Read Online Top Wing by Matt Christopher - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Matt Christopher
Tags: General Fiction
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the goal, so he passed it over to Benton.
Benton moved the ball a few feet before a Rams tackler blocked his way.
Dana saw the tackler starting to breathe down on Benton. He broke away from his own blocker and worked his way over in Benton’s
direction.He wondered whether Benton would give him the ball.
He soon found out.
Benton held out until he saw an opening behind him. He twisted around and just got off a little flick pass to Jack.
But Jack wasn’t really in the clear. He had to struggle with a Ram tackler for the ball. The two of them were tangling legs
when suddenly the whistle blew.
Tweeeet!
The referee turned toward Jack. The call was “Holding!”
From where Dana stood, there was no doubt about it. Jack had grabbed the Ram’s arm and tried to shove him away.
The ref placed the ball on the ground where the penalty was called. The Anchors and the Rams backed away the regulation ten
yards.
The Ram’s kick was bad. The ball slanted toward Steve. He caught it between his ankles, then started moving it toward the
goal again.
As the rest of the Anchors’ offense started running in that direction, Dana caught Benton’s eye.The right halfback just shrugged, with an innocent look on his face. Dana shook his head. Some people never learn, he thought.
The coach might as well have talked to a wall.
By now the play had shifted back to Anchors territory. The Rams had taken the ball away before the Anchors could even get
close to the goal.
Louie Ladd was threatening. He took a pass from the Rams’ left wing and turned toward the goal. There was no one near him.
He drew back, ran forward, planted his left foot, and kicked with his right.
The kick was a beauty — about four feet off the ground and angled straight toward the goal.
But once again, Jazz came through. He trapped the kick with his chest and picked up the ball in the goal area. Then he booted
it solidly downfield. The long, high kick took the ball some ten yards from the center line, just to the edge of the circle.
Players from both teams raced after it. Dana halfheartedly approached the crowd scrambling for the loose ball.
Jack Nguyen shook it loose. His toe got under the ball as he passed it over to Steve. The ball rose in the air, and Steve
stopped it with his head.
Luckily he was facing the right direction. The ball went careening into Rams territory.
Dana bolted after it, trapped the ball, then dribbled it a couple of yards.
Heads up, he thought. He looked around. There was Benton, running parallel with him on his left side. He was looking for the
pass.
For one moment, Dana wanted to treat Benton the same way everyone had treated
him
. You’ve ignored me, he thought — now I can do the same to you. But in the blink of an eye, he realized he’d be acting as
dumb as everyone else. He’d be no better than Benton — and he’d be letting the coach and the team down. We have to play as
a team, no matter what, he said to himself.
He flicked the ball over to Benton, who trapped it with the inside of his left foot. Without looking at Dana, he started moving
it downfield, toward the goal.
Was he surprised that I passed it to him? Dana wondered. Who knows?
Two Ram tacklers now converged on Benton. He aimed a kick toward a cluster of Anchors down near the goal, but the ball never
made it that far. It ricochetedoff the leg of one of his tacklers and bounced back upfield.
Once again, the play shifted direction. As he ran upfield, Dana was surprised to hear Benton hacking and coughing up ahead
of him. Is he still suffering from smoke he breathed in during the fire? Dana wondered. Maybe it did some serious damage to
his lungs, after all. But Dad inhaled a lot more smoke. Look how much better he is now. …
He couldn’t think about that any longer. The ball was loose in his general area of the field, just beyond the midfield line
in Rams territory.
Dana got to it in time to trap it with the inside of his right
Benton moved the ball a few feet before a Rams tackler blocked his way.
Dana saw the tackler starting to breathe down on Benton. He broke away from his own blocker and worked his way over in Benton’s
direction.He wondered whether Benton would give him the ball.
He soon found out.
Benton held out until he saw an opening behind him. He twisted around and just got off a little flick pass to Jack.
But Jack wasn’t really in the clear. He had to struggle with a Ram tackler for the ball. The two of them were tangling legs
when suddenly the whistle blew.
Tweeeet!
The referee turned toward Jack. The call was “Holding!”
From where Dana stood, there was no doubt about it. Jack had grabbed the Ram’s arm and tried to shove him away.
The ref placed the ball on the ground where the penalty was called. The Anchors and the Rams backed away the regulation ten
yards.
The Ram’s kick was bad. The ball slanted toward Steve. He caught it between his ankles, then started moving it toward the
goal again.
As the rest of the Anchors’ offense started running in that direction, Dana caught Benton’s eye.The right halfback just shrugged, with an innocent look on his face. Dana shook his head. Some people never learn, he thought.
The coach might as well have talked to a wall.
By now the play had shifted back to Anchors territory. The Rams had taken the ball away before the Anchors could even get
close to the goal.
Louie Ladd was threatening. He took a pass from the Rams’ left wing and turned toward the goal. There was no one near him.
He drew back, ran forward, planted his left foot, and kicked with his right.
The kick was a beauty — about four feet off the ground and angled straight toward the goal.
But once again, Jazz came through. He trapped the kick with his chest and picked up the ball in the goal area. Then he booted
it solidly downfield. The long, high kick took the ball some ten yards from the center line, just to the edge of the circle.
Players from both teams raced after it. Dana halfheartedly approached the crowd scrambling for the loose ball.
Jack Nguyen shook it loose. His toe got under the ball as he passed it over to Steve. The ball rose in the air, and Steve
stopped it with his head.
Luckily he was facing the right direction. The ball went careening into Rams territory.
Dana bolted after it, trapped the ball, then dribbled it a couple of yards.
Heads up, he thought. He looked around. There was Benton, running parallel with him on his left side. He was looking for the
pass.
For one moment, Dana wanted to treat Benton the same way everyone had treated
him
. You’ve ignored me, he thought — now I can do the same to you. But in the blink of an eye, he realized he’d be acting as
dumb as everyone else. He’d be no better than Benton — and he’d be letting the coach and the team down. We have to play as
a team, no matter what, he said to himself.
He flicked the ball over to Benton, who trapped it with the inside of his left foot. Without looking at Dana, he started moving
it downfield, toward the goal.
Was he surprised that I passed it to him? Dana wondered. Who knows?
Two Ram tacklers now converged on Benton. He aimed a kick toward a cluster of Anchors down near the goal, but the ball never
made it that far. It ricochetedoff the leg of one of his tacklers and bounced back upfield.
Once again, the play shifted direction. As he ran upfield, Dana was surprised to hear Benton hacking and coughing up ahead
of him. Is he still suffering from smoke he breathed in during the fire? Dana wondered. Maybe it did some serious damage to
his lungs, after all. But Dad inhaled a lot more smoke. Look how much better he is now. …
He couldn’t think about that any longer. The ball was loose in his general area of the field, just beyond the midfield line
in Rams territory.
Dana got to it in time to trap it with the inside of his right
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