In the second quarter, the Saturns’ burly fullback broke through a hole in the line and scampered down the field for a fifty-nine-yard run. Two plays later, they got their second touchdown. Then converted. Fourteen to nothing.
“That Chuckie’s got guts,” said Bucky thoughtfully. “He came in his wheelchair, but he’s yelling like everybody else.”
Guts, thought Jim. The will to do something above all odds and not give up. He had read that somewhere. Chuckie had it, all right.
Ken Morris took the kickoff and ran it back to the Vulcans’ thirty-three. Chris Howe handed off to Ronnie Holmes, and the fullback galloped to the thirty-nine. On the next play, right tackle Marv Wallace was offside and the ref placed the ball back on the thirty-four.
“Nice going, Marv,” grumbled Bucky.
Chris tried to pass. It was incomplete. Then Ronnie booted a punt that hit the twenty-yard stripe and bounced out of bounds.
“Hold ’em, Jim!” yelled a familiar voice as Jim pulled on his helmet and started out on the field.
The Vulcans’ defense held the Saturns from scoring, but when the offense took the field, the Saturns’ powerful defense held them, too. The half ended with the score still 14–0 in the Saturns’ favor.
14
Go team, go!” yelled the Vulcan fans as the teams ran onto the field to start the second half. The fifteen-minute break had given the Vulcans time to rest, time to regain some of their much-needed stamina. They felt fresh, eager, and ready to go.
The Saturns kicked off. Mike Ritter caught the ball and carried it almost to midfield in a dodging, twisting, galloping run.
In three plays, the Vulcans gained a first down, putting them in Saturn territory. A long pass to Ben Trainor was complete and down on the Saturns’ fourteen. Then Chris fumbled and a Saturn landed on the ball.
“Shucks!” grunted Bucky, running onto the field with Jim. “Thought we were heading for a touchdown!”
“Let’s get the ball back from ’em.”
“Gee!” Bucky said, grinning, flashing white teeth behind the bars of his face mask. “Who would’ve thought of that but you!”
Rip Kiley tried a pass. It was incomplete. He tried another, a short one over center. Jim saw it spiraling toward a Saturn, button-hooking in from his left side. He sprinted in that direction, leaped, and caught the ball! As he came down with it, he saw the Saturn dive at him. A paralyzing fear suddenly took hold of him — the same fear he had felt several times before when he had intercepted a pass.
Hang on! he told himself. Hang on!
He not only hung on — he stiff-armed the Saturn, broke through the pile of tackles and guards to the left, and sprinted down the field! A safety man charged at him. He shifted the ball to his left arm, stiff-armed the man, and raced on. Another Saturn was coming at him. Jim put on more speed and kept his distance ahead of the Saturn.
And then he was in the end zone. Touchdown!
The Vulcan fans stood up in the stands and shouted like crazy. “All right, Jim!”
“Beautiful, Jim! Beautiful!” yelled Doug.
Even Hook Wheeler slapped him on the back and grinned. “I take back everything, Jim! Nice play!”
“Thanks, Hook.”
Hook kicked for the extra point. It was good.
The game went into the fourth quarter with the Saturns still leading 14–7. It was their ball on the Vulcans’ thirty-one. First and ten. The Saturns took a handoff from Rip Kiley and plunged through tackle for eight yards, then tried the same thing and hit a cement wall.
Bucky chuckled. “We don’t let ’em do things like that more than once,” he said.
Third and two. The fullback tried a line buck through the other side of the line. A loss of one. Then the Saturns went into punt formation. The fullback kicked. The ball rolled into the end zone, and the ref placed it on the twenty.
The Vulcans tried a reverse and gained eleven yards. Ronnie Holmes broke off-tackle for six. Then Chris, on an option, ran for sixteen yards around right end. A long pass to Pete Witz clicked, and the score was 14–13. Ronnie kicked for the extra point.
It missed by inches!
“Lousy luck!” cried Jim, slapping his thigh resentfully.
No one was sitting on the bench. The coaches, the subs, and the defensive unit were all standing. The atmosphere was crackling with suspense.
“Get out there, you guys, and get that ball!” yelled Doug. “Come on, Hook! Buck! Jim! The old fight!”
The Saturns ran the kickoff back to their twenty-nine, only five yards from where they had caught the ball. They tried a run around left end and gained two yards.
Then Rip Kiley flipped a short pass over the line of scrimmage. It was high and looping. Was it too high? Jim leaped as high as he could and touched the ball with the tips of his fingers. It dropped, and Jim pulled it to his chest. He tore through a hole in the scrimmage line and just got past it when he saw two Saturns charging at him, one from his left side, the other from his right.
He grabbed the ball to his stomach, lowered his head, and bolted forward. Then they hit him. Helmets and shoulder pads thumped. He felt pain in his sides and in his arms as he sagged and the men piled on him.
He heard the whistle. The Saturns climbed off him, and he lifted his head and saw the ref standing above him, reaching for the ball. He sprang to his feet and saw Bucky, Marv, Yak Lee, and Hook grinning at him.
They ran off the field and let the offense take over. In two running plays, the Vulcans advanced the ball to the Saturns’ eight. Ronnie bucked for three, then two, then Chris took it over. Ronnie kicked the extra point, and the Vulcans went into the lead 20–14.
Fifty seconds later, the game was over. The Vulcans shouted and danced. Some of them tossed their helmets into the air. Then they went and shook hands with the unhappy, beaten Saturns.
“You know what?” said Hook. “I hate to see the season end. We were just gettin’ started.”
“I feel like that, too,” said Jim. “Maybe we can get more teams in the league next year. How about it, Coach?” He smiled at his brother.
“Maybe,” replied Doug. Then he smiled, too. “Little brother,” he said, “you did fine. Just fine. You know, several years back, when I was playing—” He shrugged and shook his head a little. “I’ll tell you about it some other time.”
Jim met his eyes squarely. “You don’t have to, Doug. I know all about it.”
Doug frowned. He started to say something, but just then Chuckie Gorman pulled up between Doug and Jim in his wheelchair and stuck out his hand. He shook Doug’s hand first and then Jim’s.
“Congratulations, you guys,” he said. “I knew you’d pull it off. But I was sweating it out for a while!” He looked up at Jim, and his eyes twinkled. “Coming over after supper tonight, Jim? I’ll let you race the Porsche. I’ve got new wheels on it.”
“New wheels?” cried Jim. “You bet I’ll be there!”
FINAL STANDINGS
WON LOST
Cadets 5 1
Vulcans 3 3
Saturns 2 4
Astrojets 2 4
Matt Christopher®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali Randy Johnson
Lance Armstrong Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant Peyton and Eli Manning
Jennifer Capriati Yao Ming
Dale Earnhardt Sr. Shaquille O’Neal
Jeff Gordon Jackie Robinson
Mia Hamm Babe Ruth
Tony Hawk Curt Schilling
Ichiro Sammy Sosa
LeBron James Tiger Woods
Derek Jeter
THE #1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS
MATT CHRISTOPHER®
Read them all!
Baseball Flyhawk Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts Face-Off
Body Check Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass! Football Double Threat
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sp; Catcher with a Glass Arm Football Fugitive
Catching Waves Football Nightmare
Center Court Sting The Fox Steals Home
Centerfield Ballhawk Goalkeeper in Charge
Challenge at Second Base The Great Quarterback Switch
The Comeback Challenge Halfback Attack *
Comeback of the Home Run Kid The Hockey Machine
Cool as Ice Ice Magic
The Diamond Champs Johnny Long Legs
Dirt Bike Racer The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Dirt Bike Runaway Lacrosse Face-Off
Lacrosse Firestorm Snowboard Champ
Line Drive to Short ** Snowboard Maverick
Long-Arm Quarterback Snowboard Showdown
Long Shot for Paul Soccer Duel
Miracle at the Plate Soccer Hero
Mountain Bike Mania Soccer Scoop
Nothin’ But Net Stealing Home
Penalty Shot The Submarine Pitch
Power Pitcher *** The Team That Couldn’t Lose
The Reluctant Pitcher Tennis Ace
Return of the Home Run Kid Tight End
Run For It Top Wing
Shoot for the Hoop Touchdown for Tommy
Shortstop from Tokyo Tough to Tackle
Skateboard Renegade Wingman on Ice
Skateboard Tough The Year Mom Won the Pennant
Slam Dunk
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CATCH THAT PASS!
Will Jim’s fear keep him from being the best?
Jim Nardi could be the Vulcan’s number one linebacker. He’s fast and strong, and he has good hands. But he also has one major problem: He’s afraid of being tackled. His teammates are disgusted with him, and his older brother, the Vulcan’s coach, is disappointed. Then one person steps forward to give Jim the help he needs—but will it be enough?
Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports stories.
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For a complete list of all Matt Christopher titles, please turn to the last pages of this book.
* Previously published as Crackerjack Halfback
** Previously published as Pressure Play
*** Previously published as Baseball Pals