. He needed to focus, to stop hesitating. Pressing Lennox wasn't working, but that didn't mean he'd give Lennox any space. He'd dare them to try the same thing and punish them with an interception.
Though the Trailblazers went back to the ground on the next play—a Stretch to the outside. Again, they found little success before Spike ran into JJ, picking up only 3 yards.
Despite still struggling on the ground, not even Spike looked frustrated with the results. Maybe they were too thick-headed to learn. That's what Ty thought when he saw them go for the same Stretch.
But when Spike and Kieran passed one another, Kieran whirled away, ball still in hand. He looked to the opposite side of the field, where Barry streaked towards the sideline on a little Out route. He found the large TE easily and Barry secured the ball just before the sideline, stretching out further towards the Dons' end-zone as he fell out of bounds, snatching another yard to push the gain to 6 from 5.
JJ came towards the Dons' huddle, frustrated and apologising. The Play-Action had sucked him in. Whether his Zone would've stretched that far was an issue they had no time to worry about, as the Trailblazers forwent their huddle and rushed into formation.
JJ broke the huddle quickly, shoving people back into position. Ty was over by Lennox in a flash, but the Receiver stood relaxed. The Trailblazers wouldn't have been in such a rush just to pass on third down. It was a rush.
And a QB sneak at that. Kieran kept the ball, taking the snap from under Center, and ploughed ahead, burrowing in behind the O-Line to worm his way forward for the yard they needed. Even without the Dons being surprised by the no-huddle play, the Trailblazers would've bulldozed their way to a first down.
As things were going, it felt like the Trailblazers were leading the Dons around by their noses, and as the Trailblazers were just on the precipice of a First and Goal situation, the Dons needed to wrestle back control fast.
Passing had brought the Trailblazers all their success so far, so they weren't about to abandon that game plan.
Lennox rushed forward after the snap, and Ty backpedalled, watching without impeding. He was watching closely. That's why it was so inexplicable when Lennox gained a step on him.
It wasn't through speed, almost the opposite. Lennox floated for a second, foot lingering off the ground. Ty expected a feint, watched for one, and when that feint didn't come, he was stunned, and Lennox was already pulling away on his Post route.
Kieran fired the ball in, right on the money before Ty could fully recover. Lennox lunged towards the ball instead of diving, caught it in extended arms with Ty draped around his hips. They spun together, crashing to the ground. Lennox stretched out towards the end-zone before Ty flung him away from it.
He'd been ruled a yard shy of the end-zone, but the officials gave him the first down. The Dons had to make their stand, had to prevent the Trailblazers from moving a yard forward, and they had to do it four times in a row.
The huddles were quick; the Trailblazers knew what the plan was. Ty was surprised they didn't hurry for another QB Sneak, but when he saw Lennox's eyes, he knew they intended to earn this touchdown through the air. Mental warfare was being played even during the game. Establishing their dominance through the air at that moment would secure Sierra Canyon the momentum for the entire game. But if Ty picked them off on the goal-line, the opposite was true.
'You're not getting that touchdown,' he told Lennox.
'I already have it,' Lennox said. 'You're only delaying the inevitable.'
The ball was snapped. Lennox shot towards the inside. Ty mirrored him. Off a step, Lennox burst back towards the outside, running the shallowest of Outs, just beyond the edge of the end-zone.
Ty pounced. He was just out of position from having to rush so far to the inside thanks to how little leeway he had this close to the end-zone.
Kieran threw the ball high, but where Lennox could still reach it. In that case, if Lennox could, so could Ty.
Ty jumped, hands extended. Only one touched the ball, as Lennox dragged the other down, pulling Ty from the air. He crashed hard, and the ball bounced away out of bounds. The chance for his interception was lost, and no flag came out of the officials' pockets.
The Dons' fans breathed a sigh of relief, their chants of "dee-fence" rejuvenated. Ty pushed himself up, glaring at Lennox.
'That one was mine,' Ty said. 'You're only delaying the inevitable.'
'A mistake,' Lennox said. 'It won't happen again; you missed your ONLY chance.'
Ty knew the next pass was coming their way, knew every pass would for however long it took. He knew it'd end only after either he or Lennox had a touchdown. A pick-six spanning the entire field, or a Receiving touchdown only a yard long. First blood was about to be drawn.
The huddles were short again. Ty knew only Lennox and Kieran had been involved in the Trailblazers' huddle. JJ's message had been an emphasis on stopping the run; he didn't know.
Ty and Lennox said nothing as they lined up against one another one more time. Their words had done enough talking for the moment.
Cries of "Tra-il-bla-zers" met and matched the chants of "dee-fence" in a verbal battle across the stands. The game was finally heating up, just the way Ty knew it should always be. He felt like a spring pressed too tightly, ready to explode, every muscle pulled taut.
The ball was snapped. The world stood still for a second. Lennox shifted inside and burst that way. Ty, expecting another attack outside or to the back corner, was half a heartbeat slow to react. And with how close they were to the end-zone, that amount of hesitation was deadly.
Kieran stepped back only once before pivoting and hurling the ball towards Lennox. It was a play made with complete trust. If Ty had read it, had reacted fast enough, it would've been a pick-six.
Lennox lunged towards the ball, catching it far in front of his chest. Ty dove at him, chopping his arms. Lennox squeezed the ball like he was trying to pop it, and fell into the end-zone, Ty draped over him.
The crowd, having gone silent at the snap, exploded. A ball of incomprehensible noise bounced around the stands.
The Trailblazers rushed over, pulling Lennox free from Ty's grasp. Lennox rose to his feet, ball raised over his head, a triumphant grin slashed across his face.
Ty sat back on his knees, black eyes full of hate as he stared at that grin.
The Trailblazers had scored first. 6–0.