MD - Chapter 226

📰 Los Angeles Times — Sunday, November 16, 2010

Mater Dei returns to the championship game after eight years: Andrew Pritchett-Tucker breaks historic record and responds with class

SANTA ANA — Eight years after their last appearance in a Southern Section final, Mater Dei is back. And they did it behind their junior quarterback Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, who delivered yet another memorable performance in the Monarchs’ 36-12 win over Mission Viejo.

With four touchdown passes and more than 300 passing yards, Andrew not only led Mater Dei back to the title game, but also broke the state record for touchdown passes in a season, previously held by Jimmy Clausen, reaching 52 TDs in just 10 games. A staggering number, and one that could still grow.

“It feels good to get both,” Andrew said after the game.

When asked about his silence gesture after his fourth touchdown, he smiled: “Maybe. Whoever feels alluded to will know.”

Naturally, Clausen’s past comments came up. Andrew recalled statements Clausen made years ago that have followed him ever since:

“Are you talking about the same guy who, when he got to Notre Dame, said he’d win a Heisman and four national titles? That guy, right?”

He then added that he found Clausen arrogant, especially considering that the peak of his glory came in high school.

The remark spread across social media and sports forums throughout the weekend.

The game, broadcast nationally on ESPN, averaged 1.75 million viewers, becoming the most-watched high school football game in history.

Who’s in the top 3? Every game features Mater Dei and Andrew Pritchett-Tucker.

1. Mater Dei vs. Mission Viejo - 1.75M

2. Mater Dei vs. Servite - 1.5M

3. Mater Dei vs. Bosco - 1.3M

With that, Pritchett-Tucker now has three nationally televised games in 2010, all in his junior year, surpassing LeBron James’ ratings in three of his four ESPN appearances during his time at St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Next up is the big final: Mater Dei vs. Long Beach Poly, a Southern California classic returning eight years later. The all-time championship series is tied (one title each), and this third meeting will break the deadlock.

…

🏈 ESPN.com — Monday, November 17, 2010

High school football’s new Chosen One: Andrew Pritchett-Tucker leads Mater Dei to the final and breaks Clausen’s record

There’s no longer any doubt: Andrew Pritchett-Tucker has surpassed Clausen and is approaching records only LeBron James reached in high school.

Mater Dei’s junior quarterback led the Monarchs to a dominant 36-12 win over Mission Viejo, throwing four touchdowns with the poise of a professional. With that performance, he broke Jimmy Clausen’s all-time mark (49 TDs) and set a new record with 52 in just 10 games.

The broadcast reached 1.75 million viewers and once again trended nationwide on Twitter.

With the berth in the final secured, Mater Dei will face Long Beach Poly, the same opponent that beat them eight years ago. Interestingly, it’s also the team Mater Dei defeated in 1999, making this the decisive third championship meeting.

This match will be broadcast nationwide. Experts aren’t hesitating: the matchup could break LeBron James’ legendary 2003 SVSM vs. Oak Hill Academy record of 1.9 million viewers.

…

Wednesday, November 19, 2010 - 4:34 p.m.

POV Claire Dunphy

I still haven’t fully processed any of this.

Just a year ago, Andrew was the talented quarterback from Palisades, the kid who turned a Division 5 program into a Division 4 powerhouse. In those two years, he threw 132 touchdowns, an insane number that never got the attention it deserved simply because Palisades wasn’t part of the elite.

Even so, his name had already started to spread. Thanks to his athletic achievements and the visibility he gained through his YouTube channel, which was already becoming one of the most successful on the platform.

But even that, impressive as it was, feels small compared to now. Now he’s on the cover of: Los Angeles Times, USA Today, ESPN, and many more.

Oh, and I almost forgot, he’s being compared to LeBron James, the athlete who recently signed a contract worth over 100 million dollars.

My nephew. Who might surpass LeBron in nationally televised games, since he still has his senior year left. This Friday will be his fourth, and if he gets four more next year, he’ll have double the national exposure LeBron had.

Sometimes I wonder if Andrew truly grasps the magnitude of all this.

At times it seems like he does, but without surprise. As if, to him, it were inevitable, as if he had always known.

I remember when he finished his first year at Palisades and several bigger schools tried to recruit him. But he chose to stay. He said he preferred the bigger challenge at Palisades.

At the time, even my father and I thought it was teenage arrogance, that he was risking his future as an athlete.

A bigger challenge? Playing in D4 instead of Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly, Notre Dame? Really?

But he stayed, and my brother and Cam respected his decision. I didn’t entirely agree, but now I’ve realized he was right.

At Palisades he threw 72 TDs and 60 TDs. You’d think that at Mater Dei his numbers would drop, maybe to 30-40 TDs. But no…

He already has 52 in just ten games. He has up to four games left if they go all the way, so at his average of five per game, he could end with twenty more, that is, 72 TDs.

The same amount he put up in Division 5 at Palisades.

“Crazy…” I murmured.

I’m proud of him down to my bones. And I also have to admit, I’m a tiny bit proud of myself. Because just a few days ago, in our annual Halloween war, I beat him.

And not everyone can say they’ve beaten Andrew Pritchett-Tucker. I still laugh every time I remember his face, that moment of pure panic before he realized it was all a prank.

Of course, it wasn’t great for my reputation.

Cam and Mitch didn’t talk to me for days. I had to apologize more times than I care to admit, and that alone is a personal record for me.

The whole family called me cruel, insensitive, and a Halloween psychopath.

Phil looked at me like he didn’t even recognize me. Even my father told me I went too far, and when he, with his tough-love parenting and worldview, tells you that you crossed a line, you definitely crossed a line.

The only exception was Andrew. Once he got over the scare, he actually congratulated me on the good prank and admitted defeat, with some difficulty.

So, in the end, the score stands at 3-2 in my favor.

Five straight years of this tradition that started back in 2006, when he was ten years old and I swore I’d never let him beat me in creativity.

But now that I think about it, maybe we’re taking it too far? In the beginning they were heavy pranks, yes, but funny.

Now, each year feels like an escalation, more planning, more chaos, and more emotional fallout for everyone else.

And while I still find it absolutely hilarious (and I’m sure he does too), I’m starting to suspect the rest of the family might be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

No real harm, of course, except the psychological kind, the stress, and maybe a sleepless night or two.

Still… maybe we should stop?

Or at least, maybe tone it down a bit. I don’t know, maybe before next Halloween we’ll talk about it.

I shake my head, put my phone away to stop reading headlines about Andrew, and get up.

There are still chores left to do. The house is relatively tidy, which, in my language, means it’s not tidy enough, so I grab a laundry basket, start a load, and begin cleaning up the mess from this morning’s breakfast that I didn’t have time to take care of.

A few minutes pass before I hear the front door open. I peek out and see my eldest daughter.

“Hi, honey. Everything okay with your friends? Weren’t you going to the mall?”

She had left over an hour ago, and knowing her and her friends, an hour at the mall is basically nothing.

“Hey, Mom. Yeah, all good, we already went to the mall,” Haley replied without stopping, eyes fixed on the floor, before racing up the stairs almost at full speed.

I stay frozen, staring up at the staircase.

That’s odd. My daughter does not answer in monosyllables unless something serious happened, or she’s hiding something.

Did she fight with a friend? Teen drama?

I sigh. I decide not to push, at least for now. Experience has taught me that if I chase her, she shuts down even more.

So I return to my chores, though my mind keeps circling back to it. Five minutes later, the doorbell rings. I set the basket down on the floor and go to open it.

When I see who it is, I’m surprised: Steve. One of Andrew’s childhood friends and a very good wide receiver who managed to earn a spot at a D1 school just like Andrew.

He’s standing there on the porch with a serious, nervous expression, very unlike his usual demeanor.

“Oh, hi, Steve,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “Andrew isn’t here, if you’re looking for him.”

“Yeah, I know,” he replies quickly. “Actually… I came to see Haley.”

I freeze for a moment.

Haley?

My brain starts processing at full speed.

Steve… Haley… same age… Palisades… school together… but they were never that close…

Could this be a new romance?

All my maternal alarms go off immediately, though less intensely than if it were a stranger. I’ve known Steve for more than ten years, at this point I trust him as one of Andrew’s good friends… more or less.

“Oh… right. Well, yes. She’s upstairs in her room,” I say, trying to sound natural while analyzing every micro-expression he makes. “Go ahead.”

He nods, gives me a small polite smile, and starts heading upstairs.

I watch him from below, narrowing my eyes, studying his body language as if I were a detective.

There’s something strange about the way he’s acting. About the way they’re acting, actually. I close the door slowly, that buzzing intuition still in the back of my mind. Something is going on, and I need to figure out what it is, as always.

I adjust my sweater, set the folded laundry basket on the table, and prepare to casually walk by Haley’s room.

But just as I’m about to head over, I see my younger daughter coming down the stairs huffing, with a scowl on her face and a notebook clutched to her chest.

“Always the same thing,” Alex mutters as she walks past me without even looking at me, heading toward the living room.

“What happened, sweetheart?” I ask softly, following her, though my internal radar is already fully active.

“Haley kicked me out of our room again,” she says without lifting her head, opening the notebook with frustration. “She said she needed privacy to talk to Steve or something like that.”

My brain short-circuits. Privacy? With Steve?

My heart starts beating a little faster. I try to stay calm, but I’m already in operational mode.

“Uh-huh…” I murmur, crossing my arms. “Did they seem weird? Your sister? Anything out of the ordinary?”

“Mm, I don’t know, same as always. Boy drama, right?” Alex replies distractedly, scribbling something down. Then she looks up, visibly irritated. “I need a room of my own. Make Luke move to the attic or something.”

I nod slowly, not hearing half of what she says anymore.

“Perfect, sweetie. Thanks for telling me,” I say with a forced smile as I head toward the stairs.

Something is off, and this is not the usual boy drama I’m used to. I can feel something different. I climb the steps quietly, one by one, until I reach the hallway.

The bedroom door is closed. Of course. I lean in and press my ear against the wood. At first, silence. Then, muffled voices.

Steve’s voice, nervous, barely audible: “We have to tell her, Haley… it’s already confirmed…”

And then my daughter, upset: “No, Steve, I’m not telling her! Not yet!”

“At least tell your dad. He’ll be more understanding.”

My mind floods with horrible images and assumptions. I don’t need to hear more. I take a deep breath, count to three, and decide to intervene.

I knock gently on the door and, without waiting for a response, open it.

“Hey, guys…” I say, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “Door open, please. You know the rules, Haley.”

They both turn toward me, frozen. Haley, pale. Steve, looking like he’s been caught robbing a bank.

I cross my arms and give them my best interrogation stare.

“What’s going on? Is there something you want to tell me?” I ask, pretending I didn’t hear a word.

“Seriously, Mom? It’s always the same! You can’t give us even a second of privacy!” Haley snaps, annoyed, avoiding my eyes.

“Privacy?” I repeat firmly. “In my house? With a boy in your bedroom?”

“We weren’t doing anything!” she fires back, offended, storming out of the room.

“Haley, get back here!”

Steve avoids my gaze and follows her down the stairs, awkward and tense, like he wants to vanish into thin air. I follow them, every fiber of my being demanding an explanation.

“What is going on?” I insist as I descend the last steps. “Haley, you’ve been acting weird since you got home, and now this… What are you hiding?”

We reach the living room. Alex looks up from her notebook, watching the chaos unfold in front of her.

“I’ll tell her, Haley!” Steve blurts out suddenly, stopping in front of me. “Mrs. Dunphy, it turns out that—”

But Haley cuts him off, “It’s fine! I’ll do it…” she sighs, gently pushing him aside.

She looks at me, her face a mixture of fear and guilt.

“Mom…” she begins slowly. “Don’t freak out, okay? Please don’t yell.”

“Haley… what did you do?” I ask, feeling something tighten in my chest.

She takes a breath and blurts it out all at once, “I’m pregnant… and Steve is the father… probably.”

My world stops. I feel my heartbeat slow and the air struggle to reach my lungs.

“P–pregnant?” I repeat, stepping back, my voice breaking.

Haley nods slowly, and before I can even process it, she pulls something out of her jacket pocket. She hands me a pregnancy test.

I take it with trembling hands. I look at the result: Positive.

“This can’t be…” I whisper in shock.

My vision blurs for a second. I grab the back of the couch to keep myself steady.

“I swear,” Steve says, stepping closer, “I used protection. But I read that sometimes it doesn’t work, even if the chances are really low.”

He keeps talking, but his words dissolve into the air. I barely hear him.

My head is buzzing. Everything feels like a nightmare.

“I know we’re young, but I’m going to take responsibility. I’m not going to abandon her or the baby. It’s not like we’re dating or that there’s true love or anything, but… it was a night of passion and, well, it happened.”

Haley lowers her head, covering part of her face with her hand.

I can barely form words.

“No true love?” I repeat, staring at him in disbelief.

Steve shrugs innocently. “Well, yeah, sure, a little… but it’s not really necessary, right? Most adult relationships work that way.”

He pauses, as if searching for an example.

“My parents, for instance, want to kill each other all the time, but they’re still together, happy… I think. We’ll be the same: love doesn’t have to exist for something to work.”

He says it so seriously that for a moment I’m frozen, breathless, stuck between panic and indignation.

“What?”

And right then, I hear a voice behind me, cheerful, confident, a smile audible even without seeing the face.

“Smile for the camera, Aunt.”

I turn around and there he is: Andrew. Standing at the living room entrance, camera in hand, recording who knows how long.

Was he in the house? Since when?

For a moment my brain refuses to process it, but then Haley bursts out laughing, covering her face. Steve starts laughing too, doubling over, and behind them, Alex hides her mouth, barely containing herself.

I remain in shock, staring at all of them as if the world has just stopped.

Steve approaches me, still laughing, and puts a hand on my shoulder while looking at the camera and giving a thumbs-up.

“It’s a YouTube prank!” he announces with a huge grin that makes me want to punch him straight in the face.

Haley, between giggles, “You fell for it, Mom! Did you seriously think I could get pregnant by Steve!?”

“Hey!” Steve protests, pretending to be offended. “I could be a great dad, by the way!”

“In the upside-down world,” Alex mutters, and they all keep laughing, completely unconcerned about the cardiac arrest they almost gave me.

Now I understand everything. This was Andrew’s revenge.

“Well done, guys. Great prank and acting,” I say, jaw clenched, smiling in a way that’s meant to convince myself more than them.

Steve gives an overly dramatic bow. Haley lifts her eyebrows proudly at her own performance.

“Thanks. It took a lot to set everything up, and rehearsals,” Andrew says calmly as he turns off the camera.

I drop onto the sofa, feeling like my blood pressure is about to explode out of my body.

“But you can’t do that,” I say, locking eyes with Andrew.

“Can’t do what?” Andrew asks.

“Get revenge before Halloween. That goes against the rules,” I reply, using the tone of someone citing a sacred, unwritten family constitution.

Andrew shrugs and gives a small smile.

“Was that even a rule? Doubt it. Besides, you made me think my baby sister fell down the stairs and was seriously hurt, or worse… I’d say this is fair.”

I have no comeback, because he’s right. Thinking about it coldly, what I did on Halloween was cruel, even by my standards.

“Fine, you win. Good prank. I did not see it coming at all,” I finally say, letting out a small defeated laugh as I sink deeper into the sofa. “Seriously, you planned your revenge two days before the biggest game of your life.”

“Exactly,” Andrew nods with a triumphant grin. “It was the perfect moment. The less you expected it, the more effective it would be.”

“We all know your obsession with controlling Haley’s boyfriends,” Alex says, adjusting her glasses. “So making you believe she was pregnant was like… the ultimate weak point.”

I look at her, narrowing my eyes.

“You knew too?” I ask, incredulous.

Alex raises a single eyebrow, unfazed, “Of course. Not only did I know, I helped with logistics and timing. It’s not every day you get to be part of a prank this big.”

“Oh, great,” I huffed. “My own daughter conspiring against me.”

“Oh, Mom, you should’ve seen your face,” Haley said between laughs. “It was epic.”

“We actually have the footage,” Andrew added with a grin. “Family history.”

I glared at the camera. “You’re not thinking of uploading that to YouTube, are you?”

“Of course not,” he replied immediately. “Only if I have your permission. It would be a video with millions of views.”

Steve, who was still off to the side enjoying the show, chimed in with a smile, “But is it really that bad having me as a son-in-law? I’d love to have you as a mother-in-law, Mrs. Dunphy.”

I shot him a look that made him choke, and he quickly raised his hands.

“Just kidding… okay, I should get going,” he said quickly, half-laughing, while Andrew walked him to the door.

I watched them from the sofa, exhaling slowly as I repeated to myself: It was all just a prank.

…

Chapter Title: Revenge