Gladiators of the Gridiron

Even after the Titans realised the Golden Hawks’ plan, adjusting to it was another thing altogether.

There was hardly any time to listen to Coach Otsen’s play calls and changes during the minuscule break between plays, let alone for Petey to relay that information to his teammates.

Coach Carson would yell the orders from the sideline to give a second avenue of communication, but even then, the Titans were always scrambling to catch up, and the Golden Hawks kept chipping away at them, picking them apart bit by bit.

If the Titans focused more on protecting against deep plays or throws down the sideline, then it’d open them up to runs up the middle or short passes underneath.

And the inverse was also true. It felt like no matter what adjustments they made on the fly, the Golden Hawks—led by Junior—would find the perfect counter in minimal time.

Coach Carson watched on, grinding her teeth. She stepped over to Coach Otsen and stood beside him. ‘I know this isn’t ideal, sir… but perhaps it’d be best if we took a timeout, just so the boys can get their legs back under them and we can stop this run.’

Coach Otsen stared across the field, watching the game unfold, watching his defence unfold as if it were made of string. That may have been what he was looking at currently, but he was still thinking about the bigger picture, observing the game as a whole.

He glanced at Coach Carson just after the Golden Hawks ripped off another 10-yard gain. ‘No. It’s too early. That’s what they want us to do. Our boys need to overcome this shock on their own, and if they can’t it’ll be a good learning experience at least. But as for our timeouts, we’ll need them later.’

Coach Carson frowned deeply. The Golden Hawks were marching closer and closer to the endzone, and there didn’t seem to be any stopping them. ‘Sir, I—’

‘It’s best if you think about what adjustments need to be made for the opponent’s next drive, Coach Carson.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Coach Otsen’s eyes found his counterpart on the opposite sideline. Coach Fowler looked as calm as ever. He was concentrated entirely on the game, his expression unreadable.

The Titans were already panting. If they could just get one stop, one incomplete pass, that would stop the clock, then maybe they’d get a small reprieve.

Lonnie crept forward, taking up a stance closer to the line of scrimmage. The Golden Hawks were just outside of the red zone, already within field goal range, keeping them scoreless was off the table now unless they could force a turnover … however, Lonnie wasn’t even thinking that optimistically, he just wanted a chance to catch his breath.

The ball was snapped almost immediately after the Golden Hawks had taken up their usual positions. Lonnie stayed close over the middle, but started slowly drifting back further down the field. From the corner of his eye, he saw a Receiver from the outside make a break towards the centre of the field, heading right over the top of where he was now.

He started backpedalling faster, then he turned and sprinted back as soon as he saw Junior’s arm twitch and pull back for the pass.

Lonnie made it just in time, his outstretched hand disrupted the catch and knocked the ball to the ground.

Kenny was right there to help him back onto his feet after the incompletion, and then the rest of the team quickly got around Lonnie, patting him on the back and head enthusiastically.

‘That’s what we needed,’ Kenny said.

‘Uhh… guys?’ Lonnie pointed across to the Golden Hawks, who, after a brief pause to look at their coaches, had begun to rush back into formation.

‘Mierda. Can’t they give it a rest?!’ Petey and the others ran back into position but were caught off-balance at the snap of the ball.

Junior turned around to hand the ball off, Pete rushed forward, ready to crash into whatever hole opened up and stop the run.

But it was just a fake.

As Junior kept the ball, Pete skidded to a halt and tried to turn back around, but ended up falling on his ass instead.

The pass went right over his head, hitting the Receiver in stride.

Lonnie was there to stop him, standing his ground. But he never got the chance to make the tackle, another Hawk swooped in and slammed into him, shoving him back with a powerful block, and the Receiver with the ball glided behind them before diving in for the touchdown.

The modest crowd gave a few hoots and hollers, and Pete cursed as he sat on the grass before being helped up by Freddy. ‘We’ll get them next time, it’s okay,’ Freddy said.

The Titans didn’t put much effort into stopping the kick for the extra point, and it sailed through the uprights without issue.

For the kickoff, Coach Fowler had some words of advice for his Kicker: ‘Whatever you do, DON’T hit it into the endzone. Drop it short, make them work.’

With a nod, the Kicker ran out onto the field and did as he was told.

Kenny was the one to field the kick, and he had thoughts of letting it bounce to see if it’d run out of the endzone, but he decided not to risk it, so he caught the kick on the full and then burst forward.

He did at least get the ball out beyond the 30-yard line on his return, but again it was just another way for the Hawks to grind the Titans down.

Coach Otsen called the team towards the sideline for a moment, as it was finally the Titans' turn on offence. ‘They’re trying to tire you out, they don’t care about the clock, they’re going fast ONLY to wear you down. Take things slow now that the ball is in our control, use every second of the clock you can, and catch your breath now. This is what we’ve been training for. They’re going to be wearing themselves down by going so fast on offence too, but they don’t work as hard as you do, don’t fight as hard as you do, and you won’t give up just because things are getting a little tough. Show them how bad you want it!’

‘Yeah!’

The Titans were re-energised. They came back out onto the field with their fires blazing passionately, and started things off with a run. As Isaac—their RB—charged ahead for a gain of 5 yards, Coach Otsen watched on solemnly.

Coach Knight stood beside him. ‘We need to make every possession count,’ Coach Otsen said.

Coach Knight nodded.

Coach Otsen chuckled. ‘They don’t feel it now, but the fourth quarter will be a different story… though I tell you, if they even think of giving up and falling over, I’ll show them what real hell is at the next session of practice.’

The Titans would pick themselves up from the run and amble back to their huddle, making the most of the downtime between plays to keep fresh and fan their flames as much as they could to keep their passion simmering away.

They’d slowly and methodically work their way downfield. And after every play, whether it was a run or a pass, a big, short, or even no gain at all, they’d slowly and calmly huddle up and drain as much of the clock as they could before moving into their next play.

It sucked the energy from Desert Sunrise’s defence, as well as their small crowd which became almost lifeless. Coach Fowler wasn’t worried, he was happy to let them waste as much time as they wanted as those who had played on offence for the Golden Hawks were able to rest during this time as well. However, it wasn’t like he could stop the Titans from wasting time anyway, unless the defence got a complete stop.

However, one Titan in particular was beginning to catch his eye.

Kenny was working extra hard for the Titans. On every run he’d give his all to block off his defender and create an impassable wall along the edge of the field, even if the run wasn’t directed towards him.

Then, on every pass he’d be giving his all to get open, and was frequently able to do so, hauling in receptions one after the other.

The Titans weren’t moving quickly, but they were moving. Until the Golden Hawks’ zone shifted over to cover Kenny’s side of the field more heavily.

There was less room for him to work with, less open space to find, and smaller windows for Pete to throw the ball into.

Additionally, the Hawks brought a lot more pressure against the Titans once they crossed half field, as the defence could get plenty of rest as well thanks to all the time the Titans were wasting, it meant that the pass rush was always able to give it their all on every play.

Eventually, the Titans would be stopped completely, and their drive would come to fourth down. Coach Otsen decided to settle for a field goal, as it’d be a kick of 41 yards; they were still within range.

But after holding onto the ball for twice as long as the Golden Hawks had, to only come away with a field goal was a bit of a disappointment for the Titans.

At least it was better than nothing, and the kick was good, so they secured the 3 points in the end. Before the subsequent kickoff also, Coach Otsen had some more words with his team.

‘It’s alright, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ll catch up to them and break through the defence next time. For now, if you really want a break from their no-huddle bullshit, then you’re going to have to stop them yourselves and win the ball back. Don’t get panicky, and don’t freak out. We know what’s coming now, and so they won’t get us out of position before the ball is even snapped. If we’re right on top of them at the start of the play, we can shut them down, I know you can do it. Don’t overthink it, just go out there and do what you always do. Stick close, don’t give your man any space, and Linemen, don’t let them manipulate you, just hold your ground, block off any holes, they can’t push you around, so don’t fall for any of their traps.’

The Titans took the field with a determined gleam in their eyes. They wouldn’t be caught off guard this time, they knew the Hawks would ALWAYS go without their huddle. So right after the kickoff, the Titans were already hurrying into their defensive positions.

The first play, the Hawks tried a run, stretching to the outside, however, the Titans quickly swarmed around the ball carrier and stopped him for only a 2-yard gain.

Next, the Hawks tried a pass, but anything underneath was covered as the D-Line formed a wall over the middle, each man raising a hand to block off any short pass attempt, and the DBs were able to stick close to their men, with Lonnie helping out over the top for Freddy.

Junior couldn’t find any opening and had to throw the ball away before the Pocket collapsed entirely.

And just like that, the Golden Hawks were facing a three-and-out, and even with their no-huddle, Junior had to slow down for a moment and look to his father for guidance.

To gain the first down, they tried a play-action pass. The fake handoff opened up some space within the middle of the field, and disrupted the stout wall of defenders at the line of scrimmage itself, giving Junior more room to work with.

With Lonnie giving more assistance to Freddy, it meant the rest of the field was more vulnerable, and Kenny’s man was running right into the opening left behind by Lonnie.

Kenny was a step behind after the fake, but was pushing himself to catch back up when the ball was thrown.

As the ball spiralled through the air, the pass hadn’t led the Receiver enough, so he had to slow just a touch, and Kenny was able to regain the step he had lost before.

Kenny dove, throwing himself wildly at the ball as he flew by the Receiver and smashed the ball down into the grass.

A collective groan came from the crowd, but in contrast, two loud voices erupted with cheers at the outcome. The Titans on the field cheered loudly as well and quickly got around Kenny, helping him back up and patting him down.

Over on the sideline, Coach Fowler scowled deeply, his eyes fixed on Kenny. Perhaps it would prove more difficult than he imagined to grind a Titan down.