by Rich Wallace
His fists were clenched; they shouldn’t be. He shook out his hands, trying to relax his shoulders. Crunch time was approaching. Daniels held his lead, he increased it. Two laps to go. The Pittsburgh kid moved into second. Ron could hear his coach’s voice, and Darby’s; he could hear a thousand screaming voices. Suck it up, you son of a bitch, said the voice in his head. Suck it up now.
Into the homestretch, five hundred meters to go. Three of them giving chase. As a unit they seemed to be gaining on Daniels, cutting the lead back to five yards, to four.
One lap now, the state title was in reach. The brick-red rubber track, the stands a blur of color. Kick now, he told himself. Kick.
He swung wide on the turn, but his opponent wouldn’t yield. Ron tucked in tighter, then moved again at the start of the backstretch. He was in second. Daniels was two yards ahead and sprinting.
Go after him, he hollered inside. Go after him. Ron dug deeper. Nothing to lose. Three of them left, nearly dead even. Sprint, you bastard. Drive. You can do this. You can win.
Half a lap to go. No air in his lungs. Find something. All those scrambles up the hills behind the track; all those intervals in the dark.
Through the turn now, into the lead. He could feel them breaking behind him, feel himself pulling away. He hugged the inside rail; they’d have to go wide to get past him. Every step was burning his lungs but every step was getting him closer. All he could see was daylight.
Into the straightaway, a hundred yards to go. He was clear of them now, a full yard in front and feeling it. No collapse at all this time, nothing but full, all-out speed.
Nothing could stop him. No one would catch him.
Every step he’d taken had been worth it.
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WRESTLING STURBRIDGE
RICH WALLACE
HERE’S THE DEAL.
I’m stuck in Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, where civic pride revolves around the high school wrestling team and the future is as bright as the inside of the cinder-block factory where our dads work. And where their dads worked. And where I won’t ever work. Not if I can help it.
I’m the second-best 135-pound wrestler in school, behind Al—the first-best 135-pound wrestler in the state. But I want to be state champion as badly as he does, maybe even more. I just haven’t figured out how to do it.
I tell myself that I will find the way. I think my whole life depends on it.
* “A real winner.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred
* “An excellent, understated first novel.… Like Ben, whose voice is so strong and clear here, Wallace weighs his words carefully, making every one count.”
—Booklist, Starred
“There are only a few contemporary writers who can hit the mark with teenage boys, and Rich Wallace seems likely to join that group.”
—Chicago Tribune
An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
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SHOTS ON GOAL
RICH WALLACE
STURBRIDGE: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE
Half a block from the Turkey Hill convenience store, there’s a town bench. And lately, if I’m not in school or at soccer practice, chances are I’m sitting there, thinking, for a lot of reasons.
For one thing, my best friend, Joey—the jerk—has a girlfriend now, the girl he knew I was after. And then there’s soccer. Me and Joey are the backbone of the first strong soccer team our school’s ever had, and we’ve got a chance to win the league this season. But that’ll take teamwork, and that’s the one thing we’re missing.
Joey hogs the ball and gets the girls. But he’s always been there for me—until now. Or maybe I’m just tired of being there for him. I suppose we ought to grow up. Maybe we’d win more soccer games.
“Wallace firmly establishes himself as one of the best sports novelists around for teenagers.”
—The Book Report
“Wallace’s ear for locker room banter … shines through in his vibrant characterizations.”
—Publishers Weekly
A Booklist Top 10 Youth Sports Book
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PLAYING WITHOUT THE BALL
RICH WALLACE
HERE’S WHAT THEY CAN LIST UNDER MY MUG IN THE YEARBOOK: JAY MCLEOD
ACTIVITIES: EARLY MORNING BASKETBALL, LATE-NIGHT HAMBURGER CHEF, WEEKEND BASKETBALL, HONORARY METHODIST, WEEKNIGHT BASKETBALL, BACKGROUND VOCALIST, PLAYGROUND BASKETBALL, VOLUNTARY ORPHAN
If I make the team, they can add varsity basketball, but I know the odds are against me. I’m a decent player, but I don’t quite fit the system. I don’t fit anywhere, so I live alone above a bar and work part-time in the kitchen to pay the rent. My father’s gone to California to straighten himself out, so I’m left to bounce my life off Spit, a punk-rock genius who has bigger problems—but bigger potential—than I have.
I could join my father in L.A. if I wanted to, but I’ve got chances here—with girls, with basketball. And if those don’t work out, I just might step from the shadows, join Spit onstage, and see if I can cut it as a singer. You never know.
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults An ALA Quick Pick A Booklist Top 10 Youth Sports Book