In the Football Classroom, "Bay Bridge Series" was a scattered murmured chant. Across the Bay, at the Coliseum, clinching the American League West, the Oakland A's defeated the Rangers 5-0. Listening to the Reds beat the Padres on the radio, the San Francisco Giants won the National League West. If the A's made it past the Blue Jays, and the Giants made it past the formidable Chicago Cubs, the World Series would be played not far from the Huygens Tech campus. Will opened the locket he kept hidden beneath his shirt and revealed side by side photos of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire.

The film of the Diablo Mountain Wolves vs The Clairemont Swifts, a Los Angeles area D3 team whom Huygens would play in October, opened with an image in which a growling Diablo Mountain Wolf confronted a fleeing bird with outstretched wings.

In the film, the Wolves Defense decimated the Clairemont Offense. Running back after running back was pancaked by the raging Wolves. In the back of the room, Noah and Darnell loudly reshaped every play. "We could use more padding", Gerry Sun remarked.

Gracefully negotiating the pocket, passing short and long to his receivers, deftly handing the ball to his backs, running with the ball himself, the Wolves quarterback was majestic. "I think we can beat the Swifts," River commented.

"I've played against the Wolves", DeJuan said to his new teammates. "We were told that if we could keep the score close, that was the best that could be expected."

This was precisely what Griff was thinking, but it was not what he had planned on saying.