Read Online Emergency Quarterback by Rich Wallace - Free Book Online

cutting toward the sideline. He was in the clear. Wade’s pass was soft but on target, floating in the air at shoulder height. It was Jason’s first catch in three weeks. He immediately turned upfield with the ball and reached full speed.
    Calvin made a terrific block on the man who was covering him, sending the player sprawling to the turf. The field was wide open. Jason ran like a sprinter, cradling the ball and knowing he wouldn’t be caught. It was only a matter of seconds until he raced into the end zone.
    Lamont was the first to reach him, throwing both arms around him and lifting him off the ground. Calvin and Miguel were right behind, smacking his helmet and yelling.
    But this was no time to celebrate.
    “That’s only half the battle,” Jason said. “We’re still a point behind.”
    Jared had come back onto the field to replace Wade, bringing in the play from the coach. “He says to run the quarterback sneak.”
    Jason looked to the sideline and caught Coach Podesta’s attention. He made a kicking motion, hoping instead that Vinnie might get sent onto the field to try to tie the game, but Coach shook his head. They’d either win the game or lose it on this play.
    Jason put his hand on Anthony’s shoulder. “Just move ’em back. I’m going right behind you and Sergio. All the power we got now. This is the championship, right here.”
    He set up behind Sergio and scanned the defense. The Hoboken players were packed in, expecting a run. The linebackers were right behind the line, ready to charge forward on the snap and plug any holes. Sergio and Anthony and the others would have to come up with heroic efforts.
    Jason locked eyes with the middle linebacker and saw an intense fury. And that split second of distraction was all that was needed to mess up his handling of the snap. The ball hit the meat of Jason’s hand and slid to his thigh. He grabbed at it, bobbled it, and finally hung on, but any chance to force his way through the line had been lost. There was no place to go but back.
    Jason looped into the backfield, racing to get away from the onslaught. He angled away from the goal line, back to the ten, then the fifteen, as defenders closed in from every angle. It was chaos, but it was a thing of beauty as Jason dodged past a defensive end, twisted away from a linebacker, and shot past two more pursuers as he ran parallel to the goal line. If he could turn that last corner, he’d score, but the Hoboken safety had the perfect angle to make the tackle.
    Jason saw him coming. But he also saw Miguel, alone in the end zone, waving frantically for the ball. Jason left his feet as the safety crashed into him, unloading a wobbly pass that floated toward Miguel and the victory.
    Jason went down hard, landing on his back with the defender on top. He heard the triumphant yelling, but which team was it coming from?
    And here came his answer—Anthony yanking him to his feet and shouting, “Yes!”
    Miguel was leaping in the end zone, and his teammates were swarming around him. Hudson City had the lead!
    Jason walked stiffly to the sideline. That tackle had hurt. But now the championship was in their grasp. Just another strong defensive effort. Just a couple of minutes.
    Someone gripped his arm as he reached the sideline. He turned and saw Wade’s grinning face.
    Jason had to smile, too. “Great pass,” he said.
    “Great run,” Wade replied. “We’re gonna win this thing.”
    “Yeah, we are.”
    They stood next to each other as the kickoff teams took the field, but they didn’t have much more to say. They’d both contributed; that was enough. Jason was breathing heavily and sweating, and his heart was pumping like crazy. He stared at the scoreboard again just to make sure. Hudson City 8, Hoboken 7.
    When it ended a few moments later—the Hoboken quarterback’s long pass soared incomplete—the Hornets ran onto the field in triumph. Jason found Anthony and climbed up his back as Miguel and Calvin and