Touchdown for Tommy

by Matt Christopher

  The whistle shrilled. The referee trotted toward Tommy and took the ball from him. He moved the ball a few yards in from the sideline, then set it near the ten-yard line.

  “Nice catch, Tommy!” yelled David.

  “Way to go, Tommy!” cried Tim McCarthy. “Let’s go for a t.d.!”

  Tommy felt good.

  First and ten. David handed a lateral to left halfback Tim. Tim raced around the left end for two yards. Then right halfback Stan Baker took a lateral from David and threw a short pass to Tim. Tim burst around the tackle. A fumble! A half dozen players from both teams leapt on the ball!

  Shreeek!

  The boys unpiled from the ball. Everyone watched to see who had the ball. The boy on the bottom was a Jets player!

  “Just our luck!” yelled Tim, unhappily.

  David patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s hold ’em,” he said.

  The Jets lined up for punt formation.

  “Block that kick!” yelled David. “Come on, men!”

  At left end, Tommy dug his toes into the hard ground. He’d get through. He’d get through to block that kick. The Pirates couldn’t lose all that ground after having gained so much.

  The Jets fullback stood far back, his shoulders hunched forward, his hands outstretched. He called signals in a sharp, loud voice. The ball scraped the ground as it left the center’s hands.

  Shoulders hit shoulders. Legs tangled. Rubber cleats dug up hard dirt, crushed it to brown dust.

  Tommy pushed aside his man and plunged through a hole. He went after the fullback. The fullback caught the ball. He took a step forward, lifted his foot.

  Just then a man threw himself against the ball! The ball struck his padded shoulder, bounced high into the air, then landed on the ground.

  Tommy and two Jets players rushed after the ball. Tommy was there first and pounced on it.

  Then the quarter ended.

  18

  David raced off-tackle in the beginning of the second quarter. He got the ball within two yards of the goal line. On the next play, Fred plunged through the line for a touchdown, then converted for the extra point.

  Pirates 7, Jets 0.

  Tommy, Nicky, and the two tackles went out. Substitutes went in. The Pirates kicked off. A Jets player caught the end-over-end kick and carried it back to the Pirates’ twenty-nine.

  As he watched from the bench, Tommy thought, Please, please let the Powells be able to keep me!

  A loud outburst from the stands wiped away Tommy’s thoughts. A green-and-white jersey crossed the goal line. The Jets had made a touchdown.

  They converted for the extra point. Now the score was tied: 7-7.

  Tommy went back into the game in the second half. In the huddle, David looked across at him and winked. “Come on! Let’s get some touchdowns!” he said in a low voice. “Let’s try number one, the play Coach Powell taught us the other day.”

  The Pirates lined up in T-formation. Signals. David took the ball, pivoted, and handed it to Tim. Tim raced around the right end. A five-yard gain!

  The Pirates kept moving down the field. Four yards on an off-tackle run. Two yards on a line plunge. Eight yards on a forward pass. Then the Jets held. The Pirates lost the ball on the Jets’ sixteen-yard line.

  Now the Jets rolled. Six yards. Three. Five. A pass. A long run.

  First and ten. Twenty yards to go for a touchdown.

  Another pass. It was incomplete. Second and ten.

  The quarter ended.

  Substitutions were made on both sides.

  The score was still 7-7.

  The Jets lost the ball to the Pirates at the start of the fourth quarter. Then the Jets intercepted a pass and ran the ball to their thirty-five. First and ten. They drove through the tackle and gained two yards. They completed a short pass for six more yards. A line plunge gave them another first down.

  The Jets rolled again and got within twenty yards of the goal line. The seconds ticked away fast. Soon the game would be over. The season would be over. Maybe all the good things would be over.

  A substitute came in. Tommy went out and sat down on the bench. He wiped his sleeve across his sweating brow.

  Suddenly a hand squeezed his shoulder. Tommy looked around.

  “Mr. Powell!” he cried. “Mrs. Powell! Betty!” His breath caught. All three were there, standing behind him. They were smiling. And Mrs. Powell and Betty had tears in their eyes.

  “Tommy, we have good news!” said Mr. Powell. “We had to see the children’s court judge and talk with several people. And then we drove over to those folks who were coming to see you tomorrow. We told them we had filed papers to adopt you, and that you wanted to stay with us. They said it was all right!”

  “You — you mean they let you adopt me?”

  “Yes. It’ll take months before you’re legally ours, but at least we know now for sure.”

  Tommy choked up. He turned and looked at the players on the field through blurred eyes.

  “Okay, Tommy! Get in there!” Mr. Adams snapped. “Send Jim out!”

  His heart beating fast, Tommy yanked on his helmet and raced out onto the field.

  The signals. The snap of the ball. Tommy heard the sounds as if from miles away. His man pushed him back. Tommy almost fell. Then he saw the Jets’ quarterback fade back… back. Saw his right hand raised, ready to throw a forward pass.

  Tommy spun. The pass was meant for his man!

  Tommy ran back and chased after the end. The quarterback’s arm whipped forward. The ball came flying through the air in a spiral. As it passed over Tommy’s head, he leapt. He intercepted the ball! His feet came down to the ground. He tucked the ball under his arm and ran down the field.

  From his right, Jets players chased after him like a swarm of bees. The stripes flew under Tommy’s pumping legs. He crossed the forty, the thirty-five, the thirty, the twenty-five, the twenty.

  The Jets players came closer, closer. The fifteen, the ten. Hands reached for Tommy’s jersey. The eight, the seven. Hands touched his back. The six, the five, the four, the three …

  The hands went around his legs, and brought him down!

  A whistle shrilled. Tommy looked up, the ball still clutched in his hands. He saw the referee’s arms stretched high in the air.

  A touchdown!

  Tommy rose to his feet, his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

  “That’s the boy, Tommy!” shouted David. “We needed that!”

  “Thanks, David,” Tommy cried. Almost in the same breath he went on, “I have good news, David. I’m not leaving the Powells.”

  “You’re not? That’s great! How come?”

  “They’re going to adopt me.”

  David swung his arms around Tommy’s shoulders. “No wonder you’re so pumped up!” he cried.

  Fred missed kicking the ball between the uprights. But the game ended with the Pirates winning, 13-7.

  Tommy rode home with the Powells.

  “That was a beautiful run, Tommy!” Mr. Powell said. “Just beautiful!”

  The minute the Powells and Tommy reached home, Tommy ran to his room and brought out the gifts. He placed them on the dining-room table.

  “Tommy!” cried Betty. “What have you got there?”

  “Presents,” Tommy said.

  “Presents?”

  “Yes. For you, your mother, and your father.”

  Mr. Powell stared at the package, too. “What’s this?” he said.

  Then Mrs. Powell came in. She saw the package and made a soft sound in her throat. But she didn’t say anything.

  Tommy opened the big package, took out the three gift-wrapped parcels inside, and handed them one by one to Betty, Mrs. Powell, and Mr. Powell.

  “These presents are for being so nice to me,” he said.

  They opened the packages. Betty squealed with delight at her doll. Mr. Powell grinned when he saw his shaving kit. Mrs. Powell opened her little white box. She closed her eyes, smiled, and pressed the earri
ngs against her cheek.

  “I got the money from collecting cans and bottles,” Tommy explained to them. “The Warrens helped me.”

  Mr. Powell smiled and ruffled Tommy’s hair.

  “We have a present for you, too, Tommy,” Mrs. Powell murmured softly. She turned quickly and went into the other room. Tommy saw her wipe her eyes.

  Soon she returned, carrying a large, white cake. She placed the cake in the middle of the dining-room table.

  “There,” she said. “For you, Tommy.”

  Tommy stared at the cake. They must have bought it right after they had known he would be theirs. He read the words written in blue icing on it, and his heart melted.

  Welcome home, Son.

  He looked at Mrs. Powell, Mr. Powell, and then at Betty. He was so choked up, he couldn’t speak.

  Everybody’s face had the broadest, happiest smile Tommy had ever seen. It was as if all the lights in the whole world were shining on their faces.

  Mr. and Mrs. Powell came and stood in front of him. They took his hands in theirs.

  “Even though it’s not official yet, Tommy,” said Mr. Powell, “there’s no harm celebrating today, is there? Especially after such a great game?”

  Tommy shook his head. A proud grin spread across his face.

  “It’s sure nice to have a mom and dad again!” he said happily.

  THE #1 SPORTS SERIES FOR KIDS

  MATT CHRISTOPHER®

  Read them all!

  Baseball Pals Dive Right In

  Baseball Turnaround Double Play at Short

  The Basket Counts Face-Off

  Body Check Fairway Phenom

  Catch That Pass! Football Fugitive

  Catcher with a Glass Arm Football Nightmare

  Catching Waves The Fox Steals Home

  Center Court Sting Goalkeeper in Charge

  Centerfield Ballhawk The Great Quarterback Switch

  Challenge at Second Base Halfback Attack *

  The Comeback Challenge The Hockey Machine

  Comeback of the Home Run Kid Ice Magic

  Cool as Ice inline Skater

  The Diamond Champs Johnny Long Legs

  Dirt Bike Racer The Kid Who Only Hit Homers

  Dirt Bike Runaway Lacrosse Face-Off

  Line Drive to Short ** Slam Dunk

  Long-Arm Quarterback Snowboard Champ

  Long Shot for Paul Snowboard Maverick

  Look Who’s Playing First Base Snowboard Showdown

  Miracle at the Plate Soccer Duel

  Mountain Bike Mania Soccer Halfback

  No Arm in Left Field Soccer Scoop

  Nothin’ But Net Stealing Home

  Penalty Shot The Submarine Pitch

  Prime-Time Pitcher The Team That Couldn’t Lose

  Red-Hot Hightops Tennis Ace

  The Reluctant Pitcher Tight End

  Return of the Home Run Kid Top Wing

  Roller Hockey Radicals Touchdown for Tommy

  Run For It Tough to Tackle

  Shoot for the Hoop Wheel Wizards

  Shortstop from Tokyo Windmill Windup

  Skateboard Renegade Wingman on Ice

  Skateboard Tough The Year Mom Won the Pennant

  All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company

  Matt Christopher®

  Sports Bio Bookshelf

  Muhammad Ali Tara Lipinski

  Lance Armstrong Mark McGwire

  Kobe Bryant Yao Ming

  Jennifer Capriati Shaquille O’Neal

  Jeff Gordon Jackie Robinson

  Ken Griffey Jr. Alex Rodriguez

  Mia Hamm Babe Ruth

  Tony Hawk Curt Schilling

  Ichiro Sammy Sosa

  Derek Jeter Venus and Serena Williams

  Randy Johnson Tiger Woods

  Michael Jordan

  Mario Lemieux

  TOUCHDOWN FOR TOMMY

  Is football Tommy’s key to a new home?

  Football isn’t just Tommy’s favorite sport—he also thinks that it’s the key to a good home. The recently orphaned Tommy is delighted to discover that his foster father, Mr. Powell, coaches Midget League football. By playing well, Tommy hopes that he will make Mr. Powell want to adopt him, and then he will have a real family again. But will things work out the wayhe plans?

  Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they’re looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. For a listing of all his titles, please see the last pages of this book.

  * Previously published as Crackerjack Halfback

  ** Previously published as Pressure Play