Chapter 24

Jeremy’s kick was a good one as the ball bounced inside the ten and rolled near the goal line where Hontubby’s best player, Herbert Wayne, fielded the ball and started up the field.

Wayne made it to the 16 before Harry drilled him low and Happy got him high. The crowd roared its approval.

Kenneth Williams, a 6-2 180-pound senior, one of the best athletes on Petros’ team, was finally making his debut for the Panthers. He injured his back in an auto accident early in the summer and was finally cleared to return to the football team this week.

With Gary out and Cole wanting Lucky to concentrate mainly on offense, if possible, Kenneth would get a lot of playing time in the secondary.

Not many players would be ready to play after only three days of practice, but Kenneth was an exception. He was a good athlete, the best returning basketball player and the second-best pitcher on last year’s baseball team.

Hontubby liked to spread the field with its offense and throw the ball, but with bad field position, the Hornets chose to use Wayne to hammer at the Panthers.

Kenneth made his impact quickly, making a tackle on first down then sacking the quarterback on third down.

It was three-and-out, just the way the Panthers liked it. The punt was fairly good going into the wind, eventually rolling out of bounds at the 47.

The Panthers had great field position for their first possession. As Lucky started to take the field, Lloyd grabbed him.

“This is your team now,” Lloyd hollered to be heard above the crowd. “It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in. You’ve gotta lead them and show them the way.”

Lucky nodded and jogged out on the field.

The Panthers were waiting in the huddle when Lucky arrived.

“Let’s go score,” he urged. “We’re going to shove this right down their throats and show them what Petros football is like.”

D.J. got the call on first down, running a dive up the middle for three yards. Skip added five on second down, nearly breaking free before getting tackled. On third and short, Lucky faked the dive to Skip and followed behind. He picked up five more yards, giving the Panthers a first down.

The Hornets were lined up in a 4-3 defense with the secondary playing way off the ball, hoping to keep the Panthers from getting any big plays.

Petros followed with an option to the right. Lucky read the defensive end and pitched at the last second to Skip, who got a good block from Harry and gained eight yards.

The Panthers went with a sweep to the opposite side to D.J. He followed the sweeping guards and plowed ahead for four yards.

The offense was clicking, picking up good yardage each play. Cole was mixing up the plays, hitting the Hornets hard.

It looked like the offense of old, getting good yardage and eating up the clock. Petros continued its drive, eventually facing third-and-two from the 11. Skip got the ball on a crossbuck, cut in behind a great block by Freddie Farmer that pancaked a linebacker, juked one defensive back then sprinted into the end zone for the score.

Jeremy’s kick was perfect and the Panthers led, 7-0.

The huge crowd celebrated, making so much noise the band couldn’t be heard.

After the kickoff, the Hornets were shut down again, forced to punt after three plays. Kenneth was back to return the punt. He caught the ball at the Panthers’ 41 and started weaving in and out of traffic. Just when it looked like he would be tackled, Kenneth squirmed out of the crowd and was in the open, seeing the only person between him and the end zone was the punter.

Harry wiped out the punter, freeing Kenneth to cruise into the end zone. Following the kick, the score was now 14-0. After playing behind so much, the Panthers were enjoying this.

Hontubby came back and completed a couple of passes on the next drive and picked up two first downs. The drive was stopped when Ronnie Jones fought through a block and sacked the quarterback for a big loss, forcing the Hornets to punt again. Hontubby’s coach saw Kenneth back for the punt again and told his punter to kick the ball away from him.

The ball sailed past the sidelines at the 26. Petros took off again, mixing the plays and steadily driving down the field. When Skip or D.J. needed a break, Kenneth came in at running back and the offense didn’t miss a beat.

While Kenneth wasn’t as fast as the other two backs, he was good at following blocks and more elusive. Plus he was versatile enough to play any position. He also had good hands, was an excellent blocker and could throw the ball.

Lucky capped the drive with a four-yard-run for the score off an option play, giving the Panthers a 21-0 lead after the conversion.

Hontubby moved out to midfield as the Panthers relaxed a little on defense. Ichabod started pulling players and putting in new ones and that got the attention of the defense. They rose up and stopped the drive, sacking the quarterback three times to force another punt.

When the Panthers got the ball back, they were on their own eleven with just over two minutes left before halftime.

Petros hadn’t needed to pass yet, but Cole decided it was time to give it a try, even though the Panthers had poor field position and were going into the wind.

The Panthers came out in the spread and went with the two-minute offense. Petros looked like it had been practicing the offense for years. Lucky looked like a pro, moving the ball around, hitting the receivers as they got open and in position to get out of bounds.

Cole used a couple of draws to Derwin to keep the defense off balance. Petros was on Hontubby’s 16 with just over 30 seconds left before halftime. Lucky took the snap, rolled to his right and fired a bullet to Harry crossing across the middle. He caught the pass, broke one tackle and dove into the end zone for the score.

Petros was taking a lot of frustration out on the Hornets. The Panthers had lost five-straight games going into this one after losing the last game of the regular season to Summerfield and falling to Gilmore in the first-round of the playoffs, then coming up short in the first three games of the year. This was the longest losing streak Cole had gone through as a coach and he was ready to end it.

Cole felt good about the play in the first half and let his players know it. He had few complaints as his team played well. Sure, it wasn’t the 1972 Miami Dolphins the Panthers were playing, but any time a team scored all four times it had the ball and pitched a shutout on defense, it was a very good performance.

He really had only one area that Cole decided to address with his team.

“That was a really good half,” Cole relayed, a pretty big understatement. “We blocked, tackled, ran and played like we’re capable. We’re ahead by four touchdowns but I’m not satisfied and hope you aren’t either.

“It’s been a long time since we had a team that closed well.”

“What do you mean?” asked Art Miller, a sophomore wide receiver who tended to let his mouth get him in trouble.

“Thank you for asking, Art. I mean that when a team gets a lead they shouldn’t sit back and be satisfied. I want you guys to keep pounding away and never let up. Play every play like it’s the most important play of the game. That’s a mark of a good team.

“I want you guys to get a killer instinct and put opponents away when we get the chance and never let them get up. When you get somebody down, you keep them down.”

Cole was talking so much he got a dry mouth. He took a drink and swished it around in his mouth.

“This is what I want you guys to do,” he stated. “Play this second half like the score is still zero-to-zero.”

The more Cole talked, the more the players were fired up and ready to get after it.

The coaches made a few adjustments and hoped things continued going like they had in the first half. Then some of the substitutes could get some playing time, rewards for practicing just as long and hard as the starters, without getting the opportunity to play as much.

If the Hontubby coach gave a motivational speech at halftime, it didn’t seem to have much of an effect on his players as they came out for the second half acting like they wished the game was over and they could go home.

Part of it was because they knew their chances to win were slim, but also because they were taking a beating and hadn’t expected it from a team that was 0-3. Three starters went out with injuries in the first half and wouldn’t return while several others were shaken before returning.

Lloyd was in the locker room and jogged alongside his brother to the sidelines. He took Lucky aside to give some advice.

“You’ve gotta keep them up,” he instructed. “Just like Dad said. Keep everybody focused and ready to play. You guys deserve this game so keep pounding them.”

The Panthers got the ball to start the second half. D.J. returned the kick to the 31 before getting pushed out of bounds.

As the offense huddled, Lucky thought back to what his father and brother had preached.

“Okay, let’s take it to them,” he stated. “Don’t relax. Remember, the score is tied and we need to dominate this half.”

Hontubby started bringing the secondary up, wanting to stop the run and not expecting the Panthers to throw. Lucky saw this and knew it would open up the passing game, but decided to keep the ball on the ground.

The Hornets had all eleven players up close to try and stop the run but needed more to stop the Panthers.

D.J. picked up a quick six on first down and added eight more with a sweep on second down. The Panthers’ offensive line was just destroying the Hornets, opening huge holes for the backs.

Skip ran a sweep the other way for seven, nearly broke it but ran out of room on the sidelines. Lucky followed with a bootleg that fooled the Hornets, picking up eleven yards.

Aside from the one play, the Panthers kept the clock running, staying in-bounds and letting the play clock run low before snapping the ball.

The Hornets only slowed the Panthers once, holding Lucky to no gain on an option. He could have probably pitched the ball back to Skip, but was worried about a bad pitch and knew the way the offense was moving, it wasn’t necessary to take any chances.

Skip picked up nine yards on a trap the following play, giving the Panthers another first down. Skip finally finished off the drive, gaining four yards on a power play.

A bad snap on the conversion forced the Panthers to try and go for two but the pass was incomplete, leaving Petros ahead, 34-0.

Cole gathered the Panthers around him prior to the kickoff.

“Okay, now we’re ahead by a touchdown,” he informed his players. “We need to get three-and-out on defense then go score again.”

Wayne continued getting most of the carries for Hontubby and was paying the price, getting pounded every play. He got the call on third down and took a vicious hit from Derwin, one so hard his helmet came off.

Wayne staggered back to his feet, retrieved his helmet and went back to the huddle.

“That guy there’s a tough one,” complimented Derwin. “That should’ve put him on the bench.”

After the punt, the Panthers wasted little time. On first down, Petros ran an option to perfection. After faking the dive to D.J., Lucky saw the end crashing and pitched back to Skip, who caught the ball and hit the corner going full speed.

He stiff-armed a linebacker, faked out a defensive back, turned the burners on and broke into the open field. The Hornets chased him all the way but couldn’t catch up, getting a good view of Skip crossing the goal line holding the ball aloft.

This time, the snap was good. As was the hold and the kick. Petros led 41-0 and there were still five minutes and some change in the third quarter.

Cole wanted the starters to play at least three quarters but had seen enough. The guys were definitely not relaxing and went for the throat.

He slowly brought in reserves as the starters went to the sidelines. The reserves also played well. The offense moved the ball, but was hurt by penalties. Petros’ defense continued playing tough, never allowing the Hornets to come close to scoring.

The final score was 41-0 and the Panthers had broken the door down, picked up their first win of the season and snapped the losing streak. Petros was now 1-3 overall, 1-0 in district play.

The players congratulated the Hontubby players and coaches, celebrated on the field for a brief period then retreated to the locker room, whooping and hollering.

Cole slipped off to his office to pray then returned and waited for the noise to die down before addressing the team.

“That’s how we need to play,” Cole announced. “We were solid on offense, defense and special teams. We still have a lot to work on and need to get better to be the team we can be. But now you need to go have some fun at the homecoming dance and we’ll start preparing for Monroe tomorrow.”

The players got ready for the dance, taking a little extra time to look their best. Lloyd was visiting with some friends and made plans to catch up with them later. He waited for all the players to leave and his father to be alone.

Cole was watching film of the game when Lloyd entered the office and sat down in a chair next to his father.

The Panthers were moving the ball at ease on the film. Cole and Lloyd saw a few missed blocks and assignments, but also saw a lot of good things.

“Can I talk with you for a few minutes?” Lloyd finally got the nerve to ask.

“Sure,” Cole responded, hitting the stop button on the remote. He turned off the television and turned the lights back on.

“I quit my job today.”

Cole almost fell out of his chair.

After regaining his composure, he asked, “okay, what are you going to do?”

“I would kinda like to go back to school in the spring,” Lloyd announced. “It’s too late this fall so I’d like to stay around here until then, if it’s okay.”

“Sure,” his father responded. “What do you plan to study?”

They were the words Cole always expected to hear from Lloyd, but never hoped to hear.

“I want to coach,” Lloyd stated. “I know you never wanted me to do it, but I guess it’s in my blood. I’m miserable doing what I do, sitting in an office, trying to sell people stuff they really don’t need. All I think about is coaching.”

“Okay, I’ll help all I can,” Cole offered.

“Dad, you won’t have to help much. I’ll probably live at home if that’s okay, but I’ve saved up enough money that I’ll get by. When I go back to school, it will be paid for by the VA.”

“You sure this is what you want?”

“I’m positive,” his son reaffirmed. “I want to be like you. I know it’s not the easiest thing to do. but this is it for me.”

Cole tried not to show his surprise. Lloyd was smart enough and talented enough to do anything, as evidenced by already graduating college with one major. But his oldest son now wanted to take a job where pretty much every year ended in disappointment.

But Cole also knew there were other things in life more important than money.

“Can you help us out?” Cole asked. “We could always use another set of eyes.”

“I’d love to,” Lloyd responded, smiling and feeling happier than he had in years.

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By the time the football players left the locker room, the dance had already started.

Lucky had decided to go home and watch some film instead of going to the dance. All his friends were going, but Lucky had no idea how to dance and cared little for standing in the cafeteria, listening to loud music for two hours.

As he left the locker room, Lucky walked across the parking lot and saw Gabby and D.J. He could tell something was wrong. D.J. was talking loud and pointing his finger at her. She had her head lowered and looked like she was crying. Lucky steered away, not wanting them to think he was eavesdropping.

From what he heard, D.J. wanted to ride around before going to the dance while she wanted to go straight to the dance. Lucky had noticed D.J. had been acting strange lately, not wanting to be around any of his old friends or Gabby and only wanted to hang out with the older guys, especially Garrett.

D.J. was getting worse by the second, now hollering loud enough everybody in the block could hear. Lucky got worried. D.J. was not acting right and was scaring her.

Lucky stopped and walked over to where they stood.

“You guys okay?” he asked.

“We’re fine,” D.J. answered, eyeing Lucky with contempt. Gabby had tears streaming down her face and tried to avoid looking at him. She nodded, but Lucky could tell Gabby did not feel that way.

Lucky was lost, not knowing what to do. This was not his cup of tea, or his fight, but he also could not stand to see Gabby treated this way or see one of his best friends act like some alien had taken over his mind.

“We don’t need your help,” D.J. added.

“That might be true,” Lucky responded. “But you’re scaring her.”

“I don’t see that’s any of your business.”

“I guess I’m making it my business. You need to calm down.”

“No, you need to get out of here,” D.J. spat out. “Or I’ll make you get out of here.”

Lucky and D.J. had been good friends most of their lives. They had never even had an argument and now D.J. acted like he wanted to fight.

“I’ll leave when I know everything’s okay,” Lucky responded.

D.J. dropped his gym bag and started walking toward Lucky. Ever since he was a child, D.J. had practiced martial arts and competed in tournaments around the country.

“You wanting to take me on?” he asked.

“No, but I will,” Lucky fired back, also dropping his gym back.

Gabby stepped between them and pushed D.J. back.

“Please go,” she pleaded, turning to face Lucky. “I’ll be fine.”

Lucky looked at her, then at D.J., whose eyes showed the same anger. He didn’t even look like the same person who had been a friend for so long.

“Are you sure?” Lucky asked.

“Yes, please just go,” Gabby urged, still standing between them.

Lucky started walking away, wondering what was wrong with his friend.

“Yeah, you better go,” D.J. smirked, then laughed.

Lucky stopped, turned around and faced him.

“I’m leaving because she asked me to go,” he responded. “Not because of you.”

Lucky’s head was spinning. He had almost gotten into a fight with one of his oldest and best friends and the world seemed to be turned upside down. That was all he could think about during his walk home.

He was about halfway home when a car pulled up beside him. It was not much of a surprise to see it was Gabby. She rolled down the window and rolled to a stop.

“Would you like a ride?” she asked.

“Okay,” Lucky answered, wondering if this was a good idea as he got in the car.

Chapter 25