Rah! Rah! Rah! Maple Hill!”
Doctor and Mrs. Farron, accompanied by two submasters, came on the field just as the opposing teams scattered to their positions. A burst of hand-clapping welcomed them. It was a well-known fact that the Head Master wasn’t able to tell the difference between a touchdown and a fair catch, but he attended the games when it was possible, and the fellows appreciated it.
Bursley had chosen to receive the kick-off. As there was practically no wind to render one goal more desirable than the other the winning of the toss had not counted for much. The sky to-day was almost cloudless and the thermometer in front of Main Hall had registered forty-seven at noon. In short it was, from the point of view of player and spectator alike, an ideal day for football. As the teams awaited the sound of the whistle a hush fell over the stands. The Bursley players looked fast and extremely well-conditioned, and were rangy rather than heavy. Their center, who was to oppose the big Pounder, was a smallish youth who looked as though he would tip the scales at not over a hundred and forty. In spite of Tad’s disparaging criticism, the Bursley uniform of red jerseys and red-and-blue-ringed stockings looked bright and attractive, rather paling the quieter colors of Maple Hill. Borden, whose green sweater held on its breast crossed oars under the gray “M. H.,” summoned one last cheer, and as it died away on the Autumn air the whistle shrilled and the Big Game was on!
CHAPTER XXIV
THE BATTLE IS ON
It was just 2 to 6 as the Bursley left guard stepped forward and, swinging a long leg, sent the yellow pigskin soaring high and far down the field. For Maple Hill Terry Doyle was back at the left of Pounder, and Guy Watson was on the other side of the center. In the backfield Stacey Trowbridge, doubtless secretly resolved to allow no safeties to be made through him on this all-important occasion, was at quarter, Tyson at left half, Fuller at right half and Gordon at full. The other players were the same that had played the positions all season. But the first time the Green-and-Gray ranged themselves for the attack it was seen that Cotting had sprung a new formation. Fuller went into the line between left guard and tackle, leaving only three players in the backfield. To meet this extension of the line Bursley was forced to stretch her own line thinner, with the result that Tyson on the first play got through center without hindrance for twelve yards and brought the cheering section on the south stand to its feet in wild joy. But after that Bursley watched the ball more closely and, while the new formation worked well, it did not result in any more such gains through the center. Bursley made end runs hazardous from the first by playing her tackles well out on defense, with her ends close to her tackles, and these two players, one man taking the interference and the other the runner, upset many Maple Hill attempts to skirt the wings. The first fifteen minutes went by without a score, each team playing desperately but experimentally. Over-eagerness brought four penalties to Bursley and two to Maple Hill. On punting Gordon so far had excelled his opponent, but punts had been called for only in extremities. Neither team had shown anything really new in attack, although the Bursley offense looked as if it might have some deceptive plays up its sleeve.
In the second period Maple Hill tried its first forward pass, made a twenty yard gain and immediately followed it up with another. The second attempt went wrong, however, and Bursley got the ball. It was from there that Bursley began to show its ability. Her attack suddenly became fast and shifty and her backs made gain after gain through the Green-and-Gray line, mostly on the right side. Losing the ball once on downs, she quickly regained it on a fumble by Fuller, who had played back, with Tyson in the line, and again began her advance. But once beyond Maple Hill’s thirty yards it was all she could do to get her distance in four downs and at last she was forced to try a placement kick for goal. Luckily this went wide, and Maple Hill punted to her adversary’s forty-five yard line. Gordon was hurt on the next play and was taken out, Hunter replacing him for the rest of the period. Bursley’s wide run from punt formation lost her five yards and she was presently forced to kick. Stacey, who caught the ball on his thirty-four yards, ran in twenty-odd before he was caught. Tyson and Fuller taking the pigskin, Maple Hill worked her way to the center of the field where she was held with half a yard to go on the fourth down. Bursley began her advance once more but the whistle sounded when the ball was near Maple Hill’s forty-five yards.
It was still anybody’s game. Bursley and Maple Hill were each confident of ultimate victory and so the cheering and singing that began anew when the teams had trotted, blanketed, from sight of the spectators was as loud and hearty as ever. Bursley, with her two hundred supporters massed along the middle of the north stand, put the local cheering section on its merits. Their cheerfully reiterated refrain of “Bursley! Bursley! Hi! Hi! Hi!” sung over and over to an old tune, brought laughter and applause from across the empty gridiron. Maple Hill came back with: