by Rich Wallace
As the runners entered the woods, Ben’s parents headed toward a different path. “They’ll pass this point in a few minutes,” Dad said. “Up this hill.”
A large group of parents and others were at the side of the path atop the hill. Soon Ben could see Devin and one other runner climbing the other side.
“Go, Devin!” Ben’s father called. “Relax and work this hill.”
Two other runners followed closely behind, and then came five more tightly bunched, including another of Larry’s Lincoln teammates.
“Where’s Larry?” Ben asked as several seconds passed.
And then he saw him. He’d moved into twelfth, but a huge pack of runners was just behind him.
“Come on, Larry!” Mom called.
“Top ten is right here,” Dad shouted, pointing toward the pack.
All of the runners were breathing hard and struggling as they climbed the steep hill. They were almost to the midway point of the race. Ben watched in awe as the runners powered past him, their legs dotted with mud and their arms pumping hard.
After Larry passed, Ben and his parents moved quickly back to the field. The race course was two large laps, so the runners would be covering the same path again.
Ben made circles with his thumbs and first fingers, holding them up to his eyes like binoculars. He kept his focus on Larry, who was moving closer to the pack as they ran on flatter ground.
After Larry entered the woods, Ben turned and ran to the top of the hill again. It was only a minute or so before Devin appeared, with that same runner right on his shoulder.
The other runners had spread out a bit, coming up the hill alone or in pairs. The second runner from Larry’s team was in sixth. Every couple of seconds another runner came into view. And then there was Larry, in tenth.
“Yeah!” Ben shouted. “Looking great!”
But Larry’s arms were close to his sides now and his mouth was twisted in pain.
“Don’t think about it!” Ben shouted. “Just sprint up that hill!”
Larry seemed to relax his shoulders a bit. He leaned forward slightly and moved closer to the next runner.
“All that hard work,” Ben said, shaking a fist at Larry. “Make it pay off.”
Larry nodded to Ben as he ran past. As he reached the top of the hill, Larry began swinging his arms again. He opened up his stride as he moved downhill, and within a few seconds he had moved ahead of his opponent.
Ben hurried partway down the side of the hill so he could see the finish line. Larry was in ninth place and he had about 200 meters left to run. The eighth-place runner was a few yards ahead, and Larry was gaining on him.
They both were sprinting now, but Larry looked stronger. He surged ahead in the last few meters and crossed the finish line in eighth.
That took guts! Ben thought.
Ben ran across the field and joined Larry and his teammates. Larry had his hands on his knees and his legs were shaking a little, but he had a big smile, too. “Looks like we won it, knucklehead,” he said, punching Ben lightly on the arm.
“You were awesome,” Ben said. “That hill was a killer.”
Ben looked at Devin, who had put his sweatsuit back on and was already jogging. “Did he win?” Ben asked.
“Yeah,” Larry said. “We got first, sixth, and eighth, and I think we had two others in the top fifteen. No way any other team could beat that.”
Ben was surprised how exciting the race had been. And how hard they’d run.
“Too bad soccer and cross-country are in the same season,” he said. “That looked like fun.”
Larry laughed. “I wouldn’t exactly call it fun,” he said. “There’s nothing fun about sprinting up a hill when your legs have turned to butter. But yeah, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
CHAPTER NINE
Too Much Thinking
“This is a big test today,” Ben said to Kim as they approached the field for their next game. “We haven’t played two good games in a row yet.”
“We will,” Kim said. “We’ve improved a ton.”
“That’s what we thought a few weeks ago,” Ben said, shaking his head. But he was feeling good about the Bobcats’ chances. And he was very excited.
Ben waved to Jordan and Omar, who were already warming up on the field. He stopped to put on his shin guards.
“We just need to be smarter,” Ben said. “I’ve made too many errors in too many games.”
The Wolves were in last place in the Southern Division, but Ben knew that didn’t mean much. The Falcons had been in last place when the Bobcats played them, but that game hadn’t even been close. I’m confident, Ben thought, but definitely not overconfident.
The day was dry and windy, and nearly all of the leaves had fallen from the trees. Ben kept his sweatshirt on while the Bobcats jogged and practiced shooting and passing.
Coach Patty clapped her hands and gathered the team around her. Ben rubbed his hands together; they were cold. Playing goalie would be hard today because that ball could sting. He noticed that Shayna was wearing gloves and figured she’d be the starting goalie.
Coach put Kim, Mark, and Omar on the front line and Erin and Darren on defense. Ben had started every game this season, but he knew that the coach played everyone about the same amount.
Then again, he’d cost his team a few wins this season. Maybe Coach thought they’d do better without him.
He stood on the sideline next to Jordan as the game began.
Jordan kept hopping up and down. “It’s colder than I thought,” he said.
“We’ll be warm as soon as we get in the game,” Ben said.
“Hope so.”
Ben shoved his hands into the front pouch of his sweatshirt. “Go, Bobcats!” he yelled.
The Wolves had only one win this season, but they looked strong and fast as the game got under way. Twice in the first few minutes one of their players charged down the field with the ball, dodging past the Bobcats’ defenders and taking a shot. Shayna stopped them both.
The second time, Shayna punted the ball and it landed right in front of Mark near midfield. He quickly passed to Erin, who took one step with it and sent it up the field to Omar.
“Good passing!” Jordan called. He turned to Ben. “There’s the difference,” he said. “The Wolves play like we used to—everybody for himself. They’ve got good athletes, but they don’t work together.”
Ben remembered to add something about passing to the list of soccer tips he kept at home.
When Jordan took a few quick steps along the sideline to get closer to the action, Ben did, too. That moved him closer to Loop and Alex, who were waiting to play in the next game.
“Your team is looking good,” Loop said.
“Thanks,” Ben replied, keeping his eyes on the field.
“I guess that’s because you aren’t playing.”
Ben glared at Loop. But Loop laughed. “Just kidding,” he said. “Good luck today.”
Mark had the ball near the corner, and he was guarded closely by a couple of the Wolves. But he managed to loft the ball out in front of the goal, and Kim fielded it cleanly. She faked a shot, then slid the ball to Omar. He was wide open, and he booted it safely into the goal.
Ben jumped high and smacked hands with Jordan. But he couldn’t help wondering why Kim could make such a great fake while he couldn’t.
It was Omar’s first goal of the season. He sprinted back to the Bobcats’ side of the field and dropped to his knees with his arms up. Mark and the others slapped him on the back.
Coach Patty clapped her hands again. “Get right back to it!” she called. “Celebrate after the game.”
She was right. The Wolves weren’t ready to pack up just yet. They scored a goal less than a minute later. Shayna blocked a shot and it bounced back onto the field, and one of the Wolves scored off the rebound.
Coach turned to Ben and Jordan. “Get in there for Mark and Omar,” she said. “Hustle.”
Ben bumped f
ists with Omar as they changed places. “Great shot,” he said.
The red-haired player who’d scored for the Wolves was directly across from Ben. He went to a different school, but Ben had seen him before. He was tall, like Mark, and he was probably the fastest runner on the field.
I’ll keep an eye on him, Ben thought. He’s dangerous.
And even though the Wolves didn’t pass nearly as much as the Bobcats, their two best players kept the game very close. It was true that teamwork could help overcome a stronger group of players, but sometimes one or two standouts could keep a team in a game.
That proved to be the case during the rest of the first half. Ben, Jordan, and Kim worked well together, moving up the field several times and getting off a few shots. But the red-haired kid swooped in to take the ball away a few times, and his teammate with the ponytail made several long runs with the ball.
On defense, Erin stole the ball from the girl with the ponytail and kicked it hard toward midfield. Ben tried to chase it down, but it was too far away, and it rolled out of bounds.
Ben put his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths while the red-haired kid ran after the ball. The cold air was making it harder to breathe.
“We’ve been running like mad,” Ben said to Kim.
“Keep it up,” she said. “Sooner or later we’ll get a break.”
But a throw-in brought the ball deep into the Bobcats’ zone, and the blue- and brown-shirted players scrambled after it. Darren kicked it up the field, and Ben took control. The field was open ahead of him except for that ponytailed girl.
The grass was dry, so Ben knew he wouldn’t slip if he tried that fake. Things were set up perfectly. His opponent was steady in her stance, waiting for Ben to approach. He took another quick step with the ball, then shifted toward the sideline.
The girl moved to block his path, and Ben brought his left foot over the ball. He stopped short, then tapped the ball away from the sideline with the outside of his foot. He charged up the field after it.
But he hadn’t fooled her at all. Ben was off-balance as he tried to cut away, and the defender took control of the ball. She ran deep into the Bobcats’ zone with it and made a quick fake that left Erin standing still. And then the girl fired the ball past Shayna and into the goal.
Ben shut his eyes and let out his breath hard. He’d almost made the fake, but somehow the defender had seen it coming. He caught up to Jordan and shook his head. “It’s like what you told me about Alex,” he said. “I looked where I was going and gave away the fake.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jordan said with a tight smile. “It’s still anybody’s game. Keep working.”
The Bobcats had fallen behind again, despite all that hard work and good passing. And Ben had made another misstep trying to do that fake.
They were trailing 2–1, and Ben knew that the second half would be an even tougher test than the first. And they couldn’t afford another loss. Not if they wanted to stay in the race for the play-offs.
CHAPTER TEN
Power and Speed
Ben peeled an orange and sat on the bench between Erin and Jordan as they waited for the second half to begin. He didn’t feel cold anymore. The sun had come out but the air was still cool. It wasn’t the sun that had made him warm, though; it was all that running.
“That team is fast,” he said.
“So are we,” Jordan said. “This game will come down to who has more guts.”
“Us!” Ben said.
“It should be us,” Jordan replied. “Nobody works harder than we do.”
Ben nodded. He thought back to the way Larry had run that cross-country race. He’d reached down deep and used every ounce of energy. Ben would do that, too.
Ben looked across the field to the other bench, where the Wolves were gathered around their coach. They had two very good athletes on that team. And they’d both scored goals in the first half.
Coach Patty announced the lineup for the second half: Omar as goalie; Mark, Erin, and Shayna on the front line; and Darren and Jordan on defense. She sent them onto the field.
“This will be your last rest,” she said to Kim and Ben. “I’m hoping that we can tie the score before you go back in, or at least stay within one goal. You two work very well together, so I’m confident that you can get us at least one more score.”
Ben watched the action with his fists clenched, eager to get back on the field. The Wolves kept the ball for most of the first few minutes of the half, but they still weren’t passing. They never got close enough for a shot.
“They’re leaving this side of the field wide open,” Kim said softly to Ben. “Let’s take advantage of that when we get in there.”
“Yeah,” Ben said. He glanced over to his parents and Larry, who were standing near the sideline. Larry gave a slight wave and walked over.
“That red-haired kid is super fast,” Larry said, “but he isn’t very good at keeping the ball close to him. He kicks it and chases it. You should be able to take it away pretty easily.”
But just as Larry said it, that player took the ball at midfield and darted past Mark and Shayna. He angled across the field and outran Erin, too.
Now he was in a race with Darren for the ball. Darren got to it first, but all he could do was knock it out of bounds. The other kid picked it up and immediately tossed a long throw-in toward the Bobcats’ goal.
“Grab it!” Ben shouted, hoping Omar could pick it up before anyone got to it. But the girl with the ponytail was between Omar and the ball. She fielded it with her foot and circled into the goal area.
Ben held his breath as the red-haired kid raced toward the goal. He was wide open, and a simple pass would have meant a goal for sure. But the girl was looking to shoot it herself, and Jordan easily stole the ball and booted it ahead to Mark.
“Great defense, Jordan!” Ben yelled. “Good hustle!”
The Bobcats had dodged a disaster. Both teams battled hard for several more minutes but neither could mount an attack. When the ball went out of bounds behind the Bobcats’ goal, Coach Patty yelled, “Substitution!” to the referee.
She waved at Mark and Erin to come out, and she sent Kim and Ben to the front line. Shayna shifted back to play defense. Jordan joined Kim and Ben up front.
Ben grabbed Kim and Jordan by the elbows. “Speed,” he said firmly. “Speed and passing. Just like we’ve been doing in practice.”
Ben had a lot of confidence in these two teammates. He knew that Mark was the strongest player on the team, and that everyone played hard. But he and Kim and Jordan seemed to have a good sense of each other. They knew where to move to be in the best position for a pass.
Since Kim and Ben had taken a long rest, they were able to outrun their opponents at first. So the Bobcats kept control of the ball, managing a series of charges toward the goal and a couple of good shots. Kim’s first shot flew just wide of the goal, and Jordan’s was tipped aside at the last second by the goalie.
“Keep up the pressure,” Ben said. “We’ve got them on their heels.”
But the Wolves held their one-goal lead as the minutes ticked away. Ben took a pass from Kim near the sideline and looked around the field. Kim was covered closely and Jordan was too far away. So Ben waved his hand toward Shayna, who was hanging back on defense.
Ben dribbled to the center of the field, then kicked the ball backward to Shayna. “We need support,” he said. “Stay up with us.”
Shayna passed to Jordan, and Jordan passed it right back. Shayna then passed to Ben, and she kept moving forward as Ben and Jordan sent passes back to her. Slowly the Bobcats were getting closer to the Wolves’ goal.
Ben could tell that the Wolves were getting tired. The Bobcats’ swift passing was keeping them moving, but they weren’t getting close to the ball.
The next time Ben got it, he faked a pass to Shayna and dribbled as fast as he could along the sideline. He could see his three teammates moving toward the goal as the defenders came ou
t to stop him.
He was nearly to the corner and the defenders were closing in. Just before they reached him, he sent a hard pass across the field, zinging over the top of the grass. Ben fell forward and landed with his hands spread out. He rolled to his side and crawled back up. He heard lots of shouting.
What happened? he wondered. Kim and Jordan and Shayna were leaping in front of the goal, and the Wolves goalie was staring into the net. He was staring at the ball!
Ben raced to the cluster of Bobcats. “Who scored?” he asked, smacking hands with Jordan.
“Kim did,” Jordan said. “Perfect pass!”
“Couldn’t have been better,” Kim said. “I didn’t even break stride. The ball was right where I wanted it. The goalie never had a chance.”
“How much time?” Ben asked the referee as they ran back to midfield.
The referee glanced at his watch. “About three minutes,” he said.
“That’s plenty,” Ben said. “Let’s get the ball back.”
With the score tied, both teams began to play even harder. The difference was that the Wolves kicked the ball hard and chased after it, while the Bobcats made accurate passes to each other. Ben knew that his team’s strategy should work better, but the Wolves had power and speed.
Darren made a nice steal near the Bobcats’ goal, and he fed Ben a pass. The field was open in front of him.
Just like before, Ben sprinted along the sideline with the ball, moving into the Wolves’ side of the field. A pair of defenders closed in on him, so he pivoted quickly and sent the ball back to Kim, who was trailing behind.
The defenders chased after Kim, giving Ben a perfect chance to move to an open area near the goal. Kim passed ahead to Jordan, and Jordan made a crisp lead pass to Ben.
Ben trapped the ball and turned toward the goal, moving up the field. Just one player blocked his path. Ben picked up his pace, dribbling the ball at full speed.
As the Wolves defender angled toward him, Ben stepped over the ball, dodging to his left. The defender went for the fake. Ben swept the ball to the right with the outside of his foot, and now the space between him and the goal was wide open.
