Cap called a deep-pass play, but saw that Sam was surrounded by Moosetown defenders and threw the ball away.
He turned to Hoot. “It's up to you. Give it everything you've got.”
Hoot looked nervous. “I never kicked one this long before.”
The Panthers set up for the field goal try. Ben snapped the ball to Cap, who set it down perfectly. Hoot put all his strength into his kick and the ball sailed straight toward the goalposts. Cap watched it.
Come on, he thought, get there!
The ball hit the crossbar, bounced back, and rolled on the ground. The game was over and the Panthers had lost, 27-24.
As the cheering Steers and their fans celebrated, the dejected Cowpen players slowly walked off the field. Tully waited for them.
“You boys should be proud of yourselves,” he said. “You were down by twenty at the half and you didn't give up on yourselves. You almost came all the way back. Good job!”
“They would have won this game if they'd had the right coach.” Sable joined the group, looking unhappy.
“Gramps …” Jimmy began, but Sable held up his hand.
“No, Jimmy, the fact is, if Tully had coached the whole game, we'd never have been so far behind. He's a better coach than me and I want you all to know. I've been acting dumb for a couple of weeks, but I've learned my lesson.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Tully's right. You boys played well, once he showed up. In fact, I think we should celebrate our comeback. Let's meet at the Spot for a postgame feed. Candy, Bobby Jo, Gabe, that includes you. It's my treat!”
There was a cheer from all the Panthers, and Cap and Jimmy grinned and exchanged high fives.
“However,” Sable called out, “I still think we would've beat you if I hadn't broken my leg.”
Tully stared at Sable and then laughed. “Maybe you would have, at that. But we'll never know. Now, let's head for Cowpen and feed these hungry Panthers!”
Matt Christopher®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali Randy Johnson
Lance Armstrong Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant Yao Ming
Jennifer Capriati Shaquille O’Neal
Dale Earnhardt Sr. Jackie Robinson
Jeff Gordon Alex Rodriguez
Ken Griffey Jr. Babe Ruth
Mia Hamm Curt Schilling
Tony Hawk Sammy Sosa
Ichiro Tiger Woods
Derek Jeter
THE #1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS
MATT CHRISTOPHER®
Read them all!
Baseball Flyhawk Dirt Bike Runaway
Baseball Pals Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts Face-Off
Body Check Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass! Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm Football Nightmare
Center Court Sting Goalkeeper in Charge
Centerfield Ballhawk The Great Quarterback Switch
Challenge at Second Base Halfback Attack *
The Comeback Challenge The Hockey Machine
Comeback of the Home Run Kid Ice Magic
Cool as Ice Johnny Long Legs
The Diamond Champs The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Dirt Bike Racer Lacrosse Face-Off
Line Drive to Short ** Snowboard Champ
Long-Arm Quarterback Snowboard Maverick
Long Shot for Paul Snowboard Showdown
Look Who’s Playing First Base Soccer Duel
Miracle at the Plate Soccer Halfback
Mountain Bike Mania Soccer Scoop
Nothin’ But Net Stealing Home
Penalty Shot The Submarine Pitch
The Reluctant Pitcher The Team That Couldn’t Lose
Return of the Home Run Kid Tennis Ace
Run For It Tight End
Shoot for the Hoop Top Wing
Shortstop from Tokyo Touchdown for Tommy
Skateboard Renegade Tough to Tackle
Skateboard Tough Wingman on Ice
Slam Dunk The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
LONG-ARM QUARTERBACK
A new football team sparks an old rivalry
Cap Wadell loves football, but it seems unlikely that he'll ever get to play on a real team—his hometown is so small that there aren't enough boys in his school to fill a regulation squad. Then his grandfather tells him how he solved that same problem years before: He and his schoolmates started a six-man football league. If Cap wants to do the same thing, Grandpa will be happy to help. Cap and his friends begin learning about six-man football without a problem. What is a problem is that Grandpa and Jimmy's grandfather have reignited an old football feud. When their rivalry starts to affect the team, Cap wonders if the team will survive.
Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they're looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. For more football novels, check out:
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