Right Half Hollins

by Ralph Henry Barbour

[CHAPTER XXI]
ALTON CELEBRATES

These was no moisture in the little easterly wind that blew across the field when Alton kicked off to Kenly, but the clouds were heavy and the afternoon was gray and chill. Lack of sunshine, however, had not affected the attendance. The stands were filled, the rows of settees from the gymnasium and chairs from the halls were occupied and the crowd spilled over the ground in large numbers and sat on rugs, newspapers, anything that would serve. Alton was present, Academy and town, and so to a lesser degree was Lakeville. Gray-and-gold banners, arm-bands and megaphones lighted one side of the field, the cherry-and-black of Kenly sprinkled the other. Earnest youths, white-sweatered, bareheaded, gesticulated and cavorted while rival cheers and songs rose to the sullen sky. At two o’clock, having won the toss, Kenly spread her warriors over the north end of the gridiron. Warriors they looked, too, rangy, broad-shouldered youths, red-sleeved, black-helmeted. Captain Jonas swung a sturdy leg and the ball rose in the air. But there were no tees that year and the pigskin’s flight was short and low. Alton’s backs were far from the catcher and Kenly lined up on her thirty-four.

Two plunges, with a tackle carrying, ripped the Alton line wide and made it first down almost in the middle of the field. But a third attempt was stopped short and a full-back smash on Wick yielded but two yards. Kenly shifted to the left and sent her quarter through Lowe for four more. Then, however, with four to go, Kenly had to punt. The effort, aided slightly by a gust of wind, was good for forty yards and dropped close to the side-line and into Storer’s arms. Nip made six before he was nailed by a Kenly end and the ball lay on the Alton twenty-one. Galvin tried the left wing from punting position but was unable to gain, and on the second down Storer kicked to the enemy’s forty-six where Dutch Kruger slammed the catcher to the earth. Time was taken out for Kenly while her quarter-back was ministered to.

The Cherry-and-Black showed her system then. Using a shift she divided the attack and alternated the ball between the short and long side of the line, gaining first down on three plunges and again on four. Alton was puzzled by the method and had difficulty in finding the runner. The Kenly backs were heavy and, although they started slow and failed to get under full steam by the time they reached the line, they gained consistently. Gus Thomas was hurt and Dozier took his place at left tackle. Alton tightened up on her thirty-three yards and Kenly used two downs to make four yards through the line. A short pass over the center was knocked down by Storer. The enemy right guard was pulled out of the line and sent back to near the forty-yard line. That Kenly meant to try a field-goal from there seemed improbable. The ball went to the kicker, however, and he swung his leg before he sprang off to the right. Dozier attempted a tackle and was brushed aside and the runner, swinging wide, eluded Storer and kept on until he was run out on the fourteen.

That Alton was due to be scored on was fairly certain, and cherry-and-black banners waved wildly. One smash at the center of the defending team put Kenly on the twelve. Then, using the puzzling shift and split attack, the enemy right half charged past Haines and went to the three yards with Bert attached to his waist. It was Galvin who brought him down. It took two attempts to get the Kenly full-back across the goal line, but get there he did, choosing Captain Jonas as a final victim.

Bert lined up under his goal post fuming at himself for not making a better tackle. If he had got lower that runner would never have reeled off nine yards. He should have stopped him well short of the five. Regrets, however, were vain, for there was the ball sailing over the cross-bar and Kenly had a nice seven-point lead!

Again Captain Lowe booted the ball from midfield, and this time it sailed high and far and Savell and Haines were both ready for the catcher on his twelve yards and no amount of squirming could get him free. The whistle blew for the period then.

Alton retreated slowly to the enemy’s twenty-six, and there Kenly punted. The kick went for only twenty-four yards and it was Storer who pulled it down and, with Ted Ball speeding ahead, eluded two of the enemy and carried back to Kenly’s thirty-six before he was smothered. On the first play Bert took the ball and tried a straight plunge past tackle, making a scant two. Galvin smashed into the left of the line for two more. Galvin then threw a forward-pass to the left and Storer missed it by inches. Storer went back to the forty-yard line and punted to the seven. Kenly let the ball roll over and lined up on her twenty. On the first play she was caught off-side and was set back. A fake kick with the punter sliding off Haines got four yards and then Kenly punted to Alton’s forty-three, Ball catching and coming back six.

A sweep to the left, with Galvin carrying, netted seven, and the same play with Bert in possession added four more. Storer smashed out two through the opposing right guard and then threw straight over center to Bert, who, although fairly carried back by the secondary defense, netted six more. With two yards to go on third down Bert shot off around the left behind a wall of interference, cut in sharply and eluded four tacklers before he was hurled to earth on the Kenly eighteen. That tackle left Bert flat and time was called. When he was on his feet again there was Larry Walsh reporting and Bert trailed sadly off, sadly and sorely too, for the termination of that eleven-yard dash had been a thing of bursting stars and whirling moons!