Chapter 19

Jeff

“Coach?” I was stunned.

This had to be a joke. How could Coach Douglas honestly consider demoting me because of one run?

“Take it easy, Stoddard,” Coach said. “This is a good thing—for both of you.”

My face must have looked skeptical because Coach continued, “Just hear me out. Ever heard of Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn?”

I knew who they were, but I didn’t answer. Scooter didn’t either. I think we were both trying to figure out where this was going.

“They were both running backs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s. They went by the nicknames Thunder and Lightning. Alstott was a power back. Dunn was a speedster. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Again we didn’t answer. He didn’t seem to expect us to.

“You’re going to share the carries, boys. Stoddard, you’re going to hit the defensive line like a sledgehammer to a plaster wall. Williams, you’re going to shoot past their crumbling defense and run circles around the secondary. How does that sound to you?”

We still didn’t answer.

Coach was beaming. I’d never seen him look so happy. “Thunder and Lightning, boys. Thunder,” he paused for dramatic effect, “and lightning.”