Football Double Threat by Matt Christopher Page B

thought.

3
    R ocky’s heart was hammering in his chest as he hurried to his spot on the far left of the field. He rubbed his hands on his pants to dry off the sweat. He didn’t want to blow the catch because of slippery palms!
    The Pythons linemen crouched at the line of scrimmage. Jeff got behind center Joe Dever. Running backs Lars Nielsen and Rasheed Tiwari stood behind and on either side of Jeff. Isaac Brown, who played wide receiver like Rocky, set up on the right.
    When everyone was in place, Jeff called the play. Joe snapped the ball between his legs. The moment the ball hit Jeff’s waiting hands, both teams exploded into motion.
    Whump! Thud!
“Oof!”
    Helmets and pads clashed as the offense collided with the defense in a ferocious head-to-head battle for turf. The Pythons line held steady, giving Jeff time to fade back into the pocket and look for Lars. Lars raced to meet him for the fake.
    Rocky, meanwhile, streaked down the left side of the field with the Stars cornerback rushing to cover him.
    Now came the bootleg. Jeff spun away from the Stars defense and pretended to give Lars the ball. Lars cradled his empty arms against his stomach and ran as if he had the ball.
    As one, the Stars moved to tackle Lars. The fake had worked!
    Rocky put on a burst of speed and got clear of his defender. Jeff finished his spin and threw a bullet of a pass. Rocky stretched out his arms, keeping his eyes on the spiraling ball as it shot toward him — and into his waiting hands!
    He gathered the ball in close but didn’t gain any more ground because the cornerback flattened him. The play was over, but the completed pass had earned the Pythons seven yards. They poked a hole in the Stars defensive line on the next play for first down at the Stars thirty-six-yard line.
    “Coach is calling for a running play up the middle,” Jeff relayed in the huddle. “Line up in I-formation. Lars, you block for Rasheed. Rasheed, find the hole and run with it. Ready? Break!”
    The I-formation found Lars stacked behind Jeff, and Rasheed behind Lars. After the ball was snapped, Lars dashed past Jeff to clear a path for Rasheed’s run. Rasheed sprinted toward Jeff. He held one arm across his chest, the other across his stomach, making a perfect target for Jeff to hit with a handoff.
    Unfortunately, the handoff never came because Joe slipped and fell after the snap. A defender jumped through the sudden opening, lunged at Jeff, and pulled him to the ground before Jeff could get rid of the ball. It was a loss of three yards, second down and thirteen.
    Back in the huddle, Joe started to apologize. Jeff cut him short with a wave. “Forget it. It’s over and done. Moving on. Same play, but different results, okay? Break!”
    This time, the handoff was successful. Rasheed, one of their biggest, strongest players, rushed for a gain of four yards before being pulled to the ground. He was grinning widely when he joined the huddle.
    “Took two of them to bring me down, did you see?” he bragged.
    Jeff thumped him on the back and then outlined the next play. “We need to pick up at least six yards. Coach wants more, though, so we’re going with the long bomb. Rocky, Isaac, you slant to the center and then back out to the corners. I’ll hit whichever of you is open. Right? Break!”
    Rocky trotted to his spot. If successful, this play could end in a touchdown. He licked his lips in anticipation. He wanted to be the one to carry the ball into the end zone so badly, he could practically taste it!
    Jeff called out the signals. Joe snapped. Ball in hand, Jeff danced back. Rocky and Isaac ran on diagonals toward the center and then darted back to the sidelines.
    “Quick feet, quick feet,” Rocky urged himself. He had the advantage over his defender. He looked back just as Jeff threw the bomb.
    The ball flew toward Rocky, a brown egg spiraling against the deep blue sky. Both Rocky and the Stars cornerback saw it coming. As the ball descended, the