Roger and Ben Mason gave him a hard time about it They’ve got to be around here somewhere Gabe began to rummage through his torn-apart room again Maybe they wound up in the donation box I took over to the thrift store last week his mom suggested Gabe’s heart sank Ugh he said with slumped shoulders Our season is doomed Then he closed his bedroom door and followed his mom out to the car Gabe cupped his bare hands and blew into them for warmth It was a chilly Thursday evening in Grover Lake Gabe stood on the 6
sidelines trying to stay warm while the East Grover Lake Grizzlies offense was out on the field Even though it was a perfect night for football Gabe’s lingering sense of doom and gloom over his missing gloves clouded his attitude Gabe was the team’s backup running back Ben was the starting back He and Gabe were about as opposite as they could be Ben was tall and lanky Gabe was short and stocky Mostly Gabe came in on third downs or when Ben needed a breather He also played special teams sometimes returning punts and kickoffs Let’s go Grizzlies Get a fresh set of downs Annie paced along the sidelines a clipboard in hand and a red Grizzlies cap pulled low over her tangled brown hair Her 7
dad was the team’s coach and the brilliant Annie was obsessed with sports statistics Gabe watched as on the field Logan broke the offense’s huddle and brought the team to the line He was the team’s quarterback Ben lined up behind him crouching down with his hands on his knees T-43 Red T-43 Red Hut-hut hut Logan took the snap dropped back and slid the ball into Ben’s waiting hands Ben dashed up the middle finding a hole and running for eight yards That gave the Grizzlies a much needed first down They were playing their crosstown rivals the West Grover Lake Fighting Hornets Gabe and his friends had occasionally butted heads with some of the kids from the town’s west side Their least favorite Hornet was Jacob Fuller a tall brutish kid 8
Of course as luck would have it Jacob Fuller was the Hornets middle linebacker He stood in the center of the team’s defense barking orders to the other players It was the start of the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies were winning by a score of 24 21 On the next play Logan dropped back and threw a pass to the team’s wide receiver Tyler Murphy Ty caught the ball and was pushed out of bounds right next to the orange first-down marker Great catch Ty Coach Roger shouted Logan quickly ran over and talked with the coach about which play to run next Sweep left on three Coach Roger told him 9
