Long Arm Quarterback Read Free

Right, on two!
Down! Set! Hut
one,
hut
two …”
    Cap dropped back three steps, pumped toward Mick, and fired downfield. Sam sprinted hard, but the ball was two feet beyond
     his reach. Disgusted with himself, Cap kicked the turf.
    “It's okay, you'll nail it next time,” Ben said, giving Cap a pat on the back. “It's just the first day.”
    Cap didn't feel better. He was in for a battle with Jimmy, who was looking very good.
    Sam retrieved the ball and trotted back. He tossed the ball to Tully and grinned at Cap.
    “I'll need a stepladder for those bombs.”
    Cap flushed. “Maybe you could just try hustling a little more.”
    Sam's grin vanished. “Don't blame me if you can't control the ball!”
    Quickly, Tully stepped in. “I don't want to hear that stuff. Teammates work together.”
    Cap and Sam nodded. As Sam walked away, he whispered to Jimmy, who laughed. Tully frowned at his grandson.
    “Sam didn't mean anything by that, he was kidding you.”
    Cap wished he could be sure. He had been looking forward to this day, but it wasn't working out the way he had hoped.
    Tully worked on clear passes, using Mick and Fritz as running backs. He created an end-around play, with Cap or Jimmy faking
     a pitch to Fritz and tossing the ball to Sam, who came in from right end. Fritz and Mick would block. Jimmy looked better
     on pitchouts and laterals at first, but Cap quickly improved.
    Cap's last pitchout was smooth.
    “Lookin' good,” said Jimmy.
    Cap was startled. It was the first time Jimmy had spoken to him.
    “Thanks,” he replied. “If I'm lucky, I'll get it down as good as you have it now.”
    Tully whistled the team together. “I'm holding offon defenses until tomorrow because it's hard to run them without an offense to practice against. I just figured out a way
     to work around our lack of players. I'll call the other coaches and see about scheduling scrimmages with other schools.”
    “But what'll we do till then?” asked Vince Avery.
    Cap thought a moment. “Well, we—”
    “Hey, Cap, Grandpa!” called a voice. “How's it going?”
    Candy Wadell waved from the side of the field where she stood with her best friend, Bobby Jo Keller. Both girls were tall
     and athletic, and they joined in pickup games often. Seeing them gave Cap an idea.
    “Gramps, maybe Candy and Bobby Jo could help us. You know, so we could work on our plays against a whole team, or close to
     it.”
    Sam Dracus's jaw dropped in disbelief. “Work out with
girls?
You serious?”
    “You got any better ideas?” Cap demanded. “Candy is an athlete, she's fast, and that goes for Bobby Jo too. They can both
     catch passes as good as you, I bet.”
    “Oh yeah?” Sam snapped.
    Tully held up a hand. “Cap may have an idea there.”
    “But—” Steve Flynn started to say.
    “No, listen,” said Tully. “This could solve our problem. Scrimmages are useful, if I can set them up, but if we get a practice
     squad to work with, we'll be better off. I know these girls, and Cap is right about them. They'll both play basketball for
     Cow-pen next winter. I say if they're willing to help, let's be grateful for it.”
    “Makes sense to me,” said Jimmy. Once again, Cap was surprised.
    Fritz Marconi's face lit up. “I have an idea. My buddy Gabe Muñoz is in ninth grade now, so he's too old for our team, but
     he can play. I bet he'd join the practice squad. Then we'd have twelve players, so we could practice with two full teams.”
    “Hey, yeah,” said Mick. “Gabe is good.”
    Tully nodded. “Fritz, give your friend a call.” He beckoned to Candy and Bobby Jo and explained what he wanted. Both girls
     said they'd be happy to start coming to practice the next day.
    Tully looked satisfied. “Well, if Gabe comes too, then we can really work. Tomorrow we go overwhat we did today and start learning some defensive—”
    He was interrupted by a roaring engine and a squeal of brakes. Sable Cash's dusty pickup stopped by the field, and Sable