Ty sat as still as a statue in his seat. The film room was quiet. Only the occasional comment from the coaches, or the squeak of an adjusted chair, broke the silence.
All eyes were on the projector screen. Even with nearly one hundred eyes searching, Sierra Canyon looked flawless.
They took Warren's dominance and increased it tenfold. Plus, they were doing it on a State level, not just Regional.
Ty thought Coach Long was exaggerating when he said even their back-ups could've been contenders for the State championship—of course there was a little exaggeration, Ty would annihilate any team of back-ups thrown against him—but they most likely would've made it to the State championship game.
It was the Dons' longest session of film study to date, yet still felt like their least productive. Coach Long seemed almost nervous, humming and awing as he stood beside the screen.
The defence looked relentless. They were fast, strong, and disciplined. Athletic freaks that weren't afraid to get physical as they overwhelmed their opponents. It was madness. They were as fast as the Monarchs, and as strong as the Bears, and despite their physicality, they rarely fouled.
… But there was one saving grace. The tape didn't show it, but Ricky had let him in on the "secret" earlier—they were only the second ranked defence in the State; the Dons were first.
What Ty saw from the film was that the Trailblazers' defence earned few turnovers. They shut you down, but they were clinical about it. They were almost last in the State for interceptions. Their Defensive Backs were too close, too scared to gamble and bait opposing Quarterbacks into bad passes.
And despite their strength, they rarely used it to look for big hits. What few fumbles they created were from punching the ball loose directly.
Still, Ty couldn't find an exploit. Though that wasn't his job. He hoped Stephen and the other Receivers would find a way through. If they trained against the best CB in the State—Ty—they shouldn't have any problem against the runner-ups.
After the revelation of the defensive rankings, Ty had asked Ricky about the offences. Ricky was forthcoming about Sierra Canyon, they were ranked number one, and it wasn't even close. Within expectations.
However, when pressed for the Dons' offensive ranking, Ricky clammed up and wouldn't answer, no matter how hard Ty tried to squeeze one from him.
It was concerning. Ty wondered just how far down the rankings the offence was. He knew most games always came down to their defence … but still.
For the Trailblazers, he wouldn't have needed to be told they were number one; it was clear enough just by watching film.
They were clean, precise, near flawless. Both on the ground and aerially. Their RB was more like Chris, rather than Denzel … if you took away Chris's catching and added it on top of his running ability, then cranked it all up to eleven.
Ty glanced across the room. JJ was leaning forward in his seat, eyes locked on the screen. Ty would've preferred to face a RB whose strength was their power, but he still had faith in JJ and the others up front to contain whatever running attack they faced.
That left the Receivers and Sierra Canyon's passing game to worry about. The QB was a robot in the pocket. Everything seemed in sync like clockwork. He had precision, arm strength, and even composure to match Jay's laid-back nature. He didn't force bad throws, and he read the defence well, always finding the most open target.
"Could I even force this guy into throwing a pick? Maybe he won't see through any tricks."
It was hard to tell. The defence was so outclassed in every clip they couldn't try to bait any bad throws, nor could they deceive through schemes.
Ty had to put his faith in Deshaun and Zayden again. They were at the point where it'd take a team effort to overcome their opponents. Ty would have to do his job, and they theirs. He'd eliminate the star, and they'd handle the rest.
The concerning second option was a TE. He helped in the run-game, providing strong blocks, but he was more than formidable in the air too. Big and strong, with decisive route-running. He seemed a mismatch for anyone.
Potentially too big for Deshaun, but it wasn't like Zayden was much bigger, nor was he used to playing close coverage. JJ could match him physically, but again, coverage wasn't his strong suit.
"How adaptive can you be, Captain? And can the rest of the front hold back the run game if you're distracted by a Tight End?"
Then there was the star of the offence. Whilst Sierra Canyon was a balanced team, and any of the other players whom caught Ty's eye could've been the star on a lesser team, the true star was clear. (At least to Ty.)
Lennox Freeman. Another freshman. Supposedly the best prospect in California (Ty couldn't believe such a lie), the highest ranked WR in California, and a two-way player.
That was the biggest disrespect, even more than someone else calling him the best prospect in the state. That mistake could be explained simply by the person who said it not knowing Ty existed. Because surely no one who knew of him could think anyone else in the country was a better prospect.
But for a two-way player to think they could challenge and beat him. Such a slight was too big. Such arrogance couldn't go unpunished.
However, Ty saw why no other CB had even slowed Lennox, let alone stopped him. He was crisp, elegant, and ferocious. He attacked the ball hungrily, and didn't shy away from contact, but he was hard to get a hand on. No defender stayed in front of him for long. He broke them down with simple mechanics, but executed to near perfection. In all his routes, from his release to the catch, there wasn't a single wasted motion.
Ty watched every catch with utmost focus and eyes sharper than a hawk's. When the footage flicked over to a different player, he replayed the clips in his mind's eye … yet as he reviewed the footage repeatedly, he still couldn't find the chinks in Lennox's armour.
"There have to be flaws … no one's perfect." It took a lot for Ty to admit that even he was imperfect, but it was true … for now.
Coach Long cleared his throat, looking around the room. He adjusted his collar, sweat trickling down his forehead despite the coolness of the air-conditioned room.
'As you can see,' he said, 'they're a remarkable team. They don't have many weaknesses…'
Someone coughed. If anyone in the room had noticed a weakness, they didn't share their finding.
'…and there isn't much footage of opposing team's having success against them,' Coach Long continued. 'I believe the key to beating them relies on upsetting their rhythm and forcing them out of their comfort zone.' How he planned to do so, he didn't say.
Silence hung in the air as Coach Long looked at his players. There were more worried faces than confident ones, and those few who displayed confidence wore it like a mask.
Coach Hoang came to his side, offered to share a few words of his own. Coach Long acquiesced and gave the floor to him.
Coach Hoang stared at his audience, his mouth a rigid line. There were a few determined looks out there, and he was surprised to find one of them belonged to Jay.
'I'll be honest with you, this won't be easy,' Coach Hoang said. 'Nobody expects us to win. But I doubt anybody expected us to beat Warren either, let alone make it to the State championship. We know all about being the underdogs, but we know how to dominate as well. Don't forget the road we took to get here. You've all grown tremendously, and this past fortnight is proof. The last two games have been the best I've ever seen you play, and they've come against some of the strongest competition you've ever faced. Folsom and Long Beach Poly were Regional champions in their own right, and you dismantled both teams. Together, we've proven we can beat champions and BE champions. Together. Fight with the strength of this family, and we can do anything.'
A powerful speech, one that certainly didn't lack conviction. Ty knew they would win. What he didn't know was how. And despite Coach Hoang's confidence in the same result, Ty didn't fail to notice that Coach Hoang hadn't mentioned any plan.
It seemed everyone would have a lot of thinking and planning to do in the coming days, though time was running out, and their showdown with Sierra Canyon would be upon them all sooner than they'd like.
As the film study wrapped up, Ty rose from his seat. The players shuffled down the steps and out of the room. There was little chatter, and fewer laughs. At least everyone was taking it seriously. Ty hoped that meant he could expect everyone to be at their best.
As he passed Jay, he wasn't surprised to find the older boy still in his seat. The surprising thing was that he wasn't asleep, truly, nor feigning. He sat straight-backed, like an honour student, focus held on the projector screen.
'Can we look at their defence again?' Jay asked.
Coming from him, the question shocked Ty so much he almost missed his step and stumbled into the person in front of him. He caught himself, thankfully.
Coach Norman smiled at Jay and brought the film back up. He moved closer to Jay's seat to go over the footage with him once more.
Even the weight and seriousness of the situation had got to Jay. Watching him and Coach Norman study Sierra Canyon's defence for weaknesses, Ty walked on, confident the offence would do their job. It was down to him.
Everything rested on his shoulders. If he could beat Lennox, the Dons would win. That was the way it should be.
He still wasn't sure how he should prepare for the upcoming challenge. He didn't know what edge he needed to gain in order to beat Lennox.
"Maybe there isn't one. No gimmicks, no tricks. No skill to duel him in. Maybe it'll just come down to who the better player is. Who's better in EVERY aspect." If there was nothing else to focus on, he'd have to resort to speed training. Nate Langford started to creep back into his mind.
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice. '…ait up. Ty wait up!'
He stopped in the middle of the hall. Bella ran up to his side, clutching a tablet. He tilted his head, asking the silent question.
'I don't need to tell you this game's gonna be tough,' she said. They resumed walking, shoulder to shoulder. 'I still don't really know how to deal with Sierra Canyon, but we're gonna have to figure it out if we wanna stand a chance, right?'
He nodded.
She held the tablet out in front of him, displaying excerpts from Sierra Canyon's film. 'This Lennox guy, there's a reason behind his hype.'
Ty knew that already. It still wasn't an explanation of what he could do to shut down that hype. "Why am I looking to HER for help? If I can't figure it out, how could she?"
'I've been studying this film all week,' she said, oblivious to his thoughts, 'but I still haven't seen him slip up once. These guys must've cleansed all their fuck ups off the internet or something. Ugh, anyway. We really need to find some sort of game plan. I don't know what Coach Hoang's thinking, yet, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna come down to throwing you at the guy all on your own.'
That was a given. Ty always handled the star Receiver on his own. Any "help" would just get in the way. That wasn't the issue.
Bella chewed one of her nails. 'I'm just freaking out. There's so much riding on this game. My dad's never won a State championship, I mean, he's never even coached a team this far before and now if we lose this, with all our seniors leaving next year I don't know if we're gonna get another chance this good again. And then there're Nationals afterwards …'
Ty stopped walking. Still rambling, Bella continued for several more steps before she noticed he wasn't beside her anymore. She stopped and looked back. If she wasn't heading to the only exit, Ty would've turned and left already, but he was still standing there.
She hurried back to him and said: 'Is something wrong?'
'You need to stop worrying,' he said.
Her mouth pinched with anger. 'Why aren't you worried!? This is—'
'Because I'll beat him!'
She flinched, then stared, slack jawed.
'If it comes down to me and him, I'll win, no matter what. Because I have to. Everyone's hopes are riding on me, and I've made too many promises I mean to keep. I'm going to crush him, claim the State championship, drag this team into Nationals, and prove I'm the best by taking that trophy too.'
Her cheeks darkened as she stared at him. Then she took a step back, indignation returning to her flushed face. 'You arrogant ass!' She huffed and whirled around, her curls bouncing wildly.
Ty blinked as she walked away, anger driving her quickly. "What did I say this time?" He had no time for that conundrum. Girls were too confusing, and if he tried to unravel THAT puzzle, he'd never solve the much more important Lennox Freeman issue.