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Lancers’ final drive of the first quarter, Cody bit on an out-and-up route and had to grab Butler’s jersey to keep him from getting open for a long bomb from Faust. The resulting holding penalty was key in the Lancers getting on the scoreboard first.
    On the next Claxton Hills possession, Cody found himself with a clear path to Faust on a corner blitz, but the QB ducked under the attempted sack, then scooted around the right end for twenty-nine yards.
    As a result, Cody spent the early portion of halftime in the rear of the locker room muttering to himself. He startled when he realized Coach Morgan was standing right behind him.
    â€œMartin,” the coach said, his voice little more than a rasp, “get yourself under control. Get your focus on the second half, understand?”
    Cody swallowed hard. “Yes, Coach, it’s just that—”
    Coach Morgan shook his head. “I don’t wanna hear it. All things considered, you did okay. I can’t fault your effort. And I’d rather have a holding penalty then give Butler a free pass to the end zone. So just keep playing the game. You’re a freshman playing varsity football. I’m not expecting you to set the world on fire. Just play hard every down.”

    The Eagles moved into field goal range early in the third quarter, but with ATV barely able to move, much less kick, they had to go for it on fourth and eight from the Lancer twenty-five. Hammond, the Grant QB, picked up only six yards on a draw play, and the Eagles turned the ball over on downs.
    Claxton Hills got a bonus on the change of possession when Pork Chop was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play. The Eagle left tackle and the Lancer right defensive end began shoving each other long after the referees had whistled the play dead. The pushing match escalated when Chop grabbed his opponent by the face mask and flung him to the ground.
    Chop appeared ready to pounce when Clark and Hammond intervened and dragged him—amid bellows of protest—off the field.
    I gotta get over to him , Cody told himself as Pork Chop reached the sideline. Gotta get him calmed down or he’s gonna get tossed out of the game.
    But by the time Cody arrived at his friend’s side, Chop was quiet, sullen. “Chop,” Cody said, tentatively, “you okay? What was that all about?”
    â€œHe said ‘the word’ to me,” Chop muttered. “Dropped the N-bomb. I’m not gonna take that.”
    Cody felt anger rising inside him but quickly pushed it down. His friend needed a calming influence right now. “Look, big dawg,” he said, “for someone to say that to you—that’s just wrong. But you gotta keep your head in the game. We’re only down twelve points. But with Truck and ATV hurting, we need you more than ever.”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter anyway,” Chop said robotically. “It’s over.”
    Cody felt his jaw drop. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you! We’ve got almost half a game ahead of us. Over? No way is this over!”
    It was over.
    With a two-touchdown lead, Claxton Hills abandoned its passing game and kept the ball on the ground. With Tucker and ATV missing from the defense, Grant couldn’t keep the first-down chains from moving. Clark was flying all over the field, on his way to a twenty-six-tackle performance, but he couldn’t be everywhere. The Lancers moved into field goal range twice, connecting on one of the two opportunities.
    Trailing 17–2 with only nine minutes to play, the Grant coaches grew desperate and inserted Clark into the offense, as tailback. “We gotta have our best player involved in every possible play,” Cody heard Coach Morgan say to a nodding Coach Curtis.
    After three straight four-yard runs up the gut, Clark faked toward the middle of the line, then bounced outside. He outsprinted everyone to the end zone. Claxton