Page 122 of Perfect Storm
Even then it hadn’t come from Levi’s side, but Acker’s.
The ref blew the whistle and the ball shot out of Griff’s hands, landing in Aidan’s.
He dropped back. One step, then two. Trevor shot the gap perfectly between the safety and his coverage. Whoever decided to only put a linebacker on Trevor was going to get their ass reamed in meetings this week.
Aidan pulled back and threw the ball. Trevor caught it mid-stride, and went for another five yards, a total of a seventeen-yard gain. Perfect play. Perfect execution.
Zane called for two run plays after that, trying to eat up time on the clock. Jaden got a decent chunk of yards on the first carry, and even more on the second.
Aidan had a feeling after they were able to run the ball fairly well that he wouldn’t be throwing much the rest of the drive.
He did take a shot down the field to Mo on a second down, but the corner batted the pass away at the last moment.
Still, they marched down the field, running more plays for Jaden and then a few more of Zane’s double tight end formations. Trevor caught another pass, and then Lane. And finally, Mo got another one to set them up at the six-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.
The Cardinals had been using their timeouts to try to save time, but it was clear if they could get in the end zone, it would all be a moot point.
With that much time on the clock though, Aidan didn’t want to send Dawson out to make a short field goal. It would break thetie, but it would leave the Cardinals with a chance, if they could go down the field and score a touchdown.
He wanted the Thunder to get in the end zone, and he knew who he wanted to catch the pass.
Just like old times.
Zane must have known what he wanted, because he called for a little misdirection—one of the new plays they’d come up with in the last week, since Mo had been traded—but they’d not had a lot of time to practice it.
It was all in the timing, the play starting like the double tight end formation the Thunder had been relying on all game, but then at the last moment, Mo releasing and heading to the corner of the end zone.
The hope was that whoever was defending Mo would lose track of him, thinking he wasn’t getting the ball.
Aidan took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. To make this work, everyone had to do their jobs flawlessly—especially him. It would be a tight window to thread the ball in. He trusted Mo, but if Mo was even the tiniest bit off, it could be an interception, not the touchdown they needed.
“Let’s do this,” he said, clapping his hands.
He met Mo’s eyes across the huddle. Mo nodded at him. He was as ready. They could do this. They’d done this so many times before.
Levi nudged him. “I’ll get you the time,” he said.
Aidan hadn’t even worried about that, but it was true; he’d need the time for the play to develop. If he got pressured, he wouldn’t be able to wait for Mo to release to the end zone.
“I know,” Aidan said.
Levi smiled. “Let’s get a W, then, bro.”
They lined up. Griff snapped the ball.
One.
Two.
Lane and Trevor shot out, running their misdirection pattern. Aidan did a pump fake, trying to sell it.
Three.
Mo released from where he’d been blocking, which left the line to contend with one extra defender and one less lineman.
Four.
He sprinted to the corner.
