The rest of the first half was a disaster for the ’Cats. Jerry couldn’t seem to get his head into the game. Time after time, he flubbed a pass, had the ball stolen, or missed a chance to score. By the time the ref blew the whistle, the score was Torpedoes 3, ’Cats 0.
Coach Bradley tried to cheer up the ’Cats.
“Okay,” he said, “so we’ve missed a few shots we shouldn’t have and let a few go by we should have stopped.” He spread his hands wide. “No big deal! Just keep trying your hardest out there. Plug up the holes on defense and find the holes on offense. These guys aren’t so tough.” He jerked a thumb toward the water cooler. “Now get something to drink and get ready to blast those Torpedoes out of the water!”
The team gave a shout and headed for the water.
“Jerry, wait a sec,” Coach Bradley said.
Jerry hung his head but didn’t say anything.
“You know, everyone has off days,” Coach Bradley said kindly. “But it seems to me there’s something bothering you. You’re dragging around out there like a puppet without any strings.”
“I’m sorry, Coach,” Jerry whispered. He hesitated a moment, then started to explain about the missing key. “Stookie’s going to hate me!” he finished with a wail.
“Well, I doubt that,” the coach said. “I’m not saying he won’t be upset. But it seems you’ve done all you could to find the key. You’ve also done your best to keep an eye on his house and his gerbils. You can’t do any more than your best, right?”
“I guess so,” Jerry said, suddenly feeling a little better.
“Well, I know so,” the coach said. A whistle blasted, signaling the game was about to start again. “And your best is all I’m going to ask you to do. No more puppet, okay?”
“Okay!” Jerry gave the coach a grin.
“All right! Then let’s go! Go ’Cats!”
Jerry ran onto the field with his teammates. He was determined not to let the coach down.
“No more puppet,” he murmured to himself as he waited for the ref to place the ball in front of him. “No more puppet.”
The ref blew the whistle. Jerry toed the ball to Roy Boswick, the left striker. Roy tried to dribble downfield, but he got into trouble right away. Two Torpedo halfbacks double-teamed him.
Jerry was ready. He swooped in, calling for a pass. Roy shot him a grateful look and booted the ball in his direction.
Jerry caught it cleanly on his instep. The Torpedo halfbacks moved in. Jerry looked up to see if Lou was in the clear. He was. Jerry fired the ball to him.
Lou took off like a rocket. Jerry charged down the field alongside him. One Torpedo halfback covered Lou, the other stayed with Jerry.
Jerry tried to outrun his opponent. But the halfback was quick and stuck to him. Meanwhile, Lou was starting to have trouble.
What would Stookie do now? Jerry wondered. He thought back to the last game. He remembered how Stookie had fooled the defense when he’d stopped dead. Would that work now, too? It was worth a try.
Jerry slammed on the brakes. The Torpedo halfback kept going. Suddenly, Jerry was wide open!
“Here! Send it here, Lou!” he shouted.
