Flyers Vs. Friars, Sept 5th - 2008

[Blitzen]

PRE-GAME

Coach Waters had his doubts, preparing himself for the growing pains of a new team. He took a moment to glance around the bus before it turned onto the campus of the St. Augustine team. There were some faces from previous seasons, Reed came back for the season which he considered a bonus. He shuffled a few positions around, moving Cloud from the offensive line to D, and both Rayburn and Moamber moving from Defense to guard. Baxter was back and had settled down with the antics, though the thought of his "Charleston" during last season's homecoming game brought a smile to the coach's face. Douglas was doing her best to make Lou Groza proud. Plus veterans Hannigan, Harrison, Briggs, Alexander and Dubois were always a welcome sight.

Argillo would be sorely missed this season, as would Barlow, last season's diamond in the rough. Sure he started out rough around the edges, but by the end of the season, he shined up just fine. Cloud would have some big shoes to fill, as would Bartel. Bartel had the makings of a great running back, if like a lot of the other guys he didn't let his cockiness get the best of him.

Jordan had the makings of an All-American, he had the build and the drive for it, making him a starter was an easy decision. McCarty's strength, size, and protect-his-man-at-all-costs attitude made him an easy choice for center as well. Singleton was a great find, but Waters knew he'd have a rough road ahead to prove himself. Singleton transferred in recently from Prescott. The Panthers were near undefeated last year and went on to take State. In fact, the only team to defeat them, (by sheer luck, admits the coach) was St. Josephs. He seemed like a good kid- driven, dedicated, but the truth was most of the Flyers just didn't trust or accept him yet.

Delavar proved himself to be a good athlete on the baseball team, he was fast and sure footed earning him a slot as a defensive end. Newcomer Brown was a great find for a linebacker. He was fast, hit like a Mac truck, and was big enough to intimidate the hell out of the other team. Fox was another natural. A first time player, he picked up on the rules, the plays, and was quick to boot. He'd make a name for himself this season, the Coach was sure of it. And finally there was Fairchild, his other ace in the hole. Cutting his teeth on rugby, Coach Waters knew the kid was as tough as he was talented.

Green or not, he was determined that they'd make state.

"All right, listen up!" He barked as Sister Mary Thomas rolled the bus to a stop with a "whooshing" sound. "This may just be the first game, but I don't want to hear any of you ladies crying about this game not counting. Every game counts! We found that out last season the hard way. This is going to set the tone for the season, if you want to go out and slack off what you're saying to me is "Hey Coach, you didn't work us hard enough." So you know what that means? I'm going to go home and figure out ways to work you harder." He refrained from smiling as an audible groan came from most of the vet players. "I want you go out there and you give 100%. You show me you're the better team. The Friars are going to come on strong, so we'll come on stronger! You go out there and you show them we're serious. Who are we?"

"FLYERS!" The team enthusiastically replied.

"What?"

"FLYERS!" They called louder.

"Who?"

"FLYERS! BEAT THE FRIARS!"

"GOOD! Now why the hell are you all sitting around? Get off this bus and let's show them some football!"

-The St. Joseph Sports Desk

[Shadows' Mirage]

Singleton sat to the back of the bus and waited for all of the other players to exit before he did. He had a ritual, and if he was gonna win over anyone from SJS, he had to do what he normally did to get hisself into the Crush-all defensive attitude that got him defensive MVP while he was with the Panthers.

"Here we go" Singleton breathed as he exited the bus to enter into the locker room. His equipment bag over his shoulder, his helmet in his right hand and his Ipod in his left with the earbuds in.

"Game Time" he growled.

[Ty Cloud]

Ty took a deep breath. First game of the season, new position, and basically a whole new team. He kept his i-pod earbuds in both ears, listening to Nelly's "Here comes the BOOM." To get himself pumped before every game, it was this thing he had.

He opened his eyes as everyone began to exit. Shit, I can take these pansies. Never back down. They have nothing on me. He walked off the bus determined and ready to play.

[Brianna Landers]

Bri ran the cherry red lipstick over her lips one more time, never bothering to dab the excess off. Her eyes were already heavily outlined and her cheeks sparkled with the glitter powder she had applied liberally. She cinched her hair up into it's small ponytail one more time, adjusting the bright blue ribbon there, and let her eyes drift over the group around her.

First game. New squad. New uniforms. New co-captain. Here we go.

She stood and straightened her skirt before grabbing her pom-poms. "Alright. Just follow my lead out there. If you lose your place in the cheers, don't just stand there. Try to mimic the moves of the person next to you until you catch up. Our job is to fire up the crowd. We're on St Augustine's turf here, so we have less crowd." She bent over zipping up her bag and smiling brightly.

"Let's show 'em that Flyers' spirit doesn't need a big crowd to drown them out." Bri waved to the squad to follow her and bounced off the bus, heading for the field.

[Blitzen]

FIRST QUARTER:

Stephen Reed watched as the coin landed on heads, meaning the Friars would receive first. He took his spot on the sidelines as Bill Harrison and the defensive line took the field. Harrison sent the ball sailing and was received by Friar #84, Francis Carter at their own 15 yard line. Flyers #25 Ty Cloud hit fast and strong, catching the Friar ten yards later. Cloud celebrated with a little showboating, starting his "pop, drop and lock it" routine.

"Cloud!" The Coach's voice boomed.

"I know, I know!" Ty called back. "Laps. Saturday. Lots of them." A few people chuckled from the bench. Sam Douglas gave Bryan Baxter a knowing elbow - the Flyers#88 learned the hard way last season that showmanship rarely paid off, except in shoe leather. The jovial mood slipped away on the very next play, however, when St. Augustine's quarterback, Adam Bishop faked a hand off before laterally passing the ball to fullback Tom Marks.

"GET HIM!" The crowd yelled. There were some new faces in the crowd this season. Aura King and Mieri Gemellate clung dearly to the railing as they yelled along with the rest of the Flyers' fans, stomping their feet for emphasis.

"DEFENSE!" The team and coach yelled, as Marks started to snake through the Flyers defense. Cyrus Fairchild stood ready. He stood within yards of Marks as he approached, the two dancing side to side for a split second before Fairchild made his move, diving for the running backs midsection. Marks seemed to anticipate his move, sidestepping easily around the dive and continuing his drive towards the end zone. Oliver Fox was hot on his heels, but not quite quick enough to keep up with the veteran Friar who spiked the ball as he crossed the end zone. Marks pointed towards Cloud and mocked Ty's dancing with a sneer before heading over to his own sidelines. The Friar's placekicker, Jonah Bryde sent the ball through the uprights despite the pressure of the approaching Flyers linebackers, making the score 0-7 in favor of St. Augustine.

"What the hell are you doing out there?" The coach called through cupped hands, as the defensive team returned to the bench. "You'd be better off on the bus! Maybe we can get the damn cheer squad to play defense."

The Flyers only managed a few yards from the punt, with Kasim Moamber being ran out of bounds at the 20. Stephen Reed clapped his hands as the offensive line took their positions. He reveled in the sight of the freshly cut grass with it's newly painted yardlines, and he took his place behind Will McCarty.

"Let's show them we mean business!" He called out. "Red Thirty Two! Red Thirty Two! Hut, Hut, Hike!" Will McCarty snapped the ball back, and Reed surveyed the field. A long toss would not only gain the team a first down, but boost their morale as well. He spied Baxter waving from down the end zone and smiled. The nearest corner was closing in, but Baxter was fast and had sure hands, at least they'd march down the field. He fired off the pass, watching as the spiral headed for its mark. The ball had just reached the boys fingertips when Friar newcomer #27, Jed St. John roughly grabbed the receivers face mask, dragging Baxter to the ground. The Flyers team was on their feet as the cornerback gestured his disapproval when the whistle blew, the ref calling for a 15 yard penalty in favor of the Flyers and an automatic first down. There was a brief exchange of words on the field, but Baxter managed to maintain his level head, shrugging it off. Reed's let his eyes follow St. John as he was called to the sidelines by the Friar's coach to be replaced for the quarter with a back up.

More bad news for the Flyers on the next play, when Reed handed the ball off to veteran Antoine DuBois, who only managed minimal yards before being double boxed by the Friars defense.

Coach Waters had heard the Friar's defense had tightened considerably from last year. Couple that with a relatively new team, and he hadn't fully expected the opening drive to go well. He placed a foot on the bench, leaning on his clipboard and running his hand across his brow. The combination of the overcast day with high humidity and the pressure of this new team to perform well was causing the Coach to sweat a bit.

"Look alive, look alive!" He called across the field. Reed looked, but his next attempt failed short as well and Harrison was called to the field for the punt. Coach Waters held his tongue and clamped his jaw as defense took the field.

Diyar Delevar rocked back and forth as he waited for the snap, while Damian Singleton slipped into his game face, standing at the ready. Darweishi Brown gnawed on his mouthpiece, his eyes trained on the St. Augustine quarterback. If the Friars wanted to play rough? He could play rougher. Brown tore off like a shot the minute the ball was snapped, steam rolling the receiver seconds after the ball touched his hand. Even the Flyers had to cringe at the sound of the hit. But unfortunately for the Flyers, Brown's adrenaline still raced high. Whistles blew when he went on to clothesline the Friar's running back as the boy jogged over to check on his teammate. Brown's penalties gave the Friar's the first down they were looking for, and two plays later, they found themselves back to the endzone. With the extra kick easily sailing through the goal posts, the Flyers now would have double the work to catch up.


FIRST QUARTER SCORE: Flyers 0 - Friars 14

-The St. Joseph Flier Sports Desk

[Ty Cloud]

Ty gave Marks a cold stare as their eyes met, he got lucky this time. The Cornerback jogged to the side snapping off his chin strap silently cursing to himself. Get your head in the game.

[Cyrus Fairchild]

Cyrus cussed at himself sitting down on the bench. He was so mad at himself for letting him get by.

"How could you do that? He was right there! What's wrong with you!"

He remembered his meditation techniques and closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

"Take the anger. Focus it. Control it. Redirect it. They're going down."

[Shadows' Mirage]

Damian looked over into the backfield, the thing he loved about being DE, was the view, he could see it all. Singleton's eyes went from the QB to the other DE, Diyar, who he hadn't got the chance to talk to much, or coordinate with. Which would of been better for them both. He could hear the grunts of Brown and he smiled.

"That guy is ready"

The QB yelled hike and the center snapped, I exploded into the back field, the guard pulled, but too slow, I looked over to Diyar as he rolled over the FB that went to block his area. The QB was seconds ahead as he launched the ball to the receiver. Brown plowed through the receiver, as soon as he caught the ball.

"Told you he was ready, damn, what a hit."

[Blitzen]

SECOND QUARTER:
A light rain began to fall, but the crowd had come ready. Umbrellas and rain ponchos cropped up, but the weather didn't dampen the spirit of either team. The Friar's band dressed their instruments in plastic sheathes, playing fight songs loudly as if to compensate. On the field, the Flyers huddled around the quarterback on their own twenty after a disappointing first quarter. Tempers were starting to flare a bit, some veteran players being aggravated by Brown's penalties (serious enough for the coach to warn him he'd pull him from the game) or the inexperienced botches of some newcomers. Time for a new strategy. Stephen Reed barked out a few plays, slapping Baxter and Aiken on the helmet for emphasis.

"Green Twenty One! Green Twenty One!" Reed called out. Baxter looked open, but Reed had fallen for that once before, if he tossed the ball in that direction, they'd close in fast. Still, that's what he wanted them to think. He cocked his arm back and took the steps as if he was making a long toss, but at the last second handed the ball off to Bartel. Taken slightly off guard by the change in plans, the Friars defense was left scrambling. Bartel made his way up the Flyers sideline as his team stood and cheered him on. He sidestepped a diving safety and cut across laterally as he passed the midfield stripe. The coach wound his arm as if to urge the boy on, and the small but vocal Flyers clamored with approval. Brandon Jordan kept step with the running back, stiff arming the Friars defense before being pushed out of bounds himself. Bartel was finally brought down shy of the 35, then held his finger up in a #1 sign to the crowd.

"Don't get cocky!" Coach warned from the sidelines. "Field goal range." He muttered. "Ready up, Douglas. Field Goal or extra point, just ready up." Sam nodded as she dug her cleats into the grass. But unfortunately, they weren't going to be needed.

As soon as McCarty snapped the ball back, Friars Outside linebacker #60, Caleb Malcham managed to skirt past Lonnie Rayburn and Will McCartney, sacking Stephen Reed before he got the toss off to an open Zack Aiken. The Friars had their first turnover of the game, and more bad news as the Flyers defense couldn't manage to hold them at bay. The Friars defense on the other hand, managed to hold the Flyers back with ease.

Score going into the half: Flyers 0, Friars 21.

-The St. Joseph Fliers Sports Desk

[Blitzen]

HALFTIME
Franky and Bri took their spots in front of the cheer squad. The Flyers crowd wasn't nearly as large, of course, seeing as it was an away game, but the two seemed determined to give the crowd a good show during the break. The squad formed two lines as the PA system began to play their mix compilation, courtesey of the Flyers Audio/Visual department. The set started with a techno-bouncy tune while the squad set up for Liberties. Roo back handspringed through the line up, finishing just as the three girls were boosted into the air. As the girls dropped, the music tempo shifted to a slower hip-hop beat. Brianna had worked hard to come up with the choreography, something that would both capture the audiences attention and yet not cause the nuns reason to call her into the office on Monday. And capture it they did, just as the music picked back up into a pop 8 beat song. With under 3 minutes slotted for the routine, the changes of music came quick. A few knowing smiles were tossed around in the stands as the music wavered back and forth between hip-hop, pop, and punk. Bri's style and Franky's style may have clashed, but despite the poor first half, the squad had the Flyers crowd on their feet.

Back in the locker room, the mood wasn't so celebratory. Coach Waters threw his clipboard into the row of lockers. He'd told himself when he entered the room that he'd try to remain calm. This was a new team. They had bugs to work out. Great big bugs. June bugs. His blood pressure shot up a bit. Volkswagon Bugs.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, pacing the room. Vets knew to keep quiet. If a newcomer wanted to mouth off, he'd find out pretty quick that you could be the best player in the league, Coach would still have you sitting on the bus until the game was over. It was the one thing he had a zero tolerance rule for. "Offense - Yes, the team is known for their strong D game. You get the hell back out there and let them know we have a stronger offense! And Defense - you're leaving holes the size of the Grand Canyon out there, you find a way to plug them up! I don't know about you all, but I did not come here to lose! I came here to watch football! That, out there, what I'm seeing? They're playing football. You ladies are out there like 11 people trying to play football. Well let me tell you you aren't. You are 11 people supposed to be working as a team! So you decide right now if you want to make that happen, because if you don't? All of us should just spare ourselves the embarrassment, pack up and go home! Well, I don't want to go home as a loser! Do you? If you do, then you go on right now, because I don't want you here, period! All of you - start working as a team, hell, I'd be happy if you even remembered you are on a team at this point. Keep that in mind when you get out there to take the field again. Otherwise, I can pretty much guarandamntee that you won't be taking it again next week." Had there been a door to slam as he headed back out, he would have slammed it. The slow moving locker room door just wasn't very satisfying. He looked down at his bent in half clipboard and let out a slow breath. Hopefully, his team would take his words to heart. But just in case? He'd tell Sister Mary Thomas to be ready with the bus.

-The St. Joseph Fliers Sports Desk

[Shadows' Mirage]

"Dammit" Singleton yelled. He quickly silenced, and just went to the bench and sat down, looking up at the scoreboard as rage filled him.

The Halftime whistle blew and he left the bench walking angrily into the locker room.

[Brianna Landers]

"Yeah! Come on! Let's hear it!" Bri grinned as the music ended and she stuck her last landing. Her hair was beginning to slip from it's ribbon, but she didn't mind. By the time they stepped back on the bus, her hair would be down. And judging from the weather, plastered to her head.

Turning quickly, she smiled with a hint of pride at the squad. They had pulled it off. Their first half time show and so far no one had fallen on a lift or missed a landing. Maybe this season wouldn't be so bad after all.

Now if only the team would pull this game out so they had something to cheer about.

[Ty Cloud]

Ty let the rain drizzle on his dirt stained face. He was getting burned by a bunch of chumps, he didn't know what was wrong with him. He needed to step up.

The whitle blew for half time.

He carried his helmet by his side as he dragged himself to the locker room, catching Mieri's eyes in the stands and giving her a "I know, I know" look. He hit a locker door and took a spot on the bench. He was pissed and ready to play.

[Cyrus Fairchild]

Cyrus squirted water in his mouth and then over his head. The helmet was uncomfortable and the pads more so.

Why did he have to wear all of this anyway? He'd be faster if he could just drop the forty pounds of dead weight. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Bill.

"No excuses. Just play."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

He just smiled, "Just play."

[Delta]

Luke ran his fingers through his wet hair and shook himself a bit. No more f@#$in' around out there. Second half was totally his. He closed his eyes and tried to remember some of the times where the defense completely shut him out. They always seemed to see through his fakes and pummeled him on the spot.

Hey, idea. Luke opened his eyes and grinned. Their wide defense was a little weaker. I'll just run it farther around the whole group a' Friars.

After smiling at a still-furious Darweshi, Luke Bartel confidantly walked out of the locker room.