Eyeshield 21: Sabretooth

Chapter 1: Power and Speed

Football is almost always considered a man's sport, but when you can hold your own on the field you can earn more than a reputation on the field, you can earn respect. In the position I play on the field, the defense will do what they can legally to shut me down. You will get hit, but you have to hit back. My name is Chiara Kojima, I am a runningback.

I am 6'0 and 200lbs hence my nickname, but if you're my friend I'm a big teddy bear with long legs and tree trunks for thighs. I am originally from Vancouver, BC and came to Japan to go study and get in touch with my routes. I attend Ryoichi Kobayashi Academy, and I am coming back to school for another season of Wolfpack football. It's so exciting

"Good to see you again, Junior," I said to the quarterback,

"You too, Chiara, ready to play some ball?" asked the Ohio native,

"You know it," I replied, putting on my helmet and pads.

Junior Floyd is the starting quarterback from Urbania, Ohio. He is around 6ft tall and 163lbs, and a pleasure to work with as he is the offensive captain. From his short blond hair and blue-gray eyes, he is handsome. I've been playing runningback for the Wolfpack since my sophomore year. We've been to the Christmas Bowl three times, and lost them all

So what's been mixed in the bowl to make me? I'm Half-Japanese and half African-Canadian. Quite a mix of backgrounds, eh? I'm a tomboy in my heart and looks. I have dark brown hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes and tanned skin. I'm proud to wear the teal, silver, black, and gold, "Y'know, Chiara, I really can see you as a model, no joke," said Junior,

"Oh, stop it," I said giving him a light shove in the shoulder,

"C'mon, you see some of the ladies in magazines nowadays," said Junior,

"I'm just not into that stuff, I'm happy right here," I replied back,

"I'm glad you are here too, we all are, and we'll make another run to the big show," said Junior confidently, our offense includes some Americans too. There are receivers Tavon Johnson and Aeneas Wright. The offensive line have standouts like Terrell Thomas, Orlando Wilkins our Kodiak Grizzly of a center, and the big 'Polar Bear' right guard Austin Reed

My number on the team is '35'. Junior is number '12', and Tavon Johnson and Aeneas Wright are numbers '10' and '18' just to name a few. Most of them plan on getting football scholarships to big-name universities once they graduate. I don't know what I will do after my senior year. Probably find a good school, maybe join a team in a women's league?

Everything is up in the air right now, "Everyone bring it in!" called out Coach,

"Good to see you, Coach, how was your summer?" I asked curiously,

"Good...good, nice to see my nephew in Saskatoon," replied the Coach,

Our coach is Clarisse Wells. She plays football for the Saskatoon Valkyries, and coaches us in her spare time. She plays in the months of May and June, and comes to Japan in the fall to coach us. She has blond hair in a ponytail and brown eyes. She reminds me a bit of Sonya Blade from the Mortal Kombat games, "Good to see all you out here today"

At 5'10 and 175lbs, she stands out from most women around the area. I do as well whenever I got to a mall or a restaurant. Sometimes I feel like my head is a bit small for my frame. Then again, it's all curves and muscle. Coach Wells is a 'rah-rah' type coach. She doesn't cuss or bully. She tries to make sure that everyone does their part on the team.

"Coach, when are you gonna take us to Canada with you?" asked Tavon,

"Yeah Coach, I wanna try one of those 'beaver tail' things," said Austin,

The team chuckled, "Alright, alright let's simmer down a bit," said Coach,

"I missed you all over the break, now it's time to go to work, we got another season of football, and mantra still remains the same: it's just football, it ain't life or death out there, from the first day you came onto this field to today, everyone does their part, remember do everything as good as you can, and then a little bit more," she stated to us.

That mantra translated into my running style every time I get a carry. I run hard, and fight for every yard. When I get an opening in the clear, I turn on the jets. I can run you over, I can leap over you, and I can run away from you. I try to have a very balanced approach to running the football. I run a 40 in 4.45 seconds. Trust me, I know how to dash

"Alright Kojima, way to keep the play going, nice blocking receivers!" praised Coach,

"Thanks guys," I said fist-pounding Tavon Johnson and Aeneas Wright,

"Hey, we got chu', K-Train, you think you'll break a thousand?" Tavon asked,

I have a few nicknames around my teammates. They call me 'Sabretooth', 'K-Train', and 'Lioness'. It seems like every season we start off strong, and get to the top only to come crashing back down to earth by Teikoku. I know now that things will be different this time around. So to the Kantou League l have this one warning to you: we're coming for you.

(Note: the helmet of choice for this team is the Schutt AiR XP VTD II. Their uniform description will come later. Please read and review kindly)