FIRST QUARTER
Stephen Reed scowled as the coin landed on heads, meaning the Titans would receive first. He took his spot on the sidelines as Bill Harrison and the defensive line took the field. Harrison sent the ball sailing and was received by Titans #84, Aaron Carter at his own 15 yard line. Flyers #27 Lucas Alexander hit fast and strong, catching the Titan ten yards later and downing him at the 25. Three quick plays later and Reed was taking the field.
This was the moment he’d been waiting for since he first arrived at Saint Joe’s. Finally he had the chance to put his mark on his new team. A chance to show not only his skill, but also his leadership. The Flyers were too reliant on their running game. Scott had a great arm, but he’d been making safe passes and handing off far too often in Stephen’s opinion. Other teams were keying on that, leading to the Flyer’s sluggish start. Looking at the rain that continued to fall, he knew the Titans were expecting more of the same tonight.
"Way to go Defense!" he called, patting Lucas on the shoulderpad as they passed. Shooting a confident smile to Brianna Landers on the sidelines, he huddled the team up and called his first play.
The ball was snapped and Reed faked a hand-off to Argillo while Baxter and Aiken tried to get clear. “Wrongway” saw an opening, a hole in the Titans zone coverage big enough to drive a semi through. But he was no truck. He was small, he was fast, and he took full advantage of the situation. Reed faked a pass towards Aiken, then tossed a perfect spiral which landed squarely in the uncovered Baxter's hands.
"Too easy!" Bryan thought out loud as he placed the ball down in the end zone twelve seconds later. The sparse crowd of die-hard fans huddled under their rain gear applauded as he did his rendition of The Robot. With Samantha Douglas' extra point the score was quickly 7-0 for the home side.
"Good job, Good job!" the coach called. "Good eyes Baxter, Good eyes, Reed. Defense, let’s keep it going!"
The Titans were known more for their passing game then their running, and sure enough that's what they tried. Unfortunately for them, the Flyer’s secondary were on fire, running down the Titan’s receivers and boxing them in. Templeton Quarterback Casey Printers had no choice but to opt to hand off, and the Flyer's superb defensive line was more than ready to stop the run.
Reed was quickly back on the field. The Titan's were wising up, fielding extra defensive backs for greater pass defense, but that left an opening for Running Back Frank Argillo. Two plays later and “the Armadillo” was in the end zone.
Samantha Douglas waited for the snap, holding her left hand in the air and starting to run as Stephen placed the ball on the ground. The wet grass made the instep of her shoe slick and she watched with disappointment as the extra point went wide, making the score at the end of first 13-0.
SCORE: FLYERS 13 TITANS 0
- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk
