Free Goal Line by Tiki Barber

darts to Felix and Luke for a pair of first downs. And then it was Tiki time. After faking a pass to Felix, Manny then dumped the ball off to Tiki along the sideline.
    The cornerback went for him, but Tiki just threw him off. The corner crashed into his teammates on the sideline, nearly bowling them over.
    Tiki was already down the field, butting headfirst into one of the safeties, knocking him flat on his backside!
    This was a totally new Tiki. He still had the cutback moves. But he now also brought another element to his game—brute force.
    Ronde could only imagine what Tiki must be feeling now, as he knocked defenders over with sheer strength and determination. But of course, identical twins have an uncanny ability to get inside each other’s thoughts, and Tiki and Ronde were no exception.
    Ronde watched, holding his breath as Tiki pulled one last spin move and stumbled forward into the end zone. “Woo-hoo!!” Ronde shouted. “Tiiii-kiiii!”
    The bleachers were quiet, but the Eagles’ sideline erupted in enough noise for a whole stadium. The quarter ended after Adam’s extra point, with the Eagles leading for the first time, and the teams switched ends of the field for the kickoff.
    Ronde was ready for anything—but not for what happened next. Just as he was about to lay a big hit on the return man, a freight train ran into him from the right and sent him flying. He hit the ground with extreme force, and a body landed on top of him.
    â€œOoof! Ow, that hurt!” Ronde yelled, pushing the guy off him. As he did so, he was shocked to find that it was one of his own teammates, a new kid on special teams.
    â€œWhat in the—”
    â€œSorry. Sorry, Ronde!” the poor kid said, backing off. Ronde looked down the field, but he already knew what had happened. He could tell by the roar from the stands that the returner had gone all the way for the touchdown.
    â€œI
had
him, man!” Ronde shouted at the kid, who’d obviously made the team because of his speed and strength. He’d sure hit Ronde hard! “What did you think you were doing?”
    â€œI … I guess I was running with my head down,” said the kid, peeking at Ronde guiltily. “I thought … I thought you were…”
    â€œYou thought I was
him
,” Ronde finished for him.
    â€œI said I was sorry,” the kid said, on the verge of tears.
    â€œHey, don’t worry about it,” Ronde told him, clapping him on the back. “It’s gonna be okay. Let’s go. We’ve got a game to finish.”
    He trotted off to the sideline with the kid right behind him. Just as they got there, North Side kicked the extra point to tie the game back up.
    â€œWhat’s your name again?” Ronde asked him.
    â€œRio. Rio Ikeda.”
    â€œDon’t worry, Rio,” Ronde told him as they ran back onto the field to receive the kickoff. “I’m gonna get those points back right now, and you’re gonna help me.”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œJust stay to my right the whole time,” Ronde told him. “And look alive.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œStay alert. You never know what I might do.”
    The kid looked puzzled, but he did as he was told and lined up to the right of Ronde.
    Grabbing the kick, Ronde took off to his left. There was no time to check if Rio was to his right. The Rockets were after him, and closing fast!
    Ronde turned the corner and headed downfield. He leapt over one Rocket who was sprawled on the ground beneath him, and made another defender miss, but soon he saw that the jig was up. Two Rockets were about to slam into him.
    That’s when he wheeled around and tossed the football—right into the arms of a shocked Rio, who was trailing Ronde, just as he was supposed to. Rio was so surprised that he almost dropped the ball.
    But he didn’t. Remembering Ronde’s warning, he stayed alert, and when the ball suddenly came his way,