Saint Joseph School

PREGAME

"Take a knee." Coach Waters told the team in the locker room while thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Listen up. We all know Mt. Pelon is tough. They were a strong team last season, and they didn't lose many players this year to graduation, so they're a damn strong team this year too. We're coming off a big win last week, and you did earn it, but we're not facing the Titans this week, these are the Paladins. Do not underestimate them. I'm not saying they can't be defeated. I know you can beat them, you have the potential. You go out there in full force, you don't let up, you don't let them take advantage of anything and you will win this game. We're on our turf. They're coming to us! So gear up, get out there and you fight!

“Who are you?"

"FLYERS!" the team yelled.

"Who?"

"FLYERS!"

"What are we gonna do?"

"BEAT MT. PELON!"

"Reed! Take 'em out!"

The paper banner was held by Rooster and Ingrid while the other cheerleaders formed two lines for the team to run through onto the field. There was a decent crowd up in the stands, with the die-hards joined by many of those dissuaded last week by the weather. The evening could still be described as chilly, but the fans came prepared with coats and cocoa.

Stephen Reed re-adjusted his mouthguard and mentally prepared for the game. Bryan Baxter jogged in place a few times to warm up his muscles, while Ty Cloud waved his arms towards the stands and asked for vocal support. Students huddled together for warmth obliged, and finally the coach gave two quick bursts on his whistle as the team took to the field.





- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk

Saskia watched closely as the Flyers took the field.

Would it happen today?

The announcer snapped her out of her daydream when he began to announce the Paladins' arrival on the field as well.

"Mount Pelon?" Saskia shouted to the crowd near hear. "More like Mount Peon!"

This raised a small cheer from the crowd. "Yeah, beat Mount Peon!" a boy nearby yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Saskia grinned and turned back to scan the field.

"Alright! Go Flyers!" Kat lifted her hands over her head, shouting at the crowd, as she sat perched on Dylan's hand, her foot planted in his other. She always hated doing the stunts at games, where she couldn't feel an ounce of her powers. It made her nervous. But she and Dylan had practiced enough times this semester to put most of that unease to rest.

She heard him call up to her. "Ready, Kit Kat?" She grinned and nodded. He pushed up slightly and moved his hands to her waist, slowing her descent to the ground. As she planted her feet, she grinned back at the crowd, her eyes catching Arkady's for a moment. He grinned back from his seat on the front row, like always. She fell into step next to Franky as she began to lead the crowd in a cheer. Just a normal Friday night for Kat.

FIRST QUARTER

The Flyers took to their home field once again, winning the toss and opting to receive first. Ty Cloud received the punt at his own 20 and gained minimal yardage. Reed called for a pass on his first play of the game, but the Paladin’s defense had all his receivers well covered. Adapting quickly, the Flyer’s quarterback ran the ball himself for a six yard gain. The crowd cheered at their team’s good start, but two driving plays later couldn't net an additional four yards against the Paladin's strong defensive line. On fourth down, Bill Harrison was called in for the punt.

The Paladins received the ball at their own 30, and quickly showed why they were tied for the league lead. Receiver John Lansky burned Flyer’s cornerback Nigel Barlow for an 18 yard reception, taking Mt. Pelon across midfield. On the next play, Paladin quarterback Casey Knight handed the ball off to running back Shane Parker who ran for an additional 15 yards and another first down. Knight repeated the play for an additional 7 yards, before passing to Lansky who was left wide open in the end zone.

"Those are rookie mistakes!" Coach Waters called to his defense as they came off the field. "Come on! Get it back!"

But the next several possessions were an impasse for both teams. Two pass attempts to Baxter were deflected, and running back Frank Argillo yielded no yardage, proving the Paladin's defense was as strong as ever. The visitors were struggling as well. Even after two first downs, they were forced to punt the ball back to St. Joes and the remainder of the quarter was scoreless.

SCORE: PALADINS 7 FLYERS 0





- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk

"GO FLYERS!"

Not to be dismayed at a poor start, Ves jumped up and down on top of her seat and screamed encouragement to the team as they prepared for the next quarter.

She wasn't sure who started it, but she took up the rallying cry with, "CRUSH THE PEONS!"

"C'mon! It's just seven! We'll get it back! Next one is all us!" Sam called to her teammates. The Coach was right. They were a tough team. Every game with them last season was a struggle, and they once again weren't giving an inch, let alone a few yards.

"It's gonna be a long game." Scott Sanders warned from the bench, his arm still held in a sling, his free hand holding a play book. Sam didn't let it dampen her enthusiasm.

"Come on Defense!"

SECOND QUARTER

James Kinney punted a sloppy end-over-end kick which Ty Cloud received at the forty and managed to run across the midfield line. With the Flyer’s receivers still unable to shake the Paladin’s strong coverage, Reed went to the ground. After a couple of solid runs, running back Frank Argillo managed to grab enough yardage for a first down before being shoved out of bounds at the 33. A quick pass to tight end Miguel Rodriguez netted another 6 yards, but that was as far as the home side could get. Again the Paladin’s defense came on strong, stopping the next two plays, and Samantha Douglas was called in for a field goal attempt.

Butterflies filled the placekicker's stomach as the ball was snapped back, her eyes following it as Stephen planted it on the ground. The ball sailed through the crossbars, putting St. Joes on the board at 7-3. The Flyer’s fans, quiet since early in the first quarter, came back to life as the points went up on the board, screaming their approval.

Unfazed by the crowd, Mt. Pelon proved that every action has an opposite reaction as they quickly ran the ball back into Flyer territory. A six play drive led them to field goal range themselves, and after being stopped on the 12 yard line, placekicker Greg Shiplett regained their 7 point lead, making the score 10-3.

The next two possessions yielded nothing lost and nothing gained for both teams, neither one being able to cross midfield. On the third, St. Joseph's prayers seemed to be answered. As the crowd chanted S-J-S for the hometown heroes, Argillo was handed the ball at his own 20 yard and found a gap in the defense. With the Paladins hot on his heels, #31 streaked down the field being stopped short just shy of a touchdown by safety Jamar Burton.

With the crowd shouting encouragement from the stands, Reed tried to surprise the defense with a short pass to Bryan Baxter in the end zone, a gamble which almost cost the Flyers the ball with a near interception. From there, Reed handed the ball to both Anderson and Argillo, hoping to drive the additional eight yards needed for a major, but the defense held their line. Once again, Douglas was called out for the kick, bringing the score to 10-6 going into the lockers.

SCORE: PALADINS 10 FLYERS 6





- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk

Jessica saw Ves jumping up and down while the rest of the crowd around her took their seats, a little disappointed by the game thus far. She giggled a bit, then stood up and started shouting with her too. "CRUSH THE PEONS!! C'MON Y'ALL!!! LET'S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL!!"

Jessica clapped her hands, trying to make a spark in the air and send a lightning bolt flying across the field. There was a small fizzle a little bit of light, but no bolt arcing across the sky. She frowned at the failed attempt at a light show, then shrugged it off, still cheering on the team.

The ball sailed through the cross bars, bringing the score up to 6. Jessica took to her feet with the rest of crowd, clapping and cheering on her friend.

"Yeah!!! GO SAM!!! PLAY LIKE A GIRL!!!"

[Love ya Sammy! ]

Brianna groaned along with the crowd as play after play got so close to the touchdown the team needed. She turned to the crowd and began yelling. "Come on, Saint Joe's! Show those Flyers some spirit!" She may not be head cheerleader here, but she was still going to make sure Stephen and his team had some moral support from the sidelines.

Diyar heard Brianna shout up at the crowd.

"Come on, Saint Joe's! Show those Flyers some spirit!"

Diyar stepped up onto his seat, pumping a fist in the air and shouting "GO FLYERS!!!" He put out a hand and pulled Myshka up with him onto the seat. They started shouting together, following the cheers of the cheeleaders, and then joining in on the occasional "Crush them peons" that happened to get started by the band.

The last two football games had been pretty fun to watch...but this one...this was rough.

"C'mon, Stephen! Pull them together, man!"

Nigel flopped down on the bench and groaned. He felt like his legs were on fire, chasing Lansky all over the field for most of the game. He'd been burned once, and he wasn't going to let it happen again.

Looking back to the stands, he tried to find Kara in the crowd for a quick wave. By chance, his gaze instead landed on a grim looking Saskia Smith. The green-skinned girl was staring straight at him with a look more chilling than the bitter wind that was blowing down the sidelines.

Feeling suddenly impudent, Nigel gave the troll girl a smile. He was momentarily surprised when she smiled back.

Then she made that "cutting the throat" gesture he was becoming all too familiar with.

HALF TIME

"I told you this was going to be a fight!" Coach Jeff Waters sharply reminded his team as they stood looking war-torn in the locker room. "They're not just going to hand you the win! Is that what you're waiting for? You're expecting them to say 'hey Flyers, walk all over us?' It's not going to happen!" A couple of snickers from the team were cut short by the Coach's stern glare.

"Well they won't, but you can take it from them! You're in range, you're getting close, but close doesn't count! Keep your eyes open. We spend a boatload of time on footwork, evasion, you think I'm doing that because I want to see you dance? Hell no! The only dancing I want to see is if Baxter makes it into the end zone.” That comment brought out a few laughs, and this time the Coach let them go on. It was time to change the tone.

“You're six points out,” he continued. “You have two quarters to make it up and hold them off, but it's not going to be easy. When you go out there again you keep that in mind. They aren't giving you an inch, so you take one from them! Do not let them push you around!”

“Not a chance!” called out team captain Biff Hannigan, followed by cries of assent from the rest of the team. The Coach nodded in approval before wrapping up.

“So hydrate up, do what you need to and just know you have two quarters left, and the Paladins are not about to let up. When you go back out there, you let them know the Flyers don't just hand over games either! This is our field! You go back out there and show them that no one is going to bully us on our own field. Reed! Keep 'em motivated."


- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk

THIRD QUARTER

The Flyers came out of the lockers loud and strong, and the crowd, encouraged by Franky and the rest of the cheer squad, matched their enthusiasm. Lucas Alexander handed out hi-fives as he passed a particularly rowdy section, and Ty Cloud tried to start a wave. Coach Waters pulled the receiver aside by the facemask, saying something loudly about staying focused. Cornerback Alexander heard the warning.

On the Paladin’s first play after taking the kick-off, halfback Shane Parker took a wide pass behind the line of scrimmage and made a break for open field. Reading the play perfectly, Lucas swooped in and hit hard, managing to knock the ball free before the running back hit the ground. The crowd leapt to their feet as a sea of blue and black and silver and white converged on the loose ball. The officials whistled the play dead, rushing in to sort things out. One by one, bodies removed themselves from the pile until the huddled form of Kasim Moamber was uncovered in full possession of the prize. He stood up triumphantly holding the ball above his head, and the Flyers crowd cheered wildly as their offence lined up just twenty-two yards away from a touchdown.

Reed handed the ball off to fullback Richie Anderson who managed to drive it just short of the first down. Twice the Flyers attempted to bull through the defense for that last yard, but both times they were stopped hard. The crowd screamed for a fourth down gamble, but Coach Waters played it safe and sent Douglas back to the field for the short kick, bringing the score 10-9.

Neither team made any more offensive noise until late in the quarter. A Harrison punt fell short and the Paladin’s Delroy Burke received the ball on his own 40 yard line, running it back 30 yards before being forced out of bounds. That was about as close as the visitors would get to the end zone, however. Three more plays gave them less than five yards, and Shiplett was called into the field.

Bryan Baxter held his breath, and Ty Cloud chanted "Miss it! Miss it! Miss it!" but the ball still sailed through the crossbars bringing the score 13-9.

SCORE: PALADINS 13 FLYERS 9





- The Saint Joseph's Flier sports desk

From her place on the sidelines between Brianna and Maureen, Ingrid did her best to keep the crowd motivated in spite of the cold weather and the low-scoring game.

Suddenly everyone was on their feet screaming, and she nearly broke her neck spinning around to see what had happened on the field.

"Kasim! Oh my god, it's Kasim! He got the ball!" she screamed wildy, jumping up and down and shaking her pom poms with joyful abandon. Smiling, she tried to get the safety's attention with a big wave, but he seemed more interested in playing to the stands.

"Oh... look over here, you idiot!" she snapped, then put her hand to her mouth in embarassment when Brianna looked over at her and giggled.

"You heard nothing. You hear me?"