Gladiators of the Gridiron

Even after the JV game was over, Jackson remained in his seat, not moving down to congratulate his teammates on their second win.

‘I think it’d be good if you went down and at least told them they did a good job,’ Tommy said, but Jackson stayed firmly rooted in his seat.

Tommy sighed but left it at that. As he stood up and stretched, he looked down at his little brother. ‘Well, I’m gonna grab some food while we wait for the next game to start.’

He looked around briefly. ‘Looks like there’s a little food vendor over there, you want a hot dog?’

‘Oh, yeah, thanks.’

Tommy made his way down the stands. Jackson kept his eyes on his teammates as the celebrations died down, and the JV team slowly departed, with most of them heading for the car park.

Kenny, however, was sticking around to watch the varsity game as well. As he climbed higher into the stands, he looked Jackson’s way.

Neither boy called out to the other, and while Kenny stood there, staring for some time, a frown came across his face.

He wouldn’t approach Jackson, and instead moved by, going to sit with his parents who were situated a few rows away from where the brothers had set up.

Jackson squirmed in his seat, but Tommy soon returned, carrying with him a couple of hot dogs, as well as two bottles of water that he held in just one hand.

He sat back down, passing over one of the loaded up hot dogs, and a bottle.

‘Thanks.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

Jackson took a gulp of water before he dug into his food.

When the varsity squads of both teams took to the field, Tommy looked both sides over. Then, he pointed out Shane. ‘Who’s that?’

Jackson wiped his mouth before responding. ‘Shane Spearhead. He’s um… well he’s really good. Our best player.’

‘I could tell… What position does he play?’

‘TE, like you. And uh, MLB on defence.’

‘Hah. Looks like we’ll have someone great to learn from today then.’

Jackson nodded, looking at Shane as he and the other captains ventured to the centre of the field for the coin toss. ‘You… could tell he was the best just from looking at him?’

‘Can’t you?’

Jackson tilted his head, staring at Shane. ‘I…I guess.’ It wasn’t just Shane’s physicality that made him stand out. It was the way he carried himself. It wasn’t arrogance as much as it was self-assuredness in himself and his determination to be the best; Tommy said as much.

‘Who’s the best player from the other team then?’ Jackson asked.

‘Hmm…’ Tommy scanned the Wildcats’ bench as the players huddled together before the kickoff. He shook his head. ‘None of them are on the same level as Shane. It’s hard to tell. I don’t think anyone stands out from the pack just by looking at them.’

‘So… we should win then, right?’

‘It’s not always that simple. Just because one player might be head and shoulders above the rest in terms of ability, doesn’t mean they’ll win. This is a team sport, Jackson. A great team will always triumph over superior individuals if they’re just that—individual.’

After the kickoff, the Titans’ offence took the field, ready to make a statement to start the game off strong.

Tommy turned to Jackson. ‘So, outside of Shane, what are the team’s strengths? You’ve seen them before, right?’

Jackson nodded. ‘Right, well, you already know Shane is the best player, he usually ends up getting double teamed every game that i’ve seen. But, other than that, Micky, our HB, is really good,. Um, we like RPOs… but, outside of Shane, our passing offence would be below our rushing attack.’

‘Hmm, maybe we can see why that is today. I mean, if he’s getting double teamed, the other Receivers should have a lot less attention on them, and it should be easier for them to get open.’

With the first snap, both brothers went quiet and focused on the game, as the Titans opened with a deep ball to Shane down the sideline.

Tommy was amazed by the agility and quickness that Shane possessed. It wasn’t even that it was impressive for a man of his size, it was just outright impressive for ANYONE regardless of size.

‘They can’t even keep up with him, but then when he has a step, did you see the way he used his body to shield the drop point of the ball? He made sure he’d be the only one who could get a hand to it… beautiful.’

The first drive for the Titans went off without a hitch, as Shane was the primary force dragging them down the field. Whether it was in the passing game, where he’d utilise his big frame to secure the best position and make openings for quick flicks or long bombs. When it came to the run game, he’d flaunt his expert blocking by opening up gaps or securing the edge for Mickey to burst through without any problems.

The first touchdown came on a pass over the middle, thrown up high, where only Shane could reach it. Even through heavy traffic he went up and plucked the ball from the sky when no one else could even lay a finger on it.

Just like that, the Titans jumped out to an early 7–0 lead.

Tommy rose to his feet excitedly, cheering loudly as Shane jogged back to the sideline. ‘Did you see that? That was a masterclass! Now THAT is how you use your strengths to your advantage.’ He looked down at Jackson. ‘You could learn a thing or two from that.’

‘Eh? R-Really? But…’ Jackson looked down at himself. He wasn’t exactly as big as Shane, nor did he think he ever would be. He’d have to live in the gym to get the same kind of strength, and as for height… well he could only pray for that.

‘Of course. You’re not gonna be THAT big ever, but… still, if Dad and I are anything to go by, you’re going to be a tall WR, and you need to be able to USE that height properly.’

Tommy sat back down. ‘You can’t be afraid to get physical with your opponent. And even if you’re never as strong as him, it’s not just brute strength that he uses, it’s his positioning and his balance too, he never lets them get comfortable enough to challenge him in the air. Without a steady foundation, they can’t jump as high or far, they can’t change direction as quickly.’

The Wildcats were thwarted rather quickly on their first offensive possession, and when the Titans’ offence took to the field again, this time, two defenders were lined up against Shane.

‘Wow, and here comes that double team already… haha, now what will he do?’ Tommy was grinning from ear to ear. Though Shane was his junior, and still in high school, it was like Tommy was prepared to learn something new now.

The Titans were quick to adjust their scheme now that Shane was receiving extra attention. Instead of trying to force in long passes to him like they could when he was covered one-on-one, they now fell back upon their trusty RPOs.

RPO stands for Run/Pass Option, and in this play, the QB would usually be awaiting the snap in the Shotgun position, with the RB directly beside him. At the beginning of the play, the RB would move to take the ball from the QB, it was at that moment, that the “Option” part would kick into play, and the QB had a decision to make.

With only a split second to make the decision, the QB would have to read the defence, and decide whether it was best to give the ball to the RB, or keep it for himself.

If he kept it, he would have another decision to make. He could make a run himself, or if it was open, there would typically be a short passing route for him to throw to.

With this many variables, it was a tricky concept to execute, but when executed well, it was incredibly tough to defend.

Both Wesley and Mickey were elusive, powerful runners, and both were a problem to deal with on the ground. But if a defence became too focused on stopping either runs, then that would leave the airways open for quick passes.

And even while being double teamed, Shane excelled at these short passes.

Once again utilising his body to the utmost, he’d single out one of the defenders guarding him, and while running away from one, he’d directly challenge the other, and use his superior frame to block them off from making a play on the ball, securing a brief opening, which was perfect for these short, snappy passes.

The Wildcats were unable to stop this tri-pronged attack, and slowly but surely succumbed under the Titans’ superior offensive might.

The Titans once again marched down the field and forced their way into the endzone, this time Mickey was the one to score, running the ball in for another touchdown.

‘Incredible…’ Tommy laughed and shook his head, applauding once again.

After the second touchdown, the Wildcats' defence was able to adjust, and they didn’t give up another touchdown before halftime, where they went into the major break with a score of 17–7 in favour of the Titans.

Shane was still the most troubling aspect of the offence for the Wildcats to deal with, and he had been the one that made the catch to put the Titans into field goal range for their final score of the first half.

Even on defence Shane was a force to be reckoned with, slowing up the run game, and controlling the middle of the field when it came to the Wildcats’ passing game too.

In the second half, the Titans continued to grind their opponent down until resistance was futile. Shane would not be stopped, and the Wildcats proved to be horribly outmatched as the game ended with a score of 31–10.

Shane had caught another touchdown pass, the second one coming when he managed to break free over the top of his double team and run away for a reception of over 50 yards. And Wesley also managed to run in a touchdown of his own.

Throughout the second half, Tommy had become so enthralled with Shane’s performance as a TE that he’d forgotten they were there to analyse the game, not admire it.

Jackson didn’t mind, however. He’d never complain when given the chance to watch Shane’s incredible play.

Both Tommy and Jackson were in a bit of a daze until Kenny’s voice called out to them. ‘They always have such an incredible game, don’t they?’

‘Hahah, if they’re all like that then I’m sure they’re amazing to watch every week.’ Tommy stood up and turned to face Kenny. ‘I’m Tommy, Jackson’s older brother.’ He extended his hand to the boy.

‘Kenny Murata.’ The two shook hands firmly, Kenny holding back from wincing at Tommy’s strong grip.

‘You played really well today too, congratulations on the win.’

‘Y-Yeah, congrats,’ Jackson said. ‘I’m really glad you guys were able to win again.’

‘Hah, yeah, seems like all the torture Coach Otsen puts us through is paying off. Though, I won’t stop until I earn my spot on that varsity team.’ Kenny looked around and then sighed. ‘Ah, I gotta go. My parents wanna get out of here already. But, I’ll see you at school, Jackson.’

‘Yeah, see you then.’ Jackson waved goodbye.

‘Nice meeting you!’ Tommy called out.

‘Nice meeting you too!’ Kenny waved back before hurrying over to his parents.

Tommy looked down towards the Titans’ bench again, then he turned to Jackson.

Jackson looked up at him. ‘…Maybe we should go too.’

Tommy nodded with a slight smile. ‘Okay.’

The two made their way to the car, pulling out onto the road and starting the drive back home. Jackson stared out the window, watching as the field and its bright lights drew further and further away until it disappeared from sight.

“Everyone keeps winning… am I even a part of this team anymore? Do they even need me? Do they even want me?”