THE GAME WITH ADAMS
“Come on, Riverport!” called Rob; and, as he led the team on to the
field, Northrup, of the seniors, sprang in front of the throng on the
upper side of the field and, waving his light blue megaphone adorned
with the dark green R, called for “A double cheer for the Team,
fellows, and everybody get into it!”
“Rah, rah, Riverport! Rah, rah, Riverport! Rah, rah, Riverport! Rah,
rah, Riverport! Rah, rah, Riverport! Rah, rah, Riverport! Team! Team!
Team!”
From across the battle field came the long, slow cheer of the rival:
“Adams! Adams! Adams! Rah, rah, rah! Rah, rah, rah! Rah, rah, rah!
Adams! Adams! Adams!”
Adams had won the toss and had chosen to receive the kick-off.
Riverport lined itself across the turf; Powers at right end, Kasker at
right tackle, Devens at right guard, Jell at center, Koehler at left
guard, Reid at left tackle, Brimmer at left end, Kingsford at quarter,
Deering at right half, Langton at left half and Shaler at full-back.
“All ready, Adams? All ready, Riverport?” called the referee. Hoyt of
Adams raised his arm, Rob called “Ready!” and the whistle blew.
Away sped the ball, far and high, turning lazily in flight, and off
sprang the eager line. An Adams player gathered in the pigskin and
started back. Powers sprang upon him and brought him down struggling.
Adams lined up quickly and hurled her full-back at Jelly, but Jelly was
stiffer than his name indicated and there was small gain. The next play
caught Reid napping and the dark blue piled past him for five yards.
With three to go Claflin, the Adams quarter, skipped across and sent a
forward pass to the left. The Adams left end tipped it with his fingers
before he was pushed aside by Powers and finally fell upon it for a
good ten yards gain. The dark blue flags waved gleefully along the
south side.
Again Adams made her distance, sending her backs into the line for
short gains. Plainly Riverport was undergoing a spell of stage-fright,
for the secondary defence failed to back up the forwards as it should.
Evan came running in and pounded Rob on the shoulders.
“What’s the matter with you fellows?” he cried angrily. “Get in there!
Stop it right now! Buck up, Rob!” Then he went running up the field
again. Adams sent Bull, her star half-back, through between Devens
and Kasker, but Deering and Rob pulled him down before he was free of
the line. “That’s the stuff!” yelled Evan gleefully. “Nail ’em, Rob!”
Adams tried another play at Jell and again failed to move that youth
out of his tracks. Their left tackle fell back to punt and Deering
joined Evan up the field. The punt was high and long. “Mine!” called
Deering. “Yours,” responded Evan, cutting across in front of a charging
Adams end. “To the right!” He threw himself in front of the enemy and
as they both went rolling over Deering cleared them and started across
the field. One, two, three white lines passed under his flying feet and
then he was in the midst of the enemy. He squirmed free once, but the
next instant he was smothered on his thirty-three yards.
“Our ball!” called Evan, running up. “Get up, get up! Kick-formation!
12――14――36――58!” He glanced back to see that Deering was ready. “7――8――”
Back sped the ball to Deering and that youth took one step forward and
booted the oval far down the field. Away raced friend and foe, but
Brimmer, Riverport’s left end, out-distanced all and was waiting when
the ball settled into the arms of the Adams left half. Down they went
together on Adams’ forty yards. From there Adams worked the ball down
to her opponent’s forty-five yards. Most of the gains were made between
Koehler and Reid or outside the latter. Adams played fast, putting the
ball into play almost before Riverport could get into position. Time
and again it was the back-field that stopped the runner when he was
well through the line. On the forty-five yards Adams was caught holding
and was set back fifteen yards. A quarter-back run was tried with no
success and again the ball was punted toward Riverport’s goal. Evan
took it this time and managed to make a dozen yards along the side-line
before he was pushed out. Again kick-formation was called for and again
Deering punted a good forty-five yards. Adams’ quarter missed the catch
but got the ball on the bound before Powers threw himself fiercely
upon him.
“Now then, let’s take it away from them!” cried Rob. “Get down there,
Reid! Play low, every one! Spoil this! Pile them up!”
With the ball near her thirty yards Adams drew a tackle out of the line
and sent a tandem at Devens with fair success. But a similar play on
the other side of center was spoiled by Jelly, who threw himself in
front of the interference and piled up the play. With six yards to go
Adams tried an on-side kick but failed to recover it and the ball was
Riverport’s on her adversary’s fifty yards.
“All right!” cried Evan briskly. “Left formation. 27――38――14――68!
27――38――14――68――7――”
Back came the ball from Jelly, Evan turned and thrust it against
Shaler’s stomach and that youth, with Deering and Rob behind, went
through Adams’ left guard for six yards. Riverport flags waved and
Riverport voices cheered lustily.
“Kick-formation!” called Evan, and Deering dropped back and stretched
his hands out for the ball. But the play was a “skin-tackle” on the
left and Rob got four yards and first down. But the Adams line
stiffened then and the next attempt was a failure, and so Deering
punted toward the corner of the field. This time the quarter made a
fine running catch and, eluding Brimmer, got over two white lines
before Kasker reached him and pulled him down. Adams lined up almost
on her fifteen yards and, after one try at Reid which gave her a scant
two yards, punted out of danger. Deering fumbled and finally fell on
the bobbing pigskin on his forty yard-line, with half the Adams team
on top of him. Time was called while he fought for his breath, and on
the side-line Hinkley slipped off his sweater. But Deering was as good
as new at the end of two minutes. Evan sent Rob outside of left tackle
for three yards and Shaler between right guard and center for two.
Then Deering punted once more and the Adams quarter ran back to his
thirty-eight yards before he was downed.
A forward pass netted eight yards for the Dark Blue and then Claflin
got away around Powers’ end for ten more. Plunges at the line gave them
another first down and the ball was in Riverport’s territory again. The
forward pass was tried, but the ball struck the ground and Adams was
penalized fifteen yards. A punt followed and Deering caught the ball
on the run and reeled off twenty yards through a close field before he
was caught. Evan hammered the center of the Adams line for scant gains
and then called Deering to the rescue. This time there was a hole in
the Riverport line and a big tackle rushed through in time to divert
the ball as it arose from Deering’s foot. The kick went short and a
wild scramble ensued, an Adams guard finally falling on the pigskin.
For the rest of the half neither team succeeded in making a first down
and the ball was in the air most of the time, Deering gaining at least
five yards on each exchange of punts. The period ended with the ball on
Riverport’s thirty yards in Riverport’s possession.
There was fifteen minutes of cheering and singing, and then the teams
came trotting back again. It was seen that Duffield had made one change
in his line, Hopkins replacing Koehler at left guard. It was Adams’
kick-off and Rob made a clear fifteen yards before he was tackled.
Again, much to the distaste of the Riverport supporters, Deering kicked
on first down. That gave Adams the ball well inside her forty yards.
She tried the mettle of Hopkins on the first play and didn’t like the
result. It was evident at once that that side of the line had been
much strengthened, for Hopkins and Reid had played side by side all
season and knew just how to help each other. A fake quarter-back run,
with the ball going to left half for a plunge through the line, gave
Adams a few yards, and then she was forced to punt. The ball went out
of bounds at Riverport’s forty yard-line. Evan called his signals
while the pigskin was being taken in and almost before Adams had lined
up Jelly had passed and Shaler was squirming through between right
guard and tackle. He shook off two tacklers and then, with half the
Riverport team hauling and pushing, kept his feet long enough to carry
the ball a good twelve yards. Riverport went crazy with delight along
the side-line. Shaler was given the ball again and this time made
four yards before he was stopped. A scant yard by Rob outside of left
tackle left five yards to go. Deering dropped back, Jelly passed well
and the right half ran out to the left and then threw across to Powers
for twenty yards. It was a beautiful forward pass and took the ball to
Adams’ thirty-five yards. Deering and Shaler each made three through
the line and Shaler was called on to make the rest of the distance,
which he did on a split-play that fooled Adams nicely. With the ball
less than twenty-five yards from the goal-line and directly in front of
the posts Deering tried a drop-kick which missed by a few feet only.
Adams put the ball into play from scrimmage and found a weak spot on
the right of Riverport’s line, where Kasker was feeling the pace.
Two tries through him netted eight yards and a tandem on center gave
three more. In the last play the Adams full-back was hurt and Duffield
seized the occasion to take out Kasker and put in Ward. Adams replaced
the injured full-back with a fresh player and the game went on. The
ball changed hands frequently now and Deering’s punts were growing
shorter. But so were those of Spring, the Adams kicker, and observing
this, Adams’ coach took out his right half and put in a new man who
thereafter did most of the punting and was able to out-kick Deering
some five yards. Duffield responded by replacing Deering with Hinkley.
Once Adams worked the ball down to Riverport’s thirty-three yards
and tried a forward pass to the corner of the field. But Brimmer
shouldered the opposing end away and captured the pigskin. The time was
growing short and it was evident that if Riverport was to score she
must get busy. In a punting battle Hinkley could not be relied on to
gain ground. Evan did some tall thinking about then. While Riverport
had shown herself able to make good gains through the Adams line on
occasions, she was unable to make ground consistently in that way. Evan
drew Rob aside and they whispered a moment. Then,
“Kick-formation!” called Evan.
The ball didn’t reach Hinkley, however. It went to Evan and from
him to Rob, and the latter, with the rest of the backs interfering,
skirted the Adams left end on a wide run. Ten yards, fifteen――then Rob
was alone, his interference having been bowled over, with the enemy
grabbing at him and diving for his long legs. Twice he was almost down
and twice he was up again, staggering, whirling, dodging on along
the side-line. And then the Adams left guard and captain wrapped
his arms around Rob’s legs and Rob came to earth, and half a dozen
blue-stockinged warriors thumped themselves upon him.
When the pile disentangled itself Rob rolled over on his back but
didn’t seem interested in getting up. At the end of two minutes he was
being helped to the side-line, looking very white and dizzy, and Hover
was running out to take his place. Hover was fresh and eager and had
weight and fight. On the first play Shaler shot along the side-line for
four yards before he was forced out. Then the ball was carried in and
Hover was given his chance. Straight through center he plowed for eight
yards, fighting and plunging, and it was first down. Back went Hinkley
and, while the onlookers debated whether it was really to be a kick,
the ball went into his hands and, with good interference, he ran the
left end for ten yards. On the side-lines Riverport was cheering madly,
exultantly, Adams madly and imploringly. But it seemed that at last the
Light Blue had found herself, for Hover and Shaler made gain after gain
through the weakening center and Evan tore off a short end run that at
last placed the ball on Adams’ thirty-two yards.
“Kick-formation!” cried Evan hoarsely. “How much time is there, sir?”
“A little over five minutes,” answered the field judge.
“Lots of time, fellows! Kick-formation! Every one into this now!
44――54――69――18――”
“Signal!” cried Hover anxiously.
“44――54――69――18――24! Got it?”
“Yes,” was the answer as Hover dug his toes into the turf.
“9――7――8――”
Forward plunged the backs, Evan shot the ball at Shaler, Jelly and
Devens opened the hole and the play slammed through for three yards.
The same play with Hover carrying the pigskin gave three more. But
Adams was desperate now, almost under the shadow of her goal, and Evan
knew that a line attack would not give him the rest of the distance. He
debated whether to try again for a field-goal. If Hinkley made it it
would probably give them the game, but Hinkley couldn’t be depended on
like Deering. A forward pass the enemy would be looking for, and the
chances of bringing it off successfully were slim. An end run seemed
the only thing unless――!
“I’ll try it!” he told himself.
“Kick-formation!” he called. “24――87――17――41――”
Back came the ball to him and with the two halfs speeding ahead as
interference he shot toward the right end of the line as though for a
quarter-back run. Adams started to head him off. But when he had gone
some five paces Evan slowed down and, swinging around, dropped the ball
from his hands and kicked it obliquely across the field.
“Left!” he cried. “Left!”
There was no one near the ball when it came down save Brimmer, and
Brimmer let it settle into his arms and started on his ten yard journey
to the goal-line. Adams had been caught napping, but her quarter had
not gained his reputation for nothing. He reached Brimmer three yards
from that last fatal white line and bore him backwards.
“First down!” called the referee.
“Line up, fellows!” shrieked Evan. “Get a move on! Lower, you right
tackle. Now make this go, fellows. Put it over! Devens back!” Gus fell
from his place and formed into the tandem. “73――34――24――14――8――6――”
Straight at the center of the enemy charged the tandem, Hover snuggling
the ball to his stomach and grunting like an enraged bull as the lines
met. Forward he went; some one went down before him and seized one
knee; he struggled on grimly, dragging the enemy with him; for a moment
he was stopped; then something gave in front and he went falling,
staggering over the line for the touchdown amid the wild shouts of
Riverport.
It was all over shortly after Hinkley had kicked goal, and the team was
borne off the field on the shoulders of as joyously mad a throng of
fellows as ever yelled themselves hoarse over a victory.
* * * * *
Four hours later Evan slipped out of the dining-room into the arms of a
waiting crowd that filled the corridor from side to side.
“Who’s elected, Kingsford?” they cried as they surrounded him.
“Hopkins proposed Rob,” he cried, “and――”
“Good stuff!”
“Bully for Hop!”
“But Rob refused because he was a junior.”
“Refused! Then who――”
“Gus Devens! Rob proposed him and it went with a roar! Gus is captain.
Let’s give him a cheer when he comes out. There he is. Now then,
fellows! All together!”
And as the doors opened wide and the victorious players came out they
were greeted with a roar that shook the windows of Second House and
went rolling out into the night to apprize the few absent ones that
Riverport had elected her football captain for next year.
THE END.
Transcriber’s Notes:
――Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).
――Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.
――Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.
――Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved,
(e.g. football vs. foot-ball).
End of Project Gutenberg's Kingsford, Quarter, by Ralph Henry Barbour