THE GAME
With a mighty swing of his foot Snail Looper sent the ball well into
Boxer territory. Lamson, their right half-back, caught it in his
arms, and, with a good defense, began to rush back with it. Over the
chalk-marks he came, but Tom Parsons was rushing toward him, and dodging
through the intervening players he made a vicious tackle, bringing
Lamson to the ground with a thud on Boxer's thirty-eight-yard line.
There was a quick line-up, and Stoddard, the full-back, made a good try
to encircle Joe Jackson at right end. But the Jersey twin and his mates
piled up on the mass of Boxer players with such good effect that hardly
three yards were gained; and at this showing of the defense of Randall a
punt was decided on.
Pinstock, Boxer's left half-back, made a magnificent drive, and Holly
Cross had to skip nimbly back to catch it. But once he had the pigskin
in his grasp he eluded the Boxer ends, and was well toward the center of
the field before he was downed.
"Our ball!" cried Tom gleefully, and then there came the chance for
Randall to show what she could do.
"Signal!" cried Phil, and his companions wondered at the odd note that
had crept into his voice. It was not of the confident style of orders
that the quarter-back was wont to give. But, as the string of numbers
and letters came rattling out, Phil, in a measure, recovered control of
himself. He gave the word for Kindlings to take the ball at Boxer's
left-end, and smash! into the line went the brawny right half-back. He
gained ten yards so quickly that Boxer Hall was fairly stunned, and when
Holly Cross ripped out eight yards additional the crowd of Randall
supporters were in a mad frenzy of delirious joy.
"Swat 'em! Swat 'em! We have got 'em!" howled Bean Perkins, and forth
from hundreds of throats came booming that song.
Grasshopper Backus and Dutch Housenlager opened a great hole between
their opposite guard and tackle, and into this breach Jerry Jackson was
pulled and hurled for several yards, until he fell under a crushing
weight of husky players at Boxer's thirty-yard-line. Once more Phil's
voice sang out in a signal, and back he snapped the ball to Holly Cross,
who, like some human battering ram, went through for five yards more. It
looked as if Randall was going right down the field for a touch-down,
and Bean Perkins and his cohorts rendered the "Down the Line" song with
good effect.
A touch-down might have resulted from the next play, but unfortunately
for Randall Jerry Jackson made a fumble, and in their anxiety several of
his mates held in the line. There was a prompt penalty enforced, and
back to the forty-yard line the pigskin was taken, where it was turned
over to Randall for another try. Randall's hard work had not gained her
much, and there was an ominous silence on the part of the cheering
throng. Once more came rushing tactics, and they succeeded so well that
in two downs the ball was carried to Boxer's thirty-yard line. Then
Holly Cross decided to try for a field goal, but the wind carried it to
one side, and his mates groaned. So did Bean Perkins and his comrades.
"Isn't that a shame!" exclaimed Madge Tyler to Ruth Clinton.
"Hush, Madge!" answered Ruth. "I want to watch the game. I can't talk. I
want to see what Phil does. I'm afraid he'll be hurt."
"Aren't you worried about Tom Parsons, too?"
"Yes--of course. Aren't you?"
"Not so much."
Ruth looked at her friend sharply, but there was no time for further
talk, as Boxer had brought out the ball to their twenty-five-yard line,
and elected to line up with it instead of punting. At Randall's line
they came, smashing with terrific force, but so well did Holly and his
players hold that only four yards were made. Another attempt brought
even less gain, and then Boxer had to kick. Kindlings saw the ball
coming toward him, and managed by a desperate effort, to get it in his
arms. Back he rushed to the forty-three-yard line, where he fell under a
human mountain.
The first play tried by Randall after this was a forward pass, and the
ball went out of bounds. Holly Cross kicked a twisting punt, and when
Lamson, the Boxer right half, caught it, Tom Parsons downed him almost
in his tracks, so swiftly did the left-end get down under the kick.
"Go through 'em!" implored Captain Stoddard to his men, and at the line
they came smashing with crushing force. For the first time since the
play had begun Randall seemed to give way. Holes were torn in her line,
and through the openings the backs came rushing. They had gained fifteen
yards, in almost as good style as had Randall in the initial play, when
they varied the smashing work by a try around Tom's end. But he was
alert, and got his man in the nick of time. Another try at center failed
to result in a gain, and Boxer Hall had to kick.
Jerry Jackson rushed the ball back for a good distance, and then, with
a fierceness that the Boxer Hall lads could not seem to withstand,
Randall came at their line, going through for substantial gains on
every try.
"That's the stuff! That's the stuff!" cried Dutch Housenlager during a
breathing spell, when one of the Boxer Hall players had to be walked
about to recover his wind. "Eh, Phil? Aren't we putting it all over
them?"
"I--I guess so," answered Phil, and he passed his hand over his head as
if he was dazed.
"Somebody hit you?" asked Tom, blaming himself for not having kept a
closer watch over his chum.
"No--no; I'm all right."
The injured player limped back into line, and the game went on. Smash!
bang! came the Randall players, and they went up to the ten-yard line
with scarcely a stop. In vain did the cohorts of Boxer Hall implore them
to brace. It seemed that they could not. But, just as it looked for all
the world as if the ball would be carried over by Holly Cross, for it
was decided to smash through and not kick, the brace did come, and the
Randall players had to give up the pigskin. In a jiffy Captain Stoddard
had punted out of danger. There was an exchange of kicks, and it ended
with Boxer getting the ball on her forty-yard line.
Then, all at once, a new spirit seemed infused into her players. They
came at Randall with a viciousness that argued well for their spirit.
It was rough work, not noticeable, perhaps, but Tom felt that what he
feared was about to happen; that some plan was afoot to injure Phil. He
played in as far as he dared, but the opposite end was constantly
drawing him out.
At the line came Lamson, the Boxer right-half. He ripped out five yards,
bowling over Sam Looper with such force that the Snail had to have a
little medical treatment. He barely recovered in the two minutes, and
was a bit wobbly when the attack was again directed at him. But Holly
Cross and Jerry Jackson leaped in to his aid, and stopped the advance.
Then Boxer went around right-end, and had ten yards before they were
stopped. The game looked to be going the other way now, and there were
strained looks on the faces of the Randall players and their supporters.
As for the cheering contingent of Boxer Hall, they made the air ring
with their song: "It's Time We Did a Little Business Now!"
"Don't let 'em get through you. Hold 'em! Hold 'em!" cried Holly. "Brace
up, boys!"
Randall tried to, but Boxer had found a weak place between Snail Looper
and Grasshopper Backus, and kept hammering away at it, until they had
advanced the ball to the fifteen-yard line. Then Boxer Hall played a
neat trick. There was every indication that a try for a field goal was
about to be made, and Holly Cross got back. Instead, there was a double
pass, and a play between tackle and right-end. Through the Randall line
burst Frothon, the right-tackle, with the ball tucked under his arm.
Holly Cross saw him just in time, and made a dive for him. But the
Randall full-back's foot slipped, and he went down, making a vain grab
for Frothon, who sped on, and planted the ball behind the goal posts.
Boxer Hall had made the first touch-down, and the crowd of supporters
went wild, while there was corresponding gloom on the grandstands where
Randallites were gathered. The goal was missed, and a scrimmage had
hardly begun after the next kick-off before the whistle blew. The half
was up.
What a buzz of excitement there was in the grandstands! Every one seemed
talking at once.
"That was hard lines," remarked Ford Fenton to Sid, next to whom he was
sitting. "If our fellows had only been a little quicker then, this would
never have happened. My uncle says----"
"Fenton!" exclaimed Sid so fiercely that Ford almost turned pale, "if
you mention 'uncle' again during this game, I'll throw you off the
grandstand," and, as Fenton was rather high up, he concluded to keep
quiet.