It was Saturday, the day of the Medford Invitational.
Even though it was the weekend, the stands were packed with students who had shown up to witness history and support the home team.
The crowd was peppered with enthusiastic fans holding signs that read "Let's Go Medford!" Judging by the electric atmosphere, Medford High was truly beginning to look like a sports powerhouse.
To treat this as a warm-up, Medford had chosen their opponent carefully: the football team from neighboring St. Jude High, a squad currently sitting at the very bottom of the state league.
"Sorry, Mike. I think it's gonna be a while before you can officially rejoin the team..." Captain Aaron said apologetically, standing just outside the noisy crowd.
"It's alright. I can see you did your best." Mike shook his head, holding no grudge against him.
He turned to look at the sideline preparation area and asked curiously, "Is it because of the coach?"
At that moment, Coach Wayne was sitting on the bench with his head hanging low, radiating a dark cloud of gloom. His completely checked-out demeanor felt like it belonged to a different world than the high-energy crowd around him.
Hearing this, Captain Aaron glanced toward the bench and offered a diplomatic, if slightly dishonest, explanation. "Coach Wayne is a little out of it right now because of some family drama, but I'm sure he'll bounce back soon."
Thanks to their great results last year, the team had attracted a lot of fresh blood, including some physically gifted recruits. Under these circumstances, even if Coach Wayne wasn't on George Cooper's level, as long as he did the bare minimum as a head coach, Medford's overall strength shouldn't have been too bad this year.
However, Coach Wayne hadn't risen to the occasion. Due to his personal issues, he hadn't managed the team properly in a long time.
In fact, he was rarely seen on the field during the mandatory afternoon practices. His negligence was the reason Mike's application to return to the team had been ignored.
To put it bluntly, the Medford football team was turning into a mess because of Wayne's inaction.
Aaron, who saw all of this clearly, was definitely frustrated, though he tried to hide it. As a guy who lived and breathed football, he was undoubtedly suffering through this.
---
While Mike and Aaron were chatting, a bus carrying the St. Jude football team slowly rolled onto the Medford campus.
Seemingly aware that they were just there to be a stepping stone for the home team, the St. Jude players stepped off the bus looking low-energy and defeated.
The home-field advantage was immediately apparent. Even though the students in the stands didn't boo the St. Jude team, the sheer intensity of the crowd's excitement was enough to demoralize the visitors even further.
"Heads up, boys. Don't let it get to you."
The St. Jude head coach clapped his hands to get his players' attention and gave them a pep talk. "Medford was a top-ten team last year. Playing against them is going to give us valuable experience. And remember, as the challengers, there's no rule saying we have to lose."
"So, I want everyone to wake up and get your heads in the game!"
"St. Jude on three!"
After motivating his team, the coach extended his hand into the center of the circle. The players followed suit, stacking their hands.
"One, two, three!"
"ST. JUDE!"
---
With that shout, which drew a few glances from the crowd, the St. Jude players managed to scrape together some fighting spirit.
Seeing this, a smile finally appeared on their head coach's face. He immediately sent the players onto the field to warm up and get a feel for the turf. Clearly, he hadn't given up on this game.
From the back of the crowd, Mike watched the opposing team take the field and said to Aaron, "Game's about to start. You should go get ready."
"Right. We'll talk about your situation later." Aaron clearly took this invitational seriously. After a quick wave to Mike, he turned and jogged toward the field.
Warm-ups ended, and the clock hit 10:00 AM.
As the two teams lined up at the 50-yard line, the crowd realized kickoff was imminent and erupted into a massive cheer.
Medford won the coin toss and elected to receive. The fans on the sidelines went wild, their enthusiasm creating waves of noise. It was a testament to just how popular football was in this town.
On the field, since Coach Wayne hadn't actually assigned any plays, Captain Aaron took charge. He organized the players to stick to the "Wolf Pack" tactic they had used last year.
Among the veteran players, Sam had stepped into Mike's old role, becoming the team's new offensive core alongside Aaron.
Tweet—!
The whistle blew, and the game began. The Medford players, familiar with the dual-core strategy, still had some chemistry.
Under the cover of the offensive line, Aaron and Sam both punched through into the opponent's half of the field.
Breaking through the second line of defense, they executed a few handoffs between them until finally, Captain Aaron tucked the ball and powered into the end zone.
Medford: +6 points.
Having scored the opening touchdown, an emotional Aaron launched the ball into the air and let out a primal roar. It looked like he was venting all the frustration he'd been bottling up lately.
The crowd went hysterical, their blood pumping as they showered the team with applause and cheers.
After the celebration, Aaron kept the momentum going. Capitalizing on the opportunity, he coordinated with the team to successfully convert for two points.
6 points + 2 points.
Medford had secured an 8-point lead on their very first drive. With the cheers from the students growing even louder, everything seemed to be going perfectly.
"Don't lose heart, boys! We've still got a shot!"
After the possession change, the St. Jude coach stood on the sidelines, constantly shouting encouragement to his players.
Meanwhile, Coach Wayne sat on the bench, staring into space, his mind completely absent from the game.
Defense had never been Medford's strong suit.
On the ensuing drive, St. Jude utilized a conservative, chip-away strategy—short gains and safe plays—that eventually put them in range for a field goal.
St. Jude: +3 points.
Possession changed again. The score was 8-3. For Medford, this was acceptable.
Just as they were preparing to push forward and widen the gap, the St. Jude head coach called a timeout.
"Listen up, boys. Medford is not invincible..."
After watching one round of offense and defense, the St. Jude coach had spotted a weakness. "On this next drive, I want you to focus on the big guy. Don't be afraid of the collision... his agility is low."
The weakness he had identified was Sam, one of Medford's two key players.
Sam was a power back. While strong, he lacked the agility Mike had brought to the "Wolf Pack" formation, creating a vulnerability in the strategy. The opposing coach had keenly picked up on this.
Strictly speaking, at this stage of the game, it was a battle of adaptability between the coaches.
Unfortunately for Medford, Coach Wayne's mind was everywhere but on the field, so he failed to give his players the advice they needed to counter.