LEONARD MAKES A TACKLE
Monday was a day of rest for those who had taken part for any length
of time in the Lorimer game, and so the two teams that finally faced
each other for a short scrimmage contained much doubtful talent.
Leonard again went in at left tackle and, since he didn’t have Billy
Wells and Captain Emerson to oppose him, he managed to do a great
deal better. Cruikshank, who acted as quarterback and captain of the
patched-up eleven on which Leonard found himself, twice thumped the
latter on his back and uttered hoarse words of approval. The two teams
were very nearly matched, and the ten minute period was nearly over
before either secured a chance to score. Then A Team got Dakin off
tackle for a gallop of sixteen yards, and the pigskin lay close to the
opponent’s twenty. Goodwin slashed through center for four and Dakin
got two. Then Goodwin tried the middle of the line again and found
no hole, and there was a yard loss. Goodwin, who had been playing
full-back until recently, had not yet fully mastered his new job. With
five to go on third down, Cruikshank took the ball himself and managed
to squeeze through the enemy’s right wing and squirm along for the
rest of the distance. The ball was then close to the ten-yard line.
Kerrison dropped back from end position to the eighteen and held out
his arms. But no one was fooled by that gesture, and Dakin, plunging
past Leonard, made less than a yard. Then it was “Kerrison back!” once
more, and this time Leonard got the jump on the opposing guard and
Dakin found a hole to his liking and plunged through to the four yards.
With less than three to go, Kerrison went back to end position and on
the next play the whole backfield concentrated behind Goodwin, and once
more Leonard put his man out and felt the runner rasping by him. The
opposition melted, and Goodwin went through and staggered well past the
goal-line before he was downed. The coach wouldn’t let them try the
goal, and so they had to be satisfied with the six points. They trotted
back to the gymnasium fairly contented, however.
Leonard secretly hoped that his performance, even though against a none
too strong adversary, had been noted by Johnny. If it had the fact
was known only to the coach and no immediate results materialized. On
Tuesday, with the first-string men back in place, Leonard wasn’t called
on; although he had plenty of work with C Squad. There was a second cut
that afternoon and the number of candidates left was barely sufficient
for three elevens. Of that number, however, was Leonard, even though,
as he assured himself, better players had been banished!
Wednesday found him again at tackle, but now on the right of the line,
with Stimson at one elbow and Gurley dodging back and forth at his
other side. He found Butler less trying as a vis à vis than Billy
Wells, but he somehow wished Johnny hadn’t changed him over. Billy,
even at his deadliest, was an honorable foe, and even a partial success
gained against Billy was something to be proud of. Not, however, that
Leonard found Butler an easy adversary. Far from it. Butler made
Leonard look pretty poor more than half the time, while, when Leonard
was obliged to give his attention to Left Guard Smedley, the substitute
tackle made an even sorrier showing. On the whole, Leonard wasn’t a
bit proud of his work, either on offense or defense, during the first
period, and returned to the bench convinced that his goose was cooked.
When Johnny, criticizing and correcting along the line of panting
players, reached Leonard he stopped again.
“Not so good to-day,” he said. “What was wrong, Grant?”
Leonard hadn’t the least idea what was wrong, beyond a general
inability to play the position as it should be played, and, besides, he
was horribly surprised and embarrassed by the unexpected attention.
Nevertheless, after a moment of open-mouthed dumbness, he had a flash
of inspiration.
“I don’t think I can play so well at left tackle, sir,” he replied,
meeting the coach’s eyes with magnificent assurance. Mr. Cade smiled
very slightly and moved past. But he turned his face again toward
Leonard an instant later.
“I’ll take you up on that, Grant,” he said sharply.
Leonard felt uncomfortable. He wasn’t quite certain what Johnny had
meant. Besides, there had been something--well, not exactly unfriendly,
but sort of--sort of rasping in his tone; as if Johnny had thought to
himself, “Get sassy with me, will you. I’ll show you!” Leonard wished
now he had kept his mouth shut. Some of the fellows who had taken part
in the first period of scrimmaging were making their way back to the
showers, but as no one dismissed him Leonard sat still and got his
breath back and wondered what awaited him. Then Tod Tenney called “Time
up, Coach!” and Johnny Cade swung around and pulled out his little book
and sent them back on the field again.
“B Team,” he called. “Gurley and Kerrison, ends; Wilde and Grant,
tackles; Squibbs and--”
But Leonard didn’t hear any more. He was shedding his blanket and
telling himself fiercely that he just had to make good now. The
fierceness remained throughout the subsequent twenty-one minutes
required to play ten minutes of football. At the first line-up Billy
Wells smiled joyfully at Leonard. “See who’s here,” he called gayly,
swinging his big arms formidably. “Who let you in, sonny? Some one sure
left the gate open! Which way are you coming?”
“Inside,” answered Leonard grimly.
“Welcome to our midst, sweet youth!”
Of course Leonard didn’t go inside. In the first place, the play was
around the right end, and in the next place Billy wouldn’t have stood
for it. Leonard busied himself with Renneker, got slammed back where he
belonged and then plunged through the melting lines and chased after
the play. Rus Emerson slapped him on the back as they passed on their
way to the next line-up.
“Glad to see you, Grant,” declared the captain.
On the next play Leonard and Billy mixed it up thoroughly, but truth
compels the admission that of the two Leonard was the most mixed! You
just couldn’t get under Billy. If you played low, Billy played lower.
If you feinted to your right, Billy moved to his right, too. If you
tried to double-cross him and charged the way you feinted he outguessed
you and was waiting. He knew more ways of using his shoulder than there
were letters in the alphabet, and his locked hands coming up under
your chin were most effective. No cat was half as quick as Billy and
no bull-dog half as stubborn and tenacious. Yet Leonard did have his
infrequent triumphs. Once, when Reilly wanted three yards to make the
distance, Leonard put Billy Wells out completely and Red slid by for a
yard more than needed. Leonard had got the jump that time by a fraction
of a second, and he was so proud of his feat that doubtless it showed
on his face, for Billy viewed him sarcastically for a moment and then
announced: “Just bull-luck, you poor half portion of prunes!”
Leonard paid for that moment of success two plays later when his chin
got in the way of Billy’s elbow. They had to call time for Leonard, for
an accidental blow on the point of the chin eliminates ambition for all
of a minute. But he got up with ambition returning fast and gave Billy
a promising look that brought a grin to that youth’s countenance. “Atta
boy,” he approved. “Lots more waiting!”
If there was Leonard didn’t go after it. Instead, he was more careful
to keep his head down. A leather helmet can take a lot of punishment
without showing it. A few minutes later, after A Squad had taken the
ball away and pushed herself down to B’s twenty-six yards, Leonard had
the supreme satisfaction of smearing a play aimed at him. Billy came
through all right, for Leonard let him, but the hole closed behind him,
and if Leonard felt any compunction because his cleats were digging
into the lower extremities of the fallen Billy he didn’t show it!
That time Billy viewed his adversary ponderingly as he accepted the
proffered hand and scrambled to his feet.
“Huh,” he said, “the kid’s getting on, eh?”
Leonard grinned. “On to you, Wells,” he answered.
But these great moments were few and far between. Generally Billy was
too good for the neophyte. Usually if there was a gain needed where
Leonard held forth, that gain eventuated, although it wasn’t always as
big as expected. Stimson helped his tackle in many a hard place, and
Goodwin, playing behind, could be depended on to quell a too ambitious
runner. Oddly enough, when Leonard found Renneker in front of him,
as happened when A Squad spread her line open, he wasn’t nearly so
concerned. Renneker, in spite of size and weight and reputation, could
be fooled and, after a fashion, handled. Renneker was slow, for one
thing. There was no doubt about that. The A Squad quarter was forever
telling him so, even if Leonard hadn’t discovered the fact for himself.
Leonard could handle Renneker far better when A had the ball than he
could Billy Wells.
A Squad fought desperately to a touchdown and then added a goal. As she
had already scored once in the first period, she was entitled to be
a trifle lordly, which she was. B Squad kicked off again and Cricket
Menge, catching near his five-yard line, raced back up the field,
miraculously worming his fleet way through most of the enemy forces.
At the forty yards he was still going, with his own players building a
hasty interference about him and the B Squad players converging on him
from all points, mostly from behind. Forced close to the side-lines
near the center of the field, Cricket swung out from behind his
interference and started across. Gurley dived for him and missed him.
Cricket straightened out for the distant goal, still running hard and
fast. Leonard and Reilly drew up on him as he passed the forty-yard
line, and Appel, the B Squad quarter, hovered anxiously ahead. It was
a confused rabble of friend and foe that scuttled down the field.
Leonard tried hard to get around Greenwood, plunging along in Menge’s
wake, but the big full-back held him away over two white lines. Reilly,
edging in, dove too soon and went over and over. Greenwood, striving to
hurdle the obstacle, faltered long enough for Leonard to thrust past
him. Kendall threw himself in Leonard’s way, but the latter hurdled
over him. He was a bare three yards behind the runner now, and the
thirty-yard mark was underfoot. Appel was edging over, yet not making
the mistake of leaving his goal too far. Leonard was too tuckered to
do much planning. He put every ounce of strength into a last supreme
effort, gained a little and plunged forward, arms out-thrust and
fingers groping.
His left hand closed on something tightly, he felt himself being
dragged along the turf. Then Appel landed on Cricket’s back, and the
race was over. Cricket turned a reproachful countenance toward Leonard
when they had pulled him to his unsteady feet. But he managed a grin.
So did Leonard. That was about all he could have managed just then, for
his head was going around, his lungs were bursting and his stomach was
horribly empty. He was infinitely relieved when he discovered that the
battle was over and that, having been assisted to his feet, he could
make his uncertain way to the bench. He passed Coach Cade on the way,
and the coach met his eyes and nodded. At least, Leonard thought he
did. He was too exhausted to be certain of it.