Free Go Long! by Ronde Barber Page A

unsure of himself, having never coached a football game in his life.
    But still, Wheeler wasn’t the one out there on the field messing up. Besides, he’d really only taken over after the first game. So even if you did pin this latest loss on him, you couldn’t blame him for the first one.
    Besides, it wasn’t Wheeler’s fault that Coach Spangler had gone off to coach at the high school. They all wished Spangler was still there. But Tiki also knew that when you can’t change things, you have to accept them.
    Still, there were two things that he couldn’t accept, and they kept eating at him. The first was his own poor play. How could he make so many mistakes in just one measly little game?
    The second, though, was even worse, because it washarder to correct. And that was the fact that, whoever’s fault it was, the Hidden Valley Eagles weren’t playing as a team .
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    It was Monday afternoon. All weekend, Tiki and Ronde had been in Charlottesville with their mom, visiting cousins. They’d had no chance to throw the football around. That really upset Tiki, because he was so anxious to work on his game.
    All day Monday, he sat in classes without paying the slightest attention. His thoughts kept drifting back to the horrible game he’d played last Thursday.
    When the bell finally sounded, ending the school day, he walked slowly down to the locker room. He was in no hurry to face his teammates again. He knew they all were probably talking about him.
    Just as he was about to pull open the door to the locker room, it swung open, and there was Matt Clayton staring at him, smiling.
    â€œMatt!” Tiki said, surprised. “What are you doing here, man?”
    â€œHey, Tiki,” Matt greeted him. “I had to drop something off for Coach.”
    â€œCoach Spangler?”
    â€œNo, Coach Wheeler. He hired me to do a little job for him.”
    â€œWhat kind of job?”
    Matt grinned. “You’ll find out soon enough. Meanwhile, I hear you guys are having a tough time.”
    Tiki shook his head. “It’s bad, Matt. I messed up big-time last week.”
    â€œWell, hey, cut yourself a little slack. Wheeler’s a good man—he’ll turn this team around, you’ll see.”
    â€œI don’t know,” Tiki said. He told Matt about Cody’s attitude, and how most of the players agreed with him.
    Matt frowned. “Hmmm. That is a problem. Unless your coach and your QB are on the same page, it’s hard to win. A team’s gotta play like a team, you know?”
    Tiki knew, all right. He couldn’t have put it better himself.
    â€œI wish Spangler was still here,” Tiki admitted. “We all do.”
    â€œYeah, he’s great,” Matt admitted. “But it doesn’t do me much good.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Tiki asked. “I read in the paper that you guys are two and zero.”
    â€œTrue, but I’ve just been watching from the bench.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI’m only a freshman, remember? Like you guys last year, I’ve got to wait my turn.”
    â€œBut you’re the best quarterback to come out of Roanoke in years!”
    â€œThanks,” Matt said, giving Tiki a clap on the shoulder. “Glad you think so. But I’ve got to be patient—just likeyou guys have to be patient with Coach Wheeler.”
    â€œMan, the paper’s going to slam him and me this week,” Tiki said.
    â€œForget that rag! When you win, you’re the king of the world, and when you lose, you’re nothing. I stopped reading about myself years ago, and you should too.”
    â€œI guess you’re right,” Tiki said. But he couldn’t really see not reading the local paper—how else would you find out what was going on in town—especially when it was about you ?
    â€œAnyway,” Matt said, “I’ll be seeing you