For a school team Berkeley is especially strong back of the line. Scott has shown such marked improvement at quarter-back during the past week that he has succeeded in making the team, although Hurlbert gave him a hard fight for it. His weight was a strong factor in aiding him, Hurlbert weighing only 127 pounds. His great faults are nervousness and an inclination to fumble, but he is fast growing out of them under constant coaching. He is a hard worker, gets into every play, is very fast, and tackles well. Clinton Irwin-Martin, the right half-back, and field Captain of the team, is a tower of strength. He is six feet tall, and weighs 180 pounds. At tackle, end, guard, or back he does equally good work, but it is especially at half-back that his work stands out most prominently. His line-breaking is unusually good, and once clear of the end he is seldom caught, as he is a good sprinter. Galloway, at left half, is fast rounding into a reliable back. Some of the longest runs made this season have been placed to his credit. He follows his interference fairly well, but is inclined to run back at times. His great fault in centre plays is striking the line high instead of with head down, and though he is a ground-gainer, he would cover greater distance if he always plunged into the opening with head well down. Franklin Bien, Jun., Captain of the 1896 baseball team, is at full-back. He has developed rapidly. Not only is he a strong kicker, but he is a running full-back too, and bucks the line low and hard. His baseball experience makes him a sure catch, while his punting and drop kicking are of a high order. He has several times kicked goals from the 35-yard line, and on the kick-off easily sends the ball over the opponent's goal-line. Always cool and steady, he is said not to have missed his man once this season, whenever the runner has passed the line. The most prominent substitutes are Hurlbert, Jackson, Poor, Irvine, Thomas, Boyeson, Shinkle, Doudge, and Blakeley.
The two most important games played thus far this season were at Andover on the 14th, and at New Haven on the 16th—the first between Lawrenceville and Phillips Academy, the second between Hartford and Bridgeport High-Schools. Both were of the closest and most exciting description, particularly the latter, which was played to decide the tie of 10-10 of November 9th, and resulted in a second tie, 4-4. The Andover contest was a hard battle, resulting in a victory of 12-10 for Lawrenceville, but this score (as is very often the case with football scores) does not really show what the players did. The weight of Lawrenceville had been greatly exaggerated, the centre men being reported to weigh 210 pounds. As a matter of fact the average was 187, and the entire team averaged 167. Andover averaged 165.
C. W. DIBBLE,
Captain Lawrenceville Football Team.
The centre men of the two teams seemed about equal in strength, and no gains were made at that point by either side. Andover gained twice around the ends, one gain resulting in a touch-down. Chadwell of Andover was better than either of the Lawrenceville ends, while Young, the P.A. Captain, showed up about on a par with Eddy and Righter. Goodwin played the best game for Andover, making both touch-downs, the first after a brilliant run of fifty yards. Andover was outplayed at the tackles and guards, for here is where Lawrenceville has played strongest all through the year. Captain Dibble did the best work by far for the Jerseymen, making seven long runs with the aid of fine interference. Powell surpassed himself, making only one fumble, whereas Wentworth did wretched work, devoting more of his attention to personal encounter than to the science of the game, which finally resulted in his being disqualified near the end of the first half for punching Dibble. Lawrenceville got through a number of times and brought either Andover's quarter or half back down for a loss. Andover gained a great advantage by having Goodwin kick right back of the line. Kafer for Lawrenceville outpunted Barker of Andover, his best punt being fifty yards.
Lawrenceville's first touch-down was made in eight minutes after the game began. Plays on the tackles and ends brought the ball down well toward Andover's goal line, when Dibble rushed it over, and Cadwalader kicked a good goal. On the line-up Lawrenceville secured the ball, and, by a double pass, got Powell through Andover's whole line for the second touch-down, after he had run fifty yards. Hereupon was made the only wrong decision of the game. The ball was brought back by the umpire for alleged holding. None of the other officials could uphold him. On the next two plays Andover made her first touch-down by Goodwin's good runs around Lawrenceville's right and left ends respectively. Barker kicked an easy goal. On the next line-up Lawrenceville rushed the ball to Andover's fifteen-yard line, when time was called. During this first half Andover played a kicking game entirely, rushing with the ball only seven times.
In the second half Lawrenceville rushed the ball down the field, making a second touch-down by sending Dibble through the tackles and around left end. After the goal had been successfully kicked, Barker kicked off for Andover, Dibble catching. Kafer then attempted to punt on the first down, but Mull blocked the kick, and the ball went flying off on the grand stand, whereupon Young secured it on Lawrenceville's two-yard line. A fumble lost two yards, and it looked as though Andover would lose her opportunity to score, but Goodwin carried the ball over on the next play. He punted out to Butterfield, who made a pretty catch, but Barker failed to kick a goal. Lawrenceville took a big brace after this, but just as a thirty-yard run by Dibble had brought the ball to Andover's twenty-yard line, time was called on account of darkness, although there still remained eight minutes of playing time. Andover's cheering was very effective, and served to prevent the fast playing that Lawrenceville is usually capable of. The Jersey team also suffered somewhat from the effects of the 300-mile trip from Lawrenceville.
The second game between Bridgeport and Hartford was a better exhibition of football than the first—although little fault could be found with that. The day was an ideal one for the sport, and both elevens showed the result of the week's training with the benefit of the knowledge each had acquired of the other's play. In the first game Bridgeport made most of her gains around Hartford's left end; but in the second contest Morcom was put into that position, and Bridgeport found it easier to turn the right flank and to plunge through left tackle and end. Foster went around right end for the touch-down, while Ingalls scored for Hartford through guard and centre. The play was mostly confined to short gains, and outside of a thirty-yard run by Ives, and two twenty-yard runs by Goodell, most of the advances were secured five yards at a time. On the whole, Bridgeport played a steadier game than Hartford, keeping a high average in both halves. Hartford was weak in the first, especially in interference, although her centre was solid; she remained almost entirely on the defensive, becoming aggressive only in the second half. Bridgeport was aggressive all the time, and punted rarely. Her interference was excellent, and her ends the best I have seen in the Connecticut League for some years, excepting perhaps Cady and Winslow of last year's Hartford eleven.
As for individual play, Goodell excelled by far any player on his side both in running with the ball and in tackling; Lyman and Morcom made good gains; Ingalls blocked splendidly, and made his distance every time he took the ball; Luce did some first-rate punting and got around the ends well; and Chapman deserves especial credit for his plunges through the centre. For Bridgeport, Foster did the best work. He is a strong runner, and frequently travelled down the field with two or three men on his back struggling to down him. Ives seldom missed a tackle, and headed the interference in line style. Keane played a good game, but could not quite meet Luce in a punting match. Hartford worked Bridgeport's centre for slow and sure gains, and occasionally sent a man around the right end.
The Graduate.