Free Touchdown Tony Crowne and the Mystery of the Missing Cheerleader by Peter Guy George Page A

sideline, he knew what was about to happen and he didn’t like it. Waving his arms frantically to get Tony’s attention, he yelled, “Get back in your lane, Tony! Get back in your lane!”
    Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Coach Tiny waving at him, saw Matt Bishop emerge from the stack of players near the sideline and knew his angle of pursuit was way off. He dug is feet into the ground to stop his momentum, swung his right arm around to help him pivot and spun the other direction. He had Matt in his sights for a sure open-field tackle when—
    THWACK!
    The initial blocker Tony had dodged on the kickoff followed him down the field and laid his shoulder pads directly into Tony’s chest, knocking him sideways into the air and landing on his back with a thud. A collective groan from the Bobcats’ fans issued from the bleachers after they witnessed the block on Tony. Gasping for his breath, Tony moved his head slightly to see if anyone else had tackled Matt Bishop. He could hear the Lakeside Lions fans cheering loudly because he was on that side of the field and he knew that was a bad omen. But then he heard the Bobcat fans faintly yelling, “Get’em Judd, get’em Judd!” and saw Judd diving toward Matt Bishop, grasp his lead foot and trip him up. Unfortunately, the next sound he heard was the ref’s voice yelling “Touchdown!” and the Lions’ fans going nuts.
    “I can’t believe what I just saw,” said a slack-jawed Hunter Dunwoody. He put his binoculars down and stared at Smilin’ Bob in disbelief.
    Smilin’ Bob announced over the p.a. that number 25, Matt Bishop, had scored on a seventy-yard kickoff return, muted the microphone, turned to Dunwoody and said, “Yeah, that was a nifty run and a slobber-knocker of a block on Tony Crowne.”
    Dunwoody barked, “Are you kidding me? I’m talking about number 75—what’s his name—oh, yeah, Judson. That kid ran down the field, bulldozed at least three or four blockers on his way, turned up field, ran another seventy yards and almost caught Bishop at the five-yard line. Meh, Bishop was lucky to stumble into the end zone. Wow! And he’s a lineman!”

Chapter 14- The Lion Roars
     
     
    The referee, standing over a still gasping-for-breath Tony, blew two quick whistles and waved his arm to Coach Tiny and shouted, “Injured man! Injured man!”
    “Official’s timeout for an injured player,” Smilin’ Bob intoned over the p.a. system, “Number 24, Tony Crowne.”
    Doc Claiborne, the Bobcat’s team doctor and the local general practitioner, ran out to attend to Tony followed closely by Coach Tiny. Doc reached him, knelt beside him and eyeballed him for apparent injuries. Realizing Tony’s main problem was his difficulty in breathing; Doc grabbed his waistband, lifted it up and instructed Tony in a calm voice, “Try to take some deep breaths, Tony, not little ones, deep breaths. That’s it. Here, let’s sit you up, that will relax your muscles.”
    Tony’s breathing slowed down and he was able to speak a little, “Sorry Coach, that was my fault. I shoulda had him.”
    “Don’t you worry about that now, Tony. How are you feeling?” Coach Tiny’s bright blue eyes stared at Tony with compassion.
    “I’ll be okay, Coach.”
    “Let’s get you up and over to the sidelines, Tony. Can you walk?” Doc Claiborne asked.
    “Yeah.” Tony said a little weakly.
    “Coach, I’m going to keep him out for the rest of the half and make sure he’s okay before I release him to play,” Doc Claiborne explained as they helped Tony back to the Bobcats’ sideline and sat him on the bench.
    “Absolutely, Doc. Whatever you say, you’re the boss in these matters.”
    Coach Tiny smiled, patted Tony once on the shoulder pads and once on the helmet, turned, yelled for Casey O’Toole to take Tony’s place on the point after attempt and returned to his usual spot on the sidelines.
    “Doc?” Maria Crowne had wended her way down from the bleachers, stood behind