862 V3 ch97

At the end of practice on Friday, Coach gathered us for a short chat. 

"The first round of our first tournament has been announced." He stated. "As returning champions of the Tulare Invitational, we got someone who had been knocked out early last year. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but at the very least, we've seen and played this team before."

"Don't keep us in suspense, Coach." Bryce said with a smile. "Who's the first victim this year?"

Coach smiled back and didn't say anything about Bryce interrupting. "Katella."

I turned to Noah for help. I don't remember Katella. I wasn't the only one either. About half the team was turning to one another. It must have not been a very memorable game. 

Noah adjusted his hat on his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh. Them." He caught me looking at him and knew what I wanted to ask. He let out a strange cough. "You might not remember them so well because we were on the bench for that one."