American Football: King of the Bay Area

”What about the quarterbacks?” Blake asked. He then saw Adam roll his eyes, which made Blake himself chuckle. ”I know, I know. There are too many quarterbacks worth watching this year, but these two starters aren’t among them.”

This year was widely considered a great year for quarterbacks. Andrew Luck from Stanford University, Andy Dalton from Texas Christian University, Cam Newton from Auburn University, Jack Locke from the University of Washington, Christian Pound from Florida State University, and so on... These were all quarterbacks with first-round potential. It wouldn’t even be surprising if the number one overall pick came from this group.

The Badger Team’s quarterback, Scott Torsin, and the Brown Bear Team’s quarterback, Kevin Price, were both considered late-round prospects, fifth round or later. The excellent offensive performances of both teams relied entirely on their outstanding Offense Lines and tactical coordination. Compared to the quarterbacks, the players on the Offense Line and the Wide Receivers were far more valuable to scout.

”I’m not talking about the starting quarterbacks, but that Chinese-American quarterback,” Blake said enthusiastically. ”Haven’t you heard? In the last game of the season, final quarter, the Brown Bear Team’s starting quarterback got injured...”

Before he could finish, Adam waved his hand, cutting Blake off. ”I know, I know. The story’s been blown way out of proportion, repeated countless times. It’s impossible to ignore even if you wanted to.” Adam’s expression was calm, completely unmoved. He glanced sideways at Blake. ”Tell me, how many years have you been knocking around the league? How many times have you seen a situation like this? A flash of brilliance in a single game, a heroic performance, but in reality, their talent is mediocre and fades in an instant.”

Blake chuckled. ”So you’re saying the guy isn’t worth watching?”

”In the league, there’s no shortage of talent, and talent is the cheapest commodity,” Adam said, avoiding a direct answer. ”The point is, that backup quarterback isn’t even talented.”

For the past three weeks, talk about the game between the Brown Bear Team and the Trojans Team was incessant. That Chinese-American quarterback came out of nowhere, attracting countless eyes. But the problem was, this quarterback was already a senior, yet there was no information on him, no history, as if he had just sprung out of a rock overnight.

Even if scouts were interested in evaluating him, there was nowhere to start.

”So you’re saying you’re not the least bit curious how that quarterback managed to do it?” Blake crossed his arms, looking at Adam with a probing expression, seemingly very interested in Adam’s dismissiveness.

Regardless of how much real substance that quarterback had, one thing was certain: he was a hot topic. He’d appeared out of thin air to become the Brown Bear Team’s savior. And with no game data before that match, the mystery surrounding him only deepened, as if he were shrouded in a veil that no one could see through.

The scouts Blake knew were all more or less curious, even if it was just to watch a good show or see him fail. But Adam couldn’t care less?

Adam shrugged indifferently, his expression relaxed, content, and composed. After knocking around the league for so many years and seeing all sorts of ups and downs, he had learned one very important thing: don’t believe in one-hit wonders. ”Should I be curious?” he retorted, the question loaded with meaning. ”If I remember correctly, the Brown Bear Team’s starting quarterback today isn’t the guy who popped out of a rock.”

This sarcastic jab made not only Blake, but also the other scouts nearby, burst out laughing, their expressions tinged with a hint of disdain. ’Yeah, a quarterback who can’t even win the starting job. So what if he had one amazing game?’

The conversation ended there. Adam and Blake both turned to look straight ahead, because the game was about to start.

”Everyone gather ’round! Circle up around me!” Rick Neuheisel yelled, beckoning the players to gather. They all surrounded Rick, taking a knee, their eyes blazing. Rick took a deep breath. ”Why don’t you all place your right hand on the knee of the teammate next to you? Quiet down. Listen to each other’s heartbeats. Feel the heat of this moment. Can you hear the cheers outside? Today... is the day!”

Rick’s voice was slightly hoarse, and you could feel his tension. His gaze swept around, landing on each and every person. ”For this day, the Brown Bear Team has waited eleven long years. Now, we are finally here. But we didn’t come here just to sightsee! We came here to win, to bring the Rose Bowl that belongs to us back home! I will absolutely not accept defeat, and neither will the fans outside this locker room!”

The simple words were as heavy as a mountain, crashing into every player’s chest with passionate force. ”You all know the procedure from here. I don’t want to repeat myself. I’d better not have to repeat myself! Remember, no one—and I mean no one—gets to run wild in our stadium! This is our house! We are the ones in charge!”

Rick clenched his fist and slammed it down. ”This is your game, young men! For the seniors...” He paused for a moment, looking earnestly at the youthful faces before him, especially those of the fourth-year students. ”This is your last game! So, no regrets, no what-ifs, no hesitation! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! Because you will remember this game for the rest of your lives!”

His fist shot up. ”Let’s go beat them!” Rick shouted excitedly. All the players shot to their feet as one, yelling, roaring, and screaming. The entire locker room was like a raging sea, a tempest of sound, fierce and unending.

”RAAAAGH!” A deafening roar rampaged through the locker room. Lu Ke felt his blood boil. The shouts tore at his throat, hot and fierce, as if a dormant lion within him was awakening—craving blood, craving battle, craving the kill! Every cell in his body answered the call, unable to wait!

It was like this inside, and it was the same outside.

The drumbeats grew more intense, the cheers more frenzied, the air itself seeming to boil. As the visiting team, the Badger Team took the field first. The entire stadium roared as one, welcoming both teams for tonight’s game with the utmost enthusiasm.

The entire Rose Bowl was packed to the brim. As the home stadium for the Brown Bear Team, over sixty thousand supporters had come to show their support, hoping the team could win the championship again for the first time since 1986. For the visiting Badger Team, nearly thirty thousand fans had traveled from afar to Los Angeles, hoping to witness the magnificent feat of their team winning the title on their opponent’s turf. In addition, there were about ten thousand neutral fans, cheering, celebrating, and partying, all anticipating a spectacular showdown.

But in this moment, there was no distinction between home and visiting fans. Everyone clapped, whistled, and shouted, igniting the passion of the entire Rose Bowl, welcoming the warriors’ grand entrance with the most frenetic applause and cheers.

”This is really the last game.” John felt like he was suffocating. He gasped for air, but his lungs couldn’t seem to catch any oxygen. His nervous state made Lu Ke laugh. ”Don’t worry,” Lu Ke said, ”Once you get on the field, you’ll get used to it! Enjoy every second of this game. This is your stage!”

”This is your game too,” John said sincerely, patting Lu Ke on the chest.

Lu Ke nodded in affirmation, his smile growing even brighter. ”Of course, I know. So, are you ready? Let’s go get some Touchdowns.” His cheerful words made it sound as if he were the starting quarterback and John were the starting Wide Receiver, as if getting a Touchdown were as easy as reaching into a pocket to grab something... The two of them exchanged a look and laughed at the same time.

”Bambi? Bambi!” A voice called from the front. Lu Ke and John looked up and saw their teammates’ eyes all fixed on them. ”Bambi, get to the front. You too, John.”

”What’s going on?” Lu Ke asked, confused. He walked past his teammates to the very front and saw Kevin Price standing there. However, Kevin had already stepped aside. He stiffly ignored Lu Ke and John, his gaze fixed awkwardly elsewhere, though his entire body radiated a fighting spirit.

Catching a glimpse of Kevin out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ke didn’t pay him much mind. He and John walked to the front, one after the other. It wasn’t just them; Logan, Marcus, and the others were also at the very front. Logan waved happily, jumping in place like an energetic flea. ”Bambi, get over here! The seniors are leading the team onto the field today!”

In football, it’s a tradition for players to storm onto the field in a swarm. However, there’s no strict rule about who leads the charge; it’s decided by the team internally.

Just now, the Badger Team had been led by their offense, the heroes who had brought them all the way to the Rose Bowl. When it was the Brown Bear Team’s turn, they chose the seniors.

Lu Ke’s heart began to pound, not because he was sentimental about his last game, but because the deafening roar of the Rose Bowl made his blood begin to boil. He could almost hear a summons from the field ringing in his ears: ’Fight! Fight! Fight!’ The passionate emotion was like a tidal wave, erupting with enough energy to shatter clouds and split stone!

Standing at the very front of the line, the group of seniors fist-bumped, exchanged glances, and roared at each other. The light in their eyes intertwined as their emotions reached a peak. Everyone began jumping in place uncontrollably, like boxers about to enter the ring, fully hyping up their bodies.

Suddenly, the coach’s command cut through the air, ”Take the field!” The cheerleaders and the team mascot at the front began to pour out. The players also swarmed forward, rushing toward the bright halo of light, toward the thunderous cheers, toward the roaring stadium!

The roar of the crowd exploded!