The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-05

Under favorable conditions, Satur-
days foot ball game between the st.
Thomas and All-Scranton elevens
would have BEEN doubtlessly, the best
of the season and possibly the best ever
seen in Scranton. But the conditions
were far from being favorable.
Scanty provisions were made for pro-
teCtirg the gridiron from the encrOach-
ments of the crowd and as a conse-
quence the teams played through near
ly the whole game with a surging,
pushing mob of boisterous youths and
boys hemming them in. making 1t inn
possible for the teams to play anything
like foot ball, and making ii necessary
for any spectator who wished to catch
n glimpse Of the game 10 run the risk
Of being run down and trampled I'm the
mud.
Then, again, the field was in such n
frightfully muddy condition that run
ming was a matter Of the greatest diff
Guilty accurate kicking was impossible.
passing was a very dangerous thing,
and trick plays consequently were not
70 be thought of. The game was also
made weariSome in the first half by the
incompetency of the officials. After al
most every scrimmaGe there would
come a delay while the officials argued
some point or other with twenty-five
captains and as many of the spectators
as cared to take a hand in the discus
sion.
\ few more such exhibitions will give
foot ball its quietus in this city.
AN EXCELLENT TEAM.
The game such as It was. showed
conclusively that the admirers of the
st. Thomas team have not been max
ing any undue claims as to its superior
ity. 1t is certainly a strong, superbly
trained aggregation of foot ball players
and has in its makeup several indi-
Vidual members who are stars Of the
first magnitude. The All-Scranton team
was composed of the pick of the other
teams claiming the championship. and
individually ranked high. With the
handicap of want of team work, they
could not be expected to make much
of a showing against such a we'll
trained team as the st. Thomas, and
that they succeeded in doing as well as
they did is much to their credit.
The single touchdown was made in
the last five minutes of the second half
At the opening of the game St. Thomas
worked the ball to within three yards
of the opponents goal in about five
minutes play, but lost it on tumble.
Excellent defensive work by both teams
kept the hall from advancing one way
or the other any great distance, and
the whole first half was in consequence
played in the All-Scra1ton territory.
In the second half the All-Scranton
team made big advance into the en-
omy's territory and had the ball on the
Vineyard line, when a vigorous stand
by the st. Thomas lads caused it to
change hands. Instead of kicking the
st. Thomas team started in to carry
tho ball over the intervening 105 yards.
1t looked like an impossible task. with
slippery ball that was liable to be
lost at any moment on a tumble, but
the plucky lads went at it with a dash
and succeeded in their stupendous Job
Just as the time was drawing to close.
GUARDS BACK ATTACKS.
Guards back attacks on the tackles
were most frequently resorted to and
proved most successful when directed
against All-ScTanton's right wing.
Langan did the most of the work and
was easily the star of the day. Weir
kicked the goal, making the score SO
1t was dark when the game ended. The
lineup was as follows:
81. Thomas. All Scranton.