"If anyone understands the phrase 'tough luck,' it's Harrison. As a foster kid in a cruel home, he knows his dream of one day playing for the NFL is a long shot. Then Harrison's luck seems to change. He is brought into a new home with kind, loving parents--his new dad is even a football coach. Harrison's big build and his incredible determination quickly make him a star running back on the junior high school team. In no time, he's practically unstoppable....

As a school assignment, eighth-grader Matt Monroe keeps a journal about his team's football season.

Jasper quit his school football team after blowing a big play, which is giving him a lot of time to get into trouble with his friends--but when he is allowed to rejoin the team rather than face detention he finds that everybody is mad at him: his teammates because he quit, and his friends because he is avoiding punishment.

"When seventh-grader Mitch Sloan moves to Jonasburg, Indiana, he uses his exceptional skills in math, money, and sports statistics to make friends--but gets in over his head when he starts a football betting ring"--

ZJ's friends Ollie, Darry and Daniel help him cope when his father, a beloved professional football player, suffers severe headaches and memory loss that spell the end of his career.--

Twelve-year-old football stars Troy White and Ty Lewis are eager to face each other in a seven-on-seven tournament being held at the Super Bowl in Miami, unaware that bad choices made by members of their families will put both boys in danger.

As the summer of 1969 turns to fall in their New Jersey town, twelve-year-old Brody plays football in his first year at junior high while his older brother's protest of the war in Vietnam causes tension with their father.