“Take your places, men,” called the referee, and the players peeled off their sweaters and trotted out into the field, rejoicing that the hour was come. “Are you ready, Princeton?”
“All ready, sir.”
“Are you ready, Lawrenceville?”
“All ready,” answered Blake.
The referee waited an instant, then placed his whistle to his lips and blew a shrill blast. There was a swift rush, and the ball was whirling through the air. The game was on.
What pen has ever adequately described a football game, with its multitudinous features, its ever-changing tactics, its kaleidoscopic advances and retreats, its thousand and one individual plays? Certainly it shall not be attempted here.
It was evident after a few minutes of play that the teams were more evenly matched than Blake had dared to hope and that the score would be a close one. Blake’s face cleared as he realized that his opponents were not so terrible as they had been pictured.
“Steady, fellows, steady,” he panted, in an interval between two rushes. “Don’t you fumble that ball, Reeves. Watch your man there, Remington.”
Indeed, Tommy found he had his hands full watching his man. Some exaggerated story of his prowess must have got abroad, for the Princeton captain had placed the biggest and strongest man on his team against him. He was certainly bigger and heavier than Tommy, and in the first few rushes had decidedly the better of it. But as the game progressed Tommy saw with delight that his adversary was growing weaker, while he himself was just warming up to the work. After all, six years’ work in the mines will outweigh a few weeks’ training, every time. Before long, Blake rejoiced to see that Tommy was holding his man, and that he even got past him once or twice; but the first half ended without either side having been able to score.
The members of both teams received some pretty severe lecturing in the ten minutes’ intermission that followed, but, on the whole, the atmosphere in the Lawrenceville quarters was much the more hopeful. Princeton had entered the game quite confident of winning, and had met with an unexpected check, which served to dash her spirits. She had counted on carrying the ball down the field with a rush in the first few minutes of play, but, so far, had been unable seriously to threaten Lawrenceville’s goal. On the other hand, Lawrenceville had made a better showing than she had hoped for, and was correspondingly elated. Blake was especially happy, though he tried not to show it.