Shannock came out round the end a bit in advance of Merriwell, and Ringsdale, who was on hand, promptly tripped him in Dick’s path. Dick jumped as Shannock went down, but Holden had broken away from Stanton’s attempt to block him and was on hand, so that Merriwell was dragged to the ground with a gain of only two yards.
But now the umpire promptly came forward and gave Fardale ten yards on Ringsdale’s tripping of Shannock, which advanced the ball to the forty-five-yard line. Then Fardale roared again, thus expressing its satisfaction over the punishment meted out by the umpire to the offenders.
As may be imagined, Fairport was not at all pleased. Ringsdale had played the tripping trick thus far during the season without being punished for it before, and the visitors felt hurt and wronged because a just penalty had been imposed in this case. They started in to wrangle over it, but were choked off at once, and the game progressed.
Things were going Fardale’s way, and it looked brighter when five yards were made through Fairport’s right wing. Then, with the ball five yards from the center of the field, Fardale grew too eager, both Kane and Blair getting off-side on the next play.
The ball went to Fairport, which gave the visiting witnesses of the game another opportunity to cheer.
"That’s bad, fellows," said Steve Nunn, shaking his head. "We had them going. You must look out for that. We can’t afford to lose this game through breaks of that sort."
But it quickly began to seem as if there was danger of having this first break count against them heavily, for Fairport made full ten yards on the first plunge through the right wing of the home team. This was so encouraging to the Vikings that they repeated the play, only to find this time that the right wing stood firm, and the ball was stopped without a gain.
Then Fairport tried a trick play. Apparently Marley was sent to circle the left end, but he passed to Ringsdale, who darted in the opposite direction. Dick Merriwell took it for a double-pass, and laid for Ringsdale.
The left half-back of the enemy, however, made a clever pass to Emerson, although keeping right on. When Ringsdale came round the end Dick Merriwell discovered he did not have the ball.
As no runner followed Ringsdale, Dick whirled to look for the ball, discovering that Emerson had taken it through a big opening in the center and was dashing down a clear field, Singleton and Shannock having rushed to stop Marley.