Read Catch That Pass! for Free Online Page A

Hayes. “He skidded on a banana peel and got banana oil on his knee joints.”
    Doug chuckled. “Pardon me for that
peel
of laughter,” he punned. “Okay, let’s try a couple more plays. Then run around the field twice and we’ll call it quits.”
    Practice proceeded normally on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday Jim’s wish was answered. Chris Howe, quarterbacking for
     the offense, faded back a few steps after the snap from center and pulled back his arm. Jim, starting through the line, saw
     the move and stopped. He looked to his right. No man was waiting for a short pass there, but the left end was running deep.
     Jim looked to his left. The right end was racing down toward the corner pocket. But another man, Ronnie Holmes, was button-hooking
     in!
    Chris lobbed a pass. Jim sprang. Heleaped high and caught the ball. As he came down with it, he saw Ronnie diving at him. He gripped the ball hard, shut his
     eyes, and braced himself.
    And then Ronnie hit him. The blow felt like an explosion. He went down, still gripping the ball, with Ronnie’s arm like a
     vice around his waist. He lay there a moment, then opened his eyes. Ronnie got off him.
    “You lucky stiff,” he muttered.
    Jim fixed a smile on his face. He tossed the ball up to Doug and climbed to his feet. He had done it. He had intercepted a
     pass, was tackled, and still had hung on to the ball. Sure he had gotten scared. Sure he had almost fallen to pieces. But
     he hadn’t. He had made it.
    He was in the lineup Saturday. The Vulcans were playing the Astrojets, who had won two games and lost two. They were steamedup for another win. The Cadets had first place cinched, but second place was still open.
    Ronnie Holmes and Tom Willis, the teams’ captains for today’s game, were on the middle of the field. They watched the referee
     toss the coin. They looked at it on the ground. Then the ref put his hand on Ronnie’s shoulder, indicating that Ronnie had
     won the toss. The ref said something to Willis, then trotted to the thirty-yard line and spotted the football on end while
     the two captains ran off the field to their respective teams. A moment later, the Vulcans’ offensive unit ran out to the north
     side of the field and the Astrojets’ defensive unit ran out to the south side of the field.
    The whistle shrilled. The Astrojets kicked off. The ball sailed end over end to the Vulcans’ nineteen. Mike Ritter, the left
     halfback,took it and galloped for sixteen yards before he was pulled down.
    “Let’s win this for Christopher Columbus,” said Bucky, huddled in his poncho against the nippy October air.
    Jim frowned. “Why for him?”
    “It’s the twelfth,” replied Bucky. “Columbus Day — the day he landed in the New World.”
    “Boy! Are you a whiz at history!” said Jim, giving his friend a shove with his elbow.
    The Vulcans kept the ball on the ground for their first three plays and gained eight yards. Then Ronnie plowed through center
     for three, picking up a first down.
    On the first play, Chris Howe faked a handoff to Mike, then flipped a lateral to Ken Morris, who was running behind him from
     his right halfback position. Ken took the pitch and bolted around left end.Ronnie swept in to throw a block on the right linebacker, and Ken raced to the Astrojets’ twenty-four before he was tackled.
    The Vulcan fans roared, and Bucky slapped Jim heartily on the back. “Another first down! That was a hot play, man!”
    Ronnie bucked, but lost two yards on the play. Mike took a handoff and started a long spurt around right end. The Astrojets’
     left line broke through and chased Mike back. He started toward the opposite side of the field, saw two linebackers swooping
     at him, and started back the other way.
    “Oh, no!” yelled Hook Wheeler, standing at Jim’s left side. “Run forward, you nit! Not backward!”
    “Please, somebody, tackle him before he goes into our end zone!” wailed Jim.
    Mike was hit on the Vulcans’