Undercover Tailback by Matt Christopher

thought.
    Another thought burrowed deeper in his mind: the only way to gain someone’s trust is to tell the truth. Always. Not just once
     in a while. Not just “shaving the edge off.” No fibs or white lies. Just the plain old truth.
    A loud cheer from the stands brought his attention back to the field.
    The Kudzus had brought the ball down to within scoring distance. A series of running plays kept the ball safely in their own
     hands.
    But by this time, the Piranhas’ defense had wised up. They couldn’t depend on inside info anymore. Instead, they just played
     the best they could. Since they hadn’t used up much of their energy yet, they had plenty of stamina left. Enough to keep the
     Kudzus from simply coasting into the end zone.
    The next two plays went nowhere, and Mitch called a time out.
    Parker had been watching the game carefully — and thought he noticed something. When Mitch came over to the sideline to talk
     to Coach Isaac, Parker joined them.
    “Their nose tackle is reading my mind,” Mitch complained. “Even with the changed signals, they’ve been in on the last two
     plays.”
    “You’re telling them with your head,” Parker piped up. “Remember what Terry noticed about the Leopards’ quarterback? If it’s
     a pass or a run to one side, you turn in that direction when you come out of the huddle. It’s a dead giveaway.”
    “Right,” said Coach Isaac. “And then the nose tackle shifts a little to that side when you line up. The rest of the defense
     takes their signals from him.”
    “Wow! I’ll just look straight ahead from now on,” said Mitch. “Thanks a lot!”
    He ran off to the Kudzus’ huddle.
    “Nice spotting,” said Coach Isaac. “Could make a big difference.”
    It did.
    On the next play, Mitch looked straight ahead when they broke from the huddle.
    The Piranhas shuffled around as they lined up. Confused and overeager, they made a mistake. Before Mitch finished calling
     signals, a whistle blew.
    Offside: Piranhas.
    The penalty was half the distance to the goal.
    “If Perry could get behind Mitch, he could almost hoist him over,” joked Rook.
    “That’s just about what they’ll look for,” said Parker. “Another quarterback sneak. I’d stick with the screen pass to Moose.”
    “Let’s see if that’s what Mitch has in mind,” said the coach.
    It was.
    Moose snagged the ball standing up for another Kudzu touchdown.
    “I guess we’re all on the same track.” Coach Isaac smiled. He looked over at Parker and added, “You’d better get that brain
     of yoursworking in your math class. I need my number-one tailback out there.”
    Parker couldn’t remember anyone saying anything like that to him in a long time. Not since his dad had died.
    After making the extra point, the Kudzu offense came off the field.
    Mitch was all smiles. Perry looked pretty happy, too. He had made a couple of good runs.
    “Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out to keep my slot,” said Parker.
    “Naw, Park,” said Cris. “We miss you in the huddle. Nobody tells us any stories anymore.”
    Parker tried to snap a damp towel at the wise-guy receiver. Instead it crunched, frozen in the cold.
    The guys all laughed as Cris gave Parker a friendly punch on the arm.
    The Piranha offense wasn’t giving up on the field. Their quarterback was calling a terrific game. Between short quick passes
     and running plays, he gave the Kudzu defense something to think about.
    Parker looked at the clock on the scoreboard. There was less than a minute to play.
    The Piranhas had the ball on the Kudzu thirty-two yard line. It was their third down.
    With his blockers holding off the Kudzu defense, the Piranhas quarterback drew way back, positioned himself, and hurled a
     long pass to his wide receiver deep in the end zone.
    It was a perfect spiral, aimed right at his target.
    But Damien Roberts, the Kudzu safety, was all ready for it. He swooped by the surprised Piranha receiver and grabbed the ball