章節 157: The Climb Back
The Sentinels were extremely respectful to those who stuck around and shook hands. There was no showboating, gloating, or antagonising. The only sentiment the Sentinels voiced was that they were thankful for the game and hoped to fight again next year.
The Titans muttered—if anything—their agreement and that they looked forward to the next match. Otherwise, they kept their heads down and mouths shut.
The Titans' locker room was a sombre place. The players rushed to it after the handshakes, but it was as welcoming as a cemetery.
Coach Otsen observed the silence as the players dumped their pads and cleats. The only sounds were the shuffling of feet and thudding of gear. He didn't break their silence; he joined it. They needed to wallow in it for a while longer. They needed to remember.
No one questioned Rudy's absence. Most were too absorbed with their own misery to worry about the man next to them, let alone someone that wasn't there. Only Freddy, Lonnie, and Owen looked around the room.
When they began to leave, Coach Otsen blocked the door. The varsity team was waiting just outside, ready to take over and prepare for their own game, but they could wait a touch longer.
'We're all feeling like shit. I won't pretend like we aren't. Losing never feels good, especially when it's a loss that ends your season. Just remember, this is only a setback. There's more football ahead. We WILL overcome this.'
Only a few answered him with a "yes coach", most stayed silent. He didn't push them. He stepped aside, letting them through.
'The season isn't over whilst the varsity team is still going strong. I'll see you all next practice.'
Coach Otsen watched them leave. Coach Carson paced back and forth, but outside of the click-clack of her heels, she was as silent as Coach Knight. Coach Vasquez tried cheering others up.
'We'll train for next year. Next year will be even better, I promise. Next year we'll give it MAXIMUM effort and we'll get MAXIMUM success!'
Some players apologised as they exited. Coach Otsen answered each one with his own apology.
Kenny was one of those who uttered an apology. He subconsciously deflected Coach Otsen's apology; Kenny HAD to take the blame.
The varsity team lined the wall opposite the locker room. Mick Redd and Shane were at the forefront, greeting Kenny and all the other JV players before and after him with sympathetic smiles. Each player after that held disinterest or scorn, like the JV's failure disparaged the varsity team through association alone.
Kenny shambled through the hall, then out into the stands. His parents had made the trip out to watch the game. They'd come all that way just for him to disappoint them. He climbed to their seats and apologised for his failure, bowing his head low.
A whack on the top of his head stung him. He winced, standing back up. His father looked angry with him, mother angry with her husband, as it was clear he was the one to deliver the smack.
Before Kenny could offer a greater apology, his father spoke. 'Only apologise if you don't intend to correct your mistake and have given up. Have you given up?'
'N-No, Dad.'
'Hm. Then you don't apologise. You work harder.'
Kenny nodded.
Jackson had watched Kenny walked by, now he watched, twisted around in his seat, the interaction between Kenny and Kenny's parents. He wondered if Kenny would come down and join them for the varsity game, like he usually did, but Kenny sat with his parents. He had a vacant look, as if he wasn't fully aware of where he was.
Tommy glanced back. 'Should we go say hello?'
'Should we?' Jackson looked at him, unsure.
'Let's go.' Tommy stood, and the two climbed to the row Kenny and his parents occupied. As they approached, the three were talking quietly in Japanese.
When the parents noticed Tommy's approach, they stopped and smiled at him. 'Ahh, Thomas-chan,' Mrs Murata said.
Tommy bowed his head, they bowed back.
'I hope we didn't interrupt,' Tommy said.
'No. My otōsan and okāsan were just wondering if they needed to sit through the next game as well,' Kenny explained.
Tommy looked down to where the rest of the Woods family sat. 'Usually we'd be able to drive Kenny home, but the car's full today. The team bus should still take him back. You won't have to stay, but the next game's going to be a real good watch.'
'We just here for support Ken, other game not interesting,' Mr Murata said.
'Baseball's the only American sport Otōsan likes.'
'Baseball!' Mr Murata's eyes lit up. 'You believe Ken not like baseball?'
Tommy chuckled nervously. 'It can be a bit long for people.'
'Baah.'
Mrs Murata patted her husband's thigh. 'Ken-chan like football. We support Ken-chan.'
'Hey, Thomas-san, you know why everyone so upset?' Mr Murata asked. 'Boys lose before. Boys pick selves up again.'
'Uhhh, they will. Unfortunately, there won't be a next time. Not for another year at least.'
The revelation dumbfounded Kenny's parents. 'Already? Not been going long and it over already?'
'Kenny and the rest had to win today if they wanted to keep playing. Because they lost, they're out of the championship.'
Mr Murata exclaimed in Japanese. Jackson and Tommy didn't need to speak the language to understand that it wasn't something nice—Mrs Murata's expression said as much. Kenny hung his head.
'Baah. There always next year. Just because there no more games don't mean you take easy, Ken. You work hard so next year you win championship, okay?'
'Yes, Otōsan.'
'Kenny, you wanna sit with us for the next game, or you heading home?' Jackson asked.
Kenny looked down at the field, then at his parents. He had to work hard to get better, so that next season wouldn't end in failure. Heading back early and hiding away in his room wouldn't change anything.
'Yeah, I'll stay. I'll get the bus back with the team.'
They relayed the plan to his parents, who agreed. They wandered back down the steps. Kenny's parents stopped briefly at the row where the Woods were sitting, but Mom, Dad, and Chrissy weren't there. Tommy explained they were probably just stretching their legs with a walk. The Muratas nodded. They said their goodbyes to Kenny, then left.
Kenny, Jackson, and Tommy took their seats, awaiting the start of the varsity game.
Without the rest of the family around, it was a silent, long wait. There was a buzz in the air from the rest of the crowd. All the moving and shaking of the people as they went to and fro, whether it was going to the restroom during the break, getting food and drinks, or stretching their legs. The constant hum didn't help the awkwardness settling over the three boys, however.
Jackson broke the silence hanging over them, but not the awkwardness. 'I'm sorry for not being there today.'
'What? Don't be stupid.' Kenny shook his head. 'I'm sorry for letting you down. We all did. We lost before you could even make it.'
Jackson was about to double down on his apology, but the rest of the family returned then. Idle pleasantries distracted the boys for a moment as Kenny greeted everyone, then informed Mr and Mrs Woods that his parents were doing well, but they'd already left.
They were thankful for the distraction, and it wasn't much longer before the varsity Titans took to the field for their warm-ups.
Kenny watched them, and an unpleasant thought bubbled up to his head. A tiny part of him wanted them to lose, just so the JV team wouldn't be alone in their failure.
He quickly stuffed that thought deep inside and buried it. Such selfish vindictiveness wouldn't help anybody. Besides, another little voice piped up, this one still selfish, but in a much more … positive way, he thought.
If the varsity team won and kept marching towards a State Championship, then Kenny could still earn a spot on the team. Jackson too. It was a hopeful thought, maybe even an outlandish dream—seeing as Kenny had just been thoroughly outplayed in a JV game—but he clung onto it desperately.
The Sentinels came out next, with much the same fanfare as the JV team had entered with, only dialled up to eleven.
The sound of the crowd's war-cry was enough to shake the field. Chrissy clasped her hands over her ears, pouting at the raucous cheering.
The Sentinels varsity team was big too, but the size discrepancy between them and the varsity Titans wasn't as large. They were still polished and impressive, but the Titans seemed impervious. They were REAL Titans, Kenny thought.
The Titans lost the toss this time around, which gave them the same outcome as the earlier toss—the Titans started with the ball.
Like the first game, the Titans' first drive was successful. Wesley hit his targets. Whether it was to Grant—unfortunately—or Shane, the Sentinels had a hard time covering anyone through the air.
Likewise, they didn't seem to have an answer for the Option between Wesley and Mick Redd.
It didn't take long for the Titans to open the scoring, Wesley running in the first touchdown of the game, and soon the score stood 0–7.
'They always make it look so effortless, especially Shane. He glides along the grass, and everyone else follows in his wake,' Kenny said.
Jackson noticed the twinge of jealousy in Kenny's voice. He felt it too. The varsity's offence was just so smooth. 'Hey, that'll be us one day. We'll keep working until we make that happen.'
Kenny wasn't convinced.
'You guys were pretty smooth to start the game, too,' Tommy said. 'Everything after that was the problem.'
Kenny bit his tongue. He hoped the varsity game wouldn't follow the same pattern.
The Sentinels had the ball next, and they threw a barrage at the middle of the field. They attacked with runs and passes, but under the leadership of Shane, the Titans stood tall and held them off. The Sentinels ended their first drive scoreless.
On the Titans' second drive, they broke the script the JV game laid out. But, they didn't score another touchdown. The Sentinels' aerial defence tightened around everyone NOT named Shane Spearhead. The Sentinels stopped the Titans short of the goal-line, and the Titans settled for a field goal.
Nick booted it through calmly and pushed the game out to 0–10. Already the varsity team had scored more than their JV counterparts, a fact Kenny unfortunately noticed and couldn't push out of his mind.
The Sentinels then attacked the edges of the Titans' defence. They found success on the outside and opened their scoring with a touchdown as well.
However, after bringing the lead down to only 3 points, that's the closest they got to challenging the Titans for the rest of the game.
The Titans defence spread out further, leaving Shane with the daunting task to cover the inside alone, and while it didn't work too well for the first drive, Shane quickly grew into his role and became an immovable obstacle the Sentinels couldn't get through.
The Titans had no qualms offensively. With the one-two punch of Micky on the ground, and Shane through the air, the Sentinels didn't have an answer for either of them at the same time.
In the end, it was a comfortable win for the Titans, with a final score of 27–17.
Kenny cheered halfheartedly, clapping his hands but not leaving his seat. Jackson was the only member of the Woods family to have a similar muted reaction. Most of the crowd groaned in despair when time ran out, though there were already decent chunks of empty spaces where people had left early.
Jackson nudged Kenny. 'That'll be us down there next year. We'll be on that varsity team, on our way to State, unstoppable. And there's gonna be other JV freshmen sitting in the stands, watching US, wondering how Ken Murata and Jackson Woods make the game look so easy.'
'I like the sound of that. But why wait until next year? That could be us next week. We just have to show out at practice and earn our way onto the varsity squad before State.'
Jackson thought it was overly ambitious. Even he knew there was a lot of work ahead of them to make it to varsity with a whole YEAR of training. But he wasn't about to discourage Kenny. They had to push each other, and if Kenny's goal was to make it onto varsity THIS season, Jackson was going to push him all the way.
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