Down.
I dropped into position.
Set.
I looked across at Number 55. I noticed something. A slight angle to his body—pointing, that’s what Coach G. called it in football talk, pointing to the inside gap and headed straight for the quarterback. I needed to warn Gabe and I also knew the football code to do it.
“Check!” I yelled over my shoulder.
I don’t know how Gabe heard me over his cadence, but he did. He’d been going to pass the ball but he saw the danger from Number 55. He also saw a way to take advantage of it.
Hut. Hut. Hut.
I blocked Number 55 hard, sealing him to the left. Gabe circled behind me safely to the right and…
Yes, oh yes! Somehow Gabe had relayed the change of play to our backfield. Leroy knew what to do. He was furiously lead-blocking to open a running lane for Gabe. By the time the other team tackled Gabe, we’d gained an extra fifteen yards!
Seven seconds left on the clock and not just “pretty good” field goal position—perfect field goal position.
Coach called a time-out to give everyone a chance to get into position. I headed for the sidelines to make room for the special team players. Gibson gave me the high five as he passed, going the opposite direction. Gabe retrieved and positioned the tee.
And Seymour walked onto the field.
He did everything he was supposed to do. He measured out his approach steps. He swung his leg high to make sure all the kinks were out. He looked calm and professional.
Gibson was at center for the long snap. He sent the ball straight to Gabe’s hands. Gabe caught it cleanly. He placed it on the tee. He pinned it with a single finger.
But as good as Gabe is, even he isn’t perfect. The ball was supposed to be pinned upright. His finger slipped and he pinned it at a slant. We could see it from the sidelines.
Seymour was already in motion—he couldn’t stop now.
Gabe knew it was wrong—but there was no way to adjust things.
Seymour did the best he could. He kicked the ball hard and he kicked it straight. But he couldn’t get it high. The ball flew low and fast straight ahead.
Wham! It hit Gibson right in the backside.
Everyone looked around in surprise, especially Gibson. Where was the ball? They’d heard the contact—it should have been up in the air. But no one could see it.
All of a sudden I realized where it was. The ball had rebounded directly back to Seymour.
Not again! Seymour was some kind of ball magnet. He was standing there holding the ball.
I heard Gabe shout, “Run! Run!”
There was huge excitement in Gabe’s voice. Of course there was. If Seymour ran it into their end zone, we wouldn’t just get three points; we’d get six points for a touchdown. We wouldn’t just tie—we’d win!
But Seymour didn’t move. I knew what was wrong. He was scared of running the wrong way. He was thinking out there—one eyebrow up, one eyebrow down. No one could see it because of his helmet, but I knew that’s what was happening. He was thinking things through. Deeply. This way is our goal. That way is their goal. It was a good thing the other team still hadn’t figured out where the ball had gone or he’d have been dead meat.
“Run!” shouted Gabe, gesturing with his arms as if trying to drag Seymour along. “This way. This way!”
He was ready to lead-block and show the way, but Seymour still wasn’t moving.
“Run!” shouted Coach Billings.
“Run!” shouted Coach Winguard.
“Run!” shouted Coach Mac.
“Run!” shouted Coach G.
“Run!” shouted the rest of us.
I don’t know for sure, but maybe, deep inside, Seymour could hear someone with big ears and a bigger grin yelling it too.
“Run!”
Seymour ran.
My name is TJ Barnes and I play right guard on our local football team.
Yesterday, with the help of my friend Seymour, we won our very first game.
Gabe’s Big Play
Some of the books and websites where Seymour and TJ found sports facts.
Books
Carol Gold and Hugh Westrup. How Sport Works—An Ontario Science Centre Book. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1988.
Tom Flores and Bob O’Connor. Youth League Football. Chicago: Masters Press, 1993.
Francois Fortin. Sports—The Complete Visual Reference. Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books, 2000.
Tim Green. The Dark Side of the Game: My Life in the NFL. New York: Warner Books, 1999.
John P. McCarthy Jr. The Parent’s Guide to Coaching Football. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1995.
Steve Parker. How the Body Works. New York: Reader’s Digest, 1994.
Websites
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/physics-of-football.htm
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/eyevision.htm
http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/first-down-line.htm
http://people.howstuffworks.com/fb-equip1.htm
http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/muscle.htm
http://bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson33.htm
www.popwarner.com
http://espn.go.com/otl/athlete/monday.html
Hazel Hutchins has never been a sports fanatic, but she played basketball in junior high school, and she still remembers the single basket of her career. Everything she knows about football she’s learned from her friend, who coaches football, from books and from watching other people, including her sports fanatic son and daughter. Hazel is the author of three previous Orca books about TJ. She lives in Canmore, Alberta.
Special thanks to Reed Barrett’s grade five class, who helped me test some of the sports facts. Taylor Armstrong, Tyler Beringer, Douglas Bernauer, Michelle Betts, Timothy Breurkens, Hannah Brown, Ryley Chalmers, Miranda Chiniquay, Miller Denouden, Alexander Grant, Jane Gray, Jack Hayter, Justin Khuu, Kyle Lambert, Simon Newport, Simon Phip, Kentaro Plummer, Michael Stammers, Sean Stephenson, Marek Tannis, Hunter Turnball and others. My thanks to all!
Thank you also to Rocco Romano. And my appreciation to the Dinos, the Wolverines and their coaches for the enjoyment of watching their games.
Other books about
TJ, Seymour and the cats
TJ and the Cats
TJ and the Haunted House
TJ and the Rockets
TJ and the Sports Fanatic Page 7
