“All over to the gym!” called Andy Ryan.
CHAPTER XXV
FOURTH DOWN
For thirty minutes of actual playing time the Blue of Yardley and the Green of Broadwood had advanced and retreated up and down the trampled field of battle. And now the fifteen minute intermission was nearing its end and the rival cheering sections ceased their songs and the cheer leaders, megaphones in hand, watched the slope for sight of the returning warriors. Then the cheers broke forth and the squads trotted down the hill, Yardley in the lead, and blue flags waved and green pennants fluttered and pandemonium reigned. On the scoreboard no chalked figures followed the names of the contenders, for neither side had scored. Never perhaps in the history of the schools had their teams waged a closer conflict. Not once had the ball been inside either twenty-five-yard line in scrimmage, not once had the Blue or the Green seriously threatened the opposing goal. It had been a hard-fought, gruelling battle in mid-field, the ball constantly changing hands. No errors of judgment had given advantage, no fumbles had marred the almost perfect play. Twice penalties had been exacted, once from each team. Machine-like smoothness, thorough teamwork had been the order all through the first two periods, and individual brilliancy had been subordinated. Both teams seemed loath to break away from the safety of old-style football, and line-plunges interspersed with dashes outside tackle had ruled. Once Broadwood had tried a forward-pass, but it had failed and she had not attempted a second. It was still anybody’s game.
Neither side made any changes as the third period started. For Yardley the line-up was still as before: Tubb, Fanning, Rose, Simpson, Casement, Bryan, Halliday, Noyes, Roover, Deering, Snowden. It was Broadwood’s kick-off and Yardley hustled the ball back to her twenty and went at the line again. The Green stopped her for seven yards and Snowden punted to the rival’s twenty-odd. Broadwood tried the left end and made four, tried the center and lost two, sent her backs at right tackle and gained three, and punted to Yardley’s forty. Deering caught and skirted back ten before he was upset. Roover got two past right tackle and three inside right guard. Deering fought through for two more. Snowden punted. And so it went while the precious minutes sped.
On the bench, huddled in sweater and blanket, Toby watched anxiously with the others. And as he watched he strove to keep in mind the lesson that Curran had been teaching him since an hour before the game. The new signals were simple, but there were three sequences that wouldn’t stay put in his mind. Of course, it probably didn’t matter much whether he remembered them or didn’t, for it was safe to say that the coach would not let him in until the game was either well won or lost beyond the possibility of recovery. But it was like Toby to keep hammering away just the same.
Noyes misjudged a punt, his first error, and for a long and anxious four minutes Broadwood hovered about the Blue’s thirty-yards, the ball in her possession. Then the second forward-pass of the game was intercepted by Tubb, and, although he could not get away, he clung tightly to it when tackled and a moment later Snowden had again punted far down the field. Ten minutes had passed of the precious thirty left. Broadwood, fighting back, piled through Yardley’s center for six yards and the green pennants waved and Broadwood voices shouted their triumph. Noyes, limping and white-faced, came off and Winfield took his place at quarter and the Green made her distance for the third time that day. But she was still on her own ground. A full-back run ended disastrously and she punted to Winfield on his own thirty-seven and that slim youth dodged and weaved his way through half the opposing team and was only downed when twenty yards lay behind him. Yardley implored a touchdown in measured chorus. With three to go on fourth down, Yardley hesitated. Before she had decided the whistle signaled the end of the quarter.
On the stands the supporters of the Blue spoke sadly or hopefully of a no-score game. The teams sought the water buckets and lined up once more. But now there were new faces in the opposing ranks. Both sides had begun to call on their reserves. Snow went in for Casement and Candee for Simpson on the Blue team and Broadwood put in a new end and a new half-back.
Winfield called for the three yards on a double-pass play that sent Deering outside left tackle and just failed of the distance. Broadwood opened up her play then. Two forward-passes were tried, of which the first failed and the second won a short ten yards. A fake-kick, with the quarter holding the pigskin, added seven more. Yardley rooters watched in silent agony now. The Green piled through for the rest of the distance and the Broadwood stands went crazy with joy. But there was still a long way to go and Yardley found herself again after another play or two and held for downs when six inches would have given Broadwood a new life. Then came a wild and thrilling end run by Deering that took the ball over four white lines and placed it on Broadwood’s thirty-six. But a fumble by the Blue’s quarter spoiled it and Broadwood recovered the ball. Three attempts netted little and the ball sailed back up the field. Winfield again misjudged and the pigskin went over his head and trickled closer and closer to the Blue’s goal-line, Deering and Winfield in pursuit and two eager Broadwood ends almost upon them. It was Arnold who fell on the ball safely just short of his fifteen-yard-line and who clung to it stoutly while the enemy pounced down on him.