five yard line!
On the very next play Manny faked it to him, then rolled left, hiding the ball while the defenders piled onto Tiki. By the time he got up, the score was 14â6, with Adamâs extra point to follow. The Eagles were right back in it!
Unfortunately, the Rockets had been on offense most of the game, and the Eagle defenders were tired. It showed in the next series, with the Rockets driving the length of the field, and scoring another easy touchdown against the young, inexperienced Eagles defense.
Ronde looked like he was about to explode. âKeep a lid on it,â Tiki advised him. âTake it all out on the Rockets, man.â
Ronde nodded, his eyes still full of fire. After running onto the field, he took the kickoff and plowed right through five or six defenders, to put the Eagles back in good field position at their own forty-six.
Tiki led the next drive with a pair of cutback runsâfaking one way and then running the other once the defenders had taken the bait. Finally, with the Eagles at the goal line, he took a flying jump over the middle, scoring a touchdown with a leap he would have been too small to make the year before.
That gave Tiki at least
some
satisfaction, but the Eagles were still down a touchdown. Before long the Rockets scored again, after throwing a long bomb over the head of Alister Edwards, the Eaglesâ free safety.
There was still one minute left in the half. From their own twenty-six, with no time-outs, the Eagles offense took to the air. In this two-minute drill Tikiâs job was to protect Manny from any blitzes, and to be available for dump-off passes if Manny couldnât find open receivers.
Thatâs exactly what happened on first down. Tiki had to reach back to get it, and almost got thrown for a loss. Luckily, he managed to shake off that first tackle, which gave him a chance to do some real broken-field running.
Giving up nothing to Ronde, who did this sort of thing every time he ran back a kick, Tiki threw some of his best moves at the defense. That fooled some of them, but one or two Rockets got their hands on him.
And thatâs when Tiki discovered something important. He wasnât only bigger than heâd been last season, he was also
stronger
. This year he was able to drag the tacklers with him and keep on going.
Finally they gang-tackled him at the five yard line. Tiki sprang right back up and yelled, âLine up! Line up! Spike it, Manny!â Having been on the team for two years, Tiki knew there couldnât be much time left, and the Eagles were already out of time-outs.
Manny spiked the ball, with just two seconds left. Tikiâs quick reaction had bought them one more play. Tiki looked over at Coach Wheeler. Would he send in a play, or bring Adam out for an easy field goal?
Tiki was glad when Coach kept Adam on the sideline. With the Eagles down by fourteen, Wheeler wanted every last point he could get. He sent Justin in with the play.
Tiki felt a thrill go through him. Screen pass. To him.
Yes!
Manny delivered the ball right on target, and Tiki took it from there. Once again he wound up dragging two Rockets with him. This time all the way into the end zone!
The extra point brought the Eagles within a touchdown at the half. But as he trotted off the field with his teammates, Tiki was not in a good mood. Not at all.
No matter how many points they managed to score, if the defense kept giving them up, the Eaglesâ dream of an undefeated season would be gone before it even got started.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS
----
RONDE FLUNG OPEN THE LOCKER ROOM DOOR so hard that it banged. The noise suddenly silenced a locker room full of worried murmurs.
Taking one look at his teammatesâ faces, Ronde burst out, âWhat in the world was
that
?â as he flung his hands wide. âWas that football? I donât think so!â
Kids were looking at one another guiltily. âItâs not just one or two of
On the very next play Manny faked it to him, then rolled left, hiding the ball while the defenders piled onto Tiki. By the time he got up, the score was 14â6, with Adamâs extra point to follow. The Eagles were right back in it!
Unfortunately, the Rockets had been on offense most of the game, and the Eagle defenders were tired. It showed in the next series, with the Rockets driving the length of the field, and scoring another easy touchdown against the young, inexperienced Eagles defense.
Ronde looked like he was about to explode. âKeep a lid on it,â Tiki advised him. âTake it all out on the Rockets, man.â
Ronde nodded, his eyes still full of fire. After running onto the field, he took the kickoff and plowed right through five or six defenders, to put the Eagles back in good field position at their own forty-six.
Tiki led the next drive with a pair of cutback runsâfaking one way and then running the other once the defenders had taken the bait. Finally, with the Eagles at the goal line, he took a flying jump over the middle, scoring a touchdown with a leap he would have been too small to make the year before.
That gave Tiki at least
some
satisfaction, but the Eagles were still down a touchdown. Before long the Rockets scored again, after throwing a long bomb over the head of Alister Edwards, the Eaglesâ free safety.
There was still one minute left in the half. From their own twenty-six, with no time-outs, the Eagles offense took to the air. In this two-minute drill Tikiâs job was to protect Manny from any blitzes, and to be available for dump-off passes if Manny couldnât find open receivers.
Thatâs exactly what happened on first down. Tiki had to reach back to get it, and almost got thrown for a loss. Luckily, he managed to shake off that first tackle, which gave him a chance to do some real broken-field running.
Giving up nothing to Ronde, who did this sort of thing every time he ran back a kick, Tiki threw some of his best moves at the defense. That fooled some of them, but one or two Rockets got their hands on him.
And thatâs when Tiki discovered something important. He wasnât only bigger than heâd been last season, he was also
stronger
. This year he was able to drag the tacklers with him and keep on going.
Finally they gang-tackled him at the five yard line. Tiki sprang right back up and yelled, âLine up! Line up! Spike it, Manny!â Having been on the team for two years, Tiki knew there couldnât be much time left, and the Eagles were already out of time-outs.
Manny spiked the ball, with just two seconds left. Tikiâs quick reaction had bought them one more play. Tiki looked over at Coach Wheeler. Would he send in a play, or bring Adam out for an easy field goal?
Tiki was glad when Coach kept Adam on the sideline. With the Eagles down by fourteen, Wheeler wanted every last point he could get. He sent Justin in with the play.
Tiki felt a thrill go through him. Screen pass. To him.
Yes!
Manny delivered the ball right on target, and Tiki took it from there. Once again he wound up dragging two Rockets with him. This time all the way into the end zone!
The extra point brought the Eagles within a touchdown at the half. But as he trotted off the field with his teammates, Tiki was not in a good mood. Not at all.
No matter how many points they managed to score, if the defense kept giving them up, the Eaglesâ dream of an undefeated season would be gone before it even got started.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS
----
RONDE FLUNG OPEN THE LOCKER ROOM DOOR so hard that it banged. The noise suddenly silenced a locker room full of worried murmurs.
Taking one look at his teammatesâ faces, Ronde burst out, âWhat in the world was
that
?â as he flung his hands wide. âWas that football? I donât think so!â
Kids were looking at one another guiltily. âItâs not just one or two of
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