Better Buck Next Time

New in town and fresh off a tumble down the school stairs, Buck Meltsner misses football tryouts - and Coach Griffin won't give him a second chance. Then star receiver Micah Fenton invites him to a club called Friends, Athletics, Faith, where Buck is paired up to mentor Chase, a foster kid who loves Babe Ruth, hates long division, and dreams of a college sports camp his family can't afford. So Buck and his new friends paint house numbers on curbs at ten dollars apiece, raising enough to send all ten kids in the program to camp. Word of Buck's hard work reaches the coach, who decides integrity is more valuable than interceptions and lets Buck try out after all. He makes the team, and when Micah drops three passes on Friday night, Buck comes off the bench and scores three touchdowns... straight into Micah's starting spot. Now Buck has everything he wanted - and a brand-new friendship hanging by a thread.

Found on At Face Value Album 78 · 6 episodes

The run See every episode

0996 Drake and the Heart Drive When two students vanish from a futuristic high school, a detective's adopted daughter goes undercover to crack the case her father can't - but her biggest secret may be the key to everything.

0997 You Dirty Rat While Whit is away, Connie's determination to rid Whit's End of a surprisingly clever rat collides with her roommate's sudden, mysterious campaign for mercy.

0998 Express Salvation With her Marine husband silent overseas and the waiting wearing her down, a frightened mother lets her kids talk her into church - where a Sunday of hard questions changes more than anyone expects.

0999 Not the Same A Marine dad returns home from deployment to find his family has changed in ways he didn't expect - and his son must figure out what faith means when it seems to divide the house.

1 of 2 1000 Kris-Crossed When a shy student from a rival school accuses Emily of bullying, her friends discover that clearing her name may be harder than proving the truth.

2 of 2 1001 Kris-Crossed When a talented young actress's accusation costs Emily her presidency and threatens expulsion, the young detective and her friends must untangle two seemingly unrelated crimes to clear her name.

1 of 3 1002 Better Buck Next Time A fresh start in a new town gives an injured teen a shot at football, faith, and friendship - but every open door seems to come at someone else's expense.

2 of 3 1003 Better Buck Next Time A teen football star's fresh start unravels when his sealed criminal past goes public and someone in town seems determined to use it against him.

3 of 3 1004 Better Buck Next Time Suspended for a crime he didn't commit, Buck must choose between clearing his name and protecting the troubled kid he mentors.

1005 My Hero Renee A well-liked student teacher who prides herself on never taking sides in the God debate discovers that the middle of the road may be the most dangerous place to stand.

1006 School of Hard Knocks A spring break preview at a fancy arts school forces Olivia to confront an old friendship gone cold - and some hard truths about her own talent.

1007 Up His Sleeve When a televised baking competition rolls into Odyssey, an aspiring teen chef must team up with a handyman who can't cook - and learns that answered prayers rarely look the way you expect.

N/A A Thousand Blessings

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 7 more roles

7 supporting roles

Chase Zander Chin Lexie Winters Brennley Brown Marla Fenton Jesse Vilinsky Micah Fenton Antony Del Rio Coach Griffin Actor Unknown Anthony Actor Unknown Dominique Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Kathy Buchanan Writer · Director Nathan Hoobler Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 4 min

Buck Meltsner is new in town, and he has already had a rough start. A shoulder injury from a tumble down the school stairs kept him from football tryouts, and when he asks Coach Griffin for a late chance, the coach turns him down - partly because it wouldn't be fair to a team that has already practiced for weeks, and partly, he jokes, because Buck's fall destroyed his box of donuts. The coach, who loves handing out folksy sayings, tells Buck that a disappointment is never wasted if you learn from it, and to try again next season.

On his way out, Buck meets Micah Fenton, the team's starting wide receiver - the very position Buck plays. Micah has heard about Buck, and not just because of the staircase disaster: Buck once had his friend Braden's mom arrested, and Micah tells him he did the right thing. He invites Buck to a casual flag football game before his FAF meeting - Friends, Athletics, Faith. Buck admits religion isn't really his thing, but Micah promises no one will tie him up and drag him to Bible study, so Buck agrees to think about it. Meanwhile, Buck's mom Katrina meets Micah's mom Marla at a PTA meeting. Marla, a cheerful super-volunteer who runs the PTA, the football boosters, and a moms' prayer group, warmly invites Katrina to get involved and to visit her church, Apple Grove Community. At home, Katrina learns Buck plans to go to the park - partly, he admits, to keep his mind off his painful breakup with Jules back in Odyssey.

At the flag football game Buck shines; the others say he has "hands of Velcro." Afterward, a friendly cheerleader named Lexie Winters, the pastor's daughter, tells him about the group's volunteer work mentoring foster kids. Buck quietly shares that he spent time in the foster care system himself, and Lexie insists he would be the perfect mentor - the kids would relate to him. Buck stays for the meeting and signs up.

He is matched with Chase, a young Babe Ruth fanatic who rattles off baseball trivia over ice cream sundaes. Chase explains that Babe Ruth wasn't really an orphan, just a kid whose parents had problems - and then adds that he isn't an orphan either; his parents "just have problems." Buck tells him his own birth parents had problems too. When homework comes out, Chase, a fifth grader stuck doing third-grade math, calls himself a loser - "Capital L-O-O-S-E-R" - but Buck won't let him talk that way, reminding him everyone finds some things easy and some things hard. Chase dreams of attending the local college's sports camp, but his foster family can't afford it. Buck promises batting cages after math, since, as Chase declares, "Life is too short for long division."

Buck brings the camp problem to his new friends. Bake sales and car washes won't raise enough, but Buck remembers that Lexie's dad never got around to repainting the faded house number on their curb. Emergency services has asked everyone to display curb numbers, so the group launches a curb-painting fundraiser at ten dollars a house. Requests pour in, and combined with a scholarship discount from the university, they raise enough to send all ten kids in the mentorship program to camp. While the fundraiser hums along, Katrina and Marla grow closer over tea. Katrina shares that her husband Eugene is working in Switzerland, that Buck has had a rough past, and that he isn't a Christian yet. Marla mentions she has been putting a bug in Coach Griffin's ear about letting Buck try out.

After church one Sunday, Coach Griffin pulls Buck aside. His wife hired the curb painters, and her glowing report of Buck's politeness and work ethic - plus game film from Buck's old team in Odyssey - has changed the coach's mind. Declaring that "integrity is more valuable than interceptions," he invites Buck to try out. Buck impresses at practice and makes the team.

At Friday's game, Katrina gives Eugene a phone play-by-play from the stands. Micah is having a terrible night, dropping three passes, and the coach finally benches him and sends Buck in. On his very first play, Buck makes a spectacular one-handed catch and races in for a touchdown - just as Marla arrives from her concession-stand shift and notices Buck standing where Micah usually lines up. Buck finishes with three touchdowns.

After the celebration, Buck comes home with big news and a heavy heart. Coach is moving him up to starter - Micah's spot. "He's not a starter anymore, and he has me to thank for it," Buck says, leaving his brand-new friendship hanging in the balance as the story pauses to be continued.