Julian leg healed the cast and crutches are off
"Wow! Someone traded crutches for sneakers." Sakura smiled
"The part Warren thinks you're transferring back to Hearst." said Wes
"I'm going to tell Max. Hey, Jess, can you help me tie up a loose end?" Julian asked
"Julian! You're off your crutches already! Looking good!" Jess smiled
"Thanks, Jess. Doctor says I should be good to go in time for the final against Hearst this weekend." Julian smiled
"I know I speak for everyone when I say… I'm really happy you decided not to transfer back there." said Jess
"And I'm not so sure he and his goons will be happy to hear that… Will you come and back me up?"
Jess and Julian arrive at Hearst and find Max alone waiting in the hallway.
"My odd buddy Julian! What are you doing here? Doesn't matter. Perfect timing. Come on!" Max smiled
"Huh?!" Julian asked in confusion
Max grabs Julian's arm and leads him through a door!
"Hey, wait up!" Jess called
Max leads Julian through a door… and into an enormous Hearst pep rally! The crowd roars as Max grabs a microphone. "How ya feeling, Hearst?! We've got a big announcement to make! Julian's decided to ditch those losers across town and come back to a REAL school! So, Julian, how's it feel to be back?"
Max shoves the mic in Julian's face. The entire Hearst student body waits with baited breath…
"I, uh… actually… decided to, uh… stay put." Julian stuttered
A hush falls over the crowd. The football team on stage closes in around you. Max narrows his eyes at Julian… and offers a handshake! "Then the best of luck to you."
"Wait… you're not angry?" Julian asked
"We've grown up. No more grudges. No more tricks. We've got sportsmanship here at Hearst now. And when we meet on the field this weekend, we're gonna put on one heck of a show for the fans, isn't that right, Julian? This doesn't mean I'm going easy on you, Hearst will crush Berry." said Max
"I never asked you too our team going to defeat you. Best of luck Max." Julian walks off
"Don't stress, Julian. You'll do great in the spotlight. I've seen you give a ton of amazing speeches." said Jess
"But that's in front of my friends and teammates. I have no idea what it's like to talk to recruiters and the media… total strangers. What if I say the wrong thing?" Julian frowned
Jess and all her friends gather at the stadium entrance
"Let's do this, people! It's game time!" Sakura called
As the doors open, Jess and all her classmates march in, football players and fellow students side by side!
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Jess gasped
All around you, the enormous crowd roars! Hundreds of cameras flash, lighting up the stadium!
"Time for some on-field formations! First, let's spell out HEARST." Elijah called
The marching band gets into formation.
"And then the rest of us will form the shape of a wrecking ball!" Sophia called
The wrecking ball formation collides with the word HEARST utterly destroying it!
"Great job, everyone!" Elijah smiled
"Let's just hope our little halftime display fires up our team… and our fans!" said Sophia
"There must be scouts from every college in the state here!" said Julian
"This is it, Julian. You ready?" Jess asked
"Oh yeah!" Julian smirked
"Get ready to destroy them, everyone!" Sakura barked
"All right, let's get to it!" said Jess
"Not so fast, Jess! There's something you have to do first look!" Payton points up to the jumbo screen looming above the field. On display are the words KISS CAM above a live video feed of you!
"Heheh, the whole stadium's watching, Jess. You can't disappoint!" Julian chuckled
"Kiss cam? What do I do?" Jess asked
"Isn't it obvious? Pull someone in close for a pre-game kiss!" Payton squealed
Jess look up at the stadium's jumbo screen, where Jess and Nathaniel smile on camera! The crowd roars, chanting for you to kiss!
"Well, we have to give the people what they want, right?" Nathaniel asked
"I guess so!"
The two lean closer and closer. Jess lean over and give Nathaniel a long, sweet kiss on the lips!
"Eeee they make a cute couple." Payton squealed in delight watching
The crowd goes wild! The thunderous roar echoes through the stadium!
Just then, Ezra runs up to Jess, excited.
"Hey, Jess! Awesome news!" Ezra smiled
"What's up?" Jess asked
"Two local singers were booked to sing the national anthem before the game but at the last minute they had a huge spat! Now one won't get out of her van and the other locked himself in a bathroom!" said Ezra
"And this is… good?" Jess asked
"This is GREAT. Now the organizers are looking for some singers to take their place! Know a pair of good vocalists?" Ezra asked
Jess rounds up the glee Fiona and Austin
"Hey, Jess. You wanted to see us?" Fiona asked
"Yeah! Did you hear about the singers bailing on the national anthem?" Jess asked
"Of course! It's all over everyone's news feed!" Austin cheered
"Well, how would you like to take their place?" Jess asked
"Are you serious? Of course!" Fiona smiled
Both teams stand at attention as Fiona and Austin step out onto the field, taking their places by the flag…
"Oh, say can you see." Fiona sang
"By the dawn's early light." Austin sang
They belt out a stirring, soulful rendition of the national anthem! As they hit the final note in perfect two-part harmony, fighter jets zoom overhead!
"Woo hoo! Great job, guys!" Jess cheered
The crowd is on their feet, roaring with cheers and applause!
"Hey, Jess. It's almost time for kickoff, but I wanted to ask you something before we start." said Julian
"Sure, anything." said Jess
"Well, you've done so much for this team as the student council president, it'd be really cool if you were at my side during the coin toss. Will you be my honorary co-captain for the flip?" Julian asked
"Me? …I'd love to!"
Jess and Julian run out to the center of the field, where Max is waiting with his new recruits, the Twins Thor and Loki.
"Are you SURE those guys are high-schoolers?" Jess asked
"They MAY have been held back a few times. They're super, super, SUPER-seniors!" said Max
"We'll see how super they are out on the field!" said Julian
Thor and Loki grimace and crack their knuckles. The sound echoes through the stadium.
"Okay… time for the coin toss!" Jess called
The ref runs out and tells Jess to call heads or tails.
"Tails." said Jess
The ref tosses the coin into the air. The coin flips through the air. Time stands still. The coin lands in the grass.
"It's heads!" Julian frowned
Max: "Bad call, Jess. Too bad… for you. We'll start on defense!" Max smirked
"Okay, everyone! It's finally here… GAME TIME!" Julian called
"Get in there, offense! Get me a touchdown!" Sakura barked
"Let's do this!"
Out on the field, Loki lets out a bloodcurdling roar, and several of your players cower!
"Uh, get out there and kick some butt, everyone!" said Sakura
The football team lines up on offense and calls the first play… but Thor and Loki barrel right over the offensive line and sack the quarterback!
"This isn't good… I'm going in on defense!" Julian frowned
l"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sakura asked
"They need me out there! I'm going in!" Julian runs out onto the field.
Sakura: "I can't believe he's out on defense again…" Sakura frowned
"Is that bad? Julian's our star player." Mia asked
"Yeah, but he can't do everything!" said Sakura
"Actually… check out what's happening on the field!" Autumn pointed
Everyone cheers as Julian makes a crucial stop on the next play! "That's what I'm talking about! Come on, guys! They aren't so tough!"
But as the game goes on
"No one's stepping up to help Julian! Everyone's afraid of those huge twins!" said Sakura
"We've got to do something! We're down 14-0! And those twins, Thor and Loki, are super scary!" Mia shivers
"Time out! We're never going to beat these guys if we're afraid of them! Jess, we've got to rally the team! Can you talk to the players for me?"
Jess rally's up the football team "Okay team, huddle up. We can beat these guys!"
"Can we? They're like twice our size!" Danny gasped in fear
"They're like seven feet tall!" Emily gasped
Jess gives a pep talk "I know they're bigger… I know they're stronger… but there's one thing we have that they don't! We've got each other! Yeah, they may be big… but football isn't all about size! Thor and Loki are basically strangers to everyone else on the Hearst team! They don't care about each other like we do!"
"Good point! They're basically mercenaries!" said Danny
"You're darned right! We may not be as big… but we can care more… because we're fighting for the person next to us!" said Jess
"Jess is right! We're doing this for each other! And I refuse to let you all down!" Emily glared
"Now get out there and show them what you've got!" Jess yelled
The next play begins. Emily and Danny line up right across from the Thor and Loki.
"I'm not afraid of you!" Emily glared
The play starts! Danny and Emily brace their bodies… and make their blocks against the Twins!
"Grrr…" Emily hissed
Downfield, several defenders gather around Julian, covering him in case the QB passes to him…
"They're all covering Julian! I'm open!" Daniel called
The quarterback slings the ball way downfield… where Daniel catches it in the end zone for a touchdown!
"That's more like it!" Jess smiled
After a few more plays, your team stops Hearst on a crucial fourth down!
"Okay… time for our offense to get to work!" Jess called
Rested, Julian takes a handoff, but the Twins quickly wrap him up! He fights to stay on his feet… and gets the ball into the end zone! "Touchdown! The comeback is on!"
The game winds on, a brutal war of attrition! The clock bleeds down to its final seconds, and Sakura calls your final timeout.
Sakura announced "All right, team, we're down four points with a few seconds left, but Hearst is about to punt to us. We'll stop the clock and take one last shot at a Hail Mary pass the Daniel in the end zone. It's our only hope."
"No. It's not. We can run back the punt. I can run it back." said Julian
"All the way? Are you serious?! EVERYONE on the team would have to nail their assigned block on a Hearst player!" said Daniel
"I don't know, Julian. I think the Hail Mary is a statistically safer bet." said Sakura
"It is. Which is why Max won't be expecting us to return it. We can catch them by surprise. Sakura, I trusted your call to bench me. Now, you have to trust me." said Julian
"Remember how I told you one day you were gonna Leroy Jenkins us into disaster?" Sakura asked
"Today is not that day."
"Then get out there. You've got a punt to return."
"You've got this, Julian."
"You know what, Jess? Right now, with al these eyes watching, when I look up into the stands, I'm not even looking at the scouts. This isn't for them. This is for us, Danny. This is for our school. For everyone who helped us get here."
Amid the raucous din of thousands of screaming fans, Julian, Emily, and Jess line up under the blistering floodlights.
"Give up, Julian! You played hard, but it's over!" Max glared
"I don't know about you, but I still see some time on that clock." Julian glared
"Come on, Julian!" Autumn shouted
"Let's go, Emily!" Mia cheered
Hearst's punter takes the snap and kicks the ball high into the air. It disappears in the brilliant lights. Julian spots the punt sailing through the bright lights of the stadium and catches it! He immediately starts racing down the field!
"Huh? They're trying to return it! Thor! Loki! Flatten this loser!" Max barked
"Okay, people, block for me!" Julian called
Emily, Danny, and the rest of the team hustle to impede Hearst's defenders! The stadium grows even louder as Julian crosses midfield! "Emily! Incoming on the left!"
"I see him!"
Thor lumbers toward Julian, a wrecking ball of destruction. But Emily flies into him at full speed! They both topple over as Julian sprints into the clear! The scouts in the stands are on their feet!
"Julian! Look out!" Danny warned Julian looks just in time to see Loki lunging from the side but Danny blocks him! Julian barely evades Loki's monstrous hands!
"Whoa! Thanks!"
All ten of Julian's teammates make their blocks, clearing his path! He crosses the 30 the 20 nothing but green field in front of him!
"I don't think so, buddy!" With no one to block him, Max hurries to tackle Julian! They both lower their shoulders! The crowd holds its breath!
Every soul in the silent crowd can hear their collision at the five-yard line… and Max goes tumbling to the turf! "NOOOO!"
Julian barely keeps his balance and tumbles into the end zone! The crowd explode in a massive cheer!
"WE WON! WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!" Mia screamed
"Hmph. As if that outcome was ever in doubt…" Sakura shrugged
Fireworks crackle in the night sky as the school's fans storm the field past a furious Max.
"Impossible! Thor! Loki! This is your fault!" Max glared
The Twins give Max a shared angry glare… and then turn their backs and walk away.
"Good riddance! Hearst High is for winners only!" Max grumbled
"Julian, you did it!" Jess smiled
"I still can't believe it!" Julian smiled
"We can." said Autumn
"I made some pretty strategic calls today, but I have to say my best call was trusting you. not bad." said Sakura
"You're not so bad yourself Gamer Girl." said Julian
Everyone from Berry stands at the center of the field, jumping up and down and soaking in the cheers.
"Hey, Julian, see those guys in the two-piece Zegna suits? I think they're trying to get your attention." said Payton
"What do they want with you?" Nishan asked
"A recruiter wants to talk to me?" Julian asked
"Julian, I think those guys are college recruiters! Go talk to them! This is what you've been working for!" said Jess
Julian looks around at all her friends running and celebrating on the field. "No. This is. But I guess I SHOULD go talk to them. You guys wanna back me up?"
"I have a feeling you've got this one." Jess and her friends watch as Julian walks over to the businessmen and shakes their hands. Julian rejoins the wild celebration in the middle of the field.
"So?! What'd those recruiter guys say?" Payton asked
"Well, they said I had talent." said Julian
"Good. They have functioning eyeballs." said Mia
"And they said I should call them if I ever want to talk about my future. They said they'd be keeping an eye on me." said Julian
"Julian, that's amazing!" Autumn hugged Julian
"Oh, and not just me. They said they'd be keeping our whole team in mind. A few of them will be coming to our games next season! After all, it's not just me who played great today." said Julian
Just then, J.T. Young grabs the stadium P.A. mic for an announcement… He's hosting a postgame party for both teams at his mansion!
"I just KNEW this had to end with the greatest party ever!" Payton squealed in delight.
"What do you say, Julian? Up for a little downtime before offseason workouts?" Jess asked
"Eh, I can spare an hour or two." Julian shrugged
Later, at J.T. Young's mansion…
"Whoa that's one big house for rich people!!" Emily gasped
"This mansion is amazing! There's a water slide from the balcony to the pool!" Danny cheered
"Woo hoo! I know we always say that whatever party we're at is the 'best party ever'… But this is the BEST PARTY EVER!" Jordan cheered
"Julian! I think someone wants to talk to you!" Payton points over to the house, where J.T. Young is hanging out. He waves Julian over.
"J.T. Young wants to talk to me?!" Julian talks to J.T. Young for a few minutes and then walks back to Jess.
"What did he say?" Jess asked
"He was… super nice! I asked him all about playing in the pros, and in college but he was actually more interested in talking about his high school days! I guess a lot of his favorite memories are from high school… and he told me to sit back and enjoy the ride!" said Julian
"And?" Jess asked
"And I think he's right. I'm glad that scouts will be watching our games next year but in the meantime, I want to enjoy my time in school with you guys! I'm going to savor these next years!" said Julian
"We're state champions… and we're here together having the time of our lives!" Daniel cheered
"So let's savor this moment!" Jess cheered
The party lasts until dawn and it truly is one for the ages! This is a night everyone at Berry will be talking about for a long, long time.