"Well, Longley wins again!" exclaimed Ned Lowe, who came in with the news.
"What was the score?" questioned Gif with much interest.
"Eleven to two."
"You don't mean it!" cried Spouter. "Why, that's worse than the game they took from Hixley High!"
"One thing is certain: The Longley team knows how to play," said Jack decidedly. "We may not like Tommy Flanders and his bunch, but, just the same, you've got to hand it to 'em for knowing how to put it across."
"It looks to me as if we might be in for a defeat," remarked another cadet.
"Defeat! Don't talk that way, Leeds," stormed Gif. "Colby Hall is going to win!"
"Well, I hope so, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," answered Leeds. He was a new pupil, and was of a decidedly pessimistic turn of mind.
The victories of Longley over Hixley and Columbus served one good purpose. It caused Gif to call his team together and read them a stern lecture.
"We are evidently up against a bunch of real ball players," said the captain. "We've got to buckle down in this contest and do our very best, and then some. I want every man to practice all he can from now on. And when the time comes I want every man to play the game with all the brains and all the nerve that are in him."