A small-town high-school football squad must manage a season without an official coach, prompting players, managers, and supporters to take charge of training, strategy, and morale. Richard Lovering, a resourceful young manager who navigates physical limitations with ingenuity, and his friends contribute ideas, organize committees, and develop unconventional plays and tactics. The plot follows practices, selection debates, injuries, a city trip for coaching help, and the testing of experimental formations, culminating in a crucial game where a carefully devised hidden play determines the outcome. The story highlights teamwork, youthful leadership, and practical problem-solving within the routines and rituals of school sport.