HALFBACK ATTACK
(Fry Grade Level: Fourth Grade)
By Matt Christopher
1. The warm Saturday morning sun beat down on the fans filling
the bleachers that lined one side of the eighty-yard football field.
2. It heat down on Freddie Chase’s back as he crouched in position
behind right guard and right tackle.
3. The Sandpapers, dressed in bright yellow uniforms, formed
a tight line as they faced the green-uniformed Catbirds. 4. The ball
was on the two-yard line, and the Catbirds were trying for the extra point.
5. “One! Two! Hike!”
6. The quarterback took the snap, turned, and handed it off to
the fullback. 7. The full back tucked the ball against his chest and
charged toward the right side of the Sandpipers’ line. 8. Freddie
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plunged forward closing the narrow hole that split open between right
guard Harry Lott and right tackle Steve Cook.
9. But all at once a white helmet with a bird painted on its front
hit him on the chest. 10. He bounced back like a rubber ball.
11. A whistle pierced the air, and Freddie saw the boy in the white
helmet sprawled over the goal line.
12. The Catbirds scrambled excitedly to their feet and let out a
lust yell. 13. “That’s fourteen for them,” Dick Connors said sourly.
14. He was captain and quarterback for the Sandpipers. 15. “What are
we going to do—lose every game this year, too?”
16. Freddie knew exactly how Dick felt. 17. The Sandpipers
hadn’t won a game in two years. 18. A very sad record, indeed.
19. The first league games of the season had been played last week, and
the Sandpipers had lost theirs to the Flamingos, 21-7.
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20. So far, in today’s game, the Sandpipers had been doing better.
21. Freddie, who played both offense and defense, had set up a
touchdown play in the first quarter by intercepting a pass. 22. He had
run twenty yards before a Catbird had bought him down. 23. On the
next play Dick had faked a handoff to Freddie, at right halfback, then
passed to right end Milt Grady.
24. Milt went over for the touchdown, and fullback Dennis Yates
bucked for the extra point.
25. But the Catbirds had one of the speediest fullbacks in the
league, Ernie Moody. 26. Every time he carried the ball he gained
ground. 27. He had a funny habit. He was always smiling and
clapping his hands. 28. Freddie had thought that Ernie was doing this
to keep warm, until he realized that after running around so much Ernie
really didn’t have to clap his hands anymore. 29. But Ernie kept on
doing it, and Freddie knew then that it was just Ernie’s way.
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30. The teams lined up for the kickoff. 31. The referee signaled for the
game to start, and Ernie Moody kicked off for the Catbirds.
32. Dick Connors caught the end-over-end boot on his
twenty-yard line and carried it to his thirty-five.
33. Quick as light he leaped to his feet.
34. “Huddle!” he said.
35. Freddie tensed. 36. So far he had been pulled out of the
game for only a few minutes in the first quarter. 37. He didn’t know
why, except that he knew Coach Hank Sears believed in playing every
boy.
38. Steve and Dave—out!” one of the substitutes said.
39. Freddie breathed easier.
40. “Crisscross buck,” said Dick. 41. “Bucky takes it.
42. On the two!”
43. The team broke out of the huddle and scrambled to the line
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of scrimmage. 44. The Sandpipers used the T-formation, a
seven-man line with the quarterback directly behind the center,
the fullback directly in line behind the quarterback, and the
halfbacks on either side of him.
45. The play skipped swiftly through Freddie’s mind. 46. He
wished he carried, though, instead of Bucky.
47. “Down!” snapped quarterback Dick Connors. 48. “One!
Two! Hike!”
49. Center Stookie Freese snapped the ball.
50. Dick took it and spun around. 51. Freddie shot crosswise in front of
him and reached for the ball. 52. Then he pulled his arms against him, as
if he had the ball, and rushed through the hole between left guard and
tackle.
53. Right after Freddie did his part, Bucky Jensen
raced crosswise in front of Dick from his left halfback position. 54. Dick
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pushed the ball into Bucky’s arms, and Bucky plunged through the hole
between right guard and tackle. 55. He kept going, dodging and leaping
just out of reach of would-be-tacklers. 56. Then a linebacker pulled him
down on the Catbirds’ thirty-nine.
57. Second down and four yards to go.
58. Dick grinned as the boys huddled again.
59. “Nice going, Bucky. 60. Let’s try it again. 61. Only this time
Freddie carries. 62. On the three!”
63. Freddie’s heart pounded as the team broke from the huddle.
64. This was what he loved more than anything—running with the ball.
65. It was very seldom that Dick gave him the chance.
66. “Down!” ordered Dick. 67. “One! Two! Three! Hike!”
68. The ball snapped. 69. Helmets clattered as they smacked
against each other. 70. Yellow and green jerseys mixed like a bowl of
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tossed salad. 71. And then a marker was dropped and a whistle shrilled.
72. The referee was striking his hips with his hands.
73. The offside signal! 74. And it was
against the Catbirds!
75. Freddie leaped happily.
76. Now the ball was on the Catbirds’ thirty-four-yard line.
77. It was first and ten.
78. “The same play,” said Dick in the huddle.
79. Freddie took the handoff from Dick and plunged through the
hole in the left side of the line.
80. He ran hard, the football gripped tightly against him. 81. Then he
was hit. 82. He went down, and it seemed as if the whole Catbirds line
was piled on top of him.
83. Then he was hit. 84. He went down, and it seemed as if the whole
Catbirds line was piled on top of him.
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85. When it got off, he rose to his feet.
86. “Second down and six,” said the referee.
87. Dick suggested a pass play. 88. On “Hike!” 89. Dick stepped
quickly back with the ball. 90. He faked to Freddie, who ran to the left.
91. Then Dick heaved a long, spiraling pass toward the left side of the
field. 92. It was intended for Bucky.
93. Suddenly a player in green pulled the ball out of the air and
started running with it the other way!
94. A bit of fear went through Freddie. 95. The player was
running along the sideline. 96. There was
97. nobody between him and the goal line except Freddie: Only Freddie
could get to the Catbird runner and stop him from making a touchdown.
98. Freddie started to run. 99. He recognized the man in green
now. 100. It was Ernie Moody, the Catbirds’ star player. 101. Even now
Ernie seemed to be smiling that silly smile of his, and saying, Come on,
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kid! 102. I dare you to tackle me!
103. “Get him, Freddie!” a voice shouted.
104. “Get him!”
105. But as Freddie drew near to Ernie and saw how Ernie was
running and how high his knees rose with every step, that bit of fear
grew into mountainous size. 106. He reached out for Ernie, standing up
instead of diving at Ernie’s legs as he should have. 107. Ernie
stiff-armed him and drove him back so that he almost went sprawling.
108. Ernie galloped on for the touchdown.
109. A roar sprang from the Catbirds’ fans.
110. Then Ernie bucked for the extra point. 111. He didn’t make it.
112. A moment later a harsh voice snapped at Freddie’s elbow:
“Out, Freddie. 113. The coach has
something to say to you!”
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