Time flew by, and the weekend arrived once more. The Medford Team boarded the bus bound for Austin High.
After Assistant Coach Wayne's communication, Austin High agreed to the invitational match with the Medford Team.
Behind the bus heading to Austin High, two private cars followed.
Connie and Dr. Sturgis were in one car.
In the other, Mary was driving, with Sheldon, Missy, and Paige, the three little ones.
For this special "collective family activity," Mary specifically requested a day off from the church.
...
As an established sports powerhouse, Austin High students' support for football was no less than Medford's.
Therefore, when Mike and his group arrived at Austin High, they were greeted by a large crowd of students holding "Go Austin!" signs.
The tables had turned; after several home games, the Medford Team finally experienced the treatment of an away game.
To stabilize the players' mindset for the away game, George began to calm everyone down after they got off the bus.
It was at this moment that Jack, accompanied by two colleagues from the newspaper, arrived beside the Medford bus.
"Hi, Mike. We meet again." Jack, who could continue promoting the "Star-Making Project," looked to be in a very good mood.
After greeting Mike, he sought out George.
"Hello, George," Jack said familiarly, "Can I take some group photos of your team? You know, the state newspaper is digging into Mike's story, so we need more material…"
George was not unfamiliar with Jack and knew that he was the one promoting Mike's "Star-Making Project."
Therefore, George readily agreed to his request: "No problem, how do you need us to cooperate?"
Being in the newspaper was not just Mike's personal matter; it was also a good opportunity for the Medford Team to expand its visibility.
After reaching a consensus, Jack's two newspaper colleagues set up their photography equipment and took several sets of group photos of the Medford Team.
Afterward, they took several individual private photos of Mike.
"After the game ends, don't forget about the cooperation with the newspaper."
After finishing Mike's photos, Jack smiled and encouraged, "Go for it!"
This invitational match was equally important to Medford High and the newspaper.
If the game continued to be a victory, Medford would be able to firmly establish its status as a sports powerhouse, and the newspaper would also be able to better promote the "Star-Making Project."
When Mike said goodbye to Jack and rejoined the team, Georgie excitedly came over: "Mike, do you think our group photo this time can make it to the front page of the newspaper's color section?"
Teenagers around sixteen or seventeen years old cannot resist the temptation of fame.
The other team members nearby were also silently paying attention to this side.
"There shouldn't be any problem," Mike gave a satisfying answer.
Based on the newspaper's continuous reporting for seven days, the group photo of everyone with Mike was very likely to be published next week.
"That's great, I never thought I'd have a day when I'd be in the newspaper!" Georgie cheered.
The other football players who also heard Mike's answer all smiled.
That was a manifestation of vanity being satisfied.
"Alright, everyone calm down. We'll discuss the newspaper matter later. What we need to consider now is how to defeat Austin High." George called back the players' wandering minds.
After once again emphasizing the importance of this game, he arranged for the players to go to the field to warm up.
To prepare for the upcoming game…
Perhaps the recent newspaper reports had given the Medford Team value for scouting.
During the warm-up period, Mike noticed several people on the sidelines wearing baseball caps, mingling in the crowd like scouts.
Of course, these people were not very significant to Mike.
Soon, it was 10 AM, and the invitational match began on time.
Patient George, in the first quarter of the game, still had the players use the long and short ball tactics.
This was to test the team's current actual combat strength.
Compared to the previous opponent, this time's opponent, Austin High, was clearly stronger, a bona fide top ten team in the state.
Last year, they defeated the Medford Team and advanced to the Summer League semifinals.
"Aaron, watch your teammates' positions… Pay attention to teamwork…" Competing with an established powerhouse also made George nervous.
Fortunately, the Medford Team had a very good game rhythm in the first quarter.
With Aaron as a qualified quarterback, the Medford Team was not pulled away by the opponent in terms of score at the end of the first quarter.
"Well done! Aaron!" During the first quarter break, George acknowledged Aaron's contribution.
Then, he changed the subject, looked at the other players, and said, "Of course, you all did great too. Now it's time for our counterattack. In the second quarter, I want you to use the dual-core tactics…"
George, who had basically figured out the strength difference between the two sides, wanted to further control the game rhythm.
Next, the Medford Team, with a strong desire to attack, completed a comeback in the second quarter.
"Alright, everyone quickly rest. In the third quarter, we will use the star tactics. Mike, is everything okay on your end…?" During the second quarter halftime, George arranged the subsequent tactics according to the team's situation.
Mike's powerful individual strength also made George realize that Aaron had gradually become a supporting character in the dual-core tactics.
Instead of letting the team continue to practice unsuitable tactics, it was better to let Mike go all out.
Star tactics, where victory or defeat rests on one person.
In the subsequent game, Mike did not disappoint everyone.
Amidst the few cheers from Connie and Paige on the sidelines, he used exquisite dribbling skills to violently impact Austin Team's defense time and time again.
As the saying goes, a long defense is bound to fail.
Until the end of the game, Mike's super high scoring efficiency allowed the Medford Team to defeat their opponent with a large score advantage.
"Hello, Mike. I'm a scout from Baylor University. Are you interested in learning about our school's football team?"
"Mike, I'm a scout from Dallas University…"
"Learn about the Rice University football team…"
When Mike, who had finished celebrating his victory, walked off the field, he was immediately surrounded by a group of university scouts.
Clearly, Mike's high-value victory not only convinced his opponent but also conquered the scouts who came to watch the game.
College football leagues are closer to professional games and therefore have ticketing rights.
In this situation, having a star player who can boost ticket sales is very important to them.
From this game, it could be seen that Mike already possessed this potential.
"Sorry, I'm only in eleventh grade this year, and I don't plan to skip grades to enter university…" Mike, who had collected a large stack of business cards, calmly rejected the scouts' invitations.
He was very clear about the scouts' intentions.
Due to the football development league regulations, there is a clause stating that salaries cannot be paid to current student-athletes.
This was originally a regulation to ensure the purity of student-athletes, but it allowed the university sports association to find an opportunity.
In this general environment, it's not hard to imagine that the university scouts in front of Mike, who were ready to pick up a bargain, definitely came with the aim of "exploiting" him.
Therefore, even after Mike repeatedly rejected them, these scouts still refused to leave.
Jack noticed the situation here and, with his two colleagues from the newspaper, escorted Mike to the side.
"You're so popular now!"
After helping him avoid the scouts, Jack smiled and teased Mike, then continued: "Have you thought about cooperating with the newspaper?"
"Of course! For this matter, I specifically found several helpers." Mike would not be careless when it came to making money.
As he spoke, Connie and others also rushed over.
Among them, Sheldon, with a serious expression and a folder tucked under his arm, looking like a small businessman, was very eye-catching.
After George finished the handshake session, Mike called him and Georgie, and then the group followed Jack to the state television headquarters.
As for the rest of the team, after Mike promised them a party, they were left under the care of Assistant Coach Wayne, who took them back to Medford Town.