For the good of the team

by Ralph Henry Barbour

“He’d be little use, Cap, in the game,” he declared, “and if he was hurt again he’d be out for the season. Yes, I know he’s keen for playing, but there’s other games coming and we’ll need him worse than we’ll need him next Saturday.”

“There isn’t any game coming, except Pearsall, that I’d rather win,” replied Stuart dejectedly.

“Nor me,” agreed the trainer. “They’re a hard, corky bunch of lads, but maybe we’ll down them just the same.”

“That’s likely, with Haynes making no effort for them,” said Stuart bitterly. “He isn’t even giving us a new play! We’ll have to face them with the same stuff we had last year, and they’ll eat it up, Laird!”

Nevertheless, Stuart hadn’t given up all hope, for even though Coach Haynes had decided to make no special preparations for Walsenburg, he knew that there was a strong sentiment among the players in favor of beating the rival at almost any cost, and he was relying on that sentiment to pull the team through. It was evident as early as the first of that week that no help was to be expected from Mr. Haynes. He had more than once declared himself against disturbing the early season progress of the team for the purpose of beating an opponent. “We’ll take them in our stride,” was his way of expressing it. There was not a little criticism and some grumbling from the veterans, but the new coach had by now pretty firmly established himself in their favor, and openly expressed opposition to his decision was lacking.

Ernest Lowe took Burns’ place at left half and practice went on methodically until Friday. On Friday evening Coach Haynes did call a session in the gymnasium and gave them nearly an hour of floor practice on formations and some ten minutes of good advice, but that was the extent of his concessions. And the next day, when the line-up was made known, he had, at least in the judgment of most, neutralized that by putting Steve Le Gette in at right tackle in place of Ned Thurston. Le Gette had been playing a good game as substitute, and Thurston had, it was true, been under his form since the Wentworth contest, but those who knew “Thirsty” were convinced of his ability to come back and were far from pleased with the change. Stuart closed his lips very tight and said nothing when the list was read, but on the way to the field he confided to Jack bitterly that “Walsenburg ought to lick us, with our own coach doing all he can to help her!”

From a Manning viewpoint the game left much to be desired. Looking at it from the Walsenburg side of the field, it was a corker! Walsenburg’s players were probably no better individually than the opponent’s, but collectively they were just as much better as the final score proclaimed them: and the final score was 13 to 6.

Walsenburg had developed team play to a remarkable point, considering the time of year. Sticking to quite simple plays, starting from a three-abreast formation, Walsenburg relied on speed, weight and smoothness of operation to win. The Cherry-and-Gray was put on the defensive early in the first quarter and kept there until the half was over, while the enemy twice rushed her way to the home team’s threshold, the first time losing the ball on downs on the eight yards and the second time plunging across the line for a touchdown that was followed by a goal. In the third quarter Manning staged a come-back, and securing the pigskin on her own twenty-two yards she mingled two forward-passes with an end-running attack that, aided by a penalty for holding, placed her within scoring distance of the adversary’s goal.

After that it was only grim determination that enabled her to put the ball over, for her plays, none of them new, were “old stuff” to Walsenburg and were as often stopped behind the line as beyond it. It was individual brilliancy versus team play, with the odds all in favor of the latter, and yet for once the probabilities were upset, for, from the visitor’s twenty-seven to her six, big, calm-eyed “Howdy” Tasker, at fullback, smashed his way in four attempts, once plunging for five yards outside left tackle quite on his own, the interference having been nailed in its tracks. From the six, Manning ground down the defense by concentrating on the Walsenburg right guard, throwing Tasker and Hanson at him, and then Tasker again, and gaining a yard, a yard and a half and another yard. On fourth down slightly over six feet of trampled turf remained to be conquered, and, with Manning imploring from the stand, Tasker again hurled himself at Walsenburg’s right guard and Stuart, the ball snuggled to his stomach, shot off to the right, head down, and plunged some how through the mêlée until, falling, his hands held the pigskin just over the last white line.

Stuart failed at goal by less than the width of the ball and Manning groaned dismay and sorrow, for at this stage of the contest it seemed that the home team might hold the enemy from further scoring. But, although Walsenburg appeared content to mark time for the rest of the period, in the last quarter she again showed her power. Tasker’s weak punt from his thirty-five to midfield gave the adversary her chance and she set herself to the task with new energy. She had freshened her backfield with a pair of substitute halfs and began a ferocious, remorseless hammering of the Manning right side. Towne was worn down and gave way to Baker, and Le Gette, who had performed creditably at right tackle, was replaced by Thurston. But the enemy had almost gained his objective by that time and was ready to shift his attack. A crafty forward-pass, as well performed as it was unexpected, placed the ball on the home team’s seventeen yards for first down. A fake place kick developed into a quarterback run around left end, and, although Stuart brought down his rival well across the field, the pigskin was four yards closer to the goal line. From the thirteen yards Walsenburg reached the five in three plunges through a weakening line. There Manning braced and wrenched the ball from the enemy by inches and Tasker punted from behind his line. But again the ball went short and a Walsenburg halfback caught on Manning’s twenty-three and dodged back to the fourteen.