“We’ll get it,” asserted Phil, when time was being taken out to enable Sid Henderson to get back his wind, for he had been knocked out by a fierce tackle.
Then the battle was resumed. Up to now, Tom and his old enemy, Langridge, had not clashed much, though Langridge kept up a running fire of low-voiced, insulting talk against Tom, to which our hero did not reply.
“He’s only trying to get my goat,” Tom explained to Frank Simpson. Then came a play around Tom’s end, when Boxer had the ball, and Langridge deliberately punched his opponent. Like a flash, Tom drew back his arm to return the blow, and then he realized that he was in the game, and he got after the man with the ball. Following the scrimmage, he said, with quiet determination:
“Langridge, if you do that again, I’ll smash you in the eye,” and from the manner of saying it, Langridge knew he would carry it out. Thereafter he was more careful.
Try as Randall did, she could not seem to get the ball near enough to make an attempt for a field goal, or to rush it over for a touchdown. On the other hand, Boxer was equally unable to make the needful gains. There was much kicking, and the time was rapidly drawing to a close.
“We’ve got to do it! We’ve got to do it! We’ve got to do it!” said the captain over and over again. He begged and pleaded with his men. The coach urged them in all the terms of which he was master.
There were but two minutes more of play, and Randall had the ball. It was within twenty-five yards of the Boxer goal, and one attempt to rush it through guard and tackle had resulted in only a little gain.
It was a critical moment, for on the next few plays depended the championship of the league. Phil was doing some rapid thinking. Sid had just had the ball, and had failed to gain. In fact, the plucky left half-back had not fully recovered from the effects of a fierce tackle.
“They won’t expect him to come at them again,” thought Phil. “But I wonder if old Sid can do it. I’m going to try him.”
The quarter-back was rattling off the signal. Somewhat to his surprise, Sid heard himself called upon for another trial. He almost resented it, for he was very weary, and his ears were buzzing from weakness.