Free Top Wing by Matt Christopher

estate development last year and saved him a bundle. Plus the
     workmanship was terrific, he said.”
    Dana’s heart swelled with pride.
    “So when I told him about the rumor going around, he got real angry,” Steve went on. “I figured it was time I put an end to
     it.”
    Dana’s mouth was so dry, he could hardly speak. But he managed to get out, “Thanks, Steve. Thanks a lot!”
    By then they were just inside the center line.
    “Let’s get that ball!” Steve shouted to his fellow Anchors.
    Dana headed over to the far corner of the field. He felt stronger and better than he had in a long time.
    But the Rams held on to the ball. The Anchors’ defense bore down, but they couldn’t stem the tide. Within a matter of seconds,
     the Rams had the ball inside the goal area.
    Watching Pete and Tucker trying to wrench the ball from a Rams halfback, Dana stood with his fistsclenched. His knees were bent, ready to go after the ball if it came his way. All the while, he shouted encouragement.
    “Come on, Tuck! Come on, Pete! Get that ball!”
    In the midst of all the noise from both sides, someone must have heard him. He couldn’t tell who it was, but that someone
     sent the ball zooming straight at him.
    He was after it in a shot. Steve led the rest of the offense in the same direction. But the ball was all Dana’s. He trapped
     it with his chest, let it drop, then dribbled it toward midfield. Off to one side, he could see Jack Nguyen running parallel
     with him, waiting for a pass. At the same time, Rams tacklers were moving in, getting closer and closer. He could almost hear
     their breathing.
    He got within striking range, but there was a wall of defenders between him and the goal. He swiveled to one side, then turned
     to the other and passed the ball to Jack.
    Jack had the ball all by himself. There was one Ram fullback between him and a possible score.
    “Make it a winner, Jack!” Dana yelled.
    Jack drew back and booted the ball. But he had aimed his foot too high. Instead of flying through the air, the ball skittered
     on the grass.
    Abe and Steve swooped down after it. Abe got to it first. He kicked at it, slicing it back toward Dana.
    Dana trapped the ball with his feet. He dribbled it a few feet toward the goal, then positioned himself for the kick. He gave
     it his best shot.
    The ball took off like a meteor.
    Never had he kicked a ball that hard — and within microseconds, he wished he could pull it back. Abe had somehow gotten between
     Dana and the goal. The ball hit him in the back with a sickening thud. The force was so great, it knocked him over. The ball
     bounced over the goal line.
    “Abe!” Dana cried as the whistle sounded. The ref helped Abe to his feet, then positioned the ball for a goal kick. The Rams’
     goalie booted it with all his might.
    There was a lot of groaning among the Anchors. But Abe only gave Dana a silent, steely glare.
    With a minute to go in the half, the Rams were threatening again. In fact, it seemed like an instant replay of the action
     before their goal earlier in the game.
    Again, Dana was a little outside the tangled struggle for the ball. As much as he wanted to get in there, he knew he had to
     stick to his position.
    Just when he was sure a penalty whistle would blow, the ball broke loose. Sam Mikula, the Rams’ left wing, snagged it. With
     only seconds left to play, he got set and booted the ball toward the goal. Jazz dived for it with all his might, but that
     wasn’t enough. He was at least two feet from the ball when it zipped between the goalposts and struck the back of the net.
    It sounded like the Fourth of July as the whistle finally signaled the end of the first half. The crowd erupted, and the Rams
     celebrated the score: 2-0, in their favor.
    “Tough luck, Dana,” Coach Kingsley said as the Anchors’ wing came off the field. “We almost had one there. If your kick had
     just been a few more inches to one side, it would have been in