It turned out that Houston, the top-ranked football team in the state league, had indeed not paid attention to the Medford Team, a dark horse.
Even with the newspaper pushing from behind, the Houston football team, busy communicating with other strong teams in the state, still had no time to entertain Medford High's invitation match application.
However, thanks to their recent excellent performance and the newspaper's influence, the Medford Team's next invitation match was finally scheduled against West Texas High School, the second-ranked team in last year's state league.
As the newspaper continued to build momentum for this invitation match, the hype for the two teams' match also continued to rise.
Time flew by, and it was once again the weekend, the day the invitation match was to be played.
On this day, in the West Texas High School campus, besides the local students who came to watch, there were also many football enthusiasts from various places.
When the Medford Team entered the stadium, they were met with many people's gazes and murmurs of discussion.
"We're really famous now!" Feeling the audience's gaze, Georgie's face showed a look of surprise.
Yes, after the photo of Mike and his teammates once again made the colorful front page of the state newspaper last week, the other members of the Medford Team also entered the public eye.
Whether it was doubt, curiosity, or disdain, the feeling of being noticed was generally quite good.
"Everyone, focus. West Texas High School is very strong, so don't take them lightly." Unlike the teammates' elated state, George's expression was very serious.
It was clear that not being able to schedule an invitation match with Houston High School had left a fire burning in George's heart.
He desperately needed to prove himself...
If the Houston football team could win against an opponent, the Medford Team could too.
"George and everyone, we meet again!" As the Medford Team finished lining up, Jack also arrived with two of his subordinates.
Who the Medford Team invited as an opponent was not that important to the newspaper; as long as the team kept winning, the "star-making plan" and poster distribution could proceed smoothly.
Following the procedure, Jack took a few close-up shots of Mike and his teammates on the spot.
"George, can you tell me your thoughts on the Houston football team?" After taking the photos, Jack approached George.
Unlike the previous level of importance, with the official cooperation, the newspaper specially organized a pre-match interview for the Medford Team this time.
After all, the "star-making plan" required a lot of material.
Moreover, Jack's questions were very clever; bringing in Houston, the top-ranked football team, would obviously create more hot topics for the Medford Team.
"I've watched broadcasts of the Houston football team's matches; they are undoubtedly a very strong team. Of course, in my heart, my players are no worse than them..." George, who had something on his mind, appropriately showed his ambition.
"Very good!" Jack quickly wrote down George's words.
After that, he asked the other party a few more football-related questions, then turned his gaze to today's protagonist: "Mike, what do you think of today's match? Are you confident you can continue to win?"
"Of course, although West Texas is a strong team, victory ultimately belongs to our Medford Team!" Mike replied with full confidence.
"Well said, I will support you. Good luck with the match later!" After Jack gathered the information he wanted, he did not disturb Mike and the others further.
Afterward, under the gaze of the away audience, George also arranged the players' pre-match warm-up.
"This feeling is great!" During the warm-up, Aaron exclaimed.
Who would have thought that the unremarkable Medford football team would complete its transformation in just one season?
Strength, fame... everything was developing in a good direction.
Seeing the team getting better and better, Aaron, the captain who was about to graduate and leave the team, still felt very happy.
"Perform well in the match later. If there's a chance, I'll cooperate with you." Mike quietly advised Aaron.
"You kid..." Aaron also noticed the presence of many scouts on the sidelines, and at the same time understood Mike's good intentions.
It can only be said that the newspaper's "star-making plan" has been very successful so far. And while Mike was showered with glory, his teammates also had the opportunity to show themselves.
In this situation, players like Aaron and Sam, who were still quite good, have also entered the tryout lists of some college scouts recently.
It can be said that although the Medford Team's players were overshadowed by Mike in every aspect, they were also lucky.
Soon, it was ten o'clock in the morning, and the invitation match proceeded smoothly.
George, who had a fire burning within him, did not underestimate the opponent; to be safe, he had the team use a dual-core strategy in the first quarter.
As the league's runner-up, West Texas High School's strength was naturally not bad.
Even with the Medford Team using a dual-core strategy, West Texas High School still held a slight advantage in the score at the end of the first quarter.
Therefore, before the start of the second quarter, George preemptively unleashed the star strategy.
And when they took the field for the second quarter, Aaron specifically approached Mike and whispered, "Mike, do your best. The victory of the match is more important..."
In the first quarter, the Medford Team was slightly pressured partly because Mike deliberately created opportunities for Aaron to Perform.
But in sports, the team's victory is clearly more important than the individual gains or losses of the players.
"I know!" Mike nodded.
With strong confidence in his own abilities, he did not think he would mess up.
However, it was good to secure the victory early.
So, starting from the second quarter, Mike, gradually putting in more effort, led his teammates in delivering an exciting offensive performance for the audience.
Possessing five times the physical ability of an ordinary person and professional-level football skills, a serious Mike could be described as unstoppable.
And under Mike's leadership, as the Medford Team's offense escalated round after round, West Texas High School gradually gave up struggling.
The difference in strength was too great; struggling seemed meaningless.
Beep—
As the final whistle of the match sounded, the Medford Team players, who had won by a large margin, excitedly embraced each other.
On the sidelines, the outside spectators who had witnessed the rise of a dark horse also gave the Medford Team a warm cheer.
George, who had been suppressing himself for a long time, suddenly jumped up and gave his assistant coach a tight hug the moment the team won.
"Mike, if you agree to come to our university, not only will tuition be waived, but a full athletic scholarship can also be arranged..."
"Our school is the same..."
After a celebration, when Mike arrived on the sidelines surrounded by his teammates, a large group of still persistent scouts gathered around him again.
"Sorry, I said before that I have no intention of skipping grades to go to university..." Mike politely expressed his thoughts again.
Seeing that his attitude was still so firm, the scouts, while disappointed, also turned their attention to the other players of the Medford Team.
At this point, Aaron and Sam and others truly benefited from Mike's success.
Of course, Mike's "star-making plan" and poster distribution also had further possibilities due to this victory.
Just imagine, the Medford Team, having defeated the runner-up, could already be considered an uncrowned king.
And Mike, with his outstanding individual strength, who led the team to victory, would naturally soon solidify his title as a "star player."