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[09:50, Watterman Football Center]
By 9:50 AM, the sun was climbing higher, illuminating the well-manicured grass of the Bruins' practice field. Jace jogged onto the Watterman football field and inhaled the fresh air, adjusting his helmet strap before pushing it up to rest on his forehead. Assistant coaches had already laid out rows of cones and tackling dummies for various position drills.
He joined a group of quarterbacks and receivers on one side, noticing Isaiah in conversation with a tall wideout named Tyson. Brandon and Trevor hovered nearby, checking wristbands and exchanging quiet words. A few yards away, the O-line clattered into blocking sledges, each thud echoing across the field.
"Alright, QBs, let's get some footwork in," barked Coach Johnson, who'd migrated outdoors after the weight room session. "This is the moment of truth, show us what you got,"
They got right into the drills starting with dropback drills—three-step, five-step, seven-step—each culminating in a crisp throwing motion to different target baskets strewn about on their half of the field. Austin being the senior and starting QB went first. With a "Set Hut" he performed a quick 3 step drop and released the ball in the next second accurately hitting the designated net on the left side of the 30 yard line.
He repeated the exercise five times not missing a single one with the last one nearly overshooting which was located furthest away in the endzone. Chris was the second QB to go up, unlike Austin who was stable this guy only got 4 but only 3 were allowed since one of them was let go too slowly. Under the new offensive scheme, they need to get rid of the ball in under five seconds basically operating on instincts and muscle memory.
"22 you're up," Coach Johnson exclaimed after Ricky finished his go as Jace fiddled with his helmet to tighten it. Nodding caught a ball from one of the trainers and got into position, closing his eyes he took a deep breath as he centered his thoughts on what needed to be done.
"Set Hut," With a burst of power he exploded backwards as his feet kissed the grass and his gaze locked onto the first basket. A quick turn of his hips generated an explosion of torque in his body as he rifled a bullet throw hitting the middle of the target set up at the 20-yard line.
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Jace planted his back foot firmly on the turf, exhaling sharply as he fired the ball at the net posted on the 5-yard marker. His hips and shoulders rotated in near-perfect synchronization, releasing a tight spiral that soared across the field. Another clean connection. The ball hissed through the air and dropped neatly into the net, rattling it before it fell into the basket.
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For half an hour they went through different throwing drills working on mechanics and accuracy. Coach Johnson despite obviously having his favourites still took his job as QB coach seriously as he took the time to guide each player. He even gave Jace advice on his release angle and foot place meant to speed up his transition form snap to throw.
Every coach other than the head coach seemed to be hard at work as he had even spotted the injured Coach Harris with his assistant on the sidelines. Coach Baker was the man who had convinced Jace to sign with the Bruins but other than the first day he hadn't seen him. Either he was too busy and simply let his coaching staff do their thing or he was simply too lazy to slum it with them under the heat.
Coach Johnson clapped his hands gathering everyone's attention. "Next up, let's run some timing routes with receivers. We'll shuffle the QBs in and out. Be ready on my whistle."
Within moments, rows of wideouts lined up across from each other, shoulders twitching in anticipation. Jace jogged to the designated QB station at the side of the field, helmet under one arm, scanning the field as Isaiah was one of the first wideouts out there. The whistle sounded and Auatin went through the practised 3 steps as Isaiah ran a 10-yard-drag route exploding with more speed as he curt inwards.
Austin didn't hesitate to fire a throw aiming for the space in front of Isaiah, he stretched out his hands snagging the ball out of the air as he continued his his run. "Again," Coach Johnson shouted prompting Austin to begin another go with a different receiver. For a full 15 minutes, all that happened was Austin throwing the ball to different receivers running a variety of routs.
The coaches seemed to be giving him extra attention to jell with the wideouts since they expected him to lead the charge this season. This left the other QBs to stand at the side either tossing the ball between themselves or in Jace's case relaxing. He sat on one of the portable benches at the side of the field gathering his thoughts as he watched Austin's every movement.
"You think will get our shot soon?" Blake the walk-on who joined the QB team asked form the side as he took a seat next to Jace.
"Probably don't think it will matter too much for you though," Jace responded causing the man to snap his head towards him anger quickly flaring up. "Don't get me wrong you're a solid QB from what I have seen but your playstyle is too cautious to immediately thrive in this fast-paced offensive scheme. That's how you missed 30% of your throws earlier, so what you should be doing is learning from these guys who have been here longer. Steal their moves, learn the habits that make them good and turn them into your own weapons to fight for a starting spot."
Blake sat there in silence following his words not knowing how he should respond as what Jace said made sense. He was still thinking under the mindest of having to prove why he belonged in the program at every step after not receiving an offer from any D1 schools. That feeling of inferiority is what has pushed him so far but it was also holding him back as he never felt enough.
"hey, that's just what I think, I could be wrong. However I what I do know is that I plan to make the best out of every opportunity thrown my way." Jace continued his gaze still focused on Austin who was once again snapping a ball but if one paid attention his gaze was looked onto his feet placement and shoulder movement.
"OK bet I'll watch your every move and turn your skills into my own weapons," Blake said with a focused gaze as his gaze intensified on Jace seemingly wanting to pick the secretes out of his brain. His words finally managed to cause the latter to avert his eyes from the field as he turned to face the man.
Looking at Blake's intense brown eyes a subtle smile appeared on his face, "Sorry to tell you but I'm one of a kind, God took his time with me," Jace said as he got up from the bench and jogged onto the field as one of the trainers had called for him.
Jace jogged away from the bench, a confident half-grin still lingering on his face as he approached the field. One of the assistant trainers, clipboard in hand, motioned him over to a set of cones lined up in a diagonal pattern—an improvised path for the next QB session. A handful of wide receivers stood scattered beyond the final cone, waiting for a fresh round of reps.
"Finally," Coach Johnson muttered, glancing at his watch as Jace fell into position. "Lyon, you're running option routes with our slot guys and the tight ends. We'll rotate every few snaps—watch for my signal."
Jace nodded, securing his helmet snugly. The trainer tossed him a fresh football, and he squeezed it once to get a feel for the grip. Across from him, a wiry slot receiver named Cole crouched in a stance. Coach Johnson blew his whistle, and everything else faded into the background.
On the snap, Cole burst forward, cutting inside after five yards. Jace mirrored the step in his mind, footwork quick as he slid backwards. The second Cole planted his foot to break further across the middle, Jace fired the ball on a flat trajectory. The pass whistled over a linebacker's outstretched arm—an imaginary defender for now—and connected with Cole's chest. Perfect.
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To Be Continued...