Note: Story shown here may not be exact. James Scott Powers Today was the day! James Scott Powers, age 8,
from San Angelo, Texas, still couldn't believe he had been lucky enough to win the big soccer
sweepstakes. The grand prize had been tickets to watch his favorite team the San Angelo Raiders at the stadium. Jamie was especially excited because as the big winner
he was going to get to sit on the bench with Joe Nichols and Steve Wright! Also, Jamie could take Garrett, Tevin and Ty to the game, too. Once inside the stadium, Jamie, Garrett, Tevin, and Ty were ushered to the San Angelo Raiders locker room. "Jamie, you're such a big fan of ours that we'd like to make you an
honorary member of the San Angelo Raiders,"
the coach said. "Here's your very own uniform." The coach then turned to the
players. "Okay everybody, let's win this one for Jamie!" The team all cheered and ran
out to the field. Jamie, Garrett, Tevin,
and Ty hurried to their seats on the bench. They didn't want to miss the
opening kick off. As they sat down, the referee
tossed the coin. The San Angelo Raiders won the
coin toss, and decided that they would kick off. The ball was kicked into
play. The players dribbled the ball down the field. "Go team!" yelled Jamie. Jamie watched excitedly as the ball went up and down the
field. His team kept making runs at the goal but hadn't been able to score yet.
The opposing team was the Abilene Stars and they
had already scored once. Suddenly, Jamie heard a whistle. One of the San Angelo Raiders had been fouled by the other team
and was lying on the ground clutching his leg. With all the excitement on
the field, no one noticed that the ball was zooming through the air right
towards Jamie. What could he do? Thinking fast, Jamie gave the ball a mighty kick. Up, up in the air
the ball went. "That was quite a
kick," the coach said to Jamie. "We
have an injured player and the team needs a player to kick the free kick. Have
you ever kicked a free kick before Jamie?" "Sure! I love playing
soccer! I know I can score on the free kick for you," Jamie said. Jamie could not believe his good luck. He was actually
going to get a chance to help the San Angelo Raiders
win the game! Dwayne DeRosario, Ronnie Ekelund and Zak
Ibsen walked up and said, "Glad you
are going to try our free kick, Jamie. We know
you can score." Jamie lined up in front of the goal to kick the ball. The coach yelled, "I
know you can do it, Jamie!" Jamie looked at the soccerball
lying on the field. With all his might, he kicked the ball straight at the
goal. The goalie from the Abilene Stars jumped towards the ball as it flew
through the air. The soccerball sailed by the
goalie's hands and into the net. Now the score was tied, but Jamie wanted the San Angelo
Raiders to win. Jamie used all his soccer skills. He dribbled the ball down
the field. He trapped the ball with the top of his foot. He even used his head
to pass. "Way to go Jamie," yelled the coach from the sidelines.
"That was a great header!" Jamie kept looking for the shot but hadn't scored another
goal. There was less than a minute left in the game and Jamie was getting tired, but he couldn't disappoint his team. The ball came towards Jamie but he was far from the goal. Suddenly, he saw
an opening. "Do I really have the
shot?" wondered Jamie. There was only one way to
find out. Jamie used all his strength and tried
a long kick. The crowd grew silent as the ball flashed through the air. The
ball hit the edge of the goal for just a second, then
bounced into the net. Score! Jamie had scored the winning goal! The San Angelo Raiders had won the game! The crowd started
chanting, "Jamie, Jamie!"
The other players hoisted Jamie above their
shoulders and marched him around the field. "This has be the best day of my life," Jamie
said to Garrett, Tevin, and
Ty. As the coach handed Jamie the Most Valuable Player trophy, he said, "Jamie, you can play on our team any day. You're a real
soccer superstar!" The End
The Soccer Superstar
With love,
Mom and Dad
2003
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