For the good of the team

by Ralph Henry Barbour

No team could continue the pace that Manning had set at the start, and when Cutts had again kicked off from the midfield and Pearsall had caught and reeled off twelve yards there was a perceptible let-down in Manning’s speed, and, since the Blue had in the interim between the scoring and the kick-off pulled herself together, the opponents appeared more closely matched. Pearsall made her distance once, Connor carrying the ball around Whaley when two tries at the left of center had yielded five yards. The Blue’s fullback got two through Le Gette, but after two more tries at the line Pearsall punted to Stuart on his thirty-two. He managed to dodge back for five before he was thrown heavily.

Manning began then a systematic bucking of the Pearsall center and obtained good results, Tasker and Burns gaining between tackles for enough to take the pigskin in the Blue’s territory. There an off-side penalty set her back and Littlefield was caught off the line and dumped on his head. Stuart punted to the Blue’s fourteen and Pearsall kicked on second down to Manning’s forty. Manning failed to make her distance on three tries and Tasker punted. The kick was short and a Pearsall back landed the ball on his thirty-two. A forward pass grounded, but on the next play Connor again went around Whaley and reached Manning’s forty-six. A second attempt at the same play was spilled for a loss and Pearsall sent her left half close off Thurston for six. The quarter ended and the teams changed fields.

Pearsall had regained her confidence and showed it, and the Blue stand was shouting madly. Pearsall brought off her first successful forward-pass and made it go for nine yards, placing the ball close to the home team’s thirty-yard line. Pearsall’s quarterback got loose around his left and added four more, and Coach Haynes hurried Wesner on in place of Whaley. The Blue was playing desperately and was hard to stop. Yet from the twenty-six her progress was slower and it required the tape to determine her right to retain possession of the ball on the twenty. But she had made her distance by an inch or two, and the Pearsall supporters went mad with joy. Almost on the threshold, the Blue became cautious and, using a right shift, concentrated on the enemy’s tackles. But two tries gained her only three yards and Loring, her left half, went back to kicking position. As was expected, the third down became an attempt at a plunge through center, an attempt that was spoiled by the Manning backs. Then, from the twenty-three, Loring got the ball on a good pass, dropped it and kicked. Manning broke through, but, although Jack Brewton tipped the pigskin with his fingers, the ball went squarely across the bar and the Blue had scored.

The rest of the second period passed without further scoring, although, with but two minutes to play, Stuart, faking a pass to Tasker, hid the ball for an instant and then shot straight through the enemy’s center and dodged and squirmed through the backfield for twenty-eight yards, landing the pigskin on Pearsall’s twenty-nine. That sample of the quarterback’s return to his old form brought the Manning cheerers to their feet, and there they stayed, cheering wildly, imploring a touchdown. But, although Coach Haynes sped Hanson in for Littlefield and Hanson and Lowe and Tasker each banged at the Pearsall line or plunged past tackle, three downs left the Cherry-and-Gray three yards short of her distance and Stuart and Jack held a consultation. Stuart was all for risking a forward pass, but Jack preferred playing it safer on a try at a field goal.

“It had better be Le Gette, then,” Stuart panted. “I’m all in, Jack. But he can do it.”

“All right! Let’s have it!”

Le Gette looked a little bit pale when he dropped back to the twenty-eight. The distance was nothing to bother him, nor was the angle extreme, but this was his first attempt during the game and he was nervous. And things went against him: Joe Cutts passed high and Le Gette wasted a valuable moment getting the ball to position: a Pearsall guard got through between Beeman and Cutts and, although Hanson spilled him, added to Le Gette’s worriment. As a result the ball started well but, short of the goal, veered from its path. There was a moment of doubt that ended with a yell of relief from Pearsall. The pigskin had passed a foot outside the further upright! Le Gette looked as if he wanted to cry, but Stuart said: “Hard luck, Steve! You’ll get the next one!” and the teams lined up once more. Pearsall tried one smash at the foe and then the whistle blew.

Manning and Pearsall sang and cheered all through the intermission, Manning with the confidence that a four-point lead gave her, Pearsall with the hope of ultimate victory. When the teams trotted back again all previous efforts in the line of cheering were paled by the mighty welcomes that burst forth from the stands. Pearsall had made but one change in her line-up, Manning two. Codman was at left guard in place of Beeman and Wheaton was at quarter. Stuart saw the rest of the game from the bench. He held no resentment toward Mr. Haynes, for “Wheat” had proved his right to the position and the coach had fulfilled his promise. If, secretly, Stuart believed that he could have played that second half better than his rival, he gave no voice to the belief. He took what consolation he could from the conviction that he had performed well while he had been in and tried not to be unduly troubled by the reflection that had he tried that goal from field instead of Le Gette, Manning’s score might now be three points bigger.

Pearsall came back for that third period at least twenty per cent better. What had passed in the Blue’s quarters during half-time none but the members of the team and their coach knew, but whatever it was it had had its effect. Pearsall, with her line-up practically unaltered, took command of the situation at once. Manning gave the kick-off to Pearsall and when the ball had landed in Muirgart’s arms near his twenty-five-yard line she kept it but a brief time. Three rushes proved the enemy’s line too strong, and Tasker punted. Fate took a hand then. That punt was high and short and was pulled down on the fifty-yard line. From there Pearsall opened up a new style of attack, placing her backs, three-abreast, close to her line and keeping the plays concealed most bewilderingly. She found a weak spot at Codman and made gain after gain there until Codman was replaced by Baker. She pulled off two forward-passes that were as successful as they were daring, using long heaves far down the field to an unprotected end. Six minutes after the kick-off the Blue was hammering at Manning’s portal and the Cherry-and-Gray, desperate, was fighting for those final ten yards.

Pearsall saw victory ahead and was not to be denied. Amidst a continued welter of noise from the stands, she hammered and banged, gaining two yards here, three there, making it first down at last on Manning’s six. Irmo went in for Cutts, who was showing wear, and the Manning center stood steady. With four yards to go on fourth down, Pearsall, faking a kick, sent Connor skimming around the right end and, with sinking hearts, the Cherry-and-Gray’s adherents saw him stagger across the goal line at the corner of the field. From that touchdown Loring sent over an easy goal, and on the score-board the white numerals changed from 7 to 3 to 7 to 10!