Saturday, November 1st, 2010
Andrew woke up around ten in the morning that Saturday. At twelve-thirty, the game between UCLA and Arizona would kick off at the legendary Rose Bowl.
First, he had to pick up Madison, then head to the stadium.
He was eating breakfast calmly at the kitchen table while sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room with warmth.
However, the atmosphere wasn't its usual one. Neither Cam's contagious enthusiasm nor Mitchell's lighthearted humor were present. The only constant was Lily, who waved her plate demanding more food and drank her juice as if it were the elixir of life.
Andrew knew perfectly well what was behind the tension.
'They're still in shock from last night's prank…' he thought, watching them cautiously.
Claire's prank hadn't really affected him, it had hit his parents and the rest of the family far harder. In the end, Andrew took it for what it was: a heavy prank. Sure, his heart had stopped for a moment when he thought Lily was tumbling down the stairs like a projectile, but the tension faded quickly. What stung most was having to admit defeat to his aunt.
What he couldn't understand was why, eight hours later, his parents still looked so shaken, as if the scare hadn't quite let them go. One thing he was sure of: Claire was going to have a hard time earning forgiveness from the group over the next few days.
As for Andrew, he was already plotting revenge. He wasn't going to wait until next Halloween to even the score. He wanted something simple and effective. Just a prank that would scare her half to death. He already had a few ideas forming.
Andrew stopped paying them attention and focused on his breakfast: a bowl of unsweetened whole-grain cereal with milk, two bananas, a jar of oats with yogurt, and a protein shake.
He knew stadium food wouldn't be to his liking, so he was loading up on fuel now.
While eating, he pulled out his phone and went to the LA Times sports section. There was already an article about last night's game.
📰 Mater Dei Dominates First Round: 59–14 Over Crespi, Andrew Shines Again With 7 Touchdowns
Santa Ana, CA. — What everyone expected finally happened. Top-seeded Mater Dei steamrolled Crespi in their CIF-SS playoff debut with a crushing 59–14 win, staying undefeated and advancing to the next round with authority.
Junior quarterback Andrew Pritchett-Tucker once again showed why he's the most talked-about name in high school football across the country. He threw 7 touchdowns (yes, again), raising his personal total to 42 passing touchdowns in just 8 games with the Monarchs. His consistency is as remarkable as it is unprecedented, averaging over five TDs per game and continuing to shatter historical records.
📺 Regional Ratings Record
Although the matchup was one-sided and the final score held few surprises, the interest in watching Mater Dei and Andrew keeps growing.
Fox Sports West broadcast the game regionally and drew 165,000 viewers, a number that may seem modest compared to the 1.3 million who watched the Bosco matchup and the 1.5 million who tuned in to the Servite classic on ESPN's national broadcast.
Still, Friday's rating sets an all-time record for a first-round playoff game aired regionally, a stage where viewership rarely exceeded 50,000. The fever surrounding Mater Dei has turned every game into a televised phenomenon, even when the outcome seems predictable.
What's Next
With the win, Mater Dei remains undefeated and moves on to the quarterfinals, where expectations are even higher. If the Monarchs continue their run, national networks are expected to pick up their semifinal and final games, which could once again break historical audience records.
For now, one thing is certain: Andrew and Mater Dei will face Lakewood High School, runner-up of the Moore League, a much tougher opponent than Crespi, though still below Servite's level. Fox Sports West has confirmed regional coverage of the match.
Will Mater Dei keep advancing and preserve their undefeated record?
Will Andrew maintain his level of play as the stakes rise?
We'll find out next Friday.
...
'Over a hundred and sixty thousand people, not bad,' Andrew thought, taking a sip of his shake.
The article made it clear: for a first-round playoff game broadcast only regionally, the usual audience was between 40,000 and 60,000 viewers. At that early stage, there's almost always a clear favorite, and the general public tends to wait for the more competitive matchups. Sure, surprises happen, but they're rare exceptions.
That's why reaching 165,000 viewers on Fox Sports West wasn't just unexpected, it set a historic record for a first-round game.
Now the team was heading into the quarterfinals, a stage that carried weight from recent history. The previous year, the Monarchs had fallen precisely at that point. And although they'd lifted the league trophy, it had been shared. This time, in 2010, they were undefeated and undisputed champions, with their sights set on something bigger.
Andrew knew that next Friday would be his ninth game, the same number played by Max Wittek, the senior he had replaced over the summer. Losing now would mean repeating last year's story, just with better stats. And that wasn't the goal.
Individually, his numbers already made him the favorite for major state and national awards. The Gatorade State Player of the Year, which Barkley had won in 2008 with 35 touchdowns, 3,500 passing yards, and 9 interceptions, looked practically written in Andrew's name.
He already had 42 touchdowns, over 3,000 passing yards in just 8 games, and only 2 interceptions, production that outpaced all of his predecessors. To many, the award seemed almost guaranteed… though Andrew knew that in football, nothing was ever certain.
Losing in the quarterfinals wouldn't just be a competitive blow; it would also hurt his media narrative. Awards voters often value both stats and playoff runs. Barkley, after all, had made it to the semifinals before falling.
That's why Andrew refused to settle, not for records, not for trophies. The only thing on his mind was that Mater Dei couldn't fall in the quarterfinals again. Not this year.
Lost in these thoughts, Andrew finished his breakfast, cleared his dishes, washed them quickly, and said goodbye to his family.
"Good luck with Lily's friend," he called out as he stepped outside.
Mitch and Cam had their own plans, taking Lily to play with a friend she'd met at the park, so they couldn't go with him to the game.
He closed the door, climbed into the Camaro, and started the engine. The roar echoed down the street as he pulled away, heading toward Madison's house.
At 11:05, he stopped in front of her home, the same one he'd climbed over weeks earlier like a makeshift burglar. Luckily, this time, no acrobatics were required.
He sent her a message, and within a few minutes, the gate opened and Madison stepped out.
Andrew watched from his seat. She wore a fitted white top, loose high-waisted dark blue jeans, and chunky white sneakers. Her dark brown hair fell straight and glossy over her shoulders, with a pair of sunglasses resting on her head and a light bag slung over one shoulder.
Madison walked confidently to the passenger door, opened it, and got in.
"Your chivalry is blinding," she quipped sarcastically, noting that Andrew hadn't moved an inch, he hadn't even turned off the engine.
Andrew looked at her with a faint smile, not the least bit embarrassed.
"I'm just being practical, time's ticking. We've got an hour's drive," he explained.
Getting out, walking around the car, and opening the door for her would've meant wasting time. And it's not like Madison didn't have hands, right?
From his house to Madison's, Andrew had already driven about thirty minutes. Now, with her on board, he had to go back past his place and then another twenty or thirty minutes more to Pasadena.
"I like practical guys," Madison said with a little smile. Then she posed playfully and asked, "How do I look, quarterback?"
"Pretty good," Andrew replied, eyeing her outfit, his gaze, almost instinctively, pausing on Madison's fitted top.
It was only for a second, but Madison noticed and smiled slightly. "Hey, the task was to evaluate my outfit, not to stare at my chest," she teased, reaching over to lift his chin so he'd look her in the eyes.
"Can't I?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
Madison laughed, caught off guard by the boldness. "You can… but later," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him, softly at first, then more intense.
Andrew returned the kiss gladly, surprised at how quickly things escalated, in less than five minutes. It wasn't hard to guess that she'd wanted him since that party, and he felt the same. They hadn't slept together that night, but there had been more than just kisses, and that mutual attraction had only grown stronger since.
"We should go, or we'll be late," Andrew said, pulling away from her lips.
"Yeah, sure," Madison replied, a little unsatisfied but smiling. "After Friday's game, we can hit the victory party, then head to my place. My parents won't be home that night, so… we could celebrate alone, you know?" she suggested.
Andrew pressed on the gas pedal, fully catching her meaning. She was ready for that. But if they wanted to make it happen, he'd have to actually show up at a party, and he wasn't exactly known for being a party regular.
Still, they'd need a place, whether her empty house after the party or somewhere else.
Andrew glanced at her sideways. 'She's definitely not being subtle about it,' he thought.
Another thought crossed his mind. Do Madison's parents always go out at night? They seemed to have quite an active social life, which wasn't surprising for wealthy, relatively young adults. Andrew had seen them from afar on game nights; they looked to be in their mid to late thirties.
"Sure," Andrew said finally. "As long as we win that game." He hadn't gone to a Mater Dei party in weeks, he could afford to make an appearance.
Madison scoffed. "Oh, please. We're gonna win easily. You throw five, six, sometimes seven touchdowns a game. Losing in the quarterfinals to a weaker team? Impossible."
"Lakewood are runners-up in their league. We can't underestimate them," Andrew replied, unwilling to let everyone else's confidence cloud his own mindset.
Madison looked at him from the side, gently biting her lip. "That calm of yours, the way you're never arrogant even though you beat everyone… it makes you even more attractive."
Andrew kept his eyes on the road. "Thanks, I guess," he said simply.
He knew he wasn't winning games alone. He had a talented offense behind him, a defense improving week by week, and a seasoned coaching staff guiding them. But he preferred to leave it there, no need to kill the mood with details Madison probably didn't care to hear.
"So, who's UCLA playing today?" Madison asked.
Andrew smiled as if he had been waiting for that exact question.
"The Arizona Wildcats. Not to be confused with Arizona State," he began, and just like that, his analytical mode switched on.
As he drove, he started giving context to the matchup. The Arizona Wildcats were having an exceptional season: ranked within the national top 15, holding an overall record of 6–1. Their only loss had come against Stanford, another powerhouse team. In the Pac-10 conference, they stood 3–1, sitting third in the standings.
UCLA, on the other hand, was in a very different situation. After seven games, they held an overall record of 3–4, and within the conference 1–3, which placed them eighth. A brutal contrast to the expectations set at the start of the year.
Curiously, the season for UCLA had started on a promising note: they'd won two of their three non-conference games, including a historic victory over Texas, a Big 12 team that had been the BCS National Championship finalist in January 2010 (defeated by Alabama).
Beating Texas, ranked #7 in the country at the time, had been one of those upsets that shake up the entire college football landscape.
Andrew spoke with genuine passion. But after a few minutes, he noticed something: Madison was smiling politely, nodding every so often, yet her eyes kept drifting toward the window or the rearview mirror. She wasn't really following.
With patience, Andrew switched into teacher mode, explaining how the Pac-10 worked. He had to start from the basics, even clarifying that, yes, there were ten teams.
He told her each college played nine conference games, and the team with the best record was crowned champion. He also mentioned that they played non-conference matchups, like UCLA's memorable win over Texas from the Big 12.
Madison listened half-heartedly, nodding occasionally, but without much enthusiasm.
'You're a cheerleader and don't even know how your own state's conference works?' Andrew thought, incredulous.
Eventually, Madison shifted the topic naturally, and Andrew knew it was pointless to drag out a subject she clearly didn't care about.
She started talking excitedly about Justin Bieber's tweet congratulating him, and how Andrew had replied.
As she chatted about celebrities, she took advantage of the light to snap a few photos with her phone: the Camaro's dashboard, the passing scenery… She went on about fashion, music, and influencers, topics that, truth be told, didn't spark much interest in Andrew.
By noon, the majestic Rose Bowl Stadium came into view, its massive stands gleaming under the sun.
They finally arrived, with about thirty minutes to go before kickoff.
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