THE END.
"HULLO!" SAID HIS PAPA. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
The final game of the Long Island League was played on Thanksgiving day at Eastern Park, between Poly Prep, and the Brooklyn High-School. Although Pratt Institute had won the League championship, and both the contesting elevens had been defeated by St. Paul's, the interest taken by Brooklyn football enthusiasts in the rivalry of these two teams was sufficient to draw a larger crowd to Eastern Park than has been seen there at a football game since Yale played Princeton in 1890. Over 7000 people paid admission to witness this interscholastic contest. The game resulted in a victory for the High-School—16-12. The defensive work of both teams was weak, and when once one of the elevens secured the ball, they were pretty sure of carrying it down the field for a touch-down, unless they lost it on a fumble. The cause for this weakness in defensive play is no doubt due to the fact that it is the hardest kind of work to get a scrub team for the first eleven of either school to practise against. St. Paul's is about the only school in the Long Island League that can boast of a regularly organized second eleven. At the other schools no one seems to care about going on the field unless he is reasonably sure of securing a position on the first team.
In the first half, High-School scored ten points and Poly Prep. six. The work of both teams in this half was of about an even order; neither kicked, apparently feeling that the only hope for success was to cling to the possession of the ball. This was a mistake on Poly Prep.'s part, for in Mason, their full-back, they have a punter whose superior is not to be found on any school team of the Long Island League. In the second half, Poly Prep. took a brace, and although High-School scored again, they never gave up hope of success. The Prep. team scored chiefly because of the plunges through the line of Mason and Bresze, who carried the ball for repeated gains through tackle and guard, while Richards went around the end a number of times. These men did the best offensive work of the day for their side. Robeson at quarter did well, and seemed to have gotten rid of that nervousness which characterized his play earlier in the season. His passing was clean and accurate, and he used good generalship in giving signals. Bresze's tackling was low and hard, and at breaking up interference he proved himself most valuable. The best defence was put up by Boorum at centre, and by Norton and Hoover, his guards. Only one gain was made through them.
BERKELEY VS. PRATT.
Full-back "bucking" the line.
For the High-School, Laner, the Captain, and Lambert did the best work. The latter's offence was strong, and his good runs around the ends were in a large measure responsible for High-School's victory. This team was strong at the ends and back of the line, in this having some advantage over their opponents. In no game that I have seen this season has there been so little kicking; High-School did not kick at all, and Poly Prep. only once. This was when Mason punted for a 35-yard gain into High-School territory, Laner missing the catch, and letting the ball go to Poly Prep. on the 30-yard line. This should have encouraged the Poly Prep. Captain to play more of a kicking game, but he was apparently blind to his advantage. Both elevens were weak at tackle, and most of the plays were shoved through here on both sides.
BERKELEY VS. ST. PAUL'S.
Holding in the rush-line.
The Long Island football season has not been so successful this year as might have been desired. It made a bad start and ended up weakly. Bryant and Stratton's decided at the beginning of the season not to put a team in the field. Adelphi, after being defeated 66-0 by Pratt Institute, disbanded her eleven, and forfeited the remaining games scheduled. A little later the Latin School followed suit. The latter had played but one game with High-School, in which they did good work, although the score was 18-0 against them. This wholesale resignation left only four teams in the League: St. Paul's, Pratt Institute, Poly Prep., and High-School. The reason given by Bryant and Stratton's for withdrawing from the League was that so little interest was taken in football that it was impossible to organize an eleven. I think the additional reason of bad management on the part of the Athletic Committee might well be added to this. At Adelphi one player was hurt early in the season, whereupon the parents of five of the best players in school took it upon themselves to prohibit their sons from taking any further part in the game. Another reason given by the Adelphians is that their men were so light that it was useless to attempt to pit them against the heavier teams of the League.
The Latin School eleven was unfortunate in having some of its best players laid up at the start. This seemed to discourage the men, and some of them announced openly that they intended to play Poly Prep., but would forfeit to St. Paul's and Pratt Institute, because they were not heavy enough to play against such teams. Later in the season they did, in fact, play Poly Prep., and were defeated 20-10. This business of forfeiting games for one reason or another is a very bad thing. The League ought to have some rule to penalize such conduct, or every season will see the same kind of fizzle that this year has exhibited. Any team that feels it cannot win in Brooklyn decides apparently that the noblest course of action is to forfeit at once. This is not sportsmanlike, and very little thought on the part of athletic leaders across the river ought to show them what a serious mistake they make by encouraging or allowing any such conduct on the part of the Captains or Managers of football teams.
BERKELEY VS. ST. PAUL'S.
Formation for tandem play.
When the season opened, St. Paul's School was looked upon as a probable winner of the championship, but after the eleven had played several games it became apparent that the men lost heart in an uphill contest. In the game against Berkeley, however, they belied this reputation by playing a beautiful uphill game. High-School and Poly Prep. are now tied for third place, in spite of the fact that the former was victorious in the Thanksgiving-day game. The League will undoubtedly give to the Latin School the game that her eleven played against the High-School, which the latter won 18-0, and in which there was that peculiar agreement between the Captains to which I referred some weeks ago.
The results of the games played in the Long Island Interscholastic Football League this fall, are as follows:
| Pratt Institute, 18—High-School, 0. |
| Pratt Institute, 66—Adelphi, 0. |
| Pratt Institute, 26—St. Paul's, 0. |
| Pratt Institute, 24—Poly Prep., 4. |
| St. Paul's, 36—Poly Prep., 0. |
| St. Paul's, 18—High-School, 0. |
| High-School, 18—Latin School, 0. |
| High-School, 16—Poly Prep., 12. |
| Poly Prep., 20—Latin School, 10. |
Adelphi forfeited to all except Pratt Institute; and Bryant and Stratton's forfeited to everybody. The Latin School forfeited to Pratt Institute and to St. Paul's. Poly Prep. was the only team to score against Pratt Institute.
Matters of importance have been occupying the New York Inter-scholastic Athletic Association's attention for the past two weeks. These matters are of importance not only to students of the New York schools immediately interested in the questions in dispute, but also to all readers of this Department who favor cleanliness and honesty in school sport. Space will not allow me to go very fully into the questions that came up for decision at the two meetings of the N.Y.I.S.A.A., recently held here and fully discussed in the daily papers; but I shall try to touch broadly enough upon the principles involved to make the resulting lesson of service even to those who may not be familiar with the details of the two cases. The N.Y.I.S.A.A. this fall found that it had two difficult matters to settle. One of them was a charge brought by the rector of Trinity School against the head-master of Barnard School, accusing him of calling upon and personally asking a member of Trinity School to leave that institution and to accept a free scholarship at Barnard. The purpose of this inducement was said to be that Barnard wished thus to add to the strength of her football team. At the meeting of the committee intrusted with the task of deciding whether or no these charges were justified, Barnard School was represented by a lawyer, two teachers, and a stenographer, and doubtless with a very strong defense, because the committee after a protracted session decided to dismiss the complaint. The second question that the Arbitration Committee had to pass upon was the protest against Ehrich, of Harvard School, filed last spring by De La Salle.
The Ehrich matter is already familiar to readers of this Department, for I touched upon it at the time the protest was made in June. It will be remembered that in the game for the championship of the New York League in baseball, Ehrich caught for Harvard in spite of the fact that De La Salle claimed he had no right to play, having been a student at the College of the City of New York. Harvard School won that game, and as a result the pennant was subsequently awarded to them. At the recent meeting of the Arbitration Committee to decide the question of fraud on the part of Harvard, this school claimed that the association had already legally awarded the championship, and that therefore no further action could be taken. De La Salle, on the other hand, contended that they had protested Ehrich before the final game of last year, and showed that he was ineligible to the Harvard team because of having been enrolled the previous autumn in the Freshman class of a college.
According to the constitution of the N.Y.I.S.A.A. any violation of the rules is fraud. There is a rule which says that no one having attended a college may thereafter play upon a school team. De La Salle therefore charged Harvard School with being guilty of fraud, and tried to have the question settled last spring. Three attempts were made to have the protest decided. The first time there was no quorum present; at the second meeting the Condon delegates left the room, refusing to pass on any question of fraud; at the third meeting, on June 19th, the championship was awarded to the Harvard School; but from all I hear, the voting was carried on in a most questionable and peculiar manner. I hope there is no truth in the report that clerks from the drug-store located in the building were brought in as delegates, to make a quorum, and voted as such.
When the question came up before the Arbitration Committee last week, De La Salle claimed that, according to the constitution, charges of fraud must be referred not to the Executive Committee of the I.S.A.A., but to an Arbitration Committee, which is an entirely different body. De La Salle also asserted that their delegates had never been notified of the meeting at which the championship was awarded, and that even had they been notified they could not have been present because their school closed a week before. After a long debate Harvard School was found guilty by the Arbitration Committee of violating the constitution and, consequently, guilty of fraud.
The penalty for fraud is expulsion from the Association. Harvard now cries that it has been unfairly treated, and the principal of the school has stated in the newspapers that he will withdraw his school from the Association. This, of course, he cannot do, because Harvard has charges pending against her, and under these conditions resignation is out of the question. The action of the Arbitration Committee in thus stamping out the least semblance of professionalism in the Association cannot be too highly commended. Last year the N.Y.I.S.A.A. was run almost entirely by a few schools, and there was a great howl against "ring politics" from certain quarters. The outsiders formed themselves into a "reform party," and early this fall selected the men they chose to have represent them in the Executive Committee of the Association, nominated these men, and elected the entire ticket. It is to be hoped that this "reform party" will stick to its determination to keep scholastic athletics in New York clean and honest, and absolutely free from even the slightest rumor or suspicion of professional tendencies.
If the managers of New York school athletics cannot do this, if they cannot keep the professional spirit out of sport, they had better disband their elevens and their nines, rather than make sport a farce and a masquerade for dishonesty. A commendable step in the "house-cleaning" now going forward is the revision of the constitution.
The most interesting, most scientific, and most important game of the Boston season was that played Thanksgiving morning between Boston Latin and English High Schools, before three thousand spectators. English High pulled out the game, and thus won the championship with a clean score of victories. The Latin School played desperately, realizing that to win the game meant to tie English High for the championship.
After an exchange of kicks at the start, English High took the ball at the centre of the field, and worked it over the line for the only score of the game, without losing it. It was brilliant, hard, irresistible playing that did it, and it won the game. It was the best football that has been seen in the League this season. The only thing to be compared to it is the game that Boston Latin played from that moment until time was called. Latin forced the playing, after that fatal touch-down, until the end. English High was on the defence throughout. But that defence was so good that Latin, with an attack far better than it has ever shown before, was unable to score. Three or four times Latin carried the ball to the five-yard line of their opponents, only to be held for downs, and see the ball kicked safely down the field. The play on both sides was of the surest and most satisfactory order. There were no flukes to regret, no incompetent officials to turn the result of the game.
There was almost no fumbling or poor tackling. Every five yards that was gained was earned by straight, hard-played football. Every time four downs were called it was because of superior defence. The football that was played in this game would be a credit to any college team, and many a 'varsity player could learn a lesson of sand from these boys.
Whittemore of the English High-School, and Maguire of the Latin, were stars even in this group. Each one played football every minute of the game. In offence or defence, not an error was made by either. Not far behind them comes Callahan, English High's centre. In spite of two recently sprained ankles, he played a most aggressive game, repeatedly getting out and stopping end and tackle plays. It was his hole-making, too, in this game, as heretofore, that made Ellsworth such a brilliant line-bucker. Besides Callahan and Whittemore, Ashley and Eaton were most valuable to English High. Ashley got around the end in a way that must have surprised him. As a ground-gainer, Eaton, the guard, was not as successful as usual, but he did an immense amount of work on defence. Purtell, his side partner, played a steady, sure game.
For the Latin school, Maguire's work was far ahead of any one's else. He was their surest ground-gainer and their surest tackler. McLachlan, who is the tallest man in the League, played the best end in the game. He is a hard man to put out, and is a great interferer. Daly, at quarter, had a brainy day, and ran the team faultlessly. Nagle, at guard, quit even with Eaton, and time and again helped Teevens, the full-back, through the line.
Man for man, the teams were evenly matched. In the matter of sand neither side can claim any superiority. English High can rest assured that the championship was never more gloriously won. Boston Latin need feel no chagrin because their opponents played a game just one whit better than their own.
Two other great games were played Thanksgiving morning, one between Cambridge Manual and Cambridge High and Latin, the other between Boston English High and Boston Latin. The first-named game was played on a soggy, slippery field, which did not allow of much good football. It was intensely interesting and exciting, however, and resulted in a tie. In the first half it looked like High-School's game; but in the second Manual had everything her own way. It would be unfair to say that it was a poor exhibition in so far as playing football was concerned, for the miserable field was responsible for that. The backs never got started well, and the punters could not stand firmly enough to do good kicking, and anything but the most elementary plays was impossible.
High and Latin had a much better defence than Manual; there was but one weak spot in the line, but that—left tackle—was worked repeatedly for big gains. Cambridge played a new man at left end, Warnock, and he gives promise of doing great work next year. Warren, at guard, and Saul, at quarter, played their usual reliable defence, and Beardsell, at end, played a most brilliant game. He followed the ball wonderfully. Nine times out of ten, when the ball was fumbled, it was Beardsell who fell on it. For Manual, Moore, at centre, played the most aggressive game. White excelled among the backs, keeping his feet remarkably well in the mud.
This game was to decide which team would finish last in the race; but it failed to do so, as each of these schools now has four defeats and one tie on its record. The question of last place must be decided, however, in order to give Somerville High, who won the junior championship, a chance to enter the senior league next year.
The Graduate.