As captain of the Polaris unit, Tom nodded, while smiling at the captain of the Arcturus team, a tow-headed boy with short chunky legs named Schohari.
"All clear, Mike," said Tom.
"All clear here, Mike," responded Schohari.
"All right, shake hands and take your places."
The six boys shook hands and jogged toward respective opposite lines. Mike waited for them to reach their goal lines, and then placed the ball in the middle of a chalk-drawn circle.
Toeing the line, Tom, Roger and Astro eyed the Arcturus crew and prepared for the dash to the ball.
"All right, fellas," urged Tom, "let's show them something!"
"Yeah," breathed Astro, "just let me get my size thirteens on that pumpkin before it starts twisting around!"
Astro wanted the advantage of the first kick at the ball while the mercury tube inside was still quiet. Once the mercury was agitated, the ball would be as easy to kick as a well-greased eel.
"We'll block for you, Astro," said Tom, "and you put every ounce of beef you've got into that first kick. If we're lucky, we might be able to get the jump on them!"