Page 56 of Quarterback Sneak
The crowd gets more and more riled up as all the pre-game activities get into full swing. I’m on my feet dancing to the music along with the thousands of other fans. And then the pre-game video starts. I can’t help the big smile that fills my face as Zane’s face fills the screen. He’s sweating, but there’s a look of pure determination in his eyes. He rears back and releases a long throw. Quint catches it, and his face fills the screen next. The montage continues, building in momentum. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and I’m filled with the pre-game energy that is buzzing through this stadium. Then the screen shows the guys with locked arms walking through the tunnel, heading towards the field. They stop behind the security, not quite on the field yet. The music cranks up, and the band takes their position on the field. The cheerleaders line up, and the crowd starts doing their chant. I wave the towel I got at the entrance, along with everybody else. And then they come out, and the crowd goes wild. Fireworks shoot up into the sky, and thousands of people scream for the home team.
That energy carries us right into kickoff. Because we lost the coin toss, we’re starting with possession. The other team choseto get it at the half. They kick it, and Brock catches it and takes a knee at the twenty-five yard line. The offensive line comes out, and I can’t help my smile as I watch Zane line up behind his guys. He’s the absolute picture of concentration and athleticism. Owen snaps it, and Zane catches it and moves back a few steps. Right away, a defender comes at him. Zane spins away and throws it to Ender who gets about five yards. They line up again at the line of scrimmage. Zane passes it off to Zac who tries to run through the middle but gets stopped without gaining any yards. And just like that, it’s third down. I watch as they line up once again. Owen snaps it to Zane, and Zane takes a few steps back. I watch as a defender comes up behind Zane. He doesn’t see him and gets sacked. I cringe and watch as he gets back up and runs over to the sideline.
“Not a great opening drive,” Tessa yells over the noise. I agree but don’t say anything.
Chapter 24
Evie
Elliot kicks it away, and they catch it and get all the way to the forty-yard line before he’s tackled. Our defense comes out, and I watch as they line up. They snap the ball and get a good run for twenty yards. The next throw doesn’t connect, and they miss the catch. The next run we shut down. But then on third down, they get a thirty-yard pass. And just like that, they’re at the ten-yard line. I squeeze hands with Tessa. Our defense shuts down the first run, but their quarterback finds an open guy in the end zone during the second play. They score, and we deflate a little. They gain the extra point with a kick and celebrate before they head back to their bench. Their kicker comes out and kicks the ball away.
We fumble it and don’t make any headway. The offense comes out, and I'm hoping they can pull it together now. Off the first snap, Zane gets a throw for twenty-five yards. And just like that, we’re back in the game. They move up the field and set up once again. Zac gets a run for seven yards. And on second down, Ender gets a pass and runs for fifteen yards. They set up once again. Owen snaps it, and Zane takes a few steps back, eyes looking towards the end zone. “Watch out!” I yell, even though he can’t hear me. I watch as a defender comes up on his blind side, but this time he’s ready for it. He moves out of his reach, and then he’s running. His guys block for him, and he runs towards the end zone. A defender comes for him, but Zane evades him, shoving him off. I’m jumping up and down and screaming along with the nearly hundred thousand fans.And then Zane jumps over a defender and rolls into the endzone.Touchdown!
The stadium goes wild, exploding again when they show the replay of Zane’s crazy touchdown. Elliot kicks and gets the extra point, and just like that, it’s a tie game. The rest of the first quarter and the second quarter are not nearly as exciting as the explosive beginning of the game, and we head into half time seven to seven.
I stretch, even though I haven’t sat for most of the first half. “I need to go to the bathroom,” Tessa says.
I look at the crowd, uncertain. “We can try.”
“Don’t worry about it; I’ll hold it.”
I eye her skeptically. “The entire second half?”
“I’ve got an iron bladder.”
“Um, okay that was a little TMI.”
“We can try to get through the crowd,” Stephanie offers again.
“Nope. I’m good. I don’t want to miss any of the third quarter, and we will if we have to wait in line for the bathroom.”
The guys take the field, and soon, it’s time for the second half. The crowd gets loud, gearing up for third quarter. We’re on defense for the beginning of the third quarter. They start making their way down the field and get several really good plays, earning lots of yardage. But on third down, when they’re at their own twenty-yard line, our guy intercepts it and starts to run.
“Go! Go!”
Tessa and I are holding hands, jumping up and down. We watch as he crosses the fifty, then the forty, the thirty, the twenty, the ten, and runs into the endzone, uncontested. The crowd loses its mind, and fireworks go off! They show the replay on the jumbotron, showcasing Amare’s run. I make a mental note of his name; I’ve been trying to learn all the players’ names.
“Did you see that?!” Tessa screams at me.
“It was pretty good.”
“Pretty good? That was incredible! He ran that for seventy-three yards!”
“I know! I saw!” I grin at her, though.
“What a great start to the second half!”
Elliot kicks the extra point, putting us up by seven. I look at the jumbo screen and see the defensive line still celebrating on the sidelines. We set up for defense once again and keep them from scoring. They kick it away on fourth down and Brock gets it at the thirty-five, setting us up nicely. Zane and the offensive line take the field and begin a successful drive. It’s a long drive that ends in a field goal, putting us up by ten points as we head into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter is not good to us. They kick a field goal early in the fourth quarter and then capitalize on a fumble on our part and get a touchdown. Their next possession, they get another touchdown. I look up at the clock. There are less than five minutes left in the game, and we’re down by seven. Zane takes the field with his O-line. Tessa squeezes my hand. “Here we go.”
We don’t make any headway on first down and lose a few yards on second down. But on third down, Zane gets a good pass to Ender and a gain of thirteen yards. They run downfield and get set-up again. I can tell Zane is trying to keep them moving. On the next play, he passes it to Zac, who picks up five yards. They rush to set up again, but in their rush, they get a false start and lose five yards. The next play ends in a loss of two yards. And just like that, we’re facing third down. My hands are clasped beneath my chin, and I’m trying to stay calm. The refs blow the whistle, and I turn to Tessa. “What’s happening?”
“Two-minute forced time-out,” Tessa says, just as tense as me. The band plays during the time-out, and we join in the chant. I don’t do it for long because I’m too nervous. Our offensecomes back out and sets up. “We have to make this down, or we have to kick it away.”
I don’t even look at her. “I know.”
The guys line up for the play, and I squeeze my hands together. Zane shouts to his team; I watch it on the jumbotron. I hold my breath as Owen snaps it. Zane grabs it and looks downfield. One of the defenders comes towards him, and he moves to get away. Then he leans back and throws it. The entire stadium seems to hold its breath as the ball spirals down the field. There are two defenders on Quint in the end zone. The ball spirals towards him. He jumps and collides with another defender as they both fight for the ball and go down in a heap of legs and arms.
