Homecoming Mustangs vs. Spartans

[Lauren Lombardi]

"First quarter, Mustangs! Three more! We can take 'em!" Lauren called as the teams left the field. It wasn't a great start, but they were only one touchdown behind. She flashed a grin to the rest of the cheer squad, genuinely enjoying herself, and found her parents in the stands to give them a jaunty wave.

[Faige Harrison]

Faige watched Espy's little sideline display with concern. Was it going to be a repeat of what Diya had done at the previous game? She lowered her fife after the band finished playing, cupping her hand around her mouth and yelling "We're in your corner Espy!" She was sure she wasn't going to be heard, but every little bit helped.

Shooting a glance back around her band mates she did a quick visual assessment of everyone. So far so good, Jitters still had his hat and his triangle. Cool. A scan over the entrances revealed no Brodi yet, but he couldn't be far away at this point.

[Flicker]

SECOND QUARTER:

Hawkins called for a running play- but his attempt was thwarted early on when the Spartan’s defensive lineman sacked the Mustang quarterback on the 40 yard line. The Mustang fans groaned as the quarterback took a hard hit sending him sprawling to the ground. He shook it off as the offensive line left the field, leaving the Spartans in scoring range.

Two plays into their next possession, the Spartan’s running back found some open field despite being run down by Espinosa, Delmont was able to cross the end zone. The Delmont placekicker was brought in for the field goal and nailed it.

“Pretty little fillies are going down.” He mocked.

“Don’t mind him, don’t mind him.” Hawkins called, clapping his hands as the offensive line took the field again. Dumarr got the kick to the midfield stripe before being taken down.

“Blue thirty-two! Blue thirty two!” Hawkins called out. He faked a throw to Matt Quest, turning and handing the ball instead to Chase Masters. Masters dug deep, and despite carrying the Spartan’s middle linebacker a full six yards, gaining eleven yards for the Mustangs.

“First and ten,
Let's do it again!” The cheer squad called, clapping their hands and stomping their feet as Hawkins huddled the team, gearing up for a new strategy.

“Blue thirteen! Blue thirteen!” DeWalt snapped the ball back, and Hawkins fell back for the throw. The Mustang’s offense blocked in Max Conners giving Matt Quest and JD Dumarr a few extra seconds to get down field. Hawkins weighed his options quickly. Dumarr was being closed in on fast, so the spiral went out to Quest, the boy grabbing the ball and pulling it tight to his chest. The Spartan’s free safety quickly closed in on Quest.

“PUPPY!” The team on the sides called.

“High tail it, Puppy!!!” Derrick Cork added. The crowd was on its feet, many of them barking as a sign of support as Quest zig-zagged left, edging closer to the end zone. He caught sight of the Spartan’s cornerback out of the corner of his eye and hugged the ball tightly, waiting for the impact. What he didn’t see was Chase Masters. Masters ducked low and drove his shoulder into the mid-section of the cornerback, causing the smaller boy to spin mid-air, his feet knocking into Quest. Matt stumbled a bit but managed to stay on his feet, still clutching the ball.

“Move it, Puppy!” Chase yelled to his teammate. The Delmont’s defensive guard was too close to stop, Quest could feel his hands grasp at the heel of his cleats, spun to keep his balance, and fell into the team’s endzone.

The Mustang fans were on their feet and the band launched into “Puppy Love” – the audience clapping and stomping along while the cheer squad grooved to the beat. Coach Armstrong patted Ward’s back and he took the field for the extra point.

DeWalt snapped the ball back, as Connors closed in, plowing over JD Dumarr and spinning as he collided with Chase Masters. With all the commotion, Ward’s kick sailed wide.
The Spartans cheered the small victory.

SCORE: MUSTANGS 6 SPARTANS 14

[Guillermo Espinosa]

"Yea damn right Puppy!"

Espy was pumped. Every bad play, every good play. He cheered the offense on, he booed the Spartan's defense. Even when he wasn't in the game, he made sure that he stayed energetic. Half-time came. He poured into the locker room, and tore off his helmet. He took a knee, putting his arms around JD and Chase to each side, waiting for the coaches halftime speech.

[Galactic Halo]

Chase was grinning from ear to ear as he pounded on the back of Matt's pads as if they were bongos. "That's how you do it Puppy! Hell, we'll make a ball player outta you yet!" Chase smiled again, eager and hungry for more. "Now let's ramp it up and do it a couple more times yeah?"

[Black Solace]

Sondra winced as JD was run over by the Spartans' pet gorilla. Curbing the desire to run out on the field and check on him, she blew off her anxiety by screaming "How is that not a penalty?!?"

A few minutes later, JD seemed fine as he ran off the field with the rest of the team. Sondra gave him a smile and a wave before joining her squadmates for half-time.

[Jason Dumarr]

JD stretched and cracked his neck, looking over his teammates. He thought about offering some support to Espy, but decided it might simply infuriate him more. Instead, he turned his milk-white eyes over to the Spartan side of the field. He took a moment to chew over the frustration that had grown palpable on the Mustangs sideline. Taking that irritation and recalling the routine he'd developed during his patrols, he balled it up and swallowed it, ready to turn it on his opponents. If he was going to help his teammates' mood, he was going to do it by playing hard.

[Jason Dumarr]

Rather than say anything, JD simply grinned wide at Matt Quest, then knocked a fist on Espy and Chases shoulders.

[Flicker]

HALFTIME

HALF TIME (ON THE FIELD):

“Whatever’s on your mind, you leave it here, out there make it real, make it count.” Peyton warned Wyatt as an aside before they took to the field. He and Mia had been drinking Sun Drops from a cooler and she was afraid either the caffeine or the sugar was making him loopy.

Wyatt had been moody at practice, and she had to snap at the entire squad twice. “Leave it in the lockers!” She warned. “I told you since day one - you smile and you act like you’re having the time of your life no matter what you got going on inside. No. Matter. What.” Ar had stood there with a bemused smile - the same one he wore after she warned Wyatt at the game to keep it in check.

The bandstand band clamored down from the stands, Faige Harrison taking the time to help Jitters and getting her hat twice knocked off her head. He bumped into Cassandra Finch who was adjusting the reed of her clarinet. It was the first time they’d be performing on the field.

Peyton forgot about Wyatt as the squad tumbled to their spots, shouting and cheering, then divided quickly into a diamond formation.

The band began to play Wolly Bully and the cheer squad went into the dance they’d choreographed just for the occasion. Eddie Brunts stood center line of the band, swaying back and forth with his tuba, the school not having a sousaphone big enough to fit around him. He was flanked by Faige and Brodi on either side, next to them stood Cassandra Finch and Donovan Taffer, and on the very end off to the side, where he could cause the least amount of damage was Jitters.

The band rocked it, even managing a few step turns. Jitters somehow ended up crashing into a bass drum which knocked into the cymbal player, who near dropped a cymbal. but aside from that little hiccup, they did great. They semi-marched off the field to the tune of Mustang Sally as the PA system started to blare the music set for the squad’s routine.

They opened with “Dynamite” and had near everyone in the stands yelling “Boom Dynamite!” by the time it was over, even Lorne Hazelwood who still didn’t get the whole explosive theme.
The PA blared the upbeat music and the squad began their routine. They moved perfectly in sync as Ar and Wyatt ran through the center carrying the Westbrook flags, criss-crossing them back through the group before dropping their flags and falling in step. Jeanette Ellis counted out the movements; hand grasp, hand grasp, T, low V, high V, shimmy on seven, split jump on nine and take a knee. After a minute, she relaxed some and began to have more fun with it. The enthusiastic crowd helped, yelling “Boom Dynamite” at random intervals.

As the music came to an abrupt end, they all jumped up and marched with a series of hand clasps back into place.

There followed another silent eight count before the band broke into the livelier fight song, the cheer squad leading the crowd.

"Standing straight and standing tall we show our loyalty!
Westbrook has heard the call, we'll fight for victory!
RAH! RAH!
Come on and fight, we'll win this game, we will win the day!
We'll sing our song both loud and strong
GO MAROON AND GRAY!”

Sondra and Ar nailed their stunts, Peyton took over for Jeremy’s backflipping over the remaining cheerleaders as they hit the ground. One by one they rolled back into a handstand 360, forming a loose pyramid at the end.


BACK IN THE LOCKERS!

Back in the locker room, the team re-hydrated and tried to stay motivated.

“You knew this would be a rough go!” Coach Armstrong reminded them. “The Spartans are relentless. They’re an aggressive team, but they’re also impatient. You’re letting them pressure you. We don’t get pressured! You get out there and you press back, and I guarandamntee you they’ll crumble like a house of cards on a windy day. No excuses! This is OUR game, OURS!”

“Our game!” Espy repeated.

“That’s right! Are you going to let these arrogant little SOB’s come onto this field and mop the floor with you?”

“Hell no!”

“Then you get back out there, and you make them slink home with their tails tucked between their legs! This is our game! When you retake that field, you tell them so for me!”

[Guillermo Espinosa]

Espy added a brief line to the end of the coach's rant.

"They'll hear us for damn sure!"