THE GAME WITH ST. LUKE’S
That kick-off was a fizzle. St. Luke’s got the ball on her twenty-five
yards, ran it back ten and then her full-back broke through the Crofton
left side for twenty yards, and there was great joy where the handful
of St. Luke’s supporters were gathered. After two tries had yielded
but four yards the St. Luke’s captain and left half-back kicked to
Arnold on Crofton’s fifteen-yard line. A very considerable little wind
had come up since noon and it lengthened the kick. Arnold ran back
fifteen yards before he was downed. Two plays were tried and Crofton
was penalized for starting before the ball. After Arnold had broken
through the center for four yards he kicked and a moment later the
St. Luke’s captain started the Blue’s rooters again by tearing off a
fifteen-yard run through center on a delayed pass. On the next play a
St. Luke’s back fumbled and LaGrange recovered the pigskin, for the
Crimson-and-Gray.
Poke beat off nine yards at St. Luke’s left end and Arnold followed
with a plunge of five yards through the middle. Smith then failed to
gain, and Arnold got off a poor punt which the St. Luke’s right end
captured. On the first play the Blue’s quarter-back tried for distance
through the Crofton center, only to fumble and have Benson of Crofton
recover the ball.
Arnold kicked, and as Gil was interfered with, the ball was brought
back and Crofton was presented with ten yards. On the next play
Arnold made five yards, and then Poke shaking off his opponents, ran
thirty-seven yards, placing the ball within ten yards of the St. Luke’s
goal line. Smith tried to gain on the right of the Blue’s line but
failed, and a forward pass, Arnold to Poke, was intercepted by the
St. Luke’s captain on his own four-yard line. He scampered and dodged
back to his ten-yard line before he was brought down, with half the
Crofton team sitting on and about him. On the first play the Blue’s
captain fumbled while going through the line and Duncan Sargent grabbed
the ball for Crofton on the nineteen yards. Two plays by Arnold and
Poke netted seven yards. Then, with Arnold back, a forward pass,
Arnold throwing the ball to Poke, brought the first score. Poke caught
the ball on the twelve-yard line and scampered over the last white
mark before he was pulled down. The punt-out was a failure, the ball
striking the ground.
But Crofton cheered and made known her approval. The playing for the
rest of the first period was in the middle of the field, although at
one time Arnold was forced to punt from behind Crofton’s goal line,
after a mess had been made of the handling of one of the blue captain’s
kicks. The quarter ended with the ball in St. Luke’s possession on her
own forty-six-yard line.
In the second period St. Luke’s was on the defensive. Fumbles enabled
Crofton to get the pigskin to within twenty-five yards of St. Luke’s
goal line, where Benson, on a forward pass, ran over the goal line,
only to be called back because Poke had held an opponent. Some two
minutes later the period ended and the teams trotted off.
“The teams are pretty evenly matched,” said Jeffrey, “and Gil was right
about it being a stiff game. I guess we’re a little heavier than they
are, and I think our offense is better. One thing is certain, though,
and that is that we’re away ahead of them at handling the ball. They
made some awful fumbles in that last quarter, didn’t they?”
“Yes, but it helped us, Jeff. I don’t see why that mean old thing of a
referee wouldn’t let us have that last touchdown. Do you think that was
fair?”
“Of course it was,” Jeffrey laughed. “Poke was holding one of the St.
Luke’s fellows and the officials caught him. So we got penalized and
lost our touchdown. Too bad, too, for that was a corking pass, and
Benson handled it finely. There wasn’t a soul near him when he got the
ball.”
“Then it was Poke’s fault?” asked Hope sadly.
“I’m afraid it was. I don’t suppose he meant to hold. A fellow gets
excited and doesn’t realize sometimes. I guess Poke feels as badly as
anybody about it. But never mind, we’ll trim them all right. We should
get at least one more touchdown in the next two periods.”
“I hope we get a dozen,” declared Hope. “And wasn’t that run of Poke’s
perfectly jimmy? I guess we can forgive him for losing us that other
touchdown, don’t you?”
“Yes, especially as he made the first one. I wonder if Johnny will put
in any substitutes now.”
“I wish he’d let Jim play,” said Hope.
“Jim may make the team yet,” replied Jeffrey. “Cosgrove is playing a
mighty good game in Gary’s place, by the way. I wonder what Gary is
thinking about it. Here they come again. Now let’s see. No, the team’s
just the same, I guess.”
Crofton was on the defensive throughout the whole of the third period,
the St. Luke’s captain having ordained it so when his long kick rolled
to Crofton’s twenty-yard line before Arnold recovered it. It was then
that the Blue’s supporters took heart, and from across the gridiron
came cheer after cheer as St. Luke’s worked the ball by a series
of plays in which three successful forward passes figured down to
within eight yards of the Crofton goal line. St. Luke’s looked really
dangerous for the first time and on the Crofton side of the field her
supporters watched uneasily as the St. Luke’s backs settled for the
next play. It was another forward pass and a sigh of relief went up
from the Crimson-and-Gray as the ball was fumbled and went to Crofton
as a touchback. Out to the twenty-five yards went the ball and Crofton
put it in scrimmage. St. Luke’s made several other attempts in that
period to get across her opponent’s goal line, but never again secured
such another chance as the one she had wasted.
The last quarter found Crofton forcing the playing and St. Luke’s again
on the defensive. Arnold tried a goal from placement from the Blue’s
forty-yard line, but the ball went wide of the posts. St. Luke’s chose
to kick from behind the twenty-five-yard line, but it was not long
before Crofton had the ball back in the Blue’s territory. Failure to
gain ground at rushing caused Arnold to punt, and a substitute left
half-back who had taken the place of the Blue’s captain a moment
before, muffed the ball. LaGrange fell on it for Crofton on St. Luke’s
ten-yard line, and before St. Luke’s realized what had happened Poke
tossed the pigskin on a forward pass to Gil at left end and the second
touchdown was made. This time Sargent kicked the goal and Crofton’s
score was 11. For the remainder of the contest the ball hovered about
the middle of the gridiron, St. Luke’s, recognizing defeat, being
content to keep her opponent from approaching her goal line again.
It had been a good game from a Crofton point of view, and, to quote
Hope, a “perfectly jimmy” one for Sunnywood. Poke and Gil had played
finely and had scored the only touchdowns that had been made. But it
was Poke’s work especially that brought them joy and sent the whole
school away in a glow of enthusiasm. He had been far and away the
most spectacular performer of the afternoon. He had contributed the
best individual work in carrying the ball, once having made a run
of thirty-seven yards at St. Luke’s left end, and, later, one of
forty-five yards around the enemy’s right end. Whether on the directing
or the receiving end of the forward pass, he had been excellent.
Crofton’s first score had been made with Poke on the receiving end,
while the second score had been the result of his accurate throw to Gil.
Arnold, too, however, was a hero that day. The quarter-back had used
the best of judgment in the selection of plays, while at ground gaining
he had performed well. Several times he had torn through the St. Luke’s
center for good distances. His punting also had been good and the
enemy’s backs had found a great deal of difficulty in handling his
kicks. LaGrange at center had shown a wonderful nose for the ball,
and his recovery of the pigskin which opened the way for the second
touchdown had been a fine effort. Gil at end, Benson at full-back,
Sargent at left guard and Smith at left half-back all distinguished
themselves that day. On the whole Crofton went home from the game very
well satisfied with her team. Even Johnny’s countenance gave one the
impression that he was pleased. And he was. The only place that was
worrying the coach was the position of left tackle. Marshall had not
been up to the rest of the line that day, and it was becoming more and
more evident that a better man must be found for his place.
There was great pride and much rejoicing at Sunnywood that Saturday
night. Hope, could she have had her way, would, I am certain, have
crowned Poke and Gil with wreaths of laurel!