American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

This time, Mike hadn't even put in much effort before his teammates swarmed him to the opponent's side of the court. It's clear that his teammates approved of his ability to get Tucker off the court.

It could also be said that Mike's actions united the team members into a cohesive unit.

23:24

Not long after the start of the second quarter, Melford regained the lead.

Chapter 95 Rapid Counterattack

Seeing Melford's renewed fighting spirit also inspired the spectators to show their enthusiasm once again.

The sympathy for the weak makes many people willing to see that the underdog can overcome a powerful opponent through hard work and struggle.

Now, many neutral spectators outside the stadium have taken themselves to Melford's team, hoping they can create a miracle.

However, after the ball was switched to possession, Melford, who was on the defensive end, quickly showed his supporters what outrageous things really were.

Watching the Austin team's quarterback score a touchdown without any resistance.

Those viewers who were deeply involved could no longer hold back and began to berate Mike. After all, as Melford's new quarterback, organizing the defense was his job.

However, judging from his last two defensive plays, Mike is not a competent quarterback.

Even coach George on the sidelines frowned as he watched Melford's abysmal defense.

"This can't go on. No team has ever done this before. Giving up on defense is unwise..." Coach George kept muttering, looking restless.

The strategy of abandoning defense was Mike's own decision. However, uninformed viewers, seeing Melford's unreasonable playing style, would only blame the team's head coach.

If it weren't for the fact that they only had one timeout left, Coach George would have loved to call Mike down right now and give him a good lesson in defense.

Seeing Coach George's conflicted expression, Captain Aaron comforted him, saying, "We can only trust Mike now. Maybe his plan will work well."

Everyone in Melford knows that Mike has an exceptional talent on offense.

By abandoning defensive confrontations and focusing all efforts on offense, as is the case now, it can be considered a strategy of playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses.

Aaron had a feeling that Mike's offensive strategy might be surprisingly effective.

"We can only continue to trust him now." Coach George sighed, silently telling himself, 'The worst outcome is just losing this game. As long as Mike can develop, there will be plenty of opportunities next year.'

Mike deserves at least half the credit for Melford's success this year. Once he truly matures next year, the team will undoubtedly go even further.

After figuring this out, Coach George's mindset became much more peaceful.

After Austin High School secured eight points, possession returned to Melford.

beep—

As the whistle blew for Melford's attack, Mike, having observed the opposing defense, grabbed his football and quickly charged down the left flank.

“GO～GO～GO～”

Amidst shouts, Melford's players followed closely behind, carving a bloody path through the opponent's left flank.

With his superb dribbling skills, Mike broke through Austin's defense with several changes of direction and charged towards the opponent's end zone.

"Well done, kid!"

"I knew he could do it!"

"Charge! Charge!"

……

Seeing Mike's brilliant dribbling skills, the spectators got excited again. They realized that Melford hadn't given up on the game.

The audience members who had just been cursing Melford were now cheering him on again.

"That's it!" Coach George stood up excitedly and cheered for his team when they successfully broke through the enemy lines on their first attempt.

Amid cheers, Mike unsurprisingly entered the opponent's paint. Then, he turned around and high-fived each of his teammates who had just executed an offensive play.

This offensive rhythm was exactly what Mike wanted.

He wanted to see who could score more points.

In the following rounds of attack, the Melford players, ignited with a strong fighting spirit, did not disappoint Mike.

With Mike leading the way, Melford's team performed no worse than their opponents on offense in the second quarter.

With the fast-paced offensive transitions, the scores of both teams increased rapidly in a back-and-forth exchange.

At this moment, after several rounds of observation, the audience also discovered Melford's intention.

Melford's impressive attacking performance made many viewers accept their weak defensive play.

After all, for a weaker team like Melford, it's already quite impressive that they were able to keep up with Austin, a long-established powerhouse, in attack.

At the end of the second quarter, the score was 40-39.

Many teams might not be able to achieve such a high score even after playing an entire game.

Melford, with his fast-paced offense and strong, tenacious fighting spirit, even took a one-point lead at the end of the second quarter.

This also indicates that Mike's plan has been effective.

On the sidelines, looking at his players, each one covered in sweat but with unwavering determination, Coach George's desire to speak with Mike alone vanished.

It's clear that under Mike's leadership, the team's morale has changed significantly.

This is exactly what Coach George wants to see.

"Mike, come over and have some water, take a break~" Captain Aaron, who was sitting on the bench, handed Mike an energy drink.

Mike, who had been constantly breaking through the opponent's encirclement throughout the entire quarter, was exhausted.

"Thanks~" Mike took off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then he downed more than half of a 500ml bottle of drink in one gulp.

"Mike, you'll be a great quarterback someday..." Aaron suddenly exclaimed.

He also witnessed the change in his teammates' emotions. After Mike replaced the team's quarterback, he inspired the entire team's fighting spirit simply by taking action.

Aaron also longed to possess that unique personal charm. However, he knew that due to his personality, he could never do better than Mike.

After Coach George finished distributing water to the players, he also sat down next to Mike.

"Mike, your strategy was very successful, and I can't find any fault with it. However, I still have to remind you that football is a team sport..." Coach George said after organizing his thoughts.

In the second quarter, Mike's approach to improving offensive efficiency was successful, but the effectiveness of this strategy still relied too heavily on Mike's individual abilities.

A person's energy is limited, and Coach George couldn't guarantee how long Mike could maintain this high-efficiency scoring pace.

Furthermore, while a charge tactic might catch the opponent off guard in the short term, once the opponent has reacted, there are many ways to suppress this aggressive tactic.

The match is only halfway through, and the opponent still has plenty of time to react.

"I understand. I will create offensive opportunities for my teammates as appropriate." Mike, who had rested for a while, seemed to have recovered a lot.

"You know what you're doing..."

Seeing that Mike wasn't blinded by their current advantage, Coach George smiled slightly. Then, he asked, "Do you need some sugar?"

During matches, the team's assistant coach in charge of logistics would prepare some small desserts and easily digestible foods such as bananas in advance to provide the players with energy during breaks.

Chapter 96 The End

The second half has a 12-minute break, providing ample space for the players to recover their energy.

During this time, cheerleading squads from both sides will perform shows to warm up the crowd.

Mike, watching his team's cheerleaders perform their signature leg dance, devoured a bunch of small desserts and a small bunch of bananas.

After walking around twice and digesting his food, Mike felt that his energy had been largely restored. It has to be said that there are many hidden benefits to having a strong physique.

Looking at Melford's other teammates, although their eyes still held excitement, the fatigue on their faces was obvious.

The fast-paced game in the last quarter took a toll on their stamina. It will be difficult for them to recover during halftime.

With the two cheerleading squads leaving the court, the third quarter officially began.

Before going on stage, Mike gathered the team together again, and everyone put their hands together.

"One, two, three~"

"Melford~"

"Must win!"

……

"During the match, pay attention to your positioning. I'll pass the ball to you as needed..."

When they reached midfield, Mike approached George and Sam, giving them a heads-up.

Mike had a feeling that in the third quarter, the opposing team would definitely take measures to focus on him.

Sure enough, at the start of the third quarter, after scoring two touchdowns, the opposing team adopted a pocket play strategy on the defensive end, specifically targeting Mike's drives.

Austin relaxed their defense against Melford's other players, forming a pocket formation that blocked all three offensive routes that Mike could use.

Mike, holding the football, felt somewhat relieved; thankfully, he had given instructions to Sam and the other man beforehand.

At that moment, with no one watching him, Sam quietly went to the sideline.

Seeing this, Mike's eyes lit up. He skillfully created space and delivered a high cross pass. The football arced through the air and landed steadily in Sam's hands.

Sam, who was prepared, charged toward the opponent's end zone as soon as he received the ball.

Austin's teammates were also surprised that Mike could make such a good pass at this time.

After all, Mike rarely passed the ball in previous games.

In this low-probability situation, Austin's quarterback reacted quickly. He left some players to continue guarding Mike while he led his teammates to chase after Sam, who had the ball.

In just a short while, Sam had already rushed more than ten yards ahead.

Unfortunately, Sam is a power-type running back, and speed is not his strong suit.

Just as he was about to enter the opponent's penalty area, he was tackled to the ground by an Austin player who caught up with him.

"Well done, that's it..." Coach George shouted from the sidelines.

Although Sam was forced to stop, this gave Melford another chance to score.

If Sam continues to perform like this, he only needs one more down to break into the opponent's end zone and score a touchdown.

Sam, having gotten back up, realized this himself. Instead of looking frustrated, he seemed eager to try again.

beep—

Melford's second-down offensive began, and Mike, who regained possession, was once again surrounded by the opponent's pocket formation.

"Sam~"

Amid the shouts, Mike once again pushed his way out and delivered a powerful pass.

With Mike drawing most of the defense, Sam finally got to the end zone after receiving the ball and scored a touchdown.

46:47

Melford has closed the gap again and has one more chance to score.

Sam, who had made a great contribution to the team, excitedly did a backflip while holding the football. Then, he excitedly ran up to Mike and gave him a high-five.

Sam had wanted to do this for a long time.

Seeing Sam's happy expression, Mike patted him on the shoulder and offered timely praise: "Well done!"

With their morale soaring, the Melford team gave it their all in the second scoring opportunity and combined to score another touchdown.

48:47

Melford has once again taken the lead.

The game continued at a fast pace. Mike repeatedly delivered excellent passes to Sam on offense.

Thanks to Mike's strong presence, Melford's team held the lead in the score for a period of time in the first half of the third quarter.

However, as the third quarter drew to a close, Austin's quarterback began to pay more attention to Sam, dedicating some of his defense to him.

Gradually, Sam's role became less and less relevant.

When Mike passed the ball to Sam again, Sam hadn't even run a few yards before he was tackled by two Austin players.