Arlington, Texas
UIL State Championship Playoff Final 5A DII
Noise was the only thing that could be heard in the Cowboys Stadium, a product of the crowd of people crowding the stadium waiting for the final game to begin.
In one corner, dressed in red, were the Katy Tigers, an undefeated team with an overall record of 16-0. And in the other, in black, were the Cedar Hill Longhorns, a team with a mixed record of 11-5.
"Welcome to the UIL 5A Division 2 High School State Championship final presented by State Farm," said a voice behind the cameras, which were broadcasting live the entire atmosphere being experienced in the stadium.
"Live from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, the Cedar Hill Longhorns and the Katy Tigers face off," said the same voice while showing the rosters of both teams. "Hello everyone, I'm Randy Mcilvoy and joining me is Shea Walker," said the same voice now while showing two middle-aged men standing in a stadium booth.
"A crazy and wild Saturday of high school football playoffs at the Cowboys' stadium, the first of two, isn't it, Shea?" Randy said, giving Shea a smile.
"I believe so, Randy, you just have to look at the crowd screaming in the stadium," he said, pointing behind him.
"And for good reason, you just have to look at the Tigers' record this season; not only are they the best team in Texas, but they also gained major national exposure," Randy finished saying while the Katy Tigers' stats appeared on the screen:
Ranked number 3 nationally according to USA Today
58.2 points on average per game
40-2 during the last 3 years
Seeking their 7th state championship
"It's no wonder; under the orders of Gary Joseph, this team is an offensive machine, especially with two of its big stars," he finished saying while the faces of two players in the Tigers' red uniform appeared on the screen.
On the right appeared the face of the team's Quarterback; with his defined jawline and thick eyebrows, he had a serious and tough look, faintly softened by the half-smile framing his face.
"Wyatt Sterling," Randy began. "The pride of Texas and the quarterback who makes the Tigers one of, if not the best, offenses in the entire country." Then Shea couldn't help but add: "And for good reason seeing his stats: 2,450 passing yards, 32 TDs this season with a 68% completion rate," showing the mentioned data on the screen. "And that's not all: 950 rushing yards and 14 TDs make him a dual-threat never seen before since Cam Newton," he finished saying with a smile.
"The question everyone is asking, Shea, is which team will get his services next year," he said with a smile toward the camera. "You're absolutely right, my friend, and that's the question all college recruiters are likely asking," he said as the screen showed the 5 universities to which he had made official visits:
University of Alabama
University of Georgia
Stanford
University of Texas
Clemson University
"All of them Division 1 and with solid, elite programs. But the one who has the answer right now is down there, preparing for what could be the best game of his high school career," Randy finished saying before moving on to give a brief summary of the Longhorns.
Inside the stadium
Noise and banners. That was the only thing Wyatt heard as he looked around the stadium, immersed in the excitement of all the people who came to see the game tonight. After that, he turned toward his teammates.
"Let's go boys, we have to keep the undefeated streak going," he said clapping, motivating the crowd of players behind him, who surrounded him as he stood in the center while raising his helmet.
"We have to do it," one said. "We're with you, Captain," finished another, being drowned out by the noise of the other players and the fans who came to see the game.
Extending his helmet upward, Wyatt shouted: "Tigers, for the win!" Then he was followed by the rest of the players who raised their helmets: "For the win!"
"Auh, Auh, Auh!" they all finished shouting only to be interrupted by Coach Joseph, who was approaching with a clipboard in hand.
"Boys, I don't want mistakes. I want us to play like we've been doing all season," he began his speech. "Sterling, how's that arm?" he immediately addressed his star quarterback, who simply smiled at him. "Ready to throw some touchdowns," he replied flexing his arm, showing his bulky bicep under the compression sleeve.
"That's what I like," Coach Joseph responded, returning the smile before turning to the special teams.
"We start with the kickoff. Mendoza, I want you to send it as far as possible from our side," he said, pointing to the player with number 90, who smiled. "Don't worry, Coach," he finished saying before putting on his helmet and heading out to the field with the rest of the team.
Under the lights and the roaring crowd of the stadium, the whistle blew, indicating the start of the game, which began with a kick from Mendoza, caught by the Longhorns' number 36, who ran a few yards until he was tackled at the 30-yard line.
Seeing that, Wyatt took a seat while watching the game and mentally preparing himself to enter the field.
With the sound of the whistle, the game began, but not in a good way, as Damion Hobbs, the Longhorns' Quarterback, made a mistake by causing a fumble on the first down, causing the Longhorns to start with a loss of yards.
"Did you see that, Wyatt?" said Adam, sitting beside him, watching the disastrous play that cost the Longhorns 12 yards.
"He's nervous," was the only response he got from Wyatt, who was watching the opposing Quarterback shaking his head, resigned.
"Better for us," he said, seeing the running back gain only 3 yards on second down, landing on the 27-yard line.
"Don't get overconfident," Wyatt said, pulling Adam out of his daydream, who turned to look at him. "They made it to the finals just like us, so they can't be weak," Wyatt finished, staring fixedly at Adam.
And as if fate wanted to let Wyatt know he was right, on their third attempt, the Longhorns tried a deep pass of over 20 yards which, luckily, was intercepted before the receiver could even touch the ball.
Adam broke into a cold sweat at that moment, seeing how the Longhorns almost got a new opportunity near their end zone. "Don't get overconfident and get ready, it'll be our turn soon," was the last thing he heard from Wyatt, who put on his helmet and started throwing balls, warming up his arm for when it was his turn to jump onto the field.
Which didn't take long because, on their fourth down, the Longhorns punted deep, which was caught by number 26, Rodney Anderson, who with a brilliant run and the support of his teammates managed to reach the 28-yard line.
"Brilliant run by Rodney Anderson," Randy's voice could be heard over the stadium speakers. "Great return by the brilliant runner who is somehow faster than Adam Taylor," he finished saying before fixing his gaze on the field and the roars of the crowd that had just increased exponentially.
"And there is the best dual-threat Quarterback of this generation," Shea said with a smile on his face. "What people are wondering now is what he's going to do and if the Longhorns' defense is ready," he finished before fixing his gaze on the player with jersey number 10 behind the pocket of players.
"Ready, hot!" Wyatt shouted to receive the ball, which once received he dropped back to hand off to his runner Alex Fisher, who made a solid run gaining 9 yards in the process.
"A safe play by Sterling, who passed it to Fisher to secure 9 yards and a first down from the 11-yard line," Randy's voice was heard narrating the play.
Once again inside the pocket, Wyatt decided to try a new approach. "Red Cabana, Hot," he said to receive the ball and run out of the pocket's protection, being quickly surrounded by the opposing team's corners, but before he could even be brought down, he quickly released the ball in a perfect curve that was caught by a receiver in the corner of the end zone.
"TOUCHDOWN!" was the only thing heard over the speakers throughout the stadium as the crowd screamed euphorically and the play was repeated on the monitors all over the stadium.
"Brilliant play by Sterling, who didn't even give the corners time to react," Randy commented while on the monitors across the stadium, Wyatt's run was seen again, blocking the nearest lineman with one hand and finishing in the end zone.
"Not just brilliant, Randy, but also with perfect timing and the vision to find the gap to dive through; it must be said, the kid has a vision and calmness rarely seen in someone his age," Shea added.
Once the touchdown was scored, Wyatt stood up, greeted by the noise of the crowd surrounding him and celebrating the score while the cheerleaders kept the energy up with their routines.
"Go Tigers!" they shouted, waving their pommoms and with stunts that did nothing but increase the crowd's excitement.
Returning to his teammates, Wyatt formed a huddle with all of them while they decided whether to go for one or two extra points. While they were deciding, a voice was heard through the helmet: "Sterling, good run. It's up to you if we go for one or two extra points; if anything happens, we have time to fix it," Coach Joseph's voice was heard through the headset in his helmet.
Once he received the message, Wyatt addressed the rest of the players waiting for his orders. "Alright boys, Coach left the choice to me, so you know what to do," Wyatt said while clapping and moving away from the huddle to get into position.
"Blue 48, Hot!" Wyatt shouted the command aloud before receiving the ball and dropping back while scanning the field for his receivers' positions.
Seeing one of them in the corner of the end zone, Wyatt made a split-second decision; before the pressure could even break through, he threw a pass that flew through the air with perfect rotation, heading toward the corner of the end zone.
"Sterling drops back with the ball, prepares to throw, throws, and he catches it! The wide receiver catches it, a precise pass for the 2-point conversion," Randy roared into the microphone narrating the play, putting the Tigers in the lead.
8-0, current score; Tigers in the lead.
Seeing the catch, Wyatt turned and went back to the bench to sit down, taking off his helmet and sitting while one of the assistants handed him a water bottle.
"Thanks," he replied with a smile, taking a deep gulp of water while watching the defensive team return to the field, preparing to defend the lead they had gained.
"Good job, Sterling," Coach Joseph said, sitting down next to Wyatt, leaving the command to the team's defensive coordinator.
"Just doing my job, sir," Wyatt said, finishing his water and focusing his gaze on the game unfolding on the field.
At that moment, he saw the Longhorns had a 3rd and 6; they tried a deep pass that was incomplete, leaving them at the 20-yard line of the opposite field.
"Get ready to go back out there," was the last thing the coach said as he stood up.
Seeing the special teams entering, Wyatt grabbed his helmet and prepared to re-enter the field.
Author Thoughts
New chapter for a new fic! I hope you enjoy this new adventure—I just couldn't wait to share it with you.
What did you think of the first chapter?
I want to hear your opinions!