Chapter 5

Friday, August 15, 2031 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Danny gathered with his friends, all members of the Bigfoot Patrol, on the side of the field to watch pre-game warmups. What a great way to celebrate your thirteenth birthday by bringing your friends down to the Linc to see their first professional football game. Danny introduced the guys to a quite a few of the players. His friends loved it.

Penny had driven the gang of teens down to the stadium in her minivan. David followed with Jessie, her boyfriend Matt and Robbie in “his” minivan.

Matt tossed a football to Robbie as the players warmed up. Jessie and Penny stood along the sidelines watching the team’s preparations. Matt had to marvel at his luck in dating Jessie. Never in his wildest imagination six months ago could he envisioned himself standing on the sidelines of an Eagles game watching the team prepare. Dating and being intimate with Jessie was amazing. Being here on the Eagles home field, meeting players and watching the game, that was just icing on the cake.

Matt was so lucky that Jessie had forgiven him his infidelities after she found out about them a few weeks earlier. He needed to keep his dick in his pants if he wanted to continue enjoying Jessie’s favors. Speaking of favors, Matt couldn’t help feeling a need to connect with Jessie. The damned manager at the McDonalds where he worked had him working the last eight days straight. That meant he and Jessie hadn’t made love in a week and a half. He was scheduled to work the day shift Sunday through Wednesday next week, so opportunities for burying his bone in some juicy pussy did not look good in the near future.

One thing Matt learned from dating Jessie was that teenaged girls were just as horny as teenaged boys. She had to be just as desperate to get laid as him. Maybe they could find some quiet place to get it on tonight. Jessie’s pass would get the two of them pretty much anywhere in the stadium. Maybe they could enjoy a quickie tonight. That would need to hold them until next Thursday morning, when he had a day off and could come over to the Martin house for a nice, extended session in bed with his girlfriend.

Ryan Reynolds was sitting beside Ed Fritz up in the coaches’ box overlooking the field. The teams were lining up for “The Star-Spangled Banner” to be sung. Ryan noticed Ed’s hat laying on its side. The number 82 was marked under the bill of the hat.

“What’s the deal with 82?” Ryan asked casually. “I remember Coach used to have a piece of duct tape marked 82 inside his helmet when he played for the Broncos.”

“I’ve got it too,” Jeremy chimed in from down the row of seats.

“It’s a memorial to a former high school teammate,” Ed answered.

“He was the team captain when we won the state championship our junior year,” Jeremy added.

“A drunk driver smashed into Greg’s car a month later and killed him,” Ed added. “Greg was a top player. He already had a scholarship to Boston College. He could have gone pro too, I think. The tribute was Kyle’s idea, but a bunch of us have been keeping Greg Harrison’s memory alive this way since he was killed.”

“Harrison?” Ryan asked. “Like the guy who helped us out last spring when we were testing Anderson?”

“Gary is Greg’s younger brother,” Ed said. “Kyle became Gary’s surrogate big brother after Greg was killed.”

“That’s a pretty cool tribute,” Ryan said.

Matt noticed the bathrooms as he and Jessie headed from the field up to the Martin family suite. In addition to the expected men’s room and women’s rooms, there was a unisex ADA bathroom on this Presidential Club Level. Could he and Jessie get away with hooking up there sometime during the game? Maybe it would work, he decided, but only if Jessie was as horny as he was.

The catering staff at the Linc had a birthday cake and ice cream ready before the game got started. The group sang Happy Birthday to Danny. Everyone enjoyed the cake and ice cream. They finished as the teams were announced and ran onto the field. Penny hoped the early sugar rush would dissipate before she had to haul the boys home after the game. Who wants to drive a vanload of thirteen-year-olds hyped up on sugar at 11:30 at night?

The Ravens won the coin toss and deferred possession of the ball until the second half. The Eagles took the ball first. Dylan Harris and the first string performed better than they had a week ago in their Saturday scrimmage. They managed a couple first downs and moved the ball out to midfield before the drive broke down.

The Eagles defense stopped the Ravens on their first possession. Jessie and Matt had taken seats down in front at the far-left end of the box. They cuddled together as they watched the game. Matt breathed in the sweet perfume Jessie had on. Damn, he needed her. His arm was over her shoulder and his hand rested along her side. After a quick glance to make sure no one was looking. He slid his hand over and gently cupped her right boob for a moment and rubbed his thumb over her nipple before sliding the hand away again.

“Matt!” Jessie protested in whisper. “Someone will see.”

“You are so beautiful, Jessie,” Matt answered quietly. “Your perfume is driving me wild.”

“Behave,” Jessie said, but giggling. Matt did, for a bit. The next opportunity was when Penny was in the back of their box, he cupped Jessie’s boob again and rubbed her nipple. This time he felt her longer and teased her nipple until he felt her shudder. His hand was at her side again by the time Penny came back to her seat.

Dylan Harris and the first string did better on their second possession. Despite a couple miscues, they drove the length of the field to score a touchdown. The hero of the drive was young Colin Weaver, the seventh-round pick from Paradise. The kid doubled back in the end of the end zone when Dylan’s protection broke down. Dylan rifled the ball the Colin. No doubt, that TD ball was going back to Paradise to be displayed on his mother’s mantle. Kyle smiled to himself as he watched the TD. The kid was green as hell but there was potential there. Maybe the seventh-round pick could make the team’s roster.

The TD provided cover for Matt to cop more feels of Jessie while the others focused on the field. Matt knew he was getting Jessie hot the last time he felt her boob. She responded by stroking the bulge in his shorts caused by his boner.

“God, you make me crazy,” Jessie murmured.

“It’s been ten days since we made love,” Matt answered. “It will be almost a week before I am off and can come over to your house when your parents are gone. That’s too long.”

“It is,” Jessie gasped. “God, I need to feel you fill me. But we can’t.”

“What if we could?” Matt responded.

“Here?” Jessie retorted. “There is no way to do it here.”

“If there were, would you want to make love tonight?”

“At the stadium?” Jessie questioned. “There is no way we could do it without getting caught. There is no place with privacy.”

“The unisex ADA bathroom?” Matt asked quietly. “One toilet and total privacy after we lock the door. Who would know?”

“My mom would miss us,” Jessie replied.

“So ... tell her we are going to the bathroom,” Matt said. “It would be true. We would be going to the bathroom, just together and not doing what she expects us to do.”

“There will be too many people in the hallway,” Jessie said. “They will see us slip into the bathroom together and KNOW what we are doing. What else would two fifteen-year-olds be doing together in a bathroom?”

“So, we go when things get busy on the field,” Matt answered.

“What if there is someone in the hallway anyway?”

“I go to the men’s room, and you go to the women’s room,” Matt reassured his girlfriend. “No one can read our minds and know what we planned to do. We just come back again later until we find the hallway deserted.”

“I don’t know,” Jessie sighed. Matt slipped a hand down to her lap and rubbed her shorts right over her clitoris.”

“You know you want to do this.”

“God, I do,” Jessie gasped, stifling a moan. She did need to be stuffed with Matt’s nice hard boner she was rubbing through his shorts.

The oversexed teens had to wait a bit for an opportunity. The Ravens first string managed a good drive, capping the drive off with a field goal. That narrowed the Eagles lead to 7-3. Dylan and the Eagles first string offense took the field after their kick returner brought the ball out to the Eagles 42 yard line.

Ryan Reynolds decided to surprise Coach Stern, the Ravens defensive coordinator. Kyle concurred when Ryan suggested the play. The fastest Eagles receiver would run a go route on a play action pass. The play action should give Dylan time to make the throw. Ryan wanted to see if Dylan still had the arm to go deep like he used to do back in LA when he and Andrew Martin teamed up to petrify defenses. First down and ten at their own 42 yard line was a perfect place for an experiment.

The play did not go as designed. The Ravens were not fooled by the play action. Dylan was forced to flee the pocket long before his receiver reached position to catch the throw. Dylan managed to heave the ball to the sideline just as a defensive end launched himself at Dylan’s waist. Unfortunately, The Eagles left guard had been pushed into the backfield on the play and fell. He rolled against Dylan’s feet just as the defensive end smashed into Dylan. Dylan crumpled; his knee being twisted in a way no human knee was intended to be twisted.

Kyle felt it in the pit of his stomach as he heard Dylan’s scream from the sidelines and the stadium fell suddenly quiet. The Eagles frantically waved for the trainers as Dylan writhed on the ground.

“Oh shit!” Kyle remarked to no one in particular. He knew that scream and he knew the pain Dylan was experiencing right that moment. His knee twitched in sympathy from his high school injury.

“Brandon, get ready,” Kyle commanded as his training staff ran to the field. “You’re up next.”

Once things were set for play when the game resumed, Kyle trotted out to see Dylan. Maybe Dylan would be lucky and just have a strain rather than a ligament tear like Kyle had twenty-some years ago.

Kyle heart sank when he reached Dylan and Dylan said, “It popped, Coach. I felt it pop. Sorry I doubt I’ll be able to do more for you now.”

“Let the medical people evaluate you and see where you are at,” Kyle responded. “We will have a spot for you when you come back. Just work on getting through this.”

Kyle watched as Dylan’s leg was immobilized and he was put on the cart. Most of the team came out to wish Dylan well. In the not quite five months Dylan Harris had been an Eagle, he had made a lot of friends. The stadium crowd cheered for him as he waved to them when the cart hauled him inside the stadium.

Play resumed after about a ten-minute delay. Brandon was unable to get the first-string offense moving. Up on the Presidential Club Suite level, Matt saw his opportunity while the whole stadium was focused on Dylan Harris.

“Now?” Matt whispered as he grinned.

“Mom, Matt and I are heading to the bathroom while play is suspended,” Jesse commented. Penny nodded in acknowledgement as the two teens disappeared.

The randy teens were delighted to find the hallway deserted when they stepped out of the Martin’s box. The hurried down to the unisex toilet and slipped inside together, unseen.

“God, you make me so horny,” Jessie gasped as she unsnapped her shorts and Matt locked the bathroom door. She pulled her shirt off as he backed her against the wall. The libidinous teens deep kissed as Matt pushed her sports bra up and freed her luscious titties.

“Me too,” Matt grunted as he pressed his body against hers, forcing her against the wall. Jessie, just as turned on, had her hand down Matt’s shorts feeling his hard-on as he felt her up and they swapped tongues.

Jessie pushed her shorts and panties to the floor and kicked them off as they made out. Matt’s shorts were already laying on the floor. Matt dropped his hand down to Jessie’s slot immediately when it was exposed. Jessie was getting wet, but more moisture wouldn’t hurt. Matt dropped to his knees and began licking Jessie’s slot and clitoris while he fingered her hole. She put her hands on Matt’s head as she tried to force him to lick deeper.

Matt knew they did not have their normal twenty or thirty minutes to screw like they usually did. Their absence from the box would be noted. After a minute of oral stimulation, Matt stood and asked, “Ready? Bend over the sink, OK?”

“How about standing?” Jessie suggested as she stepped closer to the toilet. She put one leg up on the seat, giving Matt better access to her hole. Matt stepped forward forcing Jessie to brace herself against the wall. He lined his erection up and slammed it up into Jessie’s wet tunnel. Matt humped his hard-on up into Jessie aggressively, faster than she was used to. The pair did not have a lot of time to linger while screwing.

Jessie enjoyed the rapid thrusts, though she feared this coupling would be much too brief. Normally she gave Matt a blow job before they screwed. It helped his stamina. Matt kept up his fast strokes, pumping his dick in and out of her tight hole. Little did Jessie know, but Matt was quite ready to give her a good fucking. He had jerked off when he woke with morning wood. He did it again in shower in the morning. He repeated his come when he took a shower after work before getting a ride over to Jessie’s that evening.

Matt drilled Jessie for a good three or three and a half minutes before he felt his balls tighten. He bashed his erection in and out of Jessie rapidly, trying to coax the maximum pleasure from the few seconds remaining in their coupling. Finally, it was too much. Matt slammed his dick deep into Jessie’s belly and grunted as his prick spurted a big load of sperm and semen into her.

His dick slurped as he pulled free and staggered backwards. He panted as he recovered from his orgasm. Jessie stepped up to him and gave Matt a hug and a few quick kisses.

“That was what I needed,” she purred to him.

“We better get dressed and get back to your suite before we are missed,” Matt suggested as they pulled apart. The teens cleaned up and dressed quickly. They had the forethought to have Jessie leave the unisex bathroom alone.

“The coast is clear,” Jessie reported when she was outside. Matt hurried outside too before they got caught in flagrante delicto. The two sauntered back to the Martin suite, arms around each other’s waists, their hands resting on their partner’s asses. The unaware teens did not realize their postures screamed, ‘We’ve been intimate’ to the world.

The look did not escape Penny’s notice. What could she say? Her daughter was sexually active with her boyfriend. That was not a secret. Penny thought back to the time when she and Kyle were fourteen, younger than Matt and Jessie, when they had been caught coming out of the cornfield behind the Martin house sweaty, muddy and covered with corn pollen, silk and tassels after she and Kyle got it on in the cornfield. Penny allowed her daughter’s illicit rendezvous to slide.

Penny was not only one to notice the change in behavior of the teen couple. About ten minutes after Matt and Jessie returned, Logan Robertson commented to Danny. “What’s up with your sister?”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked.

“She was all snippy and aloof when we came here tonight,” Logan explained. “Now she’s all sweetness and smiles. It looks like she is trying inhabit Matt’s clothes, she is plastered so close to him.”

“You don’t know what that means?” Danny laughed. Logan shook his head no. “That is my sister’s ‘I just got fucked’ look.”

“She and Matt screwed?” Logan gasped. “No way.”

“Way,” Danny insisted. “I guarantee it. I’ve seen this look a hundred times after she and Matt lock themselves in her room.”

“Amazing,” Logan marveled. He thought of his girlfriend Evie. He had her primed to go all the way, but she was nervous. Would she ever consent so he could lose his virginity? God, he hoped so.

Brandon Evans went in to replace Dylan Harris when play resumed. The Eagles went nowhere. Danny watched but feared how this game would go. He had watched Brandon Evans play in preseason games in Pittsburgh for the past two summers. Brandon was a good teammate and quite smart. He just didn’t have the physical talent to play at the top level as an NFL quarterback. Hopefully Dylan’s injury would be minor, and he would be ready to play when the season started.

The Eagles’ defense was miles ahead of the offense. They held the Ravens to ten points before halftime. The Eagles were down 10-7. Things did not improve in the third quarter. One of Brandon’s short, dump-off passes got tipped at the line of scrimmage. A Ravens linebacker alertly snagged the ball and raced for the end zone. Brandon tackled him at the Eagles 12 yard line. The Ravens stuffed the ball into the end zone to take a 17-7 lead.

Aiden Anderson played better than the previous week, but he couldn’t produce a scoring drive. Marcus Peters, the Eagles second round pick, intercepted an errant pass and sprinted down to the Raven’s 8 yard line before he was tackled. On the fourth play after the interception, Aiden managed to rifle the ball to Aaron Cain, the team’s sixth round tight end pick. Aaron grabbed the ball at the 1 yard line and dragged two defensive backs into the end zone with him. That narrowed the Ravens lead to 17-14.

Aiden’s score was the last resistance the Eagles mounted in the game. The Ravens boarded their buses back to Baltimore sporting a 1-0 preseason record, the mirror image of the Eagles 0-1 record.

Penny loaded up a group of tired teens plus Robbie to take back to Chester County when the game was over. The boys’ parents showed up around 12:15 AM to retrieve their sons. Mason was the sole exception. He was doing a sleepover with Danny. His parents were away this weekend.

Saturday, August 16, 2031 – Wooded dirt road north of West Grove, PA

With football practice and Scouts, this evening was David’s first opportunity to spend time with Sara. They made out a little during the movie in Downingtown. David stopped at one of their favorite make-out spots on the way home.

The pair kissed and made out a little in the front seat before switching to the middle seat of David’s minivan. Clothes came off. David dived between Sara’s legs for some pussy munching. Sara squealed as she came. God, she had missed David during the nine weeks he was gone.

David mounted his needy lover after she calmed down from her climax. The two made love for a couple minutes. The need to come was too much for either one to take their time. After a bit of rest, the pair did the deed again. This time was slower, more relaxed and twice as much fun as their first coupling. They kissed and cuddled when they were done.

“My parents are getting on my case about college,” David commented as they paused kissing.

“Mine too,” Sara sighed. “I guess we better start thinking about what happens next year for us. I know we talked about it a few months ago soon after we started dating. Do you still want to go to the same school as me?”

“If at all possible,” David said. “You expressed an interest in Penn. I’d go there with you in an instant, if that is where you chose to go. If you want Podunk U or someplace equally obscure, I will not promise that.”

“I am still interested in Penn,” Sara replied. “If I can get in.”

“Get in?” David laughed. “You have a 1470 SAT score. Your application will be loaded with service activities and demonstrations of leadership. They will snap you up when they apply. Can your family afford Penn?”

“I think we can afford it,” Sara replied. “Dad knows I am interested in Penn and has done nothing to discourage my interest. We may need some scholarship help. I guess with your 1530 SAT score and your family being rich, you won’t have any trouble getting in or paying for it if you do get in.”

“And I’m a legacy,” David added, “ ... and their track coach has been talking with me every few weeks since June. I think my chances of getting accepted are pretty good.”

“Not to mention, your dad could write a check and next thing, the Martin Athletic Training Center or Martin Hall could be going up on their campus,” Sara laughed. “You will get in.”

“True,” David laughed. “What do you think about going early decision? Get all this worry out of the way this fall instead of dragging it out into next winter.”

“We should probably visit campus before we decide if we want to do early decision or not.”

“Why don’t both our families do the visit together?” David replied. “I’ll talk to my mom. She works for the university. I am sure she will be able to set up a visit.”

“I like that idea,” Sara said. “I’ll check with my parents and get some possible dates for a visit. You can get your mom to set things up once we have possible dates.”

“That’s a plan,” David agreed. He glanced over the seat at the clock on the dashboard. “Oh shit!” David huffed. “It’s two minutes to eleven.”

“Crap!” Sara growled as she scrambled for her clothes. The two teens dressed in a hurry. Their parking spot was seven minutes from Sara’s house, so there was no avoiding being late. David dropped Sara off in front of her house twelve minutes after eleven. She scurried inside while David took off. He had no interest in facing Mr. Baker after he brought his daughter home late.

Sara did some quick thinking as she approached the front door. The living room light was on, and she could see the shadow of her dad in his chair through the curtains. Maybe the best defense was a good offense.

“Do you know what time it is?” Mr. Baker asked crossly as Sara came inside.

“I know ... I know ... I know...” Sara answered. “David and I went out to satisfy our hunger after the movie.” She did not mention that the hunger was for each other’s bodies. “After we finished, we got to talking about colleges.” It was time for distraction.

“Did you know David is interested in Penn too?” Sara said. “Isn’t that cool? We were talking about the idea of both our families doing a campus visit together. If we like what we see, maybe David and I go early decision on college. What do you think?”

Mr. Baker and his wife had been trying to engage Sara in discussions about college all summer, with a notable lack of success. Maybe a twelve-minute curfew violation could be overlooked if her boyfriend got Sara to focus on her future.

“I think a campus visit would be an excellent idea,” Mr. Baker allowed. “It is late, and we will talk more tomorrow with you and your mother.”

“We need to come up with dates for the campus visit,” Sara added as she headed for the stairs and her bedroom. “David’s mom works for Penn. David is sure she can line up visits for us.”

“We will talk about it tomorrow,” Mr. Baker said. “Get some sleep.”

Sara hid a smile as she headed upstairs. Curfew violation? What curfew violation? Talk of college completely disarmed her dad and the lecture about punctuality she feared.

Monday, August 18, 2031 – Avon Grove Athletic Fields

Danny gathered with the other middle school quarterback candidates – EJ Fritz, Ethan Rogers, a soon-to-be-eighth-grader and Peter Johnson, a seventh-grader next week. Practice would be more fun this week. The coaches were emphasizing practicing the team’s plays this week, not just running fundamentals drills. The team was assembled ten minutes ahead of the scheduled 8:30 AM practice, waiting for the coaches to arrive. Even the young guys were learning to be early for every meeting and practice. Coach Christopher Sommers, the head coach came out at 8:25 with his offensive assistant, Mike Piccone, and his three defensive assistant coaches.

“We will spend the next three days learning our team’s bread and butter play, the option play. We will learn and practice all the variations. Defenders, you will learn to defend this play. Many of our opponents run this same play,” Coach Sommers explained.

“The option play is called that because the offense has many options while running the play. This morning we will work on the first option, the fullback dive.” Coach Sommers and Coach Piccone reviewed assignments for each player and then called for the first-string to run the play. “Martin, you’re QB for the first reps.”

Danny called the offense into the huddle and called the play. “Snap on two,” he said before clapping to signal breaking the huddle. The boys lined up in a normal pro set, with the fullback and tailback set behind the QB. Danny paused when everyone lined up and looked left. His guys were in position. He looked back and saw the tailback and fullback properly aligned. He looked right.

“Kaleb, back up a step,” Danny shouted. His tight end had lined up on the line of scrimmage. “That would be illegal formation.” Kaleb Sommers, the coach’s son, stepped back a step and resumed his stance. Coach Sommers and Coach Piccone exchanged smiles.

“Somebody’s dad has been coaching his son,” Coach Piccone observed.

“Hut ... Hut!” Danny yelled. The center snapped the ball to Danny. He dropped back three steps and turned to his left, holding the ball out for Sam Trego. Sam took the ball and ran into the line, looking for a hole between the center and either guard. Meantime, Danny pretended to cradle the ball and ran past the right tackle. The strongside linebacker, confused by the fake, ran forward to tackle Danny. Danny coolly watched the linebacker. When the linebacker committed to the tackle, Danny spun right and pretended to pitch the ball outside to the tailback, who had been following him a couple yards deeper. The linebacker, completely flummoxed, stopped dead in his tracks. The confused defense didn’t stop Sam until he gained five yards, an excellent result for a dive play when two hands on the ball carrier counted as a tackle.

“Hell of a fake,” Coach Piccone observed from the sideline.

“Martin’s been well coached,” Coach Sommers agreed.

“We could have a hell of a team with him leading us,” Coach Piccone said.

“If we get to keep him,” Coach Sommers cautioned. “He’s in eighth. Jake [Meyer, head varsity coach] could decide he belongs with JV.” Louder for his boys, he called, “Run it again, Martin.”

Danny and the first-string ran it again. This rep, the outside linebacker went after the tailback while Danny carried the fake ball into the hole the linebacker vacated. Sam gouged six yards out of the center of the confused defense. On the third rep the outside linebacker froze as Danny and Bryce [Adams, the tailback], carried out the fake. Danny faked the pitch out to Bryce and then blasted into the stationary linebacker, blocking him from the play. Sam made four yards up the center of the defense.

“Second-string, you’re up,” Coach Sommers called. “Rogers, you’re QB.”

Ethan Rogers, an eighth grader like Danny, was pissed. This was his third year with the middle school team. He had been the starting QB for half of last season. The new kid shows up and gets first reps! It sucked – big time!

Ethan took the snap and dropped back a of couple steps and pivoted right for the handoff. Sam Trego headed to Ethan’s left, following the coach’s directions. At the last second, he realized Ethan was giving him the ball on the other side, so he veered to the right and tried to get the ball. The exchange was botched, and the ball fell to the ground. Everyone dived for the loose ball. When the scrum of players was cleared, the middle linebacker had it. Ethan cursed himself quietly for the dumb mistake. Coach Sommers just called out, “Run it again!”

The practice wasn’t going at all the way he expected. He finished last season as the starter. When Chris Goebel broke his leg in their fifth game, he had rallied the team to come from behind and win the game. They went 4-1 under his leadership. Ethan halfway hoped Coach Meyer would promote him to JV this year, but here he was, playing with the middle school team for the third year.

Now the new kid seemed to have the coach’s favor. So what if the kid’s dad was head coach of the Philadelphia friggin’ Eagles. Why did that give the Martin kid special treatment?

Coach Sommers called for them to run the play again. This time Ethan managed to get the ball into Sam’s hands, but the defense swarmed to Sam and stopped him after a one yard gain. “Run it again!” Ethan tried his best to show correct form. The results were similar. A two yard gain.

“Second-string, you’re up,” Coach Sommers yelled. “Johnson, you are QB.”

Peter Johnson, a seventh grader, did about the same as Ethan. He managed to make the handoff correctly each rep, but he became a spectator after the handoff. Without the fake to the outside the defense collapsed and clogged the middle of the field, keeping any gains to a yard or two. It wasn’t that he did much wrong, he just wasn’t confident at what he was doing.

“Third-string, you are up,” Coach Sommers called out. “Fritz, you are in at QB.”

The small sixth-grader yelled for the third string players to huddle. Last week when he was measured, EJ Fritz was 4’-8” tall and weighed in at 78 pounds. The third string, mostly sixth-graders and some of the less athletic seventh-graders, towered as much as six inches above their quarterback. EJ barked out the play to his team. “On two. Break!” The team clapped in unison before breaking the huddle and taking position.