No penalty!
The thought flashed through his subconscious, causing his body and hands to tighten a bit, as if they were tied with ropes. His movements were awkward, and his center of gravity was slightly unstable, but his powerful physique unleashed incredible energy at the critical moment, allowing him to restart and exert force a second time.
A charge, a collision, a shove. Crabtree slammed into Aaron Ross fiercely, but Ross, who was just as strong, showed no fear. He was unyielding, unstoppable, and relentless. The two of them collided violently, and a dull "bang" echoed through the stadium like a thunderclap.
Using the rebound from the impact, Crabtree took a step back, turned, and paused, instantly creating space between them. At the same time, Ross lost his balance and, under the powerful inertia, his strong body fell over, slamming into Crabtree's back.
Crabtree, however, was already prepared. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and pushed back forcefully, holding up the falling weight. The rebound between the action and reaction forces erupted once again, and his internal organs churned. The space between the two of them opened up again.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Crabtree adjusted his footing with a small step. His center of gravity and body were ready, and then a football, shooting out like a bullet from a gun, appeared in his line of sight!
Completely lost in the moment, Crabtree forgot about all other distractions. He acted as if the force that hit his shoulder again didn't exist, and he stared intently at the incoming ball. The pass was a little low, probably at his abdomen, to avoid the possibility of a defender knocking the ball away at the last second.
With complete focus, Crabtree's pupils contracted and contracted again. The entire world was reduced to just that football. He bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and adjusted his hands to catch the ball. "Whoosh!" A heavy impact hit his abdomen, and a fierce, powerful force spread throughout his stomach.
He caught it!
Ryan Baldwin watched every move on the field, so nervous he completely lost himself. His eyes moved quickly and erratically: Lu Ke, Logan, Crabtree. In the chaos and busyness of the field, he couldn't find a clear pattern, but he couldn't tear his eyes away, frantically trying to catch every detail of the game. One surprise, two surprises, three surprises, but it still wasn't over. They hadn't lost the game, but they hadn't won it either. The endless twists and turns, the zero-second play, and the constantly changing situation made it impossible to keep up.
His heart became numb and stiff. His blood froze and stopped flowing. Time and space had completely lost their meaning. It was as if his brain had also stopped working.
Suddenly, everything in his line of sight turned into slow motion. Ryan could even clearly see Lu Ke's every move and the trajectory of his pass. The football slowly arced through the sky, flying toward Crabtree. Everything else in the world had completely disappeared. Ryan's heart was thumping, and with the football's trajectory, it slowly, slowly climbed, almost clogging his throat, and then...
"Touchdown!"
Ryan roared in a daze, but the emotions suppressed in his chest still hadn't been fully released. He raised his fist high, jumped to his feet, his eyes red and veins bulging, and screamed frantically at everyone in his line of sight, "Touchdown! Touchdown!"
It was a touchdown! He was absolutely certain it was a touchdown! The excitement and thrill instantly peaked, and every cell in his body exploded. It had been a long time, a really long time. It wasn't the long-awaited victory, but the long-awaited toughness and explosiveness. Even when standing on the edge of a cliff, that unyielding competitive spirit still erupted fiercely, intimidating their opponents, winning the game, and taking the victory!
Without warning, his vision blurred. Hot tears gushed out, instantly flooding his face and almost scalding his cheeks. But Ryan seemed to not even notice it. He just roared in a daze, intensely declaring the result of the game to everyone around him, "Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!" Just this one simple word, without any embellishments or frills, completely and heartily released all the thoughts deep in his heart, declaring that the dramatic, never-ending game was finally over, and it ended in a way that satisfied the home fans, who now firmly held the victory in their hands! Touchdown!
At this moment, Ryan forgot about his ALS. He forgot about his pain and worries. Even though his legs were trembling and his leg muscles, which hadn't stood for so long, couldn't support his heavy body, he didn't care. He just clenched his fists and yelled, yelled, yelling out all the suppression and frustration. At this moment, Ryan was just an ordinary 49er!
This ordinary 49er joined the ranks of the fans in the stadium. The passionate and intense roars and shouts erupted and then slowly turned into a single, unified chant, "Touchdown! Touchdown!" It was deafening, overwhelming, and spectacular. They were celebrating the successful touchdown and also calling for the referee's confirmation, hoping there would be no more surprises, absolutely no more surprises. The entire stadium was left with only one voice: touchdown!
On and off the field, all eyes were on the officiating crew, waiting for the final decision, waiting for the outcome. After the constant ups and downs of the final moments, with one surprise after another, like a rollercoaster, their hearts were about to burst. So, what now? What was the result of this touchdown?
The home fans at Candlestick Park, the players from both teams, and the calm coaches from both sides, no one was an exception. Even the commentators in the booth had stopped their work. In an instant, the entire stadium held its breath. It seemed even their pulses had disappeared into the gurgling air. The entire Candlestick Park froze.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the referee on the left side of the end zone seemed to feel the heavy pressure on his shoulders, almost unable to lift them. But he showed no hesitation or wavering. He stared intently at every move in the end zone and then, with a decisive long whistle, raised his hands high and made the touchdown signal.
"Ah!"
One hand signal, the simplest hand signal, and the entire crowd jumped to their feet. The vast red ocean instantly reached its boiling point. Roars like a tsunami rose up, and the blue sky, the green grass, and the gray field were all dyed red—a pure, bright red, fresh and dripping, flowing down. Every corner of their vision was red.
"Ahhh!"
Ryan was almost unable to stand. His knees seemed like they could give way at any moment, but he was roaring in a daze, screaming with all his might, completely and utterly merging with the entire Candlestick Park. He turned his head and saw the group of Asian fans next to him. Their powerful roar was so familiar and so comforting that he couldn't help but lose himself in it.
The volcano had erupted. This was a real volcanic eruption. The red lava was everywhere, and hot air waves rolled in. Even the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. In the distance, the raging waves of the Bay also started to show their claws, hitting the continuous coastline one after another, as if a tectonic plate was pushing the North American continent across the ocean, looking for the European and African continents on the other side of the vast ocean.
The incredible noise completely drowned out the commentators' voices. Even as Troy Polamalu screamed his lungs out, his voice was like a small sapling in a storm, instantly disappearing. His mind was a blank, and he just kept repeating the same words, "Touchdown! It's a touchdown! Crabtree! Crabtree! Touchdown, listeners, it's a touchdown!" The radio waves transmitted Troy's faint voice to every corner of California, and then, the sound of horns, cheers, footsteps, and roars started to spread like wildfire. This was the real volcanic eruption.
The moment the whistle blew, Crabtree threw the football high into the sky. Then, all his teammates rushed over, surrounding him in the center, all frantically slapping his helmet, releasing their joy. Today, Crabtree, who had been plagued by penalties, had missed several opportunities to end the game early. But in the end, he seized the opportunity and made a priceless catch at the critical moment, successfully making a game-winning play again after "that catch" in week two against the Dallas Cowboys.
Crabtree forcefully pushed his teammates away, all of them, and then ran lightly and powerfully toward his left. His target was clearly: Lu Ke. Crabtree hugged Lu Ke tightly. A thousand words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't find a suitable way to express them. In the end, he didn't say anything, but just patted Lu Ke's helmet with emotion, once, then again. His heart was pounding, unable to calm down. Everything was understood without words.
He didn't know when the roaring stopped. Above Candlestick Park, from a state of extreme silence to extreme noise, and now to an overwhelming roar, there was only one sound echoing far and wide: Touchdown!
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