Chapter 49
As Cole watched the backfield get together, he wondered what the chances were of having a backfield consisting of two sophomores and a junior starting in the quarterfinals.
The two teams made their way back out on the field at the same time. The large Albion crowd showed more enthusiasm than they had all night.
Skip and Seth went back to return the kick, a high floater that came down at the 11. Skip took off on a sprint right up the gut. It looked like he busted free, but the final player caught Skip’s foot and tripped him up.
The Albion defense came out on the field, also showing more enthusiasm. They looked and acted like they wanted blood. It was obvious the coaches had ripped into them at the half and whatever was said certainly motivated the players.
Petros ran three plays and lost yardage on each one. Albion was blitzing and stunting on each play, confusing the Panthers’ line, which had not expected this kind of pressure after dominating the first half.
With each negative play for Petros, Albion’s players got more fired up, as did the fans.
On the sideline, Cole’s worries increased. This was not the kind of start he hoped to see. He sent Jeremy in with instructions to kick the ball away from the returner.
The punting team lined up for the kick. The snap was perfect and Jeremy just ripped one, probably the best punt of his career. It was a rocket that sailed above and beyond the returner. It hit and bounced back toward the sideline.
The returner had to sprint back to retrieve the ball, picking it up just before it bounced past the sidelines. The ball had traveled over 60 yards before it was fielded.
Jeremy had outkicked his coverage, giving the returner plenty of time to retrieve the ball and start back upfield before the Panthers chased him down.
“Uh oh,” muttered Lloyd, who recognized the danger before anybody else.
Cole started thinking the same thing, even before he saw the wall of blockers setting up on the far side of the field. Petros’ coaches hollered at the players to get over to the far side and waved for them to spread out, but it was all for naught.
The only question was if the returner could get across the field and to the wall before the Panthers reached him.
The answer soon became obvious. The returner, one of the fastest sprinters in the state, easily outran the Panthers and found his buddies waiting for him. After he cleared the wall, only one player was waiting for him and it was Jeremy.
It was a mismatch. Jeremy tried forcing the returner toward the sidelines, but could only watch as the Albion player flew by him without breaking stride.
Just that quickly, it was a game again.
All the Petros players and fans were in disbelief. They were not used to seeing a human move that fast. A car, maybe. A person, never.
The kick was just inside the uprights, cutting the lead to 10-7 with most of the third quarter still remaining.
Albion’s kicker knew the previous kick had almost been returned and was determined that would not happen again. He squibbed the kick, the ball bouncing along the ground until Anthony Hart fielded it at the 27, got up to the 31 and was tackled.
A roar was building on the Albion side, louder than any Petros had heard this season. The Antlers’ band was blasting away and most of the people in the stands were doing a dance along with the music. The Panthers were a little unnerved for the first time all night as they huddled.
Lucky realized this and knew he had to do something.
“Everybody just needs to calm down,” he told his teammates. “We’ve got to get focused and move the ball.”
The other players nodded, but Lucky knew they weren’t over the nerves. The touchdown served as extra motivation for the defense. They were flying around the field, showing the same kind of speed and play Cole saw on film.
Petros ran only three plays again, picking up minimal yardage before having to punt. Jeremy followed Cole’s instructions this time, kicking the ball out of bounds.
Albion’s offense came roaring out on the field, ready to capitalize on the play of the defense and the good field position. Petros’ defense came through again, shutting down two running plays. On third down, Skip knocked down a pass to force the Antlers to punt again.
On the previous play, Tim Treadway was shaken up and limped to the sidelines with a twisted ankle. Cole went to check on him, found out everything was okay then came back to where the other coaches were standing.
“What’s the call?” he asked.
“We’re going after it,” Ichabod answered, following the same strategy they had used all game.
As soon as Cole heard this, he got a bad feeling. He tried to get the attention of the players on the field to call a timeout or change the call but all the noise drained him out.
He looked quite comical, running up and down the sidelines, waving his arms and screaming. The other coaches didn’t have a clue what was going on, but joined in. Nobody on the field noticed the coaches and as the ball was snapped, ten Panthers went after the punter, flying through the line with no resistance.
The coaches saw the snap go to the upback, watching in disbelief as the Panthers flew by, intent on going after the punter, who gave a performance worth an Oscar. He jumped high, acting like the snap went over his head, then sprinted back toward his own end zone, keeping the Panthers after him.
The upback simply took the snap and headed up the field, finding no resistance from any of the Panthers. He had a line of blockers in front of him and only Skip between him and a touchdown. Skip sprinted up the field, wondering how to break through the line of blockers and make the tackle or at least slow the Albion player down enough for help to arrive.
He avoided the first wave of blockers, but the second group caught him. The first blocker held Skip while the second came in from the side, hitting him hard and driving him to the ground.
It was the hardest he had ever been hit and knew something was wrong quickly. His side felt like somebody hit him with a bat. All he could do was lie on the ground as the Albion players rushed by with the runner right behind, nobody having a chance to stop him.
As the play continued, Cole watched Skip, hoping he could somehow shake off whatever was bothering him and get up. It wasn't happening, though. Cole knew Skip had to be hurt because he was not the type to stay down unless something was really wrong.
With a wild celebration going on across the field, Cole ran out on the field to check on Skip.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asked, dipping to a knee beside his player, who was down on all fours.
Skip was in enough pain the words hardly came out.
“Side,” he finally replied.
Doc Hardy arrived just behind Cole.
“Is it your ribs?” the doctor asked.
Skip nodded, gritting his teeth to try and muzzle the pain.
Some of the other players formed around Skip before Stub chased them away. They slowly helped Skip to his feet and escorted him to the sidelines. The Panthers were losing backs faster than they could replace them as D.J. was out, Kenneth and Happy were already injured and now Skip was banged up.
The only other runner available with any experience was Derwin. He knew the plays, of course, but had played little this year. Plus, Derwin was not very fast and would have trouble even hitting the hole because of Albion’s speed.
But Derwin was the only choice, the coaches decided. The only other backs were sophomores who played little this year, mainly in junior-varsity games.
Lucky realized he was the only starter in the backfield still able to play as he watched the kickoff. Seth caught the ball and brought it out to the 26.
The Panthers’ offense took the field, trailing for the first time. The first play was a dive to Derwin. His running style was similar to Happy, but was unable to hit the hole as quick. Derwin made it back to the line but could not advance any farther.
Cole called a pass on second down, hoping to fool the defense. It did fool the defense, at least most of them.
Lucky faked a dive to Seth, made it look like an option was coming and then stepped back. Harry had gotten behind the Albion defensive back by at least five yards. But just as Lucky started to throw the ball, Price House was pushed back into Lucky, causing the ball to fall harmlessly to the ground.
The Panthers went with a quarterback draw on third down, picking up six yards before getting chased down and tackled, well short of the first down.
Jeremy trotted back out on the field, ready to punt for the third time this quarter. His punt was just as Cole hoped to see as the ball rolled out of bounds at the Albion 42.
With the lead, Albion decided to gamble. The Panthers had lost half the secondary as Skip and Kenneth were out. Harry, Gary Bell, Lucky and Houston Painter were in at defensive backs.
Harry, Lucky and Gary had experience. Houston didn’t and that was who the Antlers went after. It was a play-action pass called against a blitzing defense. Houston was in man coverage against the Antlers’ fastest player, the split end who earlier returned the punt for a touchdown.
Houston played deep, knowing how fast the player was he was guarding. He read the play correctly and sprinted back, knowing a deep pass was coming and determined not to get burned.
The coverage was excellent. But as the ball came down, Houston’s feet got tangled up with the receiver and he fell. Albion’s receiver stumbled, regaining his balance just as the ball arrived.
Gary sprinted over to help after covering the tight end on a crossing route. He never gave up but could not catch the receiver, watching him catch the pass and sprint down the field, giving Albion its third touchdown of the quarter.
The Panthers were losing the faith as they watched the kick increase the lead to 21-10 with two minutes left in the quarter.
Petros’ morale was in bad shape. Not only were they losing the game, they knew many of their best players were on the sidelines, out with injuries.
Cole knew the offense would be hurting unless he put another player in for Derwin. The only player he had any confidence in was Houston. He had good speed, was smart and tough as a boot. But he only weighed one hundred fifty pounds, not exactly a power back.
But he knew things were slipping away and unless something happened quick, the Panthers would be putting up their gear Monday.
Since he wasn’t ready to start basketball or give up on these guys, he called everybody around him.
“Okay, I want everybody to look up at the scoreboard,” he directed, waiting to make sure everybody did so. “That clock shows there’s still two minutes and some change left in this quarter. You’ll also see that it’s only the third quarter.
“That means we still have over fourteen minutes to play in this game. We should get the ball at least three more times. It’s real simple, guys. All we need to do is score two times and keep Albion from scoring. We win and go home.”
There was one question everybody wanted to ask though, which was never voiced: How could they score against the Antlers and keep them from scoring.
Cole looked up in the stands and saw Sarah sitting among the Petros fans. She smiled and waved at him. He smiled back, hoping none of his players or coaches saw him.
He had no idea she was coming to the game and hated the thought that she and all the other Petros fans made this long trip if the Panthers lost.
Cole added a little wave, bringing another smile from her. He decided it would be a good idea to turn his attention back to the game.
Instead of squibbing the kick, the kicker tried a deep onside that failed badly as he kicked the ball out of bounds, giving Petros the ball at its own 35.
Cole looked out at his team and found this hard to believe. He never dreamed of seeing this backfield in the game, or his team could lose three running backs in a game.
Houston got the call on first down, knowing Albion would never expect it. The Antlers might not have expected it, but it was hard to tell. Albion blitzed a linebacker right up the gut and he nailed Houston in the backfield for a loss of two yards.
Lucky was growing frustrated, wanting to do something to turn the game around. Cole sent in an option to the right, a call that surprised him. He knew it would be almost impossible to get outside, but that didn’t mean the play wouldn’t work.
Even before the ball was snapped, Lucky decided to keep the ball, unless there was just a huge gap for Seth to run through. He took the snap and read the defensive tackle. If the lineman went for Seth, Lucky would keep the ball. All game, the defensive tackles had been going after the running back and that was the case again. Seeing that the tackle was concerned with Seth, Lucky faked the handoff, took one more step then saw the hole and took off after it.
The hole was closing quickly but Lucky darted through it, then cut back across the field, catching the Antlers pursuing in the wrong direction.
He ran through an arm tackle and broke into the secondary. Lucky was as fast as anybody on his team, but knew several Antlers could smoke him in a race.
One of the Antlers was closing the gap quickly and caught Lucky near the sidelines. But as soon as the Albion player grabbed him, Lucky, spun around, broke free and shoved him to the ground.
Lucky felt the pressure bearing down on him and cut back across the field. Some of his teammates were coming also, taking care of some of the Albion players with some good blocking. He hurdled over one player who dove at his ankles and Lucky was ahead of the defenders again.
The Antlers recovered and had him pinned at the 25. Lucky slowed down, acted like he was going out of bounds, then spun around again, once more crossing across the field.
He was winded but determined to get into the end zone. One defender caught him and grabbed Lucky at the seven. He was not to be denied after going this far, however, and once again twisted away, almost falling down during the process before breaking free.
Lucky had to put his left hand down to keep from falling and to regain his balance. One last Albion player grabbed him from behind and this time, Lucky could not spin away. Realizing what needed to be done, Lucky started churning his legs and continued making his way toward the end zone, even with the extra one hundred and eighty pounds along for the ride.
He gave out just inside the one and leaned forward, stretching his body and the ball into the end zone for the score.
All the players, coaches and fans on the Petros side were in disbelief, not believing what they just saw. Cole stood with his mouth open, wondering how his youngest son did that. It was as good of a run as he had seen, especially in a situation like this.
Lucky was so exhausted he could barely get up. His teammates helped him up while congratulating him and escorted him to the sidelines. Once he finally got there, all he could do was drop to a knee, unable to acknowledge the congratulations from his teammates.
Cole made an error and did not realize it until it was too late. The score was cut to 21-16 and the kicking team was on the field, lining up for the kick.
Lloyd came storming up to his father.
“Let’s go for two,” he suggested.
“What?” Cole asked, barely able to hear his oldest son.
“We need to go for two,” Lloyd repeated, practically shouting in his father’s ear. “If we make it we’ll only be behind by three and could tie the score with a field goal.”
Cole and the other coaches tried to get the players’ attention but it was useless. They were already lining up for the kick and nobody looked to the sidelines. On the field, the snap was perfect, as was the kick to cut the lead to 21-17.
As the teams came to the sidelines, Ichabod pulled the kickoff team around him and gave out directions, stressing not to kick the ball deep, but instead to squib the ball on the ground.
Jeremy followed the instructions, bouncing the ball end-over-end. The football took a funny bounce at the 30 and all the Antlers player could do was fall on it.
The Panthers attacked with a passion, capturing the tailback in the backfield twice for losses. Albion was now faced with third-and-long and came out in a spread offense for the first time.
Petros switched defenses to make sure everybody was covered. The quarterback got the snap off just before the quarter ended.
He dropped back to pass as the four wideouts ran short, crossing patterns. Petros blitzed seven, only using four in coverage.
Nobody saw it coming as the play was run perfectly. Just before the defense got to him, the quarterback lobbed a pass over their heads to the tailback, who had set up behind the line and caught the ball.
As soon as he caught the ball, the tailback realized there was no reason to wait on the blockers to clear a path as none of the Panthers were near him. Only two Petros players were between him and the goal and they were both being blocked by wideouts.
The other two defensive backs had figured out what was happening and were in pursuit, but it was no use as the tailback was too fast and had too big of a lead.
He appeared to have been shot out of a cannon as the tailback rocketed down the field, never slowing until crossing into the end zone.
The Panthers were going through a roller coaster of emotions after scoring a touchdown to get back in the game and then give up another score to the Antlers.
The extra point was perfect and the lead was back up to 11 points, 28-17.
Cole and the other coaches did their best to pump up the players, knowing how disappointed they were to give up the score.
Once again, Petros was on the ropes and needed something good to happen.
The two teams switched ends before lining up for the kick. On the kickoff, Seth fielded the ball and brought it back to the 31. The offense took the field and huddled seven yards behind where the ball was marked.
Lucky looked around the huddle and saw all eyes glued to him.
“Isn’t this great?” he asked, causing his teammates to look at him like he had lost his mind. “They’ll be talking about what we do this fourth quarter for years to come. This is our game and our time. Let’s make it happen.”
The talk gave a little bit of spirit to the players and they started whooping and hollering.
“It’s time for us to win the game,” Lucky added, sticking his hand in the middle. All his offensive teammates did the same and they yelled “Panthers” in unison.
Lucky called the play and the offense broke the huddle. The only thing that had worked consistently all night was the power game and the Panthers were going to try it again. The biggest problem was neither of the backs could be considered power backs.
Nobody bothered to tell Seth or Houston, however. Running with a fury and determination they never showed before, they started pounding into a line that was opening holes again.
Albion’s defense was determined not to give up another big play, allowing the Panthers to pick up short yardage and Petros took advantage.
Seth started showing more talent and ability than anybody knew he possessed, leading his team slowly down the field, refusing to be taken down with the first hit.
Lucky carried only twice on the drive, both carries picking up needed first downs. It took 13 plays, but Petros finally reached the Albion 11. The Antlers had tightened up the defense but had not stopped the Panthers.
Petros was facing second-and-seven. As Lucky led his team to the line, he noticed the coverage and saw Albion was covering Andy with only one player, a mistake many teams had tried before and usually regretted.
Lucky changed the call at the line. It was a gamble as an incompletion would force third-and-long, but it was one he thought was worth the risk.
As the ball was snapped, the defensive back came forward to get the first hit in on Andy. But it was a bad move, Andy simply stepped to the side to avoid the hit and started down the field, the defensive back trying to recover.
The lead was shrinking but Andy had a good advantage as he sprinted toward the end zone. Lucky faked the handoff to Houston and dropped back, enjoying plenty of time. He planted his foot and tossed the ball toward his teammate.
It was a perfect pass, leading Andy just right. The defensive back was a step late and could only watch the reception and the touchdown that got the Panthers back in the game.
Petros’ side went crazy again, the old bleachers testing the strength of the rock and concrete. Cole looked at the clock and saw less than five minutes remaining.
He got the offense together and told them to go for two, then gave the formation and play. As the band played the school song loudly in the stands, Petros’ offense took the field. Players on the sidelines waved their arms, trying to get the crowd even more excited, not that it was possible.
Everybody in the stadium stood, knowing how important this extra point would be.
The offense lined up and Lucky looked over the defense, seeing the Antlers eyeing him back. As he took the snap, Lucky spun around and faked the ball to Seth on a power play. It was a bootleg with the option to either run or pass.
Murray was the only receiver going out, but was covered like a blanket.
Lucky tucked the ball and tried to get to the corner before the defense did. It was no use this time, the Antlers were all over him, getting him before he got to the five and keeping him from converting the two-point conversion.
The score was now 28-23. Petros would have to get a stop or the Panthers would have no chance. It was really too early for an onside kick and Albion had been prepared for it all night, anyway. If they did try it and Albion recovered, the Antlers would have a short field to work with.
Cole gave his instructions to the kicking team, hoping it was the right call. The kickoff team lined up in their normal formation and after getting the go-ahead, Jeremy slowly approached the ball and squibbed it down the field again, another perfect kick.
This time, the Antlers fielded the ball cleanly and the returner took off up the field, gaining speed as he advanced. Cole grew worried as he saw the play developing. The returner had broken into the open and it was looking like the Panthers would give up another big play in the kicking game.
But as the returner reached the 31, Jeremy came out of nowhere. He missed the tackle on the earlier return but would not allow that to happen again. He dove and caught the returner just below the neck, making him look like a rag doll that was thrown to the ground, his arms and legs flailing.
It saved the day for the Panthers because if Jeremy had not made the tackle, the Antlers would have scored.
“Whoo, that kept the overweight woman from singing a tune,” said Stub.
“What?” asked Lloyd.
“He’s trying to be politically correct,” Ichabod stated.
“Yeah,” Stub added, trying too hard to be clever.
“Whatever,” Lloyd responded, turning his attention back to the field.
The defense was huddled around Derwin, now more intense than ever, knowing his football playing days were near an end unless something happened.
“We stop them here!” he screamed. “Suck it up. Don’t give them a yard!”
Anybody seeing him for the first time would imagine Derwin was on the edge of sanity. His teammates knew it was only temporary, but also they had to do what he said.
Albion came to the line, both teams knowing all it took was one first down and the game might as well be over. The Antlers ran a sweep to the tailback, one of their favorite plays during the year but one that had not worked well tonight.
The Panthers pursued like madmen, scratching, clawing and fighting to reach the running back. Stewart Andrews was the defensive end on that side and played it perfectly. Reading the sweep, he burst into the backfield and angled away from the play, wanting to stretch it out to the sideline and let help arrive.
The tailback tried to outrun Stewart, but it was no use. Stewart got in the correct position and kept the runner under control until the rest of the defense arrived. Gary hit the tailback right in the chin, almost landing his own knockout.
It was a loss of two yards. Albion used as much time as possible before running the second play. This time, it was a simple blast over the right side. The hole was plugged and the tailback tried to bounce outside. Just as it looked like he might have room, Lucky hustled in from the secondary, dove and took the legs out from under the tailback, again dropping him for a loss.
Albion took its time again getting the play called and coming to the line. The Antlers waited until the play clock was under five seconds before starting the play, an option to the right side.
Petros’ defense just demolished the play, getting penetration and forcing the quarterback to pitch the ball before he was ready. Lucky and Gary were already in the backfield and had the tailback trapped before bringing him down for another big loss.
It was now fourth-and-long. The clock continued counting down. There were only two minutes left when the punter finally kicked the ball.
The punt was another beauty, sailing way over Harry’s head and bouncing out of bounds on the Petros 11.
The Panthers had 89 yards to go with just under two minutes left against one of the best defenses in Class 2A.
Petros lined up in the spread. Lucky took the snap and rolled to his right. Harry broke free and caught the pass at the 20 before stepping across the sidelines to stop the clock.
The Panthers huddled quickly then came to the line. It was second-and-one so Lucky wanted to pick up the first down. Seth got the call on a dive and burst through the line, picking up six yards and a first down at the 26.
Petros lined up without huddling, waiting until the chains were set then snapped the ball. Lucky threw a quick slant to Andy. He had to leap to catch the pass and was tackled quickly, picking up only six yards and not stopping the clock.
Cole called his first time out, knowing the clock would probably tick off thirty seconds if they did not stop it. The offense slowly came to the sidelines where Cole was waiting, not pleased with Lucky’s decision.
“We’ve got to throw the ball far enough to pick up the dang first down and get the clock stopped,” Cole reminded his quarterback. “We can’t be wasting timeouts like that. If you throw the ball short of the first-down marker, make sure it’s where the receiver can get out of bounds.”
Lucky nodded, already knowing he made a mistake. He listened to his father’s instructions and led his team back out on the field. He had learned quickly that against a team like Albion, the pass had to be perfect or the great speed of the defenders enabled them to knock the ball down.
Plus, Petros’ players, without D.J., Skip and Kenneth, did not really have the speed to break free. All of the Panthers’ speed was out of the game.
As the Panthers broke the huddle and came to the line, Lucky looked over the defense and something caught his eye. Walking across the far end zone was Skip, hurrying to get his pads back on and to the bench.
The doctor must have examined him and determined the injury wasn’t severe. The sight of Skip made Lucky feel better. Petros’ crowd saw him and started cheering, making Skip go faster.
Albion’s secondary was playing well off the ball, willing to give up the short pass. Lucky had decided not to bite on that again, though.
Andy was lined up wide to the right. The Antlers had their best defensive back lined up to cover him. Lucky knew it would have to be a perfect pass and decided that was what he would deliver. The snap was a little low and he dropped it, then had trouble picking it up.
He finally got control of the ball and stood up, right before one of Albion’s linebackers broke through and slammed into him. Lucky was knocked back several feet, but never lost his footing as the linebacker failed to wrap him up.
The pressure was still coming, Lucky felt it and saw it, so he sprinted to the right, barely escaping the rush.
He was amazed at the team speed again. Albion’s linemen were faster than the backs on other teams Petros played. Nobody was open so Lucky continued rolling out, scanning the field and looking for any open receiver.
Lucky finally gave up and took off to the sideline, determined to pick up what he could before going out of bounds. He continued down the sidelines, picking up fifteen yards before getting nailed so hard it almost knocked him into the Petros bench.
The play was in front of the Petros bench and the coaches and fans hollered for a late hit but no flag emerged from the official’s pocket.
Lucky jogged back out toward the huddle, knowing he would feel that hit in the morning. The Panthers huddled up and he relayed the call.
It was one that even surprised him, one of Cole’s little nuggets that was saved all year before coming out of hibernation. Petros had run the play in practice many times, but never in a game.
The Panthers came out in the shotgun again with only Lucky and Seth in the backfield. Lucky barked the signals while looking over the defense. As the ball was snapped, Lucky jumped up then headed back toward his own goal line.
Albion’s defense saw this and took off after Lucky. The Antlers thought the ball was snapped over his head and saw this as a chance to come up with a big play on defense and hopefully end the Panthers' drive.
There was only one problem: The snap wasn’t over his head and Lucky didn’t have the ball. Seth took a direct snap and was breaking into the secondary with plenty of running room.
The fumble earlier in the game was still bothering him and Seth was determined to make up for it. He ran past one defender who was left clutching nothing but air.
The other defensive backs figured out what was happening, but had trouble getting away from the blockers. Seth wound his way down the field, eventually reaching the Albion 15 before getting brought down by the free safety.
There was still over a minute left. The Petros side was ecstatic, of course, making so much noise it was difficult to hear the call.
Cole was thinking of the next play when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see who was bothering him and saw Skip standing beside him, fastening his chinstrap.
“I’m good to go,” Skip advised.
“You sure?” Cole asked.
“Yes sir.”
Cole looked at Doc Hardy to make sure Skip could play.
“He’s sore but fine,” the doctor advised. “Bruised but not broken.”
“Go in there,” Cole instructed.
The crowd somehow grew even louder as they saw Skip jogging out on the field. Houston saw him coming in and gave him a high five as he came toward the bench.
Petros came out in a split-back with Seth and Skip at running back. Lucky faked the ball to Seth, then handed off to Skip on a crossbuck. He cut back and found some room, reaching the 6 before two defenders brought him down.
The clock was running, looking like it was set on fast forward to the Petros side. After everybody got untangled, the Panthers lined up without huddling. Seth got the call on a blast over the left side, following behind Skip. He had no room to run and tried bouncing outside, but was run down and tackled in the backfield.
Cole hated to do it but had to call another timeout. He decided on a call before the Panthers came to the sidelines.
He started to call the play but was stopped.
“Coach, run the same play,” pleaded Seth, stepping forward and facing his coach.
“What?” Cole asked.
“Please run the same play,” Seth repeated. “I’ll score this time.”
Cole was stunned to hear a sophomore make a request like this. He was prepared to call a play for Skip, to go with his best player. Not a sophomore with little playing time who was prone to fumbling. But something about the passion in Seth’s voice, the look in his eyes made the coach honor the request.
“Run it,” he instructed, looking at Lucky. As the team started back out on the field, Cole grabbed Lucky and held him for a few seconds until they were by themselves. “If it doesn’t work, call time so we can run another play.”
“We won’t need to,” Lucky replied. “Seth will score.”
Lucky smiled at his father and jogged back out on the field. The Panthers huddled for a few seconds then came to the line. The Antlers were expecting a pass and got out of the goal-line defense.
Lucky took the snap, spun around and placed the ball in Seth’s belly. Seth put both arms around the ball, determined not to fumble. He took two steps to his left, then angled into the line, cutting behind Skip.
There really wasn’t much of a hole, but that didn’t matter to Seth. He lowered his head and plowed forward, throwing all one hundred and fifty pounds of determination against the defense.
The Antlers put up a determined stand but were losing ground. Petros’ line got enough of a push that the pile slowly went back. Two Albion players grabbed hold of Seth, but he broke away. He kept pumping his legs and pushing forward, running behind two linemen and Skip.
The play seemed to be in slow motion for everybody in the stands. It was impossible to tell what was happening with the mass of humanity gathered together. A crease finally opened, a small gap Seth saw and dove through. He closed his eyes and hoped his body and the ball would land in the end zone.
He was hit and landed hard on the ground, lying on his back. As his eyes opened, Seth saw the stars above, along with a moon that was nothing more than a sliver shining brightly. He turned his head to the right and saw his teammates rushing toward him, jumping up and down.
Seth turned over and started getting up. He glanced toward the sidelines and saw an official standing only a few yards away, his arms raised, the whistle in his mouth blowing loudly.
Before he got to his feet, his teammates arrived and swarmed all over him. Slowly, it was sinking in. He had scored and put his team ahead.
As his teammates pounded on him and hugged him, Seth pointed his arm to the heavens and gave thanks.
He started jogging toward the sidelines, taking in the sights. His teammates were still jumping and down and moving out on the field, waiting to mob him. He heard the band playing the school song and among all the people, Seth saw his parents hugging each other. The other people in the stands near them were congratulating his parents. The sight of this made Seth feel even better.
Cole was the first to greet him.
“I’m glad I listened to you,” he hollered, hugging him.
“So am I,” Seth agreed, smiling and feeling a joy that was impossible to describe.
Jeremy was perfect on the conversion, increasing Petros’ lead to 30-28.
Now, the only thing worrying Cole was there were still thirty seconds left and they had to stop the Antlers one more time. He knew this would not be easy.
Cole grabbed Jeremy and told him to kick the ball out of bounds, to not even think about trying to kick the ball deep. It would give Albion the ball at the 35, but Cole knew this was safer.
After the kick sailed out of bounds, Albion’s offense took the field. The Antlers spread the field with receivers everywhere.
They threw a short slant on first down. The receiver was between two defenders and reached out to grab the pass, but bobbled it. Just as he tried to extend his arms to reel in the ball, Lucky arrived and plastered him, forcing the ball to drop to the ground
Cole was not feeling good about what he saw and jogged down to talk with Ichabod.
“We can’t let them have so much room,” Cole said. “Tighten up the coverage and get after the quarterback.”
Ichabod nodded. He really wasn’t crazy about the plan, but didn’t want to see any of those receivers catch the ball with room to run, either. He gave the defense the instructions and started chewing on his fingernails again. Not that there was anything to chew on after a game like this.
It was a call Derwin liked to hear. He gave no indication of what was coming and waited for the ball to move. As soon as the center moved the ball, Derwin exploded forward. He found a small gap between the left guard and tackle and ran through it.
The quarterback never saw it coming. He was still looking over the field, saw a receiver break free across the middle and set his plant foot when Derwin arrived. It was the quarterback’s worst nightmare, getting hit from behind with no idea it was coming.
Derwin lowered his head and hit the quarterback in the back, forcing the Albion player’s midsection to surge forward while the rest of his body stayed in place. The quarterback was almost split in half by the force of the hit.
He tried to maintain control of the ball but it popped free. Derwin saw the ball bouncing away and crawled over the quarterback’s body. He dove again, barely getting his hands on the ball before a pair of Antlers arrived and started wrestling with him.
The referee saw it all and knew who recovered even without breaking up the pile. He started signaling it was Petros’ ball. Even Cole jumped in the air, higher than he thought his old body could go.
It was pure pandemonium, a moment and a feeling Cole would remember forever.
Lucky had not realized how tired he was until the celebration died. He gathered the offense around him, ready to run one final play and start celebrating.
He watched the different reactions and emotions of the two teams. Petros was on top of the mountain, happy to pull this one off. Albion was at the bottom of a valley, looking like everybody was in a state of shock. The fans on Albion’s side were quiet, a steady stream heading for the parking lot.
It was a beautiful sight to Lucky. He was exhausted but felt so alive.
He got the offense lined up, took the snap and fell to one knee. Lucky looked at the clock and watched the seconds tick away, hearing the countdown from the Petros side. When the zero finally appeared, the horn sounded and Lucky held the ball high, jumping in the air despite his lack of energy.
The Panthers had pulled off a huge upset, one of the biggest wins in school history coming from a group nobody thought had a chance to beat Albion.
All the Petros side joined together in the celebration, making it difficult for the players to shake hands with the Antlers. Cole stepped back to watch the celebration, smiling like he hadn’t in years and feeling the same way, also. This group had brought such joy to him and to pull off a win like this made everything worthwhile.
He stood in the same spot for several minutes, shaking hands with everybody who came by, hugging his former players. Whenever Cole did call it quits, he hoped to remember moments like this, not the painful losses.
Cole was so intent on watching his players hugging everybody, some even kissing their favorite females that he never heard her come up from behind.
She tapped on his arm. Cole turned to see who it was, still smiling. After seeing it was Sarah, emotions overcome him.
He reached out and hugged her, even gave away a kiss. The players nearby saw this and cheered loudly.
“Congratulations,” she said, looking into his eyes.
“Thank you,” Cole answered, not wanting to let go. “Thanks for coming.”
“I loved it,” Sarah admitted, looking around. “We’ve got an audience, you know.”
Cole looked around to see what she was talking about. Many of his players were still staring at him, a look of surprise and shock on their faces to see their coach hugging some woman in the middle of the field.
“You go, Coach!” shouted Harry.
Cole started to get embarrassed, then realized there was no reason to feel that way. He stood beside Sarah, his arm around her.
Only a few people knew he was seeing Sarah. But the cat was definitely out of the bag now, Cole thought.
“Get a room!” Derwin hollered, a comment Cole did not quite grasp.
He turned to Sarah and looked into her eyes.
“I better go round up these boys or we’ll be here all night,” he stated. “I’ll talk to you in a little bit.”
She smiled as he walked away, a little limp from his bad leg. He could barely get through the crowd with all the people congratulating him.
----------
There was still a sense of joy in the locker room, but it was fading. The players were exhausted after this roller coaster of a game. Even the players who never left the bench had little energy.
Cole grabbed Lloyd’s cell phone and called his scout at the Honobia game.
The phone only rang once before it was answered.
“Hello, Lance, this is Cole,” he announced.
“Hello and congratulations,” Lance replied. “They just announced the score of your game. Everybody acted really surprised. I believe most of the people expected to play Albion next week.”
“That isn’t surprising. How’s your game going?”
“It’s bad.”
“Why?”
“Honobia’s leading fifty-six to nothing with half the fourth quarter left.”
Cole was amazed at the score. He didn’t know how anybody could beat Summerfield that bad. Summerfield had a few problems on its team, but Cole never thought anybody in their class could deliver a beating like this. He knew Honobia was good, but had no idea the Lions were that good.
“What happened?” Cole asked.
“Whatever Honobia wanted,” Lance reported. “Summerfield looked like a junior-high team against them. Summerfield’s coach acted like a baby, throwing his hat and screaming at the refs. He got tossed in the third quarter. That was the highlight of the game for me.”
Cole thought that was interesting, but was more worried about his next opponent.
“Tell me about Honobia,” he requested.
“They’re an impressive team,” Lance stated. “They’re a bunch of big, mean studs. I haven’t seen a team so physical in a long time. They just pound the heck out of you. Their lines are huge and good. The backs also have good size and run hard.
“But their defense impressed me more than anything. It’s easy to see why they’re leading the state in defense. They must have sacked Summerfield’s quarterback ten times. The old boy didn’t have time to blow his nose before somebody was in his face.”
“Well, did you see any weaknesses?”
“I wasn’t all that impressed with their waterboys,” Lance mentioned. “They were a little late getting out on the field a couple of times. Their band was bad, too. But I failed to see anything wrong with their football team. I’ve never seen a team get so many players knocked out of a game.”
This was a little disturbing to Cole. With as many players as he had hurt, they couldn’t afford to lose many more or they would play with the junior-varsity team.
“Can we beat them?” Cole asked.
He was answered by a long silence that told him more than Lance could.
“Well, we’d have to play a dang good game,” Lance responded. “Honobia’s not your average football team. I don’t know how a team from such a small town can produce so many good football players.”
“You aren’t making me feel all that great.”
“You don’t pay me to make you feel good. I’m supposed to report what I see.”
Cole laughed and promised to get in touch with Lance tomorrow when they had more time.
The players knew what their coach was doing and were waiting to hear from him.
“We got Honobia next,” Cole announced.
Many of the players nodded. They really didn’t know much about Honobia since Petros never played the school. The only thing they knew was the Lions must be pretty good.
“Where will we play?” asked Derwin.
“Don’t know yet,” Cole answered. “It will be at some neutral sight.”
“What’s a neutral sight?” asked Bobby Murdoch, getting a laugh out of many of his teammates.
“We’ll play somewhere other than Petros or Honobia,” Lucky explained.
“What was the score?” asked Skip.
“It’s not over yet,” Cole reported. “But it’s not close.”
Cole’s throat was dry. He got some water and put away most of it in one swig.
“Guys, I’m really proud of you,” he stated. “This was one of the best wins we’ve ever had. You came here against a really good team on the road. We overcame a lot of injuries and being behind in the second half. You showed me a lot out there tonight. Enjoy this tonight and we’ll start working on Honobia tomorrow.”
Chapter 50
The two teams made their way back out on the field at the same time. The large Albion crowd showed more enthusiasm than they had all night.
Skip and Seth went back to return the kick, a high floater that came down at the 11. Skip took off on a sprint right up the gut. It looked like he busted free, but the final player caught Skip’s foot and tripped him up.
The Albion defense came out on the field, also showing more enthusiasm. They looked and acted like they wanted blood. It was obvious the coaches had ripped into them at the half and whatever was said certainly motivated the players.
Petros ran three plays and lost yardage on each one. Albion was blitzing and stunting on each play, confusing the Panthers’ line, which had not expected this kind of pressure after dominating the first half.
With each negative play for Petros, Albion’s players got more fired up, as did the fans.
On the sideline, Cole’s worries increased. This was not the kind of start he hoped to see. He sent Jeremy in with instructions to kick the ball away from the returner.
The punting team lined up for the kick. The snap was perfect and Jeremy just ripped one, probably the best punt of his career. It was a rocket that sailed above and beyond the returner. It hit and bounced back toward the sideline.
The returner had to sprint back to retrieve the ball, picking it up just before it bounced past the sidelines. The ball had traveled over 60 yards before it was fielded.
Jeremy had outkicked his coverage, giving the returner plenty of time to retrieve the ball and start back upfield before the Panthers chased him down.
“Uh oh,” muttered Lloyd, who recognized the danger before anybody else.
Cole started thinking the same thing, even before he saw the wall of blockers setting up on the far side of the field. Petros’ coaches hollered at the players to get over to the far side and waved for them to spread out, but it was all for naught.
The only question was if the returner could get across the field and to the wall before the Panthers reached him.
The answer soon became obvious. The returner, one of the fastest sprinters in the state, easily outran the Panthers and found his buddies waiting for him. After he cleared the wall, only one player was waiting for him and it was Jeremy.
It was a mismatch. Jeremy tried forcing the returner toward the sidelines, but could only watch as the Albion player flew by him without breaking stride.
Just that quickly, it was a game again.
All the Petros players and fans were in disbelief. They were not used to seeing a human move that fast. A car, maybe. A person, never.
The kick was just inside the uprights, cutting the lead to 10-7 with most of the third quarter still remaining.
Albion’s kicker knew the previous kick had almost been returned and was determined that would not happen again. He squibbed the kick, the ball bouncing along the ground until Anthony Hart fielded it at the 27, got up to the 31 and was tackled.
A roar was building on the Albion side, louder than any Petros had heard this season. The Antlers’ band was blasting away and most of the people in the stands were doing a dance along with the music. The Panthers were a little unnerved for the first time all night as they huddled.
Lucky realized this and knew he had to do something.
“Everybody just needs to calm down,” he told his teammates. “We’ve got to get focused and move the ball.”
The other players nodded, but Lucky knew they weren’t over the nerves. The touchdown served as extra motivation for the defense. They were flying around the field, showing the same kind of speed and play Cole saw on film.
Petros ran only three plays again, picking up minimal yardage before having to punt. Jeremy followed Cole’s instructions this time, kicking the ball out of bounds.
Albion’s offense came roaring out on the field, ready to capitalize on the play of the defense and the good field position. Petros’ defense came through again, shutting down two running plays. On third down, Skip knocked down a pass to force the Antlers to punt again.
On the previous play, Tim Treadway was shaken up and limped to the sidelines with a twisted ankle. Cole went to check on him, found out everything was okay then came back to where the other coaches were standing.
“What’s the call?” he asked.
“We’re going after it,” Ichabod answered, following the same strategy they had used all game.
As soon as Cole heard this, he got a bad feeling. He tried to get the attention of the players on the field to call a timeout or change the call but all the noise drained him out.
He looked quite comical, running up and down the sidelines, waving his arms and screaming. The other coaches didn’t have a clue what was going on, but joined in. Nobody on the field noticed the coaches and as the ball was snapped, ten Panthers went after the punter, flying through the line with no resistance.
The coaches saw the snap go to the upback, watching in disbelief as the Panthers flew by, intent on going after the punter, who gave a performance worth an Oscar. He jumped high, acting like the snap went over his head, then sprinted back toward his own end zone, keeping the Panthers after him.
The upback simply took the snap and headed up the field, finding no resistance from any of the Panthers. He had a line of blockers in front of him and only Skip between him and a touchdown. Skip sprinted up the field, wondering how to break through the line of blockers and make the tackle or at least slow the Albion player down enough for help to arrive.
He avoided the first wave of blockers, but the second group caught him. The first blocker held Skip while the second came in from the side, hitting him hard and driving him to the ground.
It was the hardest he had ever been hit and knew something was wrong quickly. His side felt like somebody hit him with a bat. All he could do was lie on the ground as the Albion players rushed by with the runner right behind, nobody having a chance to stop him.
As the play continued, Cole watched Skip, hoping he could somehow shake off whatever was bothering him and get up. It wasn't happening, though. Cole knew Skip had to be hurt because he was not the type to stay down unless something was really wrong.
With a wild celebration going on across the field, Cole ran out on the field to check on Skip.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asked, dipping to a knee beside his player, who was down on all fours.
Skip was in enough pain the words hardly came out.
“Side,” he finally replied.
Doc Hardy arrived just behind Cole.
“Is it your ribs?” the doctor asked.
Skip nodded, gritting his teeth to try and muzzle the pain.
Some of the other players formed around Skip before Stub chased them away. They slowly helped Skip to his feet and escorted him to the sidelines. The Panthers were losing backs faster than they could replace them as D.J. was out, Kenneth and Happy were already injured and now Skip was banged up.
The only other runner available with any experience was Derwin. He knew the plays, of course, but had played little this year. Plus, Derwin was not very fast and would have trouble even hitting the hole because of Albion’s speed.
But Derwin was the only choice, the coaches decided. The only other backs were sophomores who played little this year, mainly in junior-varsity games.
Lucky realized he was the only starter in the backfield still able to play as he watched the kickoff. Seth caught the ball and brought it out to the 26.
The Panthers’ offense took the field, trailing for the first time. The first play was a dive to Derwin. His running style was similar to Happy, but was unable to hit the hole as quick. Derwin made it back to the line but could not advance any farther.
Cole called a pass on second down, hoping to fool the defense. It did fool the defense, at least most of them.
Lucky faked a dive to Seth, made it look like an option was coming and then stepped back. Harry had gotten behind the Albion defensive back by at least five yards. But just as Lucky started to throw the ball, Price House was pushed back into Lucky, causing the ball to fall harmlessly to the ground.
The Panthers went with a quarterback draw on third down, picking up six yards before getting chased down and tackled, well short of the first down.
Jeremy trotted back out on the field, ready to punt for the third time this quarter. His punt was just as Cole hoped to see as the ball rolled out of bounds at the Albion 42.
With the lead, Albion decided to gamble. The Panthers had lost half the secondary as Skip and Kenneth were out. Harry, Gary Bell, Lucky and Houston Painter were in at defensive backs.
Harry, Lucky and Gary had experience. Houston didn’t and that was who the Antlers went after. It was a play-action pass called against a blitzing defense. Houston was in man coverage against the Antlers’ fastest player, the split end who earlier returned the punt for a touchdown.
Houston played deep, knowing how fast the player was he was guarding. He read the play correctly and sprinted back, knowing a deep pass was coming and determined not to get burned.
The coverage was excellent. But as the ball came down, Houston’s feet got tangled up with the receiver and he fell. Albion’s receiver stumbled, regaining his balance just as the ball arrived.
Gary sprinted over to help after covering the tight end on a crossing route. He never gave up but could not catch the receiver, watching him catch the pass and sprint down the field, giving Albion its third touchdown of the quarter.
The Panthers were losing the faith as they watched the kick increase the lead to 21-10 with two minutes left in the quarter.
Petros’ morale was in bad shape. Not only were they losing the game, they knew many of their best players were on the sidelines, out with injuries.
Cole knew the offense would be hurting unless he put another player in for Derwin. The only player he had any confidence in was Houston. He had good speed, was smart and tough as a boot. But he only weighed one hundred fifty pounds, not exactly a power back.
But he knew things were slipping away and unless something happened quick, the Panthers would be putting up their gear Monday.
Since he wasn’t ready to start basketball or give up on these guys, he called everybody around him.
“Okay, I want everybody to look up at the scoreboard,” he directed, waiting to make sure everybody did so. “That clock shows there’s still two minutes and some change left in this quarter. You’ll also see that it’s only the third quarter.
“That means we still have over fourteen minutes to play in this game. We should get the ball at least three more times. It’s real simple, guys. All we need to do is score two times and keep Albion from scoring. We win and go home.”
There was one question everybody wanted to ask though, which was never voiced: How could they score against the Antlers and keep them from scoring.
Cole looked up in the stands and saw Sarah sitting among the Petros fans. She smiled and waved at him. He smiled back, hoping none of his players or coaches saw him.
He had no idea she was coming to the game and hated the thought that she and all the other Petros fans made this long trip if the Panthers lost.
Cole added a little wave, bringing another smile from her. He decided it would be a good idea to turn his attention back to the game.
Instead of squibbing the kick, the kicker tried a deep onside that failed badly as he kicked the ball out of bounds, giving Petros the ball at its own 35.
Cole looked out at his team and found this hard to believe. He never dreamed of seeing this backfield in the game, or his team could lose three running backs in a game.
Houston got the call on first down, knowing Albion would never expect it. The Antlers might not have expected it, but it was hard to tell. Albion blitzed a linebacker right up the gut and he nailed Houston in the backfield for a loss of two yards.
Lucky was growing frustrated, wanting to do something to turn the game around. Cole sent in an option to the right, a call that surprised him. He knew it would be almost impossible to get outside, but that didn’t mean the play wouldn’t work.
Even before the ball was snapped, Lucky decided to keep the ball, unless there was just a huge gap for Seth to run through. He took the snap and read the defensive tackle. If the lineman went for Seth, Lucky would keep the ball. All game, the defensive tackles had been going after the running back and that was the case again. Seeing that the tackle was concerned with Seth, Lucky faked the handoff, took one more step then saw the hole and took off after it.
The hole was closing quickly but Lucky darted through it, then cut back across the field, catching the Antlers pursuing in the wrong direction.
He ran through an arm tackle and broke into the secondary. Lucky was as fast as anybody on his team, but knew several Antlers could smoke him in a race.
One of the Antlers was closing the gap quickly and caught Lucky near the sidelines. But as soon as the Albion player grabbed him, Lucky, spun around, broke free and shoved him to the ground.
Lucky felt the pressure bearing down on him and cut back across the field. Some of his teammates were coming also, taking care of some of the Albion players with some good blocking. He hurdled over one player who dove at his ankles and Lucky was ahead of the defenders again.
The Antlers recovered and had him pinned at the 25. Lucky slowed down, acted like he was going out of bounds, then spun around again, once more crossing across the field.
He was winded but determined to get into the end zone. One defender caught him and grabbed Lucky at the seven. He was not to be denied after going this far, however, and once again twisted away, almost falling down during the process before breaking free.
Lucky had to put his left hand down to keep from falling and to regain his balance. One last Albion player grabbed him from behind and this time, Lucky could not spin away. Realizing what needed to be done, Lucky started churning his legs and continued making his way toward the end zone, even with the extra one hundred and eighty pounds along for the ride.
He gave out just inside the one and leaned forward, stretching his body and the ball into the end zone for the score.
All the players, coaches and fans on the Petros side were in disbelief, not believing what they just saw. Cole stood with his mouth open, wondering how his youngest son did that. It was as good of a run as he had seen, especially in a situation like this.
Lucky was so exhausted he could barely get up. His teammates helped him up while congratulating him and escorted him to the sidelines. Once he finally got there, all he could do was drop to a knee, unable to acknowledge the congratulations from his teammates.
Cole made an error and did not realize it until it was too late. The score was cut to 21-16 and the kicking team was on the field, lining up for the kick.
Lloyd came storming up to his father.
“Let’s go for two,” he suggested.
“What?” Cole asked, barely able to hear his oldest son.
“We need to go for two,” Lloyd repeated, practically shouting in his father’s ear. “If we make it we’ll only be behind by three and could tie the score with a field goal.”
Cole and the other coaches tried to get the players’ attention but it was useless. They were already lining up for the kick and nobody looked to the sidelines. On the field, the snap was perfect, as was the kick to cut the lead to 21-17.
As the teams came to the sidelines, Ichabod pulled the kickoff team around him and gave out directions, stressing not to kick the ball deep, but instead to squib the ball on the ground.
Jeremy followed the instructions, bouncing the ball end-over-end. The football took a funny bounce at the 30 and all the Antlers player could do was fall on it.
The Panthers attacked with a passion, capturing the tailback in the backfield twice for losses. Albion was now faced with third-and-long and came out in a spread offense for the first time.
Petros switched defenses to make sure everybody was covered. The quarterback got the snap off just before the quarter ended.
He dropped back to pass as the four wideouts ran short, crossing patterns. Petros blitzed seven, only using four in coverage.
Nobody saw it coming as the play was run perfectly. Just before the defense got to him, the quarterback lobbed a pass over their heads to the tailback, who had set up behind the line and caught the ball.
As soon as he caught the ball, the tailback realized there was no reason to wait on the blockers to clear a path as none of the Panthers were near him. Only two Petros players were between him and the goal and they were both being blocked by wideouts.
The other two defensive backs had figured out what was happening and were in pursuit, but it was no use as the tailback was too fast and had too big of a lead.
He appeared to have been shot out of a cannon as the tailback rocketed down the field, never slowing until crossing into the end zone.
The Panthers were going through a roller coaster of emotions after scoring a touchdown to get back in the game and then give up another score to the Antlers.
The extra point was perfect and the lead was back up to 11 points, 28-17.
Cole and the other coaches did their best to pump up the players, knowing how disappointed they were to give up the score.
Once again, Petros was on the ropes and needed something good to happen.
The two teams switched ends before lining up for the kick. On the kickoff, Seth fielded the ball and brought it back to the 31. The offense took the field and huddled seven yards behind where the ball was marked.
Lucky looked around the huddle and saw all eyes glued to him.
“Isn’t this great?” he asked, causing his teammates to look at him like he had lost his mind. “They’ll be talking about what we do this fourth quarter for years to come. This is our game and our time. Let’s make it happen.”
The talk gave a little bit of spirit to the players and they started whooping and hollering.
“It’s time for us to win the game,” Lucky added, sticking his hand in the middle. All his offensive teammates did the same and they yelled “Panthers” in unison.
Lucky called the play and the offense broke the huddle. The only thing that had worked consistently all night was the power game and the Panthers were going to try it again. The biggest problem was neither of the backs could be considered power backs.
Nobody bothered to tell Seth or Houston, however. Running with a fury and determination they never showed before, they started pounding into a line that was opening holes again.
Albion’s defense was determined not to give up another big play, allowing the Panthers to pick up short yardage and Petros took advantage.
Seth started showing more talent and ability than anybody knew he possessed, leading his team slowly down the field, refusing to be taken down with the first hit.
Lucky carried only twice on the drive, both carries picking up needed first downs. It took 13 plays, but Petros finally reached the Albion 11. The Antlers had tightened up the defense but had not stopped the Panthers.
Petros was facing second-and-seven. As Lucky led his team to the line, he noticed the coverage and saw Albion was covering Andy with only one player, a mistake many teams had tried before and usually regretted.
Lucky changed the call at the line. It was a gamble as an incompletion would force third-and-long, but it was one he thought was worth the risk.
As the ball was snapped, the defensive back came forward to get the first hit in on Andy. But it was a bad move, Andy simply stepped to the side to avoid the hit and started down the field, the defensive back trying to recover.
The lead was shrinking but Andy had a good advantage as he sprinted toward the end zone. Lucky faked the handoff to Houston and dropped back, enjoying plenty of time. He planted his foot and tossed the ball toward his teammate.
It was a perfect pass, leading Andy just right. The defensive back was a step late and could only watch the reception and the touchdown that got the Panthers back in the game.
Petros’ side went crazy again, the old bleachers testing the strength of the rock and concrete. Cole looked at the clock and saw less than five minutes remaining.
He got the offense together and told them to go for two, then gave the formation and play. As the band played the school song loudly in the stands, Petros’ offense took the field. Players on the sidelines waved their arms, trying to get the crowd even more excited, not that it was possible.
Everybody in the stadium stood, knowing how important this extra point would be.
The offense lined up and Lucky looked over the defense, seeing the Antlers eyeing him back. As he took the snap, Lucky spun around and faked the ball to Seth on a power play. It was a bootleg with the option to either run or pass.
Murray was the only receiver going out, but was covered like a blanket.
Lucky tucked the ball and tried to get to the corner before the defense did. It was no use this time, the Antlers were all over him, getting him before he got to the five and keeping him from converting the two-point conversion.
The score was now 28-23. Petros would have to get a stop or the Panthers would have no chance. It was really too early for an onside kick and Albion had been prepared for it all night, anyway. If they did try it and Albion recovered, the Antlers would have a short field to work with.
Cole gave his instructions to the kicking team, hoping it was the right call. The kickoff team lined up in their normal formation and after getting the go-ahead, Jeremy slowly approached the ball and squibbed it down the field again, another perfect kick.
This time, the Antlers fielded the ball cleanly and the returner took off up the field, gaining speed as he advanced. Cole grew worried as he saw the play developing. The returner had broken into the open and it was looking like the Panthers would give up another big play in the kicking game.
But as the returner reached the 31, Jeremy came out of nowhere. He missed the tackle on the earlier return but would not allow that to happen again. He dove and caught the returner just below the neck, making him look like a rag doll that was thrown to the ground, his arms and legs flailing.
It saved the day for the Panthers because if Jeremy had not made the tackle, the Antlers would have scored.
“Whoo, that kept the overweight woman from singing a tune,” said Stub.
“What?” asked Lloyd.
“He’s trying to be politically correct,” Ichabod stated.
“Yeah,” Stub added, trying too hard to be clever.
“Whatever,” Lloyd responded, turning his attention back to the field.
The defense was huddled around Derwin, now more intense than ever, knowing his football playing days were near an end unless something happened.
“We stop them here!” he screamed. “Suck it up. Don’t give them a yard!”
Anybody seeing him for the first time would imagine Derwin was on the edge of sanity. His teammates knew it was only temporary, but also they had to do what he said.
Albion came to the line, both teams knowing all it took was one first down and the game might as well be over. The Antlers ran a sweep to the tailback, one of their favorite plays during the year but one that had not worked well tonight.
The Panthers pursued like madmen, scratching, clawing and fighting to reach the running back. Stewart Andrews was the defensive end on that side and played it perfectly. Reading the sweep, he burst into the backfield and angled away from the play, wanting to stretch it out to the sideline and let help arrive.
The tailback tried to outrun Stewart, but it was no use. Stewart got in the correct position and kept the runner under control until the rest of the defense arrived. Gary hit the tailback right in the chin, almost landing his own knockout.
It was a loss of two yards. Albion used as much time as possible before running the second play. This time, it was a simple blast over the right side. The hole was plugged and the tailback tried to bounce outside. Just as it looked like he might have room, Lucky hustled in from the secondary, dove and took the legs out from under the tailback, again dropping him for a loss.
Albion took its time again getting the play called and coming to the line. The Antlers waited until the play clock was under five seconds before starting the play, an option to the right side.
Petros’ defense just demolished the play, getting penetration and forcing the quarterback to pitch the ball before he was ready. Lucky and Gary were already in the backfield and had the tailback trapped before bringing him down for another big loss.
It was now fourth-and-long. The clock continued counting down. There were only two minutes left when the punter finally kicked the ball.
The punt was another beauty, sailing way over Harry’s head and bouncing out of bounds on the Petros 11.
The Panthers had 89 yards to go with just under two minutes left against one of the best defenses in Class 2A.
Petros lined up in the spread. Lucky took the snap and rolled to his right. Harry broke free and caught the pass at the 20 before stepping across the sidelines to stop the clock.
The Panthers huddled quickly then came to the line. It was second-and-one so Lucky wanted to pick up the first down. Seth got the call on a dive and burst through the line, picking up six yards and a first down at the 26.
Petros lined up without huddling, waiting until the chains were set then snapped the ball. Lucky threw a quick slant to Andy. He had to leap to catch the pass and was tackled quickly, picking up only six yards and not stopping the clock.
Cole called his first time out, knowing the clock would probably tick off thirty seconds if they did not stop it. The offense slowly came to the sidelines where Cole was waiting, not pleased with Lucky’s decision.
“We’ve got to throw the ball far enough to pick up the dang first down and get the clock stopped,” Cole reminded his quarterback. “We can’t be wasting timeouts like that. If you throw the ball short of the first-down marker, make sure it’s where the receiver can get out of bounds.”
Lucky nodded, already knowing he made a mistake. He listened to his father’s instructions and led his team back out on the field. He had learned quickly that against a team like Albion, the pass had to be perfect or the great speed of the defenders enabled them to knock the ball down.
Plus, Petros’ players, without D.J., Skip and Kenneth, did not really have the speed to break free. All of the Panthers’ speed was out of the game.
As the Panthers broke the huddle and came to the line, Lucky looked over the defense and something caught his eye. Walking across the far end zone was Skip, hurrying to get his pads back on and to the bench.
The doctor must have examined him and determined the injury wasn’t severe. The sight of Skip made Lucky feel better. Petros’ crowd saw him and started cheering, making Skip go faster.
Albion’s secondary was playing well off the ball, willing to give up the short pass. Lucky had decided not to bite on that again, though.
Andy was lined up wide to the right. The Antlers had their best defensive back lined up to cover him. Lucky knew it would have to be a perfect pass and decided that was what he would deliver. The snap was a little low and he dropped it, then had trouble picking it up.
He finally got control of the ball and stood up, right before one of Albion’s linebackers broke through and slammed into him. Lucky was knocked back several feet, but never lost his footing as the linebacker failed to wrap him up.
The pressure was still coming, Lucky felt it and saw it, so he sprinted to the right, barely escaping the rush.
He was amazed at the team speed again. Albion’s linemen were faster than the backs on other teams Petros played. Nobody was open so Lucky continued rolling out, scanning the field and looking for any open receiver.
Lucky finally gave up and took off to the sideline, determined to pick up what he could before going out of bounds. He continued down the sidelines, picking up fifteen yards before getting nailed so hard it almost knocked him into the Petros bench.
The play was in front of the Petros bench and the coaches and fans hollered for a late hit but no flag emerged from the official’s pocket.
Lucky jogged back out toward the huddle, knowing he would feel that hit in the morning. The Panthers huddled up and he relayed the call.
It was one that even surprised him, one of Cole’s little nuggets that was saved all year before coming out of hibernation. Petros had run the play in practice many times, but never in a game.
The Panthers came out in the shotgun again with only Lucky and Seth in the backfield. Lucky barked the signals while looking over the defense. As the ball was snapped, Lucky jumped up then headed back toward his own goal line.
Albion’s defense saw this and took off after Lucky. The Antlers thought the ball was snapped over his head and saw this as a chance to come up with a big play on defense and hopefully end the Panthers' drive.
There was only one problem: The snap wasn’t over his head and Lucky didn’t have the ball. Seth took a direct snap and was breaking into the secondary with plenty of running room.
The fumble earlier in the game was still bothering him and Seth was determined to make up for it. He ran past one defender who was left clutching nothing but air.
The other defensive backs figured out what was happening, but had trouble getting away from the blockers. Seth wound his way down the field, eventually reaching the Albion 15 before getting brought down by the free safety.
There was still over a minute left. The Petros side was ecstatic, of course, making so much noise it was difficult to hear the call.
Cole was thinking of the next play when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see who was bothering him and saw Skip standing beside him, fastening his chinstrap.
“I’m good to go,” Skip advised.
“You sure?” Cole asked.
“Yes sir.”
Cole looked at Doc Hardy to make sure Skip could play.
“He’s sore but fine,” the doctor advised. “Bruised but not broken.”
“Go in there,” Cole instructed.
The crowd somehow grew even louder as they saw Skip jogging out on the field. Houston saw him coming in and gave him a high five as he came toward the bench.
Petros came out in a split-back with Seth and Skip at running back. Lucky faked the ball to Seth, then handed off to Skip on a crossbuck. He cut back and found some room, reaching the 6 before two defenders brought him down.
The clock was running, looking like it was set on fast forward to the Petros side. After everybody got untangled, the Panthers lined up without huddling. Seth got the call on a blast over the left side, following behind Skip. He had no room to run and tried bouncing outside, but was run down and tackled in the backfield.
Cole hated to do it but had to call another timeout. He decided on a call before the Panthers came to the sidelines.
He started to call the play but was stopped.
“Coach, run the same play,” pleaded Seth, stepping forward and facing his coach.
“What?” Cole asked.
“Please run the same play,” Seth repeated. “I’ll score this time.”
Cole was stunned to hear a sophomore make a request like this. He was prepared to call a play for Skip, to go with his best player. Not a sophomore with little playing time who was prone to fumbling. But something about the passion in Seth’s voice, the look in his eyes made the coach honor the request.
“Run it,” he instructed, looking at Lucky. As the team started back out on the field, Cole grabbed Lucky and held him for a few seconds until they were by themselves. “If it doesn’t work, call time so we can run another play.”
“We won’t need to,” Lucky replied. “Seth will score.”
Lucky smiled at his father and jogged back out on the field. The Panthers huddled for a few seconds then came to the line. The Antlers were expecting a pass and got out of the goal-line defense.
Lucky took the snap, spun around and placed the ball in Seth’s belly. Seth put both arms around the ball, determined not to fumble. He took two steps to his left, then angled into the line, cutting behind Skip.
There really wasn’t much of a hole, but that didn’t matter to Seth. He lowered his head and plowed forward, throwing all one hundred and fifty pounds of determination against the defense.
The Antlers put up a determined stand but were losing ground. Petros’ line got enough of a push that the pile slowly went back. Two Albion players grabbed hold of Seth, but he broke away. He kept pumping his legs and pushing forward, running behind two linemen and Skip.
The play seemed to be in slow motion for everybody in the stands. It was impossible to tell what was happening with the mass of humanity gathered together. A crease finally opened, a small gap Seth saw and dove through. He closed his eyes and hoped his body and the ball would land in the end zone.
He was hit and landed hard on the ground, lying on his back. As his eyes opened, Seth saw the stars above, along with a moon that was nothing more than a sliver shining brightly. He turned his head to the right and saw his teammates rushing toward him, jumping up and down.
Seth turned over and started getting up. He glanced toward the sidelines and saw an official standing only a few yards away, his arms raised, the whistle in his mouth blowing loudly.
Before he got to his feet, his teammates arrived and swarmed all over him. Slowly, it was sinking in. He had scored and put his team ahead.
As his teammates pounded on him and hugged him, Seth pointed his arm to the heavens and gave thanks.
He started jogging toward the sidelines, taking in the sights. His teammates were still jumping and down and moving out on the field, waiting to mob him. He heard the band playing the school song and among all the people, Seth saw his parents hugging each other. The other people in the stands near them were congratulating his parents. The sight of this made Seth feel even better.
Cole was the first to greet him.
“I’m glad I listened to you,” he hollered, hugging him.
“So am I,” Seth agreed, smiling and feeling a joy that was impossible to describe.
Jeremy was perfect on the conversion, increasing Petros’ lead to 30-28.
Now, the only thing worrying Cole was there were still thirty seconds left and they had to stop the Antlers one more time. He knew this would not be easy.
Cole grabbed Jeremy and told him to kick the ball out of bounds, to not even think about trying to kick the ball deep. It would give Albion the ball at the 35, but Cole knew this was safer.
After the kick sailed out of bounds, Albion’s offense took the field. The Antlers spread the field with receivers everywhere.
They threw a short slant on first down. The receiver was between two defenders and reached out to grab the pass, but bobbled it. Just as he tried to extend his arms to reel in the ball, Lucky arrived and plastered him, forcing the ball to drop to the ground
Cole was not feeling good about what he saw and jogged down to talk with Ichabod.
“We can’t let them have so much room,” Cole said. “Tighten up the coverage and get after the quarterback.”
Ichabod nodded. He really wasn’t crazy about the plan, but didn’t want to see any of those receivers catch the ball with room to run, either. He gave the defense the instructions and started chewing on his fingernails again. Not that there was anything to chew on after a game like this.
It was a call Derwin liked to hear. He gave no indication of what was coming and waited for the ball to move. As soon as the center moved the ball, Derwin exploded forward. He found a small gap between the left guard and tackle and ran through it.
The quarterback never saw it coming. He was still looking over the field, saw a receiver break free across the middle and set his plant foot when Derwin arrived. It was the quarterback’s worst nightmare, getting hit from behind with no idea it was coming.
Derwin lowered his head and hit the quarterback in the back, forcing the Albion player’s midsection to surge forward while the rest of his body stayed in place. The quarterback was almost split in half by the force of the hit.
He tried to maintain control of the ball but it popped free. Derwin saw the ball bouncing away and crawled over the quarterback’s body. He dove again, barely getting his hands on the ball before a pair of Antlers arrived and started wrestling with him.
The referee saw it all and knew who recovered even without breaking up the pile. He started signaling it was Petros’ ball. Even Cole jumped in the air, higher than he thought his old body could go.
It was pure pandemonium, a moment and a feeling Cole would remember forever.
Lucky had not realized how tired he was until the celebration died. He gathered the offense around him, ready to run one final play and start celebrating.
He watched the different reactions and emotions of the two teams. Petros was on top of the mountain, happy to pull this one off. Albion was at the bottom of a valley, looking like everybody was in a state of shock. The fans on Albion’s side were quiet, a steady stream heading for the parking lot.
It was a beautiful sight to Lucky. He was exhausted but felt so alive.
He got the offense lined up, took the snap and fell to one knee. Lucky looked at the clock and watched the seconds tick away, hearing the countdown from the Petros side. When the zero finally appeared, the horn sounded and Lucky held the ball high, jumping in the air despite his lack of energy.
The Panthers had pulled off a huge upset, one of the biggest wins in school history coming from a group nobody thought had a chance to beat Albion.
All the Petros side joined together in the celebration, making it difficult for the players to shake hands with the Antlers. Cole stepped back to watch the celebration, smiling like he hadn’t in years and feeling the same way, also. This group had brought such joy to him and to pull off a win like this made everything worthwhile.
He stood in the same spot for several minutes, shaking hands with everybody who came by, hugging his former players. Whenever Cole did call it quits, he hoped to remember moments like this, not the painful losses.
Cole was so intent on watching his players hugging everybody, some even kissing their favorite females that he never heard her come up from behind.
She tapped on his arm. Cole turned to see who it was, still smiling. After seeing it was Sarah, emotions overcome him.
He reached out and hugged her, even gave away a kiss. The players nearby saw this and cheered loudly.
“Congratulations,” she said, looking into his eyes.
“Thank you,” Cole answered, not wanting to let go. “Thanks for coming.”
“I loved it,” Sarah admitted, looking around. “We’ve got an audience, you know.”
Cole looked around to see what she was talking about. Many of his players were still staring at him, a look of surprise and shock on their faces to see their coach hugging some woman in the middle of the field.
“You go, Coach!” shouted Harry.
Cole started to get embarrassed, then realized there was no reason to feel that way. He stood beside Sarah, his arm around her.
Only a few people knew he was seeing Sarah. But the cat was definitely out of the bag now, Cole thought.
“Get a room!” Derwin hollered, a comment Cole did not quite grasp.
He turned to Sarah and looked into her eyes.
“I better go round up these boys or we’ll be here all night,” he stated. “I’ll talk to you in a little bit.”
She smiled as he walked away, a little limp from his bad leg. He could barely get through the crowd with all the people congratulating him.
----------
There was still a sense of joy in the locker room, but it was fading. The players were exhausted after this roller coaster of a game. Even the players who never left the bench had little energy.
Cole grabbed Lloyd’s cell phone and called his scout at the Honobia game.
The phone only rang once before it was answered.
“Hello, Lance, this is Cole,” he announced.
“Hello and congratulations,” Lance replied. “They just announced the score of your game. Everybody acted really surprised. I believe most of the people expected to play Albion next week.”
“That isn’t surprising. How’s your game going?”
“It’s bad.”
“Why?”
“Honobia’s leading fifty-six to nothing with half the fourth quarter left.”
Cole was amazed at the score. He didn’t know how anybody could beat Summerfield that bad. Summerfield had a few problems on its team, but Cole never thought anybody in their class could deliver a beating like this. He knew Honobia was good, but had no idea the Lions were that good.
“What happened?” Cole asked.
“Whatever Honobia wanted,” Lance reported. “Summerfield looked like a junior-high team against them. Summerfield’s coach acted like a baby, throwing his hat and screaming at the refs. He got tossed in the third quarter. That was the highlight of the game for me.”
Cole thought that was interesting, but was more worried about his next opponent.
“Tell me about Honobia,” he requested.
“They’re an impressive team,” Lance stated. “They’re a bunch of big, mean studs. I haven’t seen a team so physical in a long time. They just pound the heck out of you. Their lines are huge and good. The backs also have good size and run hard.
“But their defense impressed me more than anything. It’s easy to see why they’re leading the state in defense. They must have sacked Summerfield’s quarterback ten times. The old boy didn’t have time to blow his nose before somebody was in his face.”
“Well, did you see any weaknesses?”
“I wasn’t all that impressed with their waterboys,” Lance mentioned. “They were a little late getting out on the field a couple of times. Their band was bad, too. But I failed to see anything wrong with their football team. I’ve never seen a team get so many players knocked out of a game.”
This was a little disturbing to Cole. With as many players as he had hurt, they couldn’t afford to lose many more or they would play with the junior-varsity team.
“Can we beat them?” Cole asked.
He was answered by a long silence that told him more than Lance could.
“Well, we’d have to play a dang good game,” Lance responded. “Honobia’s not your average football team. I don’t know how a team from such a small town can produce so many good football players.”
“You aren’t making me feel all that great.”
“You don’t pay me to make you feel good. I’m supposed to report what I see.”
Cole laughed and promised to get in touch with Lance tomorrow when they had more time.
The players knew what their coach was doing and were waiting to hear from him.
“We got Honobia next,” Cole announced.
Many of the players nodded. They really didn’t know much about Honobia since Petros never played the school. The only thing they knew was the Lions must be pretty good.
“Where will we play?” asked Derwin.
“Don’t know yet,” Cole answered. “It will be at some neutral sight.”
“What’s a neutral sight?” asked Bobby Murdoch, getting a laugh out of many of his teammates.
“We’ll play somewhere other than Petros or Honobia,” Lucky explained.
“What was the score?” asked Skip.
“It’s not over yet,” Cole reported. “But it’s not close.”
Cole’s throat was dry. He got some water and put away most of it in one swig.
“Guys, I’m really proud of you,” he stated. “This was one of the best wins we’ve ever had. You came here against a really good team on the road. We overcame a lot of injuries and being behind in the second half. You showed me a lot out there tonight. Enjoy this tonight and we’ll start working on Honobia tomorrow.”
posted by Craig Hall at 5:06 AM
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