Page 30 of Ready to Score

Alonzo’s auntie picked him up from the field within minutes, and the opening kickoff started without much fanfare shortly after. Port Royal won the coin toss and decided to kick off, and the entire field erupted in excitement.

It had been so long since she’d felt this—the rush of pure energy that only ever seemed to happen when everyone decided to make a game the center of their universe. Franny’s heart started to thud progressively louder, and her skin grew hot, sweat beading at her temples and along the back of her neck, the thrill of a big game day pulsing in her veins.

The first quarter of the game ended without either team scoring, but as the boys shuffled to the sidelines, sweaty and covered in dirt, the hopeful looks in their eyes hadn’t gone anywhere. She moved closer to the action so she could hear what Coach Landry was saying to them.

“You’re looking good out there, boys,” he said. “Strong stances, good hustle. We need to tighten up on defense, though, isn’t that right, Coach?” He looked straight at Jade.

She nodded, the ponytail sticking through the little hole in the back of her cap bouncing. “They’re spreading their offense wide, andit’s making us scramble to find an in. So, we’re going to run our version of a Tite front.” Jade began drawingx’s ando’s on the small whiteboard in her hand, showing each player where they’d be. “We’re going to do what’s called aspill and kill, taking up all that space on the inside. They won’t be expecting this, and by the time they figure it out, they’ll be scrambling. Monty and Trevor, you’ll be putting in work as linebackers with this play. You be patient, wait for that ball to get downhill, then I want you to get there before they do, and I want you to make sure there’s plenty of room for our quarterback to run that ball through.”

When she spoke, Dunn was clear and concise. There wasn’t an ounce of indecision in her voice. And it made everyone shut up and listen. She didn’t even need to yell.

The boys ran back into the next quarter hydrated and, after a few changes to the lineup, with a new play.

Franny cleared her throat. “Tite front was a good choice,” she said as they watched the players get into position on the field. “Heavy for a scrimmage, but it’ll be good for scoring in the second down.”

Franny half expected the other woman to hit her with something snarky, but Dunn seemed too enmeshed in the game to keep the rivalry up in the moment.

“What do you think of their offensive game?”

“What?” Franny couldn’t keep the shock out of her tone.

“Port Royal’s offense, what are your thoughts?” Jade’s expression was almost impassive. “I can’t focus on both when I’m in the middle of strategy. I’ve got to pick one, and it’s defense. So, I want to know what you think about their offensive strategy.”

“You wantmyopinion?”

Jade sniffed. “I could just go ask Coach Carr instead…”

“No!” Franny almost jumped, reaching a hand out to grasp Dunn’s upper arm. Immediately, it felt like she’d been seared by something hot. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I, uh—I think they’re good.They’re active out there, and they’re good at finding our weak spots. But they lag a bit, and their coach puts too much energy into the star players. They’re not so cohesive as a unit.”

Dunn nodded, considering this. “That’s their weakness, then. Their lack of unity.”

“It’s also our advantage,” Franny offered. “Look at how our boys are communicating with one another.” She gestured to the field. Obviously, they couldn’t tell what they were saying, but their boys were talking.

They moved in sync, almost rhythmically, across the field. They kept tight after the snap, so close to one another that every one of Port Royal’s players who tried to break through found themselves on their backs.

Franny kept one eye on the field and one eye to her left, where Jade stood with her arms crossed and eyes wide. Every now and then, Jade would put a pen to the little notepad she kept in the back pocket of her coaching khakis. Franny couldn’t see what Dunn was writing most of the time, but she caught a glimpse of a few words, likeeagle frontandradar. She was strategizing. It almost seemed like she was thinking about the current game but also all the future ones.

Dunn was a diligent onlooker. Nothing seemed to pass by her without notice or regard.

Suddenly, there was an eruption from the crowd, even bigger than the one that had happened at kickoff. Zion Perkins, their quarterback, had the football gripped tightly as he sprinted down the field toward Port Royal’s goal line.

He was yards ahead of the other players, but their opponents were gaining on him. Zion had two defensive tackles trailing and a tangling of thrown limbs and pileups behind him.

She and Jade were standing closest to Port Royal’s goal line, and Zion was coming up the middle. Coach Landry flew past them, gripping thebelt of his khakis to keep them up. Jade took off running behind him, and Franny followed on instinct. When somebody suddenly took off running, it was almost always in your best interest to follow.

The three of them went wild, yelling encouragements and screaming instructions, fighting to be heard over the crowd. Every bit of blood in Franny’s body seemed to exist only between her ears. They rang with the force of her own screams, only growing louder as Zion crossed the line, throwing the football into the dirt and collapsing into it.

His teammates threw themselves on top of him once they made it. It was an incredible sight. All that joy and exhaustion combined into one.

“Your Tite front was a good call,” she heard Landry tell Jade as they made their way a few yards back, up to where the other coaches were greeting the boys as they stepped off the field.

“Any strategy is only as good as the team seeing it through, Coach,” Jade responded.

Franny trailed behind them. This down had been a win for Jade. Not just because they’d gotten themselves into the lead but because she was showing herself to be indispensable. Franny couldn’t stop the twinge of jealousy that bubbled up in her chest—but she couldn’t deny the admiration that was there either.

Greenbelt won the scrimmage 7-3. During the actual season, putting up seven was small numbers. But for an early-summer scrimmage… things were looking up.

Hours after the game ended, after cleaning up and having a coaches’ debriefing that Franny had so thoughtfully been invited to, she finally made it to her car. It was close to 3:00P.M., the sun high and unobstructed by clouds. Franny was thoroughly exhausted. She felt like she was drenched in sweat, and all she wanted was to take a long, lukewarm shower and fall into bed for a few hours.

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