Read Online The Ball Hogs by Rich Wallace - Free Book Online

CHAPTER ONE
Like a Real Player

    “That kid is fast!” Ben said as a tall, thin boy ran across the soccer field.
    “He sure is,” said Erin. “I hope he’s on our team.”
    “He must be,” said Ben. “Why else would he be here?”
    But Ben hoped that the kid was not on their team. He had seen him at recess during school. Ben knew the kid’s name was Mark, and he wasa pain, and bossy. Once he’d called Ben “brush head” after his mom had cut his hair.
    But Ben liked his hair the new way. When it was longer, it would always get in his eyes.
    Ben put his foot on top of his soccer ball and rolled it around. “Let’s practice,” he said. He gave the ball a kick and it rolled toward Erin.

    Erin kicked at the ball, but it didn’t go to Ben. It spun over to the side.
    Ben ran toward the ball, but the tall kid got to it first. He stopped it with his foot and grinned at Ben. But Ben didn’t like the way he was smiling. He looked tough. He was big for nine.
    “Are you one of the Bobcats?” Mark asked.
    “Yes,” Ben said. “So is she.” Ben nodded toward Erin, who was walking over.
    “I hope you’re good at dribbling,” Mark said. “You’re both kind of short. Especially her.” Mark pointed at Erin. She was a few inches shorter than Mark, but she was a good athlete.
    Ben stepped between Mark and Erin. “This is our first time playing on a soccer team,” he said. “We don’t know if we’re good at it or not.”
    “Well, I’m good,” Mark said. “I’ll be the star of this team.”
    Ben looked at Erin and smiled. He felt nervous and didn’t know what else to do. Practice hadn’t even started yet, and Mark was already acting like a big shot.
    A woman in a green T-shirt blew a whistle. “Over here, Bobcats,” she said. “I’m your coach.”
    Eight kids ran toward the woman, who was carrying a net bag filled with soccer balls. “Have any of you ever played soccer?” she asked.
    Several of the kids raised their hands.
    “On a real team?” she asked.
    Most of the kids put their hands down.
    “That’s okay,” she said. “I’ve never coached a real team, either.”
    Mark’s hand shot up again. “I was on a baseball team last summer,” he said. “I was the best player.”
    “That’s good,” the woman said. “My name is Patty. I played soccer in high school, but thatwas a long time ago. We’ll all have fun learning about the game together.”
    The Kickers League would include kids from all over town. Ben knew most of the players on his team from Kennedy Elementary School, but some of them went to Washington Elementary, on the other side of town.
    Coach Patty opened the bag and handed out balls. Ben kept his own ball, which had been a present for his ninth birthday.
    “Let’s have a race,” Coach said. “See that white line on the far end of the field? When I blow my whistle, we’ll all run to that line. The winner is the one who gets there first, but you have to have your ball with you. And the only way you can move the ball is with your feet.”
    They set their soccer balls on the ground.
    “I’ll win by a mile,” said Mark.
    Patty blew the whistle. Ben kicked his ball and ran after it, trying to keep it in a straightline. It wasn’t easy. He kicked it a little more softly, then ran to it and kicked it again.

    Mark was way ahead of the others. He had kicked his ball far up the field and was running after it at full speed.
    Ben kept moving, kicking his ball a little at a time and then catching up to it. He knew he could run a lot faster, but it was tricky to keep the ball close to him.
    Ben’s last kick left the ball just over theline. He pulled it back with one foot and stood on the line as the others came running up.
    “Looks like you’re the winner,” Coach Patty said to Ben.
    “He is not!” said Mark. “I was much faster than he was.”
    “But your ball went so far past the line that you had to chase after it,” Patty said. “The point was to keep the ball with