"H.S. cheer!"
It rolled out with full volume while the referee was placing the ball. By the time it died out Cobber's captain could be heard calling:
"Four—-nine—-thirty-three—-eight!"
Trill-ll!
Here, the heavier boys from Cobber began to do their fine work, and Gridley hearts sank.
Cobber made a first down on three plays. It ended in a bad fumble, however, for steady Thompson went down over the ball on the Gridley forty-five-yard line.
"H.S. cheer once more!" bellowed Dick.
The High School boys and girls answered with a will, drawing it out so long as to cause the referee to frown. When it ended Badger's signals ripped out fast and clear.
The ball came back to Quarter-back Winters. He started Gridley faces to glowing again, for Winters did one of the things that had made the team famous. This was the Gridley fake kick. With any lesser team it would have been good for twenty-five yards. Even against the big, alert fellows from Cobber that fake kick was good for eight yards. But not yet did the full effect of the move come. For Cobber was off-side and Trent burst through the line on a spurt that was good for thirty-three yards.
Two snappy line plays followed that made the Cobber boys feel the cold sweat ooze. It would have been Gridley's first down, but a little slip penalized the home players for fifteen yards.