by Ronde Barber
Again, he looked around the room. And this time, when his gaze met Tiki’s, he gave his former student a quick little wink.
Tiki knew Coach Wheeler was thanking him for his help that day at Kessler’s. He saw the coach wink at Ronde, too.
“We have what some people might call a ‘softer schedule’ coming up,” the coach continued. “So let me warn you right now—if we fall into the trap of looking past teams, and thinking we’ve got them beat before we step onto the field, I promise you, one of those ‘softer’ teams is going to rear up and bite us.
“But that’s for tomorrow,” he finished. “Today, you can give yourselves a great big pat on the back, and score one for our side!”
A huge cheer erupted in the locker room. It echoed off the metal lockers as the stomping of a hundred feet shook the floor.
“COACH, COACH, COACH!”
After Wheeler left the building, the players got showered and changed back into their regular clothes.
Tiki, Ronde, Paco, and Adam walked together out into the parking lot, where Mrs. Barber was waiting by her car to drive them back to the Mews, where they all lived.
“Hey,” Adam suddenly said, pointing to the bleachers. “Isn’t that? . . .”
“It’s Cody,” Paco said. “With the guy from the Roanoke Reporter!”
Sure enough, Tiki saw the man speaking into a small digital voice recorder. Then he held it up to Cody’s face, to record what he said.
“I’ve got to hear this,” Ronde said.
“Man, you are nosy,” Tiki said with a laugh.
“Come on with me, Tiki. You know you’re curious.”
“You are not going over there and snoop on them,” Tiki said. “Mom’s right over there watching!”
“Okay,” Ronde said. “You go—if you get in trouble, just tell them you’re me.”
“Do it, Tiki!” Paco urged.
“Yeah, man,” Adam echoed. “We want to know—and it’s important to the team! If he’s taking all the credit, and it gets into the paper . . .”
“Don’t worry about Mom,” Ronde said, seeing Tiki’s eyes go to the car. “I’ll tell her you’re getting interviewed by the paper.”
Tiki frowned. “That would be lying, Ronde.”
“Not really,” Ronde said. “If you work it right, that reporter’s bound to ask you a couple of questions too.”
Before Tiki could protest, Ronde, Paco, and Adam had already moved off toward Mrs. Barber and the car.
Tiki wandered over toward Cody and the reporter, pretending he didn’t notice there was an interview going on.
When he got close enough to hear, he came to a halt, leaning against a lamppost and pretending to fix the zipper on his equipment bag.
“So how does it feel to have a breakthrough performance like the one you had tonight?” the reporter was asking.
Cody smiled. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, the important thing is that the team got a win today.”
The reporter nodded. “Yes? And what about your own performance? Seventeen completions on twenty-one passes, three touchdowns, no interceptions or fumbles, seventy-four yards rushing? . . .”
Cody shrugged. “I had good protection, good blocking, my receivers ran great patterns, we all held on to the football, and our coach had a great game plan. I’m just one guy—it takes all fifty of us to play a game like this and win.”
The reporter laughed. “You’re just being modest.”
“Whatever,” Cody said. “Just don’t write about me being some kind of star, okay? It was a team effort—make sure your article says that.”
The reporter put away his pad. “Thanks, Hansen,” he said, shaking hands. “And we’ll be talking again next week.”
Tiki shook his head with a grin. Listening to Cody now, he wouldn’t have believed it possible just a few days ago. Cody had gone from being a hotdogging brat who blamed everything that went wrong on somebody else to a real leader who could rally his players behind him.
Cody had changed so much in such a short time! They all had.
Somehow, everything had fallen into place. Coach Wheeler had found a way to get through to Cody. And the Eagles had come back from the brink of disaster.
From here on in, if they stuck to Coach Wheeler’s game plan, they would become a legitimate contender for the playoffs, just like everyone thought they would be at the start of the season.
Tiki smiled and blew out a relieved breath. Coach Wheeler was right, he thought. It’s all about the mental game!
FOOTBALL PLAYS
BLITZ
A defensive play. The defensive team rushes the quarterback of the offensive team right after the snap. In this play the defensive team’s goal is to sack the quarterback.
BOOTLEG
In this offensive play the quarterback pretends to hand off the football to the running back. Instead, the quarterback runs to the other side of the field so that he can pass or run the ball himself.
CHECK WITH ME
This is an offensive play that is called by the quarterback while the team is in a huddle. The quarterback gives the players two different plays that he wants to run. When they are at the line of scrimmage, the quarterback tells the team which play they are going to do.
FLEA FLICKER
A double reverse play where the quarterback passes the ball to a running back, who passes it back to the quarterback in a double reverse, and then the quarterback passes the football to a receiver.
FREE KICK
At the beginning of each half, and between field goals and touchdowns, this kicking play is used. The kicking team gets to choose how they want to line up behind the football. Meanwhile, the receiving team has to be at least ten yards away from the ball.
HAIL MARY PASS
This is a risky offensive play. The quarterback throws the football with no particular receiver as his target. He hopes that someone on his team will catch it. This play is used when the offensive team is in the end zone.
HOOK AND LADDER
Nickname for “Hook and Lateral.” This is a pass play. The receiver catches the football while he is facing the line of scrimmage. Then he laterals the ball to another team member who is already running to the end zone. This is often called a trick play.
LEAD
This is an offensive play. The fullback goes through a bubble in order to block the linebacker. The ball carrier follows him.
MISDIRECTION PLAY
This kind of offensive play fools the defensive team. The play starts to go in one direction and then goes in another instead.
OPTION
In this offensive play the ball carrier gets to choose if he will keep the ball. He can also pass, run, or pitch the football to another teammate.
PLAY-ACTION PASS
The quarterback fakes a handoff to the running back but really turns around to pass the ball. This tricks the opposing team into thinking that the running back is running the ball.
SPINNING FULLBACK
The ball is snapped to a fullback in this offensive play. After the fullback catches the ball, he spins 180° to throw the football to the running back or the quarterback. Sometimes he fakes this and keeps the ball for himself.
STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAY
In this play the ball carrier raises his arm like he’s going to pass it. But instead of him throwing the football, another player from his team runs up behind him to grab the ball. This is a fake pass play.
SWEEP
This is an offensive play. The quarterback pitches or hands the football to the running back. Then the running back can turn the ball upfield more easily.
SWINGING GATE
A trick play. The offensive team lines up on one side of the field, leaving the running back and the quarterback unguarded on the other side. The defense is then forced to create a defensive play on the spot.
TRAP PLAY
This play uses a block that can fool the defensive team. At the same time as the snap, an offensive lineman pulls out of t
he line. This tricks his defensive target into thinking that no one will block him. The lineman really traps the defensive player to make a hole for one of his teammates to get through.
TRICK PLAY
This means an unusual play. Since trick plays aren’t expected by the opposing team, they are usually successful. They can’t be used too often, however, or they won’t work as well.
TIKI BARBER grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, where he wore number 2 for the Cave Spring Eagles during junior high school. From 1997 through 2006 he wore number 21 as a running back for the New York giants, where he holds every rushing record in team history, and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
RONDE BARBER wore number 5 for the Cave Spring Eagles. Today he is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and wears number 20 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ronde is a Super Bowl winner, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and the first cornerback in the history of the league to have at least twenty sacks and twenty interceptions in a career.
TIKI and RONDE BARBER have cowritten several children’s books for young readers, By My Brother’s Side, Game Day which received the Christopher Award and was a Reading Rainbow Selection, Kickoff! with Paul Mantell was called “appealing” by Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews described it as “straightforward . . . will be popular with boys.” Go Long!, Wild Card, and Red Zone. Their other titles include By My Brother’s Side, and Teammates—all written with Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Barry Root.
PAUL MANTELL is the author of more than one hundred books for young readers.
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 2008 by Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Book design by Laurent Linn
The text for this book is set in Melior.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barber, Tiki, 1975–
Go long! / Tiki and Ronde Barber with Paul Mantell.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Paula Wiseman book.”
Summary: When Coach Spangler leaves at the start of their second year
of junior high school, thirteen-year-old twins Tiki and Ronde wonder
if his replacement, science teacher Mr. Wheeler, can coach
the Eagles to another winning football season.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-3619-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-4169-3619-X (hardcover : alk. paper)
[1. Barber, Tiki, 1975—Fiction. 2. Barber, Ronde, 1975—Fiction.
3. Football—Fiction. 4. Twins—Fiction. 5. Brothers—Fiction.] I. Barber,
Ronde, 1975– II. Mantell, Paul. III. Title.
PZ7.B23328Go 2008
[Fic]—dc22
2007045843
ISBN-13: 978-1-4424-3982-5 (ebook)