“I want you to keep it one hundred on every play. We’ve got sixty ticks to get it done, gentlemen. And I want you to play every one of them like it’s the fourth quarter with two minutes left and we’re trailing by seven. Travis, I want you in Brad’s face on every play. I want you on him so tough that he thinks you’re his shadow. Understood?”

Travis nodded. He’d been watching tape on the Panthers’ star quarterback all week.

“Justin, we want you to block for Duane like your life depended on it the whole first quarter. Lull them into complacency so that when we toss in the trick play, they won’t know what hit ’em. You feel me?”

“Yeah, Coach,” Justin said, nodding along with the rest of the players.

“Keep your eyes on the ball. Defense: beware of every opportunity to strip. Guard your man, tear up that line, and go after those interceptions. Offense: hold the line, run your routes with conviction. Hit your marks, and don’t be intimidated by anyone or anything. You boys go out there and give it all you’ve got because believe me ... we’re going to give you all we’ve got.”

Jake reached his hand into the circle. The players followed suit.

“Who are we?”

“Hurricanes!”

“What do we do?”

“Tear it up!”

“On three: one, two, three.”

“Hurricanes!”

Jake clapped his hands together. “Let’s go to work!”

Both teams took to the field with fervor. The stands buzzed with excitement. Dominique fiddled with her purple and gold cashmere scarf, more nervous than she’d ever thought she’d be for grade-school football. Ian was a one-man cheering section, yelling out encouragement every five seconds: “Atta boy,” “good job,” and, of course, “Tear it up!” At the end of the first quarter the score was tied—7 all. By the end of the second, the Panthers were up by 7. She wondered why Justin had spent so much time blocking. They’d only thrown him the ball twice. Watching them run into the locker room at halftime, she wanted to run in there after them and tell Jake to throw the ball to her son! She also wanted to give her baby boy a hug and tell him that everything would be all right. Imagining the look of mortification on his face if she did so made her laugh out loud.

The third quarter started with a bang. The Hurricanes’ punt returner fielded a short kick and ran it back sixty-five yards for a touchdown. The score was tied. Seven plays later, the Panthers had the answer. The Hurricanes fumbled the ball at the Panthers’ twenty-yard line. Their cornerback recovered and ran it in for seven. As the final seconds of the third quarter ticked down, everyone’s eyes went to the scoreboard—Panthers: 21, Hurricanes: 14.