In the beginning of the book, Hit Count, Lloyd Brodie asks Arlo Brodie if it is bad to like football for hitting, and if it makes Lloyd a bad person. Arlo disagrees that it makes Lloyd a bad person, but he agrees that Lloyd needs to change the way he plays the game. The next day, at football practice, the football coach called Lloyd a career jay-vee player, and Lloyd took it to heart. Shortly after coach called him a career jay-vee player Lloyd quit football for good. Arlo still had the love for football, so he kept playing and practicing, and he made the jay-vee team as a freshman.

The conflict introduced of the novel, Hit Count, was that Dinos was telling Arlo that he needed to improve his form. This is a conflict because Dinos is not much better than Arlo. Also, Dinos is a sophomore on jay-vee, and Arlo is a freshman on jay-vee. Dinos started the games, and made some very good tackles that Arlo could have made, as well. Arlo comes in second-string and makes some good hits, maybe even better than Dinos.

The rising action of the novel, Hit Count, is Arlo getting to start at linebacker. Arlo finally gets to show off his skills to his coach and friends. Arlo takes advantage of the opportunity of showing off to everyone, because when he starts, he has a lot of great tackles. Everyone is paying attention to him because he is making so may good tackles. By the time sophomore year came around, he had made varsity, and still makes amazing tackles.

The climax of the novel, Hit Count, is when Arlo has too many head injuries or concussions. Arlo was surprised when he had heard the news because he never thought the day would come that he couldn't play football. Arlo has had so many concussions that he can never play football or a contact sport again. While this was happening, his girlfriend, Sandy, was happy because she did not want Arlo playing football anymore. Arlo's mom was right, she had a file of head injuries of NFL players, and she said that he shouldn't play football. The family also finds out that Lloyd has been dealing drugs.

The Falling Action of this novel, Hit Count, is how Arlo stayed in shape by working out in the weight room every day. Just because Arlo can't play football anymore, isn't going to stop him. Arlo hits the weight room every day, lifts and runs on the treadmill, to stay in shape. Him and his girlfriend are getting along better because he is not playing football anymore. Arlo's mom is happy, too, also because he is not playing football.

The resolution of the novel, Hit Count, involves Arlo and Sandy making up. At the end of the novel, Arlo was avoiding Sandy because she didn't want him playing football, and she was talking bad about the sport. In the very end, Arlo and Sandy make up and get along like usual. Arlo is still working out in the weight room, to stay in shape. Also, Lloyd found help about dealing drugs, and he doesn't deal them anymore.

I would recommend this book to you if you like sports and football, it is a great story of how kids can get head injuries, and can relate to today's stories in the news.

In the novel, Hit Count, Arlo Brodie plays Varsity football as a sophomore, and he also has a girlfriend named Sandy. Arlo learns a lot about football through high school, mostly about people that are going to hold you back. Arlo also figures out that he can not play football anymore, and he will just have to stick with lifting weights.