Answer:
C
Explanation:
Reading the passage over and over again, it was clear Anthony never saw himself winning, but despite 4huge odds stacked against him, we could take an inference in this line of the passage.
"He talked on and on, in a confident, clear voice, and all he could hear was unusual silence; a silent high school gymnasium was an oxymoron."
The fact that gymnasium was silent meant that the students were listening very attentively to what he was saying and we could even go further to say, they believed in him. Else, of course like the passage said "it was an oxymoron", they would have been noisy and not given him any attention. If credence is given to the statement that followed the quoted line, we will see that the crowd actually applauded him and not boo him.
I believe C is the answer