Top Wing by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page A

position to kick. Keep the ball moving — just keep it moving. Everybody got the picture?”
    “Got it!” they all shouted again.
    “Okay, then — get out there and show me some teamwork!”
    Dana didn’t know whether the coach was getting through to Benton, or to Abe, or to anyone else. He would just have to wait
     and see.
    It wasn’t long before he got an answer.
    As soon as the Anchors got the ball, Tucker, Lance, and Abe kept it over on the left side of the field. Now and then, Jack
     or Steve got a pass booted their way, but Dana might as well have been sitting in the stands.
    Buzz Saw, however, was all over the place. He stole the ball from Abe and broke away clear down to the goal. There was no
     way Jazz could hold him off alone. All by himself, Buzz Saw booted one in for the Grizzlies’ third goal of the game.
    The scoreboard now read Grizzlies 3, Anchors 0.
    “Defense! Defense!” shouted the Anchors’ fans in the stands.
    But the offense is just as bad, Dana thought angrily.They’re working as hard at keeping the ball away from
me
as they are at trying to score.
    As the second half progressed, the ball occasionally found its way to Dana — mostly on mix-ups and wild scrambles.
    Whenever he did get the ball, though, he didn’t hold on to it long. “Keep it moving,” the coach had said — and he did. Besides,
     if the team saw that he was doing his best, maybe they would wake up.
    They didn’t. About ten minutes into the second half, Lance had the ball. Dana was all by himself with no one between him and
     the goal. It would have been an easy pass and a sure shot at a goal. But Lance booted it over to Abe. And as usual, a pack
     of Grizzlies was all over the Anchors’ left wing in seconds.
    Meanwhile, Benton strayed out of his zone and recovered a rebound off a stray Grizzlies backfielder.
    “Go for it, Benton!” Dana shouted. Even if he wasn’t getting any shots at the goal, at least someone might put them on the
     scoreboard.
    But Benton started moving so fast, he tripped over the ball and collapsed in a heap.
    The loose ball ended up in front of Steve. Hedribbled it toward the goal, then passed it to Dana, who was nearby on his right.
    Dana trapped the ball, dribbled it a few feet, then pulled his right foot back. He got under the ball with his laces and booted
     it toward the left side of the goal. It was an angle shot and tough by any count. But the Grizzlies’ goalie was way out of
     range. He couldn’t get anywhere near it in time.
    The black-and-white leather sphere rammed into the net for a goal.
    Dana’s heart swelled as he heard the crowd roar. Then the Anchors’ cheerleaders took up the cry:
    Give me a D!
    D!
    Give me an A!
    A!
    Give me an N!
    N!
    Give me an A!
    A!
    What do you have?
    Dana! Dana! Dana!
    Hooray!

8
    S teve came running over and gave Dana a high five. But with a 3–1 score and the clock ticking away, there was no time to waste.
     If the Anchors were going to make any headway, they had to get the ball back quickly.
    Abe took care of that. After the starting kick, he bore down on Buzz Saw Wallace and took the ball away with some fancy footwork.
     Then he booted it downfield all the way to Steve, who was in the clear.
    Steve brought it into the penalty area before he was sandwiched between two Grizzlies tacklers. He got off a little flick
     pass to Benton before they completely boxed him in.
    Wheezing and puffing, Benton took the ball almost into the goal area before he, too, was surrounded.
    He could have passed it to me, Dana said to himself, sighing. He could have.
    Instead, Benton heel-kicked the ball. Jack went for it, but it got by him. The Grizzlies took control and broke away toward
     the goal.
    Thunk!
    The ball went crashing into the net for another score.
    Grizzlies 4, Anchors 1.
    “We still can do it!” shouted Steve. “Come on, you Anchors!”
    Steve hasn’t given up, and neither will I, Dana said to himself as play continued.
    But it would take more