Gladiators of the Gridiron

To prepare for Regionals, the Dons ramped up their training measures. One of these, was an additional day in the weight room.

While Ty was on his way to the school gym, he saw Ricky speaking with Coach Long outside the building. Coach Long had a big smile, though Ty was too far to hear what they were talking about. Ricky took something from his bag and handed it over before he left and Coach Long unlocked the gym.

‘Don’t you have your own school, brat?’ Ty said as he walked past Ricky.

Ricky didn’t stop, or respond aside from flipping Ty off.

Ty shook his head, and entered the gym.

‘As early as ever, huh, Tyrese?’ Coach Long chuckled. ‘Go ahead and get warmed up, I’m sure the others won’t be far away.’

Ty thought about asking Coach why he was talking with Ricky, or why Ricky was even there in the first place, but he thought better of it.

Thanks to his time with JJ, Ty knew how important stretching was before lifting anything, so he started with that.

It didn’t take long for JJ himself to arrive, then Rabbit. Shortly after the rest of the team filed into the gym group by group.

Weight training was a different atmosphere than regular practice, less serious in a way, less strict and confined, despite the fact it was held within the small gym rather than the open training field. It wasn’t exactly quieter—the room was filled with chatter and music on top of the clatter of the weights—but the noise was less harsh, less yelling from the coaches and staff.

Ty noted that Coach Hoang and Bella were absent from the session.

Once everyone had warmed up, Coach Long demanded the team’s attention. ‘Listen close, boys. I don’t need to remind you that the real race is starting now, but that means we need to be training extra hard. We need to keep our strength at the highest it can be, and for some of us—all of us—we need to reach even greater heights.’ He smiled around the room. ‘I want you all to keep that in mind, and remember what we’re fighting for.’

There were some grunts and grumbles of agreement as the boys started to go about their exercises.

‘Oh, and one last thing. Don’t rush off when we’re done with this, there’s still more we need to go over today, even when we’re finished in the gym.’

Ty—and some others—were confused by what Coach Long meant, though he didn’t explain further, and none of the experienced members of the team were disturbed by the announcement so Ty didn’t prod further.

There was no real focus to the day’s training. No specific muscle group or body part was targeted in earnest, but that’s not to say that everyone was free to do what they wanted, or that everyone did the same thing.

RBs had more incentive on strengthening their lower bodies and cores, Jay and the QBs were directed more towards their arm strength and core, while large groups were led through a large variety of exercises.

In the end, just about everyone touched on just about every part of their body, and the team was locked in the gym—which grew increasingly hot and stuffy—for hours.

Over that time, a large chunk of the team congregated around JJ, and whilst JJ still got his workout done, he also acted like another coach, helping plenty of teammates through their exercises.

When Coach Long called for everyone to put their weights down, Ty’s body didn’t burn, but it throbbed. Not in a painful way, but a powerful way. He felt as if he could overpower a double-team, or jump over the crossbar.

‘Get a drink, catch your breath, then follow me!’ Coach Long said. He stood and waited by the door, allowing everyone to come over in their own time … within reason. Jay and Vincent had to be encouraged to get up and stop slowing down the team.

Afterwards, Coach Long led the team through the empty halls. Ty paid no mind to the echoing footsteps of hundreds of feet, he was still trying to figure out what was going on, though all became clear when Coach Long led them into a near empty room and switched on the lights.

Ty saw a projector in the middle of the room, as well as Coach Hoang, and Bella sitting beside it. The room was full of empty chairs, and had a large screen taking up the majority of one wall, but otherwise it was empty.

Jay and a few other seniors groaned before sitting down. Coach Long chuckled. ‘You boys know you love film day.’

Coach Hoang turned to address the team as they entered. ‘And you also know the drill, but for you freshmen, here it is: sit down and shut up.’

As Ty took a seat at the front of the room, Coach Long handed a USB to Bella. Ty’s eyes were glued to the screen.

After a few moments, colour burst onto the screen as the projector whirred to life. Coach Long took his position beside the screen, and Coach Hoang positioned himself on the opposite end.

‘This is who we’ll be facing this week: the Kaiser Cats,’ Coach Long said. ‘Obviously, we haven’t faced them yet this season, but they’ve been tearing up their division.’

The footage showed the team running onto their field before it transitioned into showcasing highlights from their offence.

‘Though I don’t need to tell you how they’ve been dominating in the lead up to Regionals; the film speaks for itself.’

Ty leaned forward, watching intently. The Cats looked to be a balanced team, with an oppressive run game and a consistent passing attack.

‘They LOVE using a Fullback,’ Coach Long pointed out.

‘They love having extra blockers in general when they rush,’ Coach Hoang said.

It wasn’t just the FB leading the charge for the HB. A lot of the time they utilised a strong TE on the edge, and they loved to “Pull” their guards, having one back off from their usual position in the Line, and instead dash behind the rest of the Linemen to the edge of the Line instead.

‘It’s important we don’t let them dictate the war in the trenches,’ Coach Hoang said. We can’t let those blockers get to their spots. That means I need a big effort from you Linemen. If we let those blockers get to our Linebackers, we won’t be able to stop their run.’

The HB didn’t look to be a slouch either. Whilst anyone would’ve had a good time running behind a versatile and dominant Line like that, he was shifty, observant, and patient. He always waited for the blocks to develop, and always exploited gaps.

Moving on to the Cats' aerial expertise, their main threat at Receiver was a big-bodied WR who wore number 7. Ty’s eyes widened. While Seven had a decent supporting cast, even from the film Ty clearly saw that he was the engine of the Cats' passing attack.

‘They’re not the fastest when it comes to Receivers,’ Coach Hoang explained, ‘but they’re still deadly. They know how to find the soft spots into the defence, or, if that’s not the case, they can create new weaknesses.’

Seven wasn’t fast. That was true. Ty saw it, but he saw how Seven used his body as well. He watched as Seven put his defender into the worst position possible, and secured the best spot for himself every time.

He didn’t keep his defender at bay with just his arms either, it was more than that, it was everything he did. Even the way he ran manipulated the defender. He wasn’t fast, but he destroyed the defender’s speed and controlled the pace however he wanted.

Ty couldn’t let himself be controlled. He couldn’t allow himself to be sucked into Seven’s game. But what could he do?

Coach Hoang looked around the room, eyes lingering on Ty. ‘Seeing as they’re experts at picking apart Zone, we’ll be playing Man. It’ll be a tough ask, but I’ve no doubt our secondary can stand up to the task.’

Coach Long stepped forward. ‘Now, I would love to show you boys some footage of other teams giving us the blueprint of how to stop this team … but, I’ll be honest, they’re undefeated for a reason, and they haven’t had to struggle much this season.’

He looked at the screen, letting the touchdowns and big plays run for a little bit longer before he turned to Bella. ‘Honey, can you swap over to the defence now, thank you.’

As the footage swapped over to showcasing the Cats' defence, Ty lost interest and sat back, his focus still on Seven.

Coach Hoang moved away from the screen and Coach Norman stepped up to take his place. ‘Now, as ya can see here, we’re gonna need a big effort from our Receivers when we go up against the Cats,’ Coach Norman said. ‘Statistically speaking, they’ve got one of the best passing defences, if not, THE BEST, in the state.’

This statement snapped Ty’s attention back to the present. His brow furrowed and he glared at the screen. “Bullshit. After practising against me, no other Cornerback should ever challenge them.”

‘This could also be a great opportunity for Chris and Cameron to make their impact on the game,’ Coach Long said. ‘We’ll rely on you boys to ease the pressure, so be prepared.’

‘You got it, Coach,’ Chris said.

Ty looked back. Chris was focused with an easy smile. Cameron was focused too, though it kinda looked like he was focused on not shitting himself, or maybe getting the shit out.

Ty shook his head and looked forward again, mind drifting back to the Cats' offence. “The battle will be won in the press,” he thought. The moment right after the snap, that’s the most important.

He didn’t have to fear anything deep with Seven’s lack of speed, so he could press close without any worries. But he’d have to win.

He looked at his hands. His long arms would make up for the difference in size, and they’d allow him to surprise Seven with his extended reach. Seven would have a harder time keeping the ball out of reach from someone with a wingspan like Ty’s.

Ty could see it. The slants Seven loved, would be batted away to the ground. Ty was there, standing in front of Seven. Seven would step inside, Ty would keep his route flat, pushed to the middle, where there’s more bodies. The pass would come. Ty’s hand would reach it first, stretching around Seven. He would shut it down.

Curls wouldn’t be a problem either. With no threat from the deep ball, Ty wouldn’t be backing off, wouldn’t be giving him the separation needed for a Curl. Even when Seven charged back for the ball and did his best to keep Ty behind him, Ty would still be right there, he’d still knock the pass to the floor.

If the pass was up high, the outcome wouldn’t change. Ty’s reach, his jumping, would negate the height difference. He would do it. He would shut down the Cats.

Even though he was confident in his ability to dominate Seven, Ty continued to replay the film in his mind. He continued to run those routes in his head, and continued to shut them down. Even an hour later, when the film session wrapped up, he was still endlessly simulating the duel against Seven.

Ty was one of the last Dons to leave his seat, and when he did, he went straight to Bella instead of the exit like everyone else. ‘I need a copy of the film. Just their offence.’ He held his hand out.

She rolled her eyes, not even looking at him as she was packing up. ‘Didn’t your mama teach you any manners?’

He didn’t repeat or reword his request, he just kept his hand out.

‘Ugh.’ Bella shook her head before slapping a USB into Ty’s open hand. Her hand lingered on his. ‘You better win.’ She looked to the others as they were leaving. ‘It’s the last chance for most of the team … they deserve it.’

Ty took the USB and stashed it into his bag. ‘If they deserved it, they would’ve won a championship already. No one deserves anything on the field. Every win is earned … I won’t let anyone stop me from earning that championship.’ He slung his bag over his shoulder and left.

Bella watched him go, sighing. ‘…You’re the worst.’

On the way home, Ty returned to his simulations. He couldn’t get them out of his head. He had to win. Not because of JJ, Deshaun, Stephen, or any other teammate. Not because of any of the coaches. Not because of any unresolved battle with Denzel, or Marshall. He had to because HE needed to.