A piercing buzzer sounded, and the two-minute break between quarters began.
Coach Bob looked at the score and calmed down.
But up in the commentary booth, John—the commentator who was clearly a Cheetahs fan—was speaking with unmistakable, gloating smugness in his voice.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen. Coach Bob has to do something now. He has to find a way to strengthen his defense. Otherwise, if he lets the other side score easily again in the fourth quarter, this game can basically be called over ahead of time.”
“Even if the Titans have star quarterback Mark on offense, and Avery, that running back who’s like a heavy-duty truck.”
“We even have to count that rookie No. 79, Jimmy Lin, who gave the Titans a pleasant surprise…”
“But it’s only a small surprise.”
“His physical attributes are excellent, but his technique still needs a lot more polishing.”
“But none of that matters!” John’s voice suddenly rose.
“Their defense has already been completely torn apart! In front of Beast Mike, they’re like lambs waiting to be slaughtered!”
“I’m even starting to wonder if, at this rate, the Titans’ defense will still be able to put eleven men on the field!”
“But that’s only natural,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“After all, their opponent is last year’s state champion! After all, the Cheetahs have this year’s No. 4-ranked high school superstar in the nation—our Beast Mike!”
Sitting beside him, Green, a die-hard Titans fan, could no longer listen.
He felt that if John was allowed to keep talking like this, the morale of the entire home stadium would be drained away.
Green snatched the main microphone and roared into it:
“John, have you forgotten where we are?! This is East River! This is the home field of our Titans!”
“We’re about to enter the fourth quarter, the quarter we’re best at! Believe in the Titans!! Believe in the fourth quarter!!!”
His voice traveled through the stadium speakers to every corner of the field.
The home fans in the stands, who had already fallen silent, were like powder kegs whose fuses had been lit, instantly erupting into thunderous, mountain-shaking cheers.
“Hard work! No Fear! We Are Winners!!!”
That perfectly unified battle cry was like a war drum, pounding again and again against everyone’s hearts.
On the sideline, Coach Bob was infected by the wave of sound. He took a deep breath and gathered every player on the defense around him.
“Did you hear that?!” He pointed toward the stands and roared at the exhausted players.
“You’re not communicating at all! Out there, you’re playing like a bunch of mutes! Can you act like men and talk to each other?!”
“Yes, sir!” (“Yes, Coach!”) the players answered weakly.
“Stop them! Just this drive! Do you hear me?!”
“Yes, sir!”
Lin Wansheng stood outside the huddle, looking at the defense’s still-low morale.
Just as the defensive players were preparing to go back onto the field, he quickly walked over to Coach Bob and pulled him aside.
“Coach,” he said in a low voice, speaking extremely fast, “I think their quarterback, Beast Mike, might have something wrong with his eyes.”
Bob frowned and looked at him in confusion.
“After the third quarter started, his field of vision on the right side was obviously narrowed,” Lin Wansheng analyzed rapidly.
“Several times when he ran the ball, he subconsciously avoided contact from the right. If we blitz from the right side, the success rate is very high.”
“But none of our tackles from the left side have worked!”
Bob’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
He immediately recalled the last few defensive plays, and what Lin Wansheng said was accurate down to the smallest detail!
In the final few seconds before the referee blew the ready whistle,
Bob abruptly pulled over his defensive ends and linebackers, then said one rapid sentence by their ears in a voice only a few of them could hear:
“Listen. Give up the left side. Everyone—attack his right side like your lives depend on it!”
…………
…………
The fourth quarter began, and the two sides switched ends of the field.
The Cheetahs’ offense started at the Titans’ 15-yard line.
Beast Mike took the snap and, as usual, tried to use his physical ability to bulldoze through the middle.
However, the instant he started moving, East River High’s defensive formation underwent a bizarre change!
The players who should have been defending the left side all surged toward his right like madmen!
Mike froze.
He instinctively wanted to cut toward the left side, the direction he was more accustomed to, but it was already too late!
“Bang!”
Another tackle!
“What’s going on?! Beast Mike is down again!” Green’s voice was filled with unbelievable ecstasy.
“He was even brought down by an eleventh-grade cornerback who had just come off the bench, with a somewhat raw low tackle!”
“The Cheetahs failed to gain 10 yards on both offensive plays! Turnover on downs! Possession returns to the East River Titans!”
“Coach Bob! What exactly did Coach Bob do to his defense during the break?! This is practically like a different team! It’s incredibly effective!”
On the sideline, Mike staggered to his feet and angrily shouted something at his coaching staff.
Then, under the eyes of the entire crowd, he stormed to the sideline, yanked off his helmet, and smashed it hard onto the ground!
“My God! Mike has completely lost control! He actually threw his helmet on the sideline!”
Just then, the camera cut to a close-up of Mike’s face.
In the commentary booth, Green and John both sucked in a cold breath.
“So that’s it!” Green’s voice trembled with excitement.
“No wonder! No wonder we haven’t seen Mike take off his helmet again since halftime! The corner of his right eye is injured!”
“Coach Bob! His eyes are simply like a hawk’s!”
“My God!”
……
……
It was the Titans’ turn on offense, with the ball placed on their own 15-yard line.
Mark quickly gathered the offensive unit. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with unquestionable calm.
“Jimmy,” he said, looking at Lin Wansheng, “run as far as you can and take their safeties with you. Brian, you run the fake. Avery, the ball goes to you. Charge!”
“Set! Hut!”
After the snap, Mark made an extremely convincing fake.
He pretended to stuff the ball into running back Brian’s arms, and Brian also took the cue, clamping his arms tight and charging to the right like a tank!
“Brian has the ball! He’s running way too obviously!” John shouted instinctively.
But in the next second, he contradicted himself.
“My God! It’s a fake! The ball is in Avery’s hands! Mark’s play design has completely fooled everyone!”
The Cheetahs’ entire defensive formation was drawn to the right by Brian’s play-action fake!
Meanwhile, Avery, carrying the ball, charged through the empty left side like a beast unleashed from its cage, lowering his head and sprinting straight ahead!
“The Cheetahs are quickly dropping back on defense! But they can’t catch up! Some of them still haven’t even reacted!”
The Cheetahs’ coach was hopping in anxiety on the sideline, waving his arms nonstop and roaring at the top of his lungs.
In less than five seconds, Avery had already rushed past midfield at the 50-yard line like an out-of-control heavy-duty truck!
“Three Cheetahs defensive backs are about to catch up to Avery!”
Just then, Mark, who had followed up after making the handoff,
charged like a torpedo, slamming his body fiercely into two of the defenders!
“Mark sacrificed himself to clear a path for Avery!”
But there was still one man left! Sid, the Cheetahs’ cornerback, was less than three yards away from Avery!
“Sid is about to make the tackle!”
“My God! What is that?!” John’s voice completely lost control.
“No. 79! It’s that rookie, Jimmy Lin! Nobody knows when he caught up to Avery!”
Lin Wansheng sprinted at full speed toward Avery’s front flank!
The instant Sid was about to dive and bring Avery down,
Lin Wansheng drove his shoulder hard into Sid’s side!
It was a devastating hit! Sid flew sideways as if he had been struck by a train!
There was no one left in front of Avery!
“TOUCHDOWN!!!”
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