Free Takedown by Matt Christopher

the “hummingbird” might roll me in to a near fall, or even
     a pin. The thought was scary.
    The whistle shrilled. I moved the instant I heard it, shot up on my feet, and whirled. At the same time I grabbed something
     firm, thinking it was Lucas’s arm, and I spun in time to see the ref’s arm — the one with the red band on it — shoot up. Two
     fingers jabbed the air.
    “Darn!” I said.
    I had grabbed Lucas’s headgear instead!
    The Gardner fans roared. “Way to go, Eddie!” they cried.
    The penalty bothered me, but only for a second. Lucas was already on the move, rolling over onto my back, grabbing my left
     wrist, driving with his legs to power me over onto myback. I could feel his strength and knew that if he succeeded he’d get a near fall for sure. Already he had earned a lot of
     points and was ahead of me by seven or eight. If he won by eight points — eight to eleven — it would mean a major decision
     for him and four points for his team. A spread of twelve or more points meant five team points.
    I couldn’t let that happen. I
wouldn’t
let that happen!
    Feeling the sweat rolling down my face and into my mouth, I gritted my teeth, gathered all the strength I could, and scored
     an escape. Then, remembering the double leg tackle that Clint had taught me, I tried it. It worked!
    I scored a few more points in the third and last period by reversals and escapes, and when it was over it was
my
hand that the referee raised up.
    I’d won by a skimpy margin. But I’d won. I had beaten Swifty, the hummingbird.
    I looked up into the stands and saw Mom standing up with other Jefferson Davis fans, smiling and applauding like crazy. Carl
     wasn’tstanding, but he was smiling and clapping, too. He may not have been as enthusiastic as Mom, but at least Carl was there.
     Unlike Dad, who had stayed home again.
    I turned and saw Clint looking at me. He smiled, and I smiled back. I hoped he could read the message in my eyes:
Thanks for teaching me some of those holds, Clint. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have won.
    Just then someone called, “Sean!”
    I whirled.
    “That double leg is a good hold, but I don’t remember teaching it to you,” Coach Collins said as he came toward me. “You must
     be doing a lot of homework.”
    I shrugged and didn’t say anything.
    “You got away with it this time,” he went on, “but you were lucky. It’s a clever move, but I don’t think you’re ready for
     it. Just stick to the moves I’ve taught you. Okay?”
    He sounded a little perturbed, and I guess he had a right to be. Maybe I’d been listening to Clint more than I should have.
     Then again, the hold
had
worked…
    I nodded half-heartedly.
    “Congrats, anyway,” he said, and walked away.
    I was still thinking about what he’d said when a hand grabbed mine and a voice cried in my ear: “Congratulations, Sean! You
     came through like a champion!”
    It was Gail. I looked for her ever-present shadow but didn’t see her. Instead, a different girl was with her.
    Gail grinned. “You looking for Barbara? She couldn’t make it tonight. This is Kate Morris.”
    “Hi, Kate,” I said to the short, chubby girl next to her.
    “Hi,” she said. Her eyes shifted away from mine, out of shyness, I guessed.
    “Thanks for coming,” I said to Gail.
    But I couldn’t help thinking of her as being Max’s sister, and just the thought of Max made me sick. In recent weeks no one
     had gotten me into more trouble than he. Maybe the less I saw of Gail the better.
    The overhead lights danced in her eyes. “Well, I admit I was worried for a while. But you came through great.”
    “Thanks,” I said again, turning away. “Sorry. I’ve got to go.”
    “So soon?” she exclaimed.
    “Yeah,” I said over my shoulder.
    Just then a trio of guys came up behind Gail and Kate. Speak of the devil! I thought.
    “I got to admit you looked okay, Short Fry,” Max the Octopus said, one side of his mouth curled in a wry smile. “I