THE BATTLE IS ON
It was just 2 to 6 as the Bursley left guard stepped forward and,
swinging a long leg, sent the yellow pigskin soaring high and far down
the field. For Maple Hill Terry Doyle was back at the left of Pounder,
and Guy Watson was on the other side of the center. In the backfield
Stacey Trowbridge, doubtless secretly resolved to allow no safeties to
be made through him on this all-important occasion, was at quarter,
Tyson at left half, Fuller at right half and Gordon at full. The other
players were the same that had played the positions all season. But
the first time the Green-and-Gray ranged themselves for the attack it
was seen that Cotting had sprung a new formation. Fuller went into
the line between left guard and tackle, leaving only three players in
the backfield. To meet this extension of the line Bursley was forced
to stretch her own line thinner, with the result that Tyson on the
first play got through center without hindrance for twelve yards and
brought the cheering section on the south stand to its feet in wild
joy. But after that Bursley watched the ball more closely and, while
the new formation worked well, it did not result in any more such gains
through the center. Bursley made end runs hazardous from the first by
playing her tackles well out on defense, with her ends close to her
tackles, and these two players, one man taking the interference and the
other the runner, upset many Maple Hill attempts to skirt the wings.
The first fifteen minutes went by without a score, each team playing
desperately but experimentally. Over-eagerness brought four penalties
to Bursley and two to Maple Hill. On punting Gordon so far had excelled
his opponent, but punts had been called for only in extremities.
Neither team had shown anything really new in attack, although the
Bursley offense looked as if it might have some deceptive plays up its
sleeve.
In the second period Maple Hill tried its first forward pass, made
a twenty yard gain and immediately followed it up with another. The
second attempt went wrong, however, and Bursley got the ball. It was
from there that Bursley began to show its ability. Her attack suddenly
became fast and shifty and her backs made gain after gain through the
Green-and-Gray line, mostly on the right side. Losing the ball once on
downs, she quickly regained it on a fumble by Fuller, who had played
back, with Tyson in the line, and again began her advance. But once
beyond Maple Hill’s thirty yards it was all she could do to get her
distance in four downs and at last she was forced to try a placement
kick for goal. Luckily this went wide, and Maple Hill punted to her
adversary’s forty-five yard line. Gordon was hurt on the next play
and was taken out, Hunter replacing him for the rest of the period.
Bursley’s wide run from punt formation lost her five yards and she
was presently forced to kick. Stacey, who caught the ball on his
thirty-four yards, ran in twenty-odd before he was caught. Tyson and
Fuller taking the pigskin, Maple Hill worked her way to the center of
the field where she was held with half a yard to go on the fourth
down. Bursley began her advance once more but the whistle sounded when
the ball was near Maple Hill’s forty-five yards.
It was still anybody’s game. Bursley and Maple Hill were each confident
of ultimate victory and so the cheering and singing that began anew
when the teams had trotted, blanketed, from sight of the spectators was
as loud and hearty as ever. Bursley, with her two hundred supporters
massed along the middle of the north stand, put the local cheering
section on its merits. Their cheerfully reiterated refrain of “Bursley!
Bursley! Hi! Hi! Hi!” sung over and over to an old tune, brought
laughter and applause from across the empty gridiron. Maple Hill came
back with:
“Cheer for the Green-and-Gray!
Ours the victory to-day!
Fight hard and grin, boys,
At them and win, boys,
Win for the Green-and-Gray!”
But the honors didn’t rest long on the south side of the field, for
Bursley had brought along a new song that captured the gathering at
once. It was a tuneful, rollicking effusion that set heels to tapping
time against the planks.
“We’ve enjoyed our visit to you, Maple Hill;
We’ve enjoyed your little party to the fill;
We’ve listened to your singing
And heard your cheers aringing,
And we’ve liked it very much, Maple Hill.
“You have entertained us finely, Maple Hill,
And, though we’d love to linger with you, still,
While we do not want to grieve you,
It is time for us to leave you
And to take the football home, Maple Hill!”
Maple Hill greeted the song with laughter and derisive applause,
promptly bursting into song herself and proclaiming loudly that “No
matter what you do you can’t break through the line of Green-and-Gray!”
To this challenge Bursley responded flippantly as follows: “Who are we?
We’re the team that put the ‘ill’ in Maple Hill!”
Tad and Tom Trainor went visiting during the intermission and wormed
their way up a neighboring section of the south stand to where the
twins were seated with sparkling eyes and flushed and excited faces.
Everyone talked at once without waiting for replies, criticising
the playing of the two teams, predicting victory for Maple Hill,
praising the efforts of the Westcott representatives on the eleven
and commenting on the size of the assemblage, which, according to
the twins, was easily the largest that had ever attended a Maple
Hill-Bursley contest. May wanted to know if Tad didn’t think that Jack
Billings led the cheering better than any of the other leaders and if
Tom didn’t think he looked awfully handsome. Neither youth paid the
slightest attention to the inquiries and May seemed not to expect any.
Besides, just at that instant Matty was tragically explaining what
she would do if by any unthought of, not-to-be-considered possibility
Maple Hill _didn’t_ win! And the fate she mapped out for herself was
so breath-taking that Tom found himself almost hoping for a Bursley
victory. Then the teams trotted back to the field and the boys
scampered.
Gordon was back when the third period commenced and it was Gordon
who, five minutes later, got away around the Bursley left and reeled
off thirty-eight yards and planted the pigskin almost under the
Red-and-Blue’s goal. Cotting had improved his time between halves,
it seemed, for the Bursley tackle and end had been as nicely boxed
as you please, leaving a two-yard opening for the nimble Gordon. On
Bursley’s twenty-two yards Maple Hill tried the opposing line twice for
a total gain of four yards and then sent Tyson plunging at the right
end. But this time there was no gain and a try for goal was ordered.
Stacey fell back, the ball was passed nicely and the two lines crashed
together. The quarter back dropped the pigskin, met it with his toe as
it bounded from the turf and then, staggering aside under the impact of
a Red-and-Blue player, watched it arch slowly over the bar.
Maple Hill went wild over that first score and cheered and shouted
crazily until the ball was again in flight. Bursley came back hard
and for the next ten minutes almost rushed Maple Hill off her feet.
When the whistle blew the ball was well down in Maple Hill territory,
between the thirty and thirty-five yard lines, in Bursley’s possession.
Bursley made three changes in her line up then and Maple Hill two.
For the latter a new left end and a new left tackle were substituted
and Hunter again went in at full. Gordon was pretty well played out.
When the fourth period began it was very evident that Bursley meant
to score. Twice it was only Maple Hill’s secondary defense that kept
a Bursley runner from getting clean away, while once the Red-and-Blue
captain, with the ball clutched to his breast, made a nine yard gain
around Maple Hill’s right wing.
Down near the twelve yard line, with two to go on fourth down, the
visitor’s chance of scoring looked slim, and her excited supporters
implored a field goal. But a field goal would only tie the score and
not win, and Bursley was out for everything or nothing. She didn’t even
fake a kick, but concentrated her entire attack on Watson, the fullback
carrying the ball. There was one frenzied, doubtful moment and then the
Green-and-Gray line yielded, the attack staggered and toppled ahead and
the whistle blew. It was necessary to use the tape then, but when the
measurement was made Bursley had won her distance and a first down by
several inches. The referee waved his hand to the linesmen and Bursley
broke into a cheer. Again the two teams faced each other, panting,
wearied, desperate. Again a back caught the ball to his stomach, put
down his head and plunged forward. Chaos for a moment, and then the
whistle and――――
“Second! Eight to go!” cried the referee.
A half darted past left tackle but was brought down with only a yard of
gain. “Third down; seven to go!” Then Maple Hill blundered. The Bursley
quarter took the ball, stepped back and hurled it ten yards to the
left. An end caught it and tore straight ahead for the goal line. Tyson
tried a tackle, but the end squirmed free, and when Stacey locked his
arms desperately about the runner’s body and brought him to earth only
a short foot lay between the extended pigskin and that last white line.