“Five to go!” cried the referee, skipping away.
“Hold that side! Hold that side!” shouted Fanning.
“That was on you, Snow!” Mr. Lyle’s voice was ice-cold. “Don’t let them do it again!”
“Come on, Yardley! Throw ’em back!” called Curran, up-field. “Watch for a forward, there, Ted!”
Again Second smashed at the First’s right guard and center, and again the latter yielded. But Crawford had made only a yard and a half, and now it was fourth down and the forty-yard line was still a good ten feet distant. Grover Beech pulled Toby’s head down and whispered, and Toby gave back a doubtful glance. But Beech’s word was law so long as it didn’t transgress the coach’s instructions, and Toby yielded. “Farquhar back!” he called. “Hold that line, Second!” Farquhar trotted to a kicking position and Nelson slipped into the line. First scented a fake, but covered her field nevertheless. Then the ball shot back to Lippman and he set out around his end, Toby leading. For a moment the play looked good, for First had drawn her back-field away, but Sanford eluded Connell and sent Toby sprawling and Roover got Lippman two yards short of the distance.
First made two at the Second’s left and then kicked. Crawford misjudged the ball badly on his twenty-five yards and it went over his head. Toby fell on it on his fifteen, and two First Team men fell on him. Second plugged the center again for two, and again for one. Then, on a delayed pass, Crawford squirmed through Snow for eight yards and first down. What a scolding there was then! Coach Lyle fairly raised welts. Some one called for time, and Toby, still short of breath from being sat on by the First Team ends, was very glad. Beech led him back.
“Watch Stone,” he said. “He’s coming away in on those plays. Slip one through outside him, Tucker. There’s a fine hole there!”
Toby nodded. “Got to bang the center, though, Beech. Coach’s orders. I’ll try it, though, first time they tighten.”
Toby shifted his line to the left, and First massed to meet the attack. Lippman failed at center, Candee standing like a rock. On a fake-kick, Crawford struck the line hard, but made less than a yard. Crawford gained three through Snow. Farquhar dropped back and Lippman dashed outside Stone and reeled off six yards before he was stopped. With one to go on fourth down, Toby elected to punt, and Farquhar dropped the pigskin on the First’s thirty-yard line. Roover brought it back to near the center of the field before Beech pulled him down.
First worked a neat forward-pass that netted seventeen yards and then smashed through center for five more. Second held twice and First booted over the line. On the twenty-five Toby returned to the attack on Snow and Candee and gained six in three downs. A fake-kick resulted in a fumble and the pigskin went to First on the opponent’s twenty-two. There was no holding the First Team then and she scored in seven plays, Snowden landing the ball near the corner of the field. The punt-out was not allowed and the teams went back to the fifty. Coach Lyle took pity on Snow and that much-mauled youth was removed in favor of Casement. For the Second, Stover and White came on for Lippman and Crawford, and George Tubb for Mawson. Again the kick-off was barred and Second given the ball. Toby tried the new right guard with no gain, got Stover around left for three, failed once more at center and himself punted to First’s twenty. First kicked on second down, Snowden getting nearly fifty yards. Stover caught and dodged back for ten. From the forty, Tubb swung around back and gained midfield on a fine run around the enemy’s left end. Then Toby fumbled and Rose captured the ball for the First. Another forward pass, Curran to Halliday, took the First to the Second’s twenty-four, and from there the First battered her way across for the second score. Before she got it, however, Toby retired groggily and Frick took his place. Toby had ill-advisedly allowed Snowden to sit on his stomach. Frick’s labor was soon over, however, for the First Team’s second touchdown practically ended the game.