Leo Campbell sprinted downfield, dug his right foot into the dry dirt of Sligo Park, and cut into the middle of the field. The football was in the air before Sebastian “Sebby” Bates could call out “Three Mississippi!”
Leo reached out. The ball grazed his fingertips and dangled in the air for a moment. But Leo was off-balance, and he tumbled to the turf with the ball bouncing alongside of him. Leo slammed his palm down, and a small cloud of dust appeared around his hand.
“Good try,” Ginny Bruno said as she held out her hand to help Leo up. “That was almost a great catch.”
“Yeah, almost,” Leo said.
“You had me by a couple steps,” Ginny admitted. She reached down and picked up Leo’s flag from the ground. Leo tucked the rag into the waistband of his shorts.
“Thanks.”
Back in the huddle, Hank Harris apologized for the pass. “Sorry, I led you too much.”
“That’s okay,” Leo said. “But I’ve got to catch those if I want to play wide receiver for the Newport Raiders’ junior varsity team.”
Hank laughed. “You’re good. I definitely won’t be playing quarterback for that team.” He looked at Leo. “You want to try quarterback?”
Leo did not have any better luck. After two incomplete passes, he called out, “We’re going to punt.”
The punt in this four-on-four flag football game meant Leo threw the football downfield as high and as far as he could as his three teammates raced to cover the punt. Ginny gathered in the ball and ran ten yards before Hank pulled the flag from her waist.
“I got you!” Hank shouted as he held the strip of cloth high.
Sebby tossed a couple of quick passes to Ginny to move their team closer to the end zone. “Come on,” Leo barked at Abby Bannister. “You have to cover her.”
Abby spread her hands out in frustration. “You want to cover Ginny?” she asked. “She’s really tough.”
“Okay, let’s switch.” Leo signaled with his hands. He lined up across from Ginny on the next play. A small smile spread along her lips.
“You guys must be getting serious,” she said.
“Hut one . . . hut two . . .”
Ginny broke from the line of scrimmage, sprinting straight at Leo. She took one step to the sideline and then cut upfield. Leo fell for the fake for the briefest moment but then spun and chased Ginny along the sideline.
Leo looked back for the football. It was almost there. At the last instant, Leo reached up and tapped the falling football away from Ginny’s hands just as she was about to grab it.
“Nice play,” Ginny said as the two friends jogged back. “I thought that one was a sure TD.”
The game continued. When he was on defense, Leo kept Ginny from catching many more passes. On offense, Leo caught a few passes but also dropped a couple catchable balls.
“Let’s take a break,” Hank said. “I’m sweating like crazy.”
The eight players spread out in the shade beneath a pair of large oak trees near the park. Leo eyed the field, baking in the summer heat.
“Man, it’s hot,” he said. Then he drained his water bottle.
“It’s going to be really hot when you guys are at football tryouts next week in all that equipment,” Ginny said, pulling at her shorts. “That’s another reason you should stick with flag football. You can play in something cool.”
Leo smiled. Ginny kept trying to get him and Hank and Sebby to play on the school’s flag football team.
“When are the JV tryouts?” Abby asked.
“Next Tuesday,” Sebby said. “But they aren’t really tryouts. Coach Carter keeps almost everybody for the junior varsity team.”
Leo tilted his water bottle so he could get the last drops. “Yeah, but Coach will split the team into offense, defense, and special teams. You know, the guys who play on punts and kickoffs.” He looked at Hank and Sebby. “What position are you guys going to try out for?”
“Definitely not quarterback,” Hank laughed. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what I want to play. The moment the coaches see a big guy like me they are going to put me in the line. What about you guys?”
“Defense,” Sebby said, almost before the question was out of Hank’s mouth. “I would rather do the hitting than be on offense and be the one getting hit.”
Ginny noticed Leo hadn’t answered the question. “So, what’s the deal, Leo? What position are you going to try out for?”
“Wide receiver.”
“Then you better not drop any passes,” Sebby said.
Hank nodded his head. “Anything you can touch you should catch.”
“Maybe you should try out for defensive back,” Ginny said. “You did a good job on me out there.”
“Maybe,” Leo said, although he didn’t mean it. He wanted to be a wide receiver, the guy who caught passes and scored touchdowns.
Leo grabbed the football and popped to his feet. “Come on, let’s keep playing. Whose ball is it?”
“Ours,” Hank said. “They scored last.”
Leo and his team gathered in a huddle. Hank took charge, drawing the play on a teammate’s chest.
“I’ll be quarterback. Abby, you do a down and in from the left. Liam, you hike and flare to the right. Leo, you do a buttonhook and go. On two.”
Leo lined up on the right. Sebby was covering him.
“Hut one . . . Hut two . . .”
Leo sprinted ten yards, then slowed down as if he were about to turn toward the quarterback. As Sebby pressed closer, Leo spun past him.
This time the pass was right on target. Leo gathered the ball in full stride, tucking it under his right arm. He ran past the goal line and raised his hands and the football in triumph.
Touchdown!
Copyright © 2025 by Fred Bowen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
