After years of playing nothing but soccer in Hudson City, New Jersey, Manny has to work very hard to play on the middle school football team, using determination, speed, and smarts to make up for being small and inexperienced. Manny's starting his first football season with the Hudson City Hornets, and he's determined to get in the game and not warm the bench. Problem is, Manny's not a big guy, and when he tries to tackle the offense, he's the one...

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.