Alright, I want to do my own what if story. An alternate universe where Zach and Grey Mitchell joined the other campers in MY universe. Would anyone read it though? And I've already come so far with this one, what would be the point of writing another? Let me know. Stay home, stay safe.
Over the last few weeks, Darius has managed to lead his team into an undefeated record. Brooklynn's latest video showed the highlights of their game against Stevensville.
"What's good Hamilton Broncs? It's your girl Brooklynn back with this weeks highlights from Friday's game. First off, as always, Darius Bowman on point with his passing. This season, he's been averaging 331 yards a game, almost breaking the 2,000 mark. This week alone, he's added another 5 to his passing TDs, bringing his total up to 27. Rushing yards have passed the 150 mark, with no TDs in that category still. But it's not like HE needs it."
"With this victory, the Broncs are at 6-0 for there record this season. With only a few games before the playoffs, I can't wait to see these guys play. The offense still remains number one in total passing yards. Defense is still struggling, but Shawn White and the amazing defensive linemen still manage to be the saving grace for this team's defense. But the Corner Backs need to get focused if they want to be a useful tool in the playoffs."
"The next opponent for the Broncs are the Frenchtown. They are so far standing at a 2-4 record this season, but they are at home. Things should get very interesting next week."
Darius STILL hasn't heard back from Jones. After calling multiple times, he figured he may just have to call the Embassy and ask for him. That wouldn't be weird, right? Eh, he would leave it be for now. He still had a game to prepare for next week.
The Broncs put up a good fight against the Frenchtown. As expected, it was a blowout for the Broncs. Brooklynn and Josh had made sure to come to every game, even if nobody else could come. He always counted on those two to be there.
But as the weeks kept moving, his nightmares started to get more intense. One night, he would see Brooklynn be killed by the Scorpius, or the Indominous. Other nights, she would be killed by the BRADs. He knew she was safe. But there was something about having Brooklynn close to him again that makes it almost unbearable. Darius, however, chose to look on the bright side. Brooklynn is still someone he's afraid to lose. You don't really love someone if you're not afraid to lose them.
It did make it harder for him to get a good night's rest though. Push ups and sit ups were helping him, but it still wasn't enough at times. The older teen sighed each time and just drank some warm milk. That usually helped.
Playoffs started, with the Broncs being the team to beat. It was going to be hard for the other teams to exploit any weaknesses. Darius has been forced to scramble a lot more this season, but he didn't mind. He could do it all day and still manage to find an open receiver. He had to admit, he loved playing. He's taken his fair share of hits, but nobody has managed to sack him.
Brooklynn once said that she was worried that he would get too injured one day. He said that if she wanted him to stop after the season was over, he would promise. But Brooklynn didn't want to deny Darius the chance to pursue his passion. But regardless, Darius made sure to make a mental note to quit when Brooklynn says it's time to quit.
The first game of the playoffs was a blow out. The Broncs had beat the Butte Central Catholic team just two weeks ago, so they were able to shut them down pretty quickly.
The second game was a little bit more challenging. The Belgrade Panthers. Darius faced off against this team twice. Both were in the playoffs, and he beat them BOTH times. Everyone was expecting no less.
This was arguably Darius's worst game of the season. He only managed to grab 283 passing yards, and only got two TDs. He did manage to grab a running TD, marking his first for the season, and he put up 75 Rushing Yards. But Darius was frustrated, not at his teammates, but more at himself.
The defense REALLY stepped up. The Corner Backs finally came together to shut down the deep passing threat. Neither Quarterback played their best. Darius looked up at Brooklynn from the stands while he was on the bench. He loved seeing her in the stands. He just loved seeing her. But he always needed to head back onto the field before he wanted to.
The Broncs managed to win by three points, their closest win of the season. All that's left is the Regional Championship game, and then HOPEFULLY, the state Championship. But first things first. He had to get through this math class. Darius sighed as he flipped to the next page his teacher told the class to turn to.
After school, Brooklynn and Darius headed to his house. Brooklynn convinced her dads to let her go to his house after school to do some studying. While they was sitting on his bed, his phone rang. Amazingly, it was Jones. "Hello?"
"Hey, Darius. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you." the man said.
The teen assured him, "Hey, I'm just glad you called me back."
"So, what's this about Wu and illegal experimentation?" the older man asked.
Darius explained, "So, when we were on the island, Sammy and Brooklynn, you know, Texas and Pinky, they found a secret lab. In the lab, they discovered a laptop that held information about all the experiments Wu was doing on hybrid dinosaurs. DNA meshing, creating ENTIRELY NEW dinosaurs."
Jones said, "Well, unfortunately, I can't see a case here. There was that leak about that albino dinosaur, so most likely, if there is any OTHER experiments, they were under the order of Masrani. Wu would probably argue that he was ordered to."
The teen said, "Brooklynn found a video saying that Wu was going to continue his hybrid research after Masrani tried to shut it down. Sammy has a whole flash drive of EVERYTHING Wu has done or wants to do. If I send this to you, would you be willing to go through everything and sort through what you feel would get a case rolling, would you send it to the FBI?"
Jones sighed. "Well, depending on how big the file is, it's going to be a long investigation. Do you really have the patience to see this unfold?"
"If it prevents Wu from doing illegal experimentation? Yes." Darius said with conviction.
Jones sighed again. "Alright. Mail me the file to the address I'm going to text you. But Darius, the reason why I say it's going to take a LONG time is because, and you didn't here this from me, nobody can find Wu."
"Wait, what?" Darius was confused.
"Nobody has seen him since the fall of Jurassic World." Jones explained.
Darius shook his head. "No, that's impossible. He came back to the island to get his laptop. He came with a whole team of mercs. He tried to kill Brooklynn. How could he just disappear off the face of the earth?"
"I don't know." Jones answered. "We tried to see if he was hiding out with former employees, friends, family. He doesn't have any of the last two. I don't know how either, but we're trying our best to find him."
Darius shook his head. "Alright. It's just really important to me that Wu gets taken down with the rest of Jurassic World."
"I'll do my best Darius." Jones assured him.
Once the call ended, Brooklynn raised an eyebrow at Darius. "Pinky?"
Darius sighed. "I needed to make sure he remembered who you were. There wasn't a whole lot of time anyways. Plus, they can't seem to find Wu."
Brooklynn shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. We saw him on Nublar. He sent a merc on us. Hell, he even tried using a helicopter to smash us."
Darius shook his head. "I get it. This is ridiculous. The fact that he was able to disappear so quickly? It's ridiculous."
The two teens sighed. After Brooklynn stayed with Darius and his family for dinner, the older teen took her home. The Broncs managed to win their twelfth game, and that meant they were on their way to the State Championship. They were going to face off against Beaverhead County Beavers. The Broncs, aside from Darius, played them the year before. It was going to be a hell of a rematch.
It was decided that the two teams would play at the Washington-Grizzly Stadium. In order for the attendance to be fair, only half the stadium would be available to each team. Hamilton Broncs would get the home team side, and the Beavers would get the visitor's side.
It was pretty fair for everyone. Darius and everyone else hoped that the refs were going to be fair. That was always a worry when it came to going to an away game. You never know if the other guys paid off the refs who were officiating.
But it was game day. Darius and the team were all waiting for the bus to be finished loading up with their gear. Brooklynn's parents would be coming, along with Josh and his aunt. She wasn't looking forward to sitting in a stadium with 25,000 people, but she sucked it up for Darius. And the teen was grateful for it.
It was finally time for the team to get on the bus. Darius gave Brooklynn a hug and then climbed the stairs. "See you at the stadium." he called out to her from his window. The bus drove off to the stadium.
The 45 man roster was silent. The coaches let the boys get their headspace right. Throughout the hour long ride, Darius was just focused on not freaking out. His final shot to add a State Championship win to his resume. His team looked a little less nervous than him. He figured because they had managed to win last year. He was going to make sure that the returning players for this year got another ring.
The bus came to a stop in front of the College Football Stadium. The teens got out of the bus, grabbed their stuff, and went to the locker rooms. As they were getting their stuff, another bus came into the parking lot. The Broncs realized that it was their opponents. They paid no mind to them, and just continued on with their day.
The boys made their way to the locker room, and got dressed. After a little bit of practice, both teams sharing the field, the two teams went back to cool down and keep themselves ready. The Broncs went over their game plan, went over plays, counter plays, the whole deal. The teens sat in a circle for their pre-game ritual, and looked at the clock. The game started in fifteen minutes, and they needed to get set.
As Darius waited for his team to be called out from the man on the mic, he breathed in and out to calm himself. This is for you Mom. I won't let you down. I love you.
"And the fan favorite this year, please give a warm welcome for the Hamilton Broncs!" the announcer said. Darius rushed out of the gate with Shawn and Blake by his side. "And please give an especially warm welcome to future franchise Quarterback, Darius Bowman!" The crowd erupted into cheers from both Beavers and Broncs fans. Everyone knew that he had a bright future ahead of him in the NFL if he could keep things up. And he knew he could.
Darius, Blake, and Shawn made their way over to the middle of the field for the coin toss. The three Beavers shook hands with the rival players. The ref said, "Good evening gentlemen. Congratulations on making it to the State Championship. It's been a long time coming for some of you, and we're happy to have you here. For this game, we have the Beaverhead County Beavers, who will be the home team in blue, going up against the Hamilton Broncs, the visitors in red."
The ref reached into his pocket. "Gentlemen, what I have in my hand is a current standard United States Quarter. The side with the head represents heads, and the eagle on the back represents tails. Hamilton Broncs, because you are the visitors today, you get to choose heads or tails. Which do you pick?"
Darius spoke up, "Tails."
"The Broncs have chosen tails." The ref flipped the coin, and the six teens watched as the quarter hit the ground. "It is tails. Do you want to kick, or receive?"
"We'll kick." Darius said.
"The Beavers will receive the ball for the first half, the Broncs will receive in the second half. Good luck gentlemen. Let's have a clean game." the ref said as the two team captains went back their respective sides of the field.
Darius watched as his defense stopped the Beavers offence. just shy out of field goal range. Ultimately, the Beavers decided to punt it away, not wanting to give the Broncs such good field position should they fail.
The teen grabbed his helmet and went to the 20 yard line after his man took the touchback. The O-Line got set, knowing what the play was, and waited for Darius to give them their signal. As the play clock hit 5, he hiked it, and quickly faked a hand off to his running back. Rolling out to his left, he quickly found his open man, and threw.
Blake caught the ball, and ran an extra five yards before he was shoved out of bounds. The Broncs reset, and once again, as the play clock hit 5, Darius hiked the ball. He handed the ball off to his half back, who tossed it back to him. Darius quickly threw the ball again as he found his Tight End who was a junior who joined the team this year.
After getting the first down and a couple of extra yards, the Broncs had managed to cross the 50 yard line, and were in their opponent's territory. Darius hiked the ball again, and instead of any trick plays, threw it to his other Wide Receiver, a junior as well. He caught it, and got the first down before he was tackled.
This time, Darius decided to not go with a passing play. He handed the ball off to his half back, and let him run. He got them to the five yard line, putting them at first and goal. Once everyone was set, he once again handed the ball to his halfback, and watched as he jogged right into the end zone, putting them up by six.
Darius went back to the sidelines after celebrating with his teammate. He studied his opponent's defense, and came up with plays to use for the next drive. He knew better than to use the same plays twice in a row. He looked back to see if he could find Brooklynn. Surprisingly, she was able to get seats pretty close to the 50 yard line. He waved, and she waved back.
At the end of the drive, the Beavers were forced to punt. The receiver managed to return to about the thirty yard line. Darius took his helmet and went back out onto the field.
Throughout the entire first half, Darius and the Broncs remained dominant. They controlled everything very well. Their defense slipped up and allowed the Beavers to get a TD pass. That was going to be something they needed to review at halftime. But the defensive linemen managed to get a couple sacks.
The offensive linemen were playing like animals. They kept Darius safe in the pocket and helped buy him enough time to get the open man. On the rare moments that the pocket did break, Darius was able to scramble and get the complete pass, or run.
By halftime, Darius had managed to get 17/23 of his passes. His yards were 169 passing yards going into the locker room. The score sat at a comfortable 27-16 lead.
The coach gave them a rundown and reviewed their playbook. "Bowman, you're playing a great game! Blake, keep getting open. When we get out for the second half, I want us to hit 'em hard and fast! We've been playing on stamina. I want us now to play on strength! O-Line, keep playing like you've been playing."
"Defense, you've managed to hold them off for a while now, but I'm seeing some sloppiness on the left side! If you can't tighten up quickly, they're gonna exploit it! Shawn, watch their running backs! They haven't used him much this half, so we can expect them to start using him! Shut them down, and if you see an opportunity, blitz them!"
"Offense, hit 'em hard and fast! Defense, tighten up!" The coach then looked around at them. "You boys have come a long way since I first started coaching. Some of you are back to defend your title of State Championship, and for some of you, this is your last shot at getting a taste of victory. But men, I just want you to know you have done your absolute best. You just have to do it one more time. Can you do it?"
The boys instantly yelled, "Yes, Coach!"
The older man smiled. "That's what I want to hear."
Darius stood up, and looked at his teammates, new and soon to be former. "You guys have been amazing this year. You've given me the chance to get my career back on track. I really couldn't have done this without all of you guys. This is the last time that I play football with you guys, and then I'm off to collage. And after that, hopefully NFL. And regardless of what happens tonight, I'm going to make sure each and everyone of you guys have tickets to my first regular season in the NFL." He smiled around the room. "Broncs on three. One two three!"
"BRONCS!" the teens shouted in the locker room. After getting themselves hyped up again, they went back out onto the field again. This time, they were met with only the cheer of their own fans, but it had more meaning.
Darius ran over to where Brooklynn sat as the other team came out of the locker room, receiving their cheers. When he got to where Brooklynn was, he pointed and motioned for her to come down. She was sitting a few rows behind the bar, so she tried her best to get down. But a few people moved to help her get down on the chairs.
When she got to the bars and as close as she could get, he shouted over the thousands of cheering fans, "I'm so glad you're here with me tonight!"
"Of course I'm here with you! I love you!" she shouted, and pulled him as close as she could. They locked lips as the second half kick began. It only lasted for a few seconds, as he knew he needed to get onto the field.
Before he walked away, he shouted, "I love you too!"
He jogged over to where his unit was, about the 34 yard line. The teen told them the play to run, and they all agreed. As the play clock hit 15, Darius hiked, and ran the play. He faked handing it off to his half back and scrambled to buy himself enough time for his receiver to get open.
He found his open man, and threw. He watched as the ball flew, but suddenly felt himself hit the ground hard. Darius looked up, and saw a Beaver start walking away. The ref blew his whistle and threw a flag. Darius's O-Line helped him up to make sure he was okay. They didn't need him injured now, THIS late into it.
Darius huddled with his guys, and picked out another passing play. Mikey, his center, spoke up and said, "Just make sure you're ready to scramble. We know the guy who got the late hit on you. He's one of the defensive linemen. We're gonna try to get him back."
"Roll to the left. We'll get you some protection." James, another O-Lineman said.
Darius nodded. "Alright. Ready, BREAK!" The team got set at the line, and waited. Darius let the clock get to 10, and he hiked. As his team said, the right side instantly knocked down the teen who got the late hit. Darius quickly threw a short pass to his Tight End, and got five yards out of it.
He walked over to the fallen Beaver. He couldn't imagine getting hit by three guys at once. Even though he wanted SOME sort of payback, he wouldn't wish that on anybody. Looking at the other teen, Darius stretched his hand out, offering to help him up. The Beaver accepted. Darius gave him a pat on the back, and said, "Just keep playing man." The Beaver nodded, and jogged back to his team.
Throughout the rest of the second half, Darius and the Broncs still managed to control the ball possession and pace of the game. But the Beavers came back with a vengeance. Their defense managed to tighten up, shutting down the run, and managing to put more pressure on the receivers. This forced Darius to run more, which was then exploited to cause him to fumble the ball.
With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the score sat at 37-36, Broncs barely hanging onto their lead. Darius had to admit, he was impressed by the Beavers. And how they managed to come back. As the Beaver's offence threatened in the Red Zone, Darius thought that his team was going to be able to stop them. It was third down with 6 yards to go for a first down. However, the Beavers managed to lob a pass into the End Zone, right at the Corner Backs.
The Broncs fans and players groaned. For the first time, the Beavers took the lead. The extra point was good, sending the Broncs trailing by 6. Darius got himself hyped up. He was actually excited this wasn't a blow out. The Beavers were a good team that usually came back in the second half. He had respect for them. But this is EXACTLY the situation that he wanted. The kickoff ended with a touchback, making the offence start at the 20. Darius looked up at the timer. 45 seconds were left.
He sighed, and hiked the ball. He tossed it to his halfback, who took it and ran. He tried to get out of bounds, but the Beavers weren't allowing it. And they took their time not only getting up, but by setting up at the line. Darius knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to keep the clock moving and force them to burn their last time out. He hiked the ball again, and threw a pass to his Tight End. He also tried to get out of bounds, but he instead of meeting white, he was met with green turf.
After getting set again, Darius saw that the clock had thirty seconds left. The Broncs had the first down at the thirty one. He hiked the ball, and accidentally dropped the ball. He quickly got back on it, and scrambled to avoid the tacklers. He managed to get a couple of yards, but he too did not make it out of bounds. He rushed his guys to the line, but couldn't get up. The opposing team was actually trying to stop him from getting up. Finally, after what felt like forever, he joined his team. Looking at the coverage. They looked like they were in the zone coverage. But Darius also noticed that they were looking at him, not their man they were going to be playing.
Darius knew this trick from all the film they had watched. They were going to try to blitz him and make him panic. Darius yelled to his teammates, "Hey, HEY! FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE, FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE!" His halfback and tailback got into a running position. "FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE!" The clock showed 9 seconds. He was at the forty yard line. 8. His team counting on him. 7. A championship on the line. 6. One more chance to prove himself.
5. Darius hiked the ball, faked a handoff, and dropped back to pass. His receivers needed to get open. His pocket was breaking fast. The Linebackers were quickly closing on him. After what felt like an eternity for the teenage quarterback, Darius threw the ball with all his might.
Brooklynn watched in her seat as the ball flew. She just hoped that it connected with the receiver. Blake jumped up, and caught the ball with both hands. He brought the ball close to him as he fell. The five defenders that were guarding him immediately tried to get the ball out of his hands. Blake was dogpiled, and the refs tried to see if Blake had held onto it. Darius rushed as quick as he could to see for himself.
He couldn't see Blake, so he held his breath as the ref watched. Finally, all the boys got up, with Blake holding the ball, and jumping for joy! The ref put his hands up, saying that it was a touchdown! Darius cheered with his teammate, and celebrated in the End Zone. The offense practically carried him and Blake off the field back to the side lines! The special teams unit came out, and set up. With the clock at 0, all he had to do was make the extra point and the Broncs will have won two consecutive State Championships.
The kick was good, and the crowd went just as crazy as they were thirty seconds ago. The two teams met in the middle of the field, and shook hands. Everyone congratulated Darius for winning his first and last State Championship. He was ecstatic. When he shook hands with the person who got the late hit, he pulled him aside. Darius said, "Hey, you played great today. No hard feelings bro."
The teen said, "That was my bad. I should have been better."
Darius shook his head. "I'm not broken, so forget about it." Darius started taking off his jersey and pads. The other teen did the same. Darius asked, "What's your name?"
"Marcus." the teen answered.
"Great game Marcus." Darius said after he got off his jearsy and pads. The two teens handed each other their jerseys, and posed for the cameras. Darius gave him another hand hug, and the two teens left it at that.
"Good luck at collage ball!" Marcus shouted ad Darius walked away
Darius smiled and waved. The crowds had started coming onto the field, and the confetti had been released. The teen looked around for a minute until he spotted his girlfriend. They ran to each other, with Brooklynn jumping and wrapping her legs around Darius's waist, and Darius supporting her. He spun her around for a second before setting her down. He pulled her in for a kiss, not caring who was around to see. Well, except for the camera that was being shoved into his face.
He lifted his helmet to block the camera from recording, but Blake and Shawn saved the day by forcing themselves into the shot. He broke away from the crowd with Brooklynn and headed to the sidelines. He started walking away from the massive crowd that formed in the middle of the field. "Wouldn't you rather celebrate with your team than spend time with your girlfriend?" Brooklynn teased.
Darius smiled. "I'll be celebrating in the locker room and on the bus. I'll have plenty of time with them. Besides, I don't want to be in front of the cameras right now. I just want to be with you."
After a few minutes of walking, she asked, "So, do you want to know what happened with your defense and their offense?"
Darius groaned. "Please. I was so frustrated when they started getting points and stopping our drives."
After spending time explaining to Darius what she saw from her bird's eye view, he sighed. They found his Uncle a little while later after the crowd started getting smaller. The two men hugged, and smiled. "I'm proud of you Darius." Josh told his nephew.
"I love you Uncle." Darius gave the older man another hug. Darius saw Blake and Shawn motioning for him to get over with them. Looking back at Brooklynn, he said, "I love you. I'll see you guys back at the school!" as he jogged over to his team.
The locker room was full of manly singing and reveling in their victory! As Darius was putting on his clean shirt, his coach shouted, "Everyone! Tomorrow night, dinner is on me!" The whole room cheered louder. The older man continued, "And starters, I am VERY proud of you. Great work this season everyone."
The bus drive back was filled with more singing of Queen's We Are The Champions, and a bunch of other songs. But mainly Queen. As the bus pulled into the school, the team was met with their parents and friends, cheering for them. Darius found his aunt and uncle, and gave them a hug. Brooklynn gave him a hug from behind. He smiled and turned himself towards her. Her parents came over, and both gave him a hug. Darius was glad that he had managed to make progress with Jake.
Darius looked at the clock. It just turned 8. "Hey, is it okay if me and Brooklynn drive around for a bit? I'll get her home by 9:30."
"9:15, and you've got a deal." Jake said.
Darius looked at his two guardians. "Go have some fun Darius." his uncle said.
"But YOU be back by 9:30." his aunt said.
The teen smiled, and said, "Deal." Darius and Brooklynn went to his jeep. The teen put his stuff in the back, and got in. After the two got in, Darius drove off. Brooklynn blasted some tunes, and the teens got some fast food, and parked in the empty lot for the market.
After listening to more music and enjoying each others company, Darius took her home, and headed back to his house, still feeling that victory high. He couldn't stop smiling.
I did it Mom. You would have been proud.
Aaaaaaaaaaaand scene. Sorry for taking so long to write this. Anyways, hope ya guys are having a good day, stay home, stay safe.