Chapter 83

Though school has started and football season is upon us, we kept up with our online classes. If anyone in our group has a problem, we were all there to help. We didn’t have any set rules, but it was well accepted, that no one would do another student’s assignment.

We kept up our classes at the martial arts studio as well. The studio being open six days and nights a week, helped.

Our close-knit group of friends were the most dedicated, as we trained at the studio at least five days a week and at our house at night, that many times a week also. We now used the large, open-space area inside the pool house for our Taekwondo training. We have more room and most of the time, we train in our swimsuits.

Now that Gage and Bonnie have moved back into the house permanently, Gage has really dedicated himself to training me to be the best I can be.

Though I love football and everything associated with the game, I have come to thrive on my training sessions with Gage. We each keep a set of protective gear - including helmet, with face mask and shield, here and at the studio, just so we can get in a short session, or a longer, more intense full-contact session when time allows. It seems that no matter how many of his refined moves or blocks he teaches me, he always comes up with something new.

Gage and I have set aside Sunday night as our exclusive sessions with Bonnie and Brandy. When he and I are going at each other, Brandy and Bonnie are training just as hard. Then, we swap off with Brandy and me in full-contact sparring, and Gage sparring with Bonnie the same way.

There is no way I could ever pound Brandy like I do Gage, Ben, Toro or Cobb. Yet, I make her work and I do show her how much it hurts when she lets her guard down. She wants to be the best and I want her to be the best. Some of our most satisfying sex has come after a long hard workout together ... before we shower...

My sister and My Girl, are the most advanced females in the class now, excluding Marilinn. During some of the classes at the studio, Brandy or Bonnie, and sometimes both, are called upon to help with the ever increasing, womens classes. They love the attention and they love the opportunity to show off their skills.

On the nights when Brandy trains with either Em or Enya, Priscilla trains with Bonnie. Priscilla and Enya have become just as intense as Brandy, Bonnie and Em, as they train full-contact.

Jerry Cobb has really advanced in his training, mostly because Enya pushes him. She has become a terror as she trains, and continually asks Marilinn to help her. When Enya and Brandy spar full-contact, everyone watches. Brandy, being a few inches shorter, tears into Enya as if she’s a punching bag. Enya can give as much as she gets which makes their sessions wild and exciting to watch.

On September 18, we were hosting the Williston Hornets in our second game of the season.

Last year we defeated the Hornets eighth grade team, 68-12.

This year, because of a mix-up in their scheduling and our open date the second week in September, we were playing their Division 1 team here tonight since their Division 2 team was already scheduled to play a home game in Williston.

We were at mid-field for the coin toss, and when they won the toss, they elected to defer until the second half. The player who wears Number 27 is one of the co-captains, though he’s a freshman and playing on the D-1 Varsity team this year.

Ben, Harlan, Toro and I shook hands with the other three Williston co-captains down the line. I was the last in line, and when I offered my hand to Number 27, he refused to offer his hand as I stood there with my hand out. Then, brushing my hand aside, he stepped up close to me.

Bumping his face mask against my face mask, he growled, “You ran all over us in the eighth grade last year, Dalton. I’ve waited a year for this game...

“ ... This is a new day and a new team. I’m proud to be playing on the Hornets D-1 team this year ... and just so you’ll know up front, I’m going to personally take your Outlaw Ass and your little D-2 Dalton Gang down tonight... Big Boy!”

The referee must have heard him, he was already walking toward us just as I told him, “COME GET YOU SOME... BIG - BOY!”

The referee stepped up close and tapped him on his shoulder pads. Speaking to him in a gruff voice, “Go to your sideline now, Connor, or you’ll get a personal foul and be ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct before the game even starts!”

The ref turned to face me - pointing toward our sideline - glaring at me as he jerked his head in that direction, without saying a word.

I glanced back at Number 27 to see him looking at me with a red face. Ben slapped me on my shoulder pads as I turned to leave, and Toro was waiting for us a few feet away. As we jogged toward our bench with me in the middle, Toro slapped my arm and spoke with a growl, “I heard what he said, Dalton... I’ll hand his ass to him in a grocery sack before this game is over!”

Ben heard him and stopped both of us just before we reached the sideline. “Toro, don’t you dare do anything that will get you kicked out of this game, or cause the team to get a personal foul penalty! We need you in this game and all of us need to have cool heads if we’re going to run our offense the way the coaches have taught us last spring and for the past month!”

Ben continued, “His name is Clay Connor, I saw it on their roster. He’s a freshman just like us. He was good last year and he’ll be even better this year. He’s been bumped up to D-1 Varsity, but we’ll show him and his D-1 Varsity team - The Dalton Gang is back - bigger, badder, and better than ever!“ Ben spoke to Toro, trying to calm him down before the game.

I added to what Ben had said, “Ben’s right, Toro. Let’s just let him stew in his own pot of vinegar. He’s still pissed because we beat his eighth grade Hornets 62 to 12 last year. What he just did, makes me want to really run over his team this year!”

Toro pulled me close by my jersey - looking me eye to eye through our face masks, he growled, “I know you’re both right and I’m with you and Ben all the way, Dalton.” He was grinning that wicked-ass, crooked grin of his when the three of us bumped fists.

Ben was grinning too and told us, “Let me have a minute alone with our offensive line, then a minute or two alone with our whole defensive unit. I’ll stir up a Texas Tornado that even Pecos Bill couldn’t throw a saddle on!”

The whole time we were talking about this, I was thinking about what would’ve happened if Harlan had seen and heard what Clay Conner did back there. I’m glad he turned to walk away before it all started and I sure hope Ben doesn’t tell him the whole story...

Ben was told by our coaches before the season started, that he would not be used on special teams at all this year. Both coaches have already praised him as, the finest young collegiate quarterback prospect in Texas - at fourteen years of age.

Toro and I were standing on the sidelines with Jimi, Bo and Mickey, ready to take the field for the kickoff when Ben walked over and told me, “Outlaw, get ready to break the stingers off those D-1 Hornet’s tails. You’re going to have the game of a lifetime out here tonight!”

We were shoulder to shoulder as we turned to trot toward the end zone to receive the kick. Toro was on my right and Jimi was on my left as he spoke, “Ben told you straight, Amigo. This is your game and this is your hometown. Tonight, the Dalton Gang will run right through the middle of that Hornet’s nest, led by the one and only - Outlaw!”

Jimi, Mickey and Toro were up at the twenty when the ball came to me at the five yard line. The kick wasn’t a line drive, but there was hardly any hang time.

By the time I met the first line of defenders, I was crossing the thirty. My new shoes were so close to weightless - I felt as if I was running barefoot when I crossed the fifty. Jimi, Toro and Mickey had already done their jobs. When I broke into the open, eluding the last of their front line defenders, there was only the kicker and Clay Conner - Number 27 - between me and the goal line.

I cut across the field as if I was running toward their kicker ... away from Clay Connor. As soon as Connor committed to chase after me - without breaking stride - I planted my right foot and cut hard, back toward the middle of the field.

I ran right past him at the ten yard line, just as he reached out and tried to grab the flag off my hip. He didn’t come close to tackling me ... not even close enough to grab a flag.

Before I crossed the goal line, the hometown crowd was already cheering. The band was playing and the announcer was yelling into his microphone as I ran over to hand the ball to the ref.

When I turned toward our sideline - there stood Clay Connor - blocking my path. Three of the refs were running our way when I looked around. I was determined not to let him make me lose my temper and cause me to get a penalty.

I sidestepped Connor, taking one step past him, before he grabbed the sleeve of my jersey and jerked me around by my right arm, “Dalton, you got by me that time! But, this game is far from over! I’ll personally smear your ass the next time you touch the ball!”

I kept my mouth shut and didn’t reply to his threat. The refs were already standing behind him when he said that, and three flags went flying over our heads.

The head ref stepped in between Connor and and me and I heard him, “Connor, you were warned before the game, now I’m warning you again! You’ve just caused your team to get an unsportsmanlike conduct, fifteen yard penalty. One more incident ... OR, just one more remark to any member of the Maverick team and you’ll be ejected from the game and sent to the dressing room. Now ... go to your bench while we have a conference with your coaching staff!”

Ben, Toro and the rest of the team met me before I reached the sidelines. They wanted to know what had happened. As I told them what was said, I looked up to see Coach Chad and Coach Jon, both waving for us to get off the field.

I ran straight to them just as one of the refs walked up to Coach Chad.

Coach Chad grabbed me by my jersey with both hands - pulling me close, he growled, “What was that all about, Dalton?”

“Coach, it all started back last year when we beat them so bad. He made some nasty remarks to me during that game and our team responded by shutting them down. All I did was carry the football. You know what happened after that...

“Tonight, after the coin toss, he started in with some more of his nasty remarks directed at me and that only made me more determined to show him and his team what I could do. I only responded to his remarks out there, after he threatened me.”

The ref heard what I said and spoke up when I finished, “Dalton’s telling the truth Coach. I was there both times and heard the conversations. We have officially warned the Williston coaches, and Number 27 - the player involved. The Williston team will be penalized fifteen yards on the ensuing kickoff. If there is another incident of this sort, by either team - during this game, someone will be ejected and we’ll file a report to the conference committee.”

Coach Chad stepped up face to face with the ref and spoke in a calm, steady voice, “Sir, you and your crew just call the game as you see it. You’ll not have to throw any flags on my team for personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct! We’re better than that! If there are any more incidents of this nature during this game or afterward, I’ll personally file a complaint with the conference committee myself, that you and your crew failed to maintain control of this game!”

Boy, Coach Chad was mad! The whole team heard what he told the ref. That outburst from our young head coach, at the beginning of our second game of the season, gave our team a lift that never let us down. If he’s got the balls to chew out a head referee in front of the team and the hometown crowd like that, we’ll back him all the way.

At the end of the first half, I had over two hundred and fifty yards rushing and ninety-three yards receiving, with three touchdowns. Ben had one hundred seventy-five yards passing with two touchdown passes to Rashad. We were up 35 to 3 going into the locker room at halftime.

We were hoping the coaches would let the starting backfield play deep into the fourth quarter, like they had in our first game against Cottonwood County. We felt like we needed the playing time and the game-time reps. We wanted to run our spread offense wide open so we can get the kinks worked out.

In the dressing room at halftime, we gathered in one group after using the urinals, and the first thing Coach Chad told us was, “You men get ready - the starting lineup will play until midway of the fourth quarter. Then, the second string offensive line will come in and finish the game, with the starting backfield. If you need a breather, just let us know.

“Defense, you’ll play until mid-way of the fourth quarter, then the second string will come in and finish the game. I expect each of you to play even harder during the second half than you played the first half. You can rest assured - the Hornets will!”