“Oh, dry up!” exclaimed Phil, as he looked to the shoulder pads on his canvas jacket.
Out on the gridiron trotted the Newkirk players, to be received with a salvo of cheers from the contingent of supporters who had accompanied them to the Randall grounds.
Then the home team followed, and Bean Perkins leaped to his feet, wildly brandishing a cane with the college colors streaming from it, while he led the cheering, and then added his powerful voice, as the students broke into the song: “We’re Going to Wallop ’Em Now!”
It was announced that the game would be played in two halves, and when Captain Woodhouse had conferred with Billy Bardeen, who ran the Newkirk team, they tossed for choice. Dan won, and elected to defend the north goal, which gave him and his men the advantage of a little wind. Newkirk was to kick off, and when Bardeen had teed the ball on a little mound of dirt in the centre of the field, he gave a glance to see if his men were ready. He gave the signal to the referee, and that official, after a confirmatory nod from Captain Woodhouse, blew his whistle.
With a little run, Bardeen planted his toe in the pigskin, which, straight and true, sailed to Randall’s ten-yard line, being caught by Sid Henderson, who rushed it back fifteen yards before he was downed by a fierce tackle by Ed Denton. There was wild cheering by Perkins and his mates at this, for it seemed to indicate that Newkirk was not as strong as she had been rated.
Sid slowly arose and planted his foot on the ball until Holly Cross came up.
“Line up!” yelled Phil, stooping down behind the big centre, and then he began calling the signal: “Fourteen—eighty-seven—one hundred and six—forty-two——”
He snapped his hands, and the ball came back to him. Like a flash it was passed to Joe Jackson, who hit the line for all he was worth, and tore through for two yards, the Newkirk players seeming to crumple to pieces under the smashing attack. There were more cheers at this, and when Sid Henderson tore off three yards more around left end, the Randall crowd went wild.
“Walk it up for a touchdown!” yelled Bean Perkins.