Playground, Battleground

By the time he reached his 13th birthday, Randy Reyes had already buried both parents. And now the world is ending. Moving forward, all he wants out of life is to elude the foster system and play quarterback. By his senior year in high school, the lefty is relegated to handing the ball off in the harsh autumns of coastal Connecticut, or helping his alcoholic aunt supplement her meager income by working construction with his cousin and best friend, Paul, on nearby Fishers Island.

Ever the competitor, Randy is asked to suit up as a ringer in a church league basketball game on Fishers Island only to be discovered by an assistant coach for a startup collegiate football program on Long Island. Randy ends up a two-way star for Hofstra University and wins the Heisman Trophy in his only collegiate season.

Soon, Randy gets picked No. 1 overall by the Rip City (Portland) Rainbows and their evangelical head coach, Harry Cook. There's just one problem: while Randy continues to amaze audiences, wow coaches, intrigue China (they'll run pro football on Mars) and lift the play of his teammates, he is not enjoying success. He even sustains an injury and goes into weeks of rehab and missed games on top of dealing with The Void.

What will it take to save Randy's soul in time to lead the Rip City Rainbows to what may be the last Freedom Bowl on planet Earth?