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And once they were into their offense, Teddy was glad that Coach wanted them to start with all running plays, because that meant all he had to do to start was some basic blocking. Even with that, he felt like his heart was in a race with his brain as he tried to remember exactly where he was supposed to be.
    On the Wildcats’ fourth play from scrimmage, he forgot the snap count by the time he lined up next to Billy Curley, their huge offensive right tackle. But even though he had to wait a beat for Billy to come off the blocks, Teddy managed to put a solid block on the Bears’ outside linebacker, cleaned him out so that Jake Mozdean could gain five extra yards.
    Only when Jake ripped off another ten-yard run and the Wildcats were at the Bears’ thirty-five yard line did Teddy feel as if he finally had a chance to catch his breath.
    Just as Jack called for their first pass of the game.
    To Teddy.
    â€œStrong side curl,” Jack said in the huddle. It meant Teddy and Gus would line up on the right side, Gus behind him in the slot. But once Gus broke from his spot, Teddy was supposed to wait and run behind him for about ten yards, then stop and turn, hopefully in a nice, empty soft spot in the Bears’ defensive back field.
    â€œBe ready,” Jack said to Teddy as they came out of the huddle. “The ball might be headed your way before you turn.”
    â€œYou throw, I’ll catch,” Teddy said.
    Teddy told himself not to rush: the play was designed for him to look like a decoy, or at least a secondary receiver, until Gus made a hard cut to the outside. As soon as he did, Teddy took one more step and turned around.
    Jack Callahan had not been lying. The pass—a bullet—was already on top of him, Jack having seen the safety closing from Teddy’s right.
    Teddy saw the kid coming but told himself to focus on the ball, even knowing he was going to get popped as soon as he caught it. He looked the ball all the way into his belly as it caught him right above his belt buckle, knocking the air out of him before the safety knocked him down.
    But he held on and saw the ref closest to him signaling that it was a first down.
    He was on the board.
    On the way back to the huddle, he couldn’t help himself. He looked up into the stands to where his mom and dad were. But he was only looking for his mom. It was as if she’d been waiting for him to look over there, because as soon as he did, she patted her heart twice, while Teddy saw his dad high-fiving Mr. Morales.
    Teddy quickly patted his own heart, his hand there and gone, hoping she had noticed.
    Three plays later the Wildcats scored their first touchdown of the season. Jack delivered another strike, this one to Gus Morales. Gus put a killer move on the cornerback covering him and broke free between the goal posts. It was 6–0.
    The rules of their league were like a lot of Pop Warner leagues: You got two points on the conversion for a kick, just because there weren’t a lot of good placekickers their age. You got one point if you ran it in or threw. Jack handed the ball to Jake, Teddy helped him by blasting the Bears’ middle linebacker, and Jake went into the end zone untouched. It was 7–0, Wildcats.
    â€œIt’s like you’ve been making catches like that your whole life,” Coach Gilbert said when Teddy got to the sideline.
    â€œI have,” Teddy said. “Just in my dreams.”
    The Bears came right back with a drive of their own. Their quarterback didn’t have the arm that Jack did, but he could throw well enough, and run it even better. He finally called a quarterback draw for himself for his team’s first score and ran an option play to perfection on the conversion. It was 7-all.
    â€œBoys,” Gus said to the other guys on the offense, “I do believe a game just broke out here.”
    But then both defenses, almost acting insulted about the way the game had begun, dominated the