BACKFIELD PACKAGE

Quarterback Joe Mitchell and his tightknit backfield are leading the Hillcrest High Panthers to a second straight championship season and have promised to go on to college together. Then word spreads that a major football school is interested in Joe, and only Joe, while a newspaper article claims that he's actually carrying his team single-handedly. Joe's certainty melts into confusion and doubt: Is he really that good? Should he stand by his promise, or keep his options open? Meanwhile, the shaken Panthers barely beat a weak rival and face an undefeated powerhouse for the season's last game. Joe's labored, repetitive agonizing slows the first half, but the pace picks up; Dygard can always be relied on for vivid sports action, and the climactic gridiron battle is as exciting as any in sports fiction. Finally, after the Panthers lose by a whisker, Joe realizes he's made his decision, most of his friends, clearer-eyed, are unsurprised. Uneven, but a strong finisher. (Fiction. 12-16)