Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-27

Saturday afternoon at the Twelfth
street park eleven representatives OF
the Davenport High school contested
for football honors with the Rock ISL
ard High school lads and demon
strated their superiority. The two
schools have not met on the gridiron
for two years, and the taking up of
athletic relations has been looked for
ward to with plenty of interest.
DavenPort's team is made up of
husky boys who, besides having the
benefits of good coaching. have had
from two to three years experience
six of their present team being mem
bers of last years team. which swept
Everything before it. They play fast
and aggre5sively, and usually resort
to a kicking game, wherein they are
strong.
The Rock Island boys have not been
blest with Harvard coach, neither
have they had the benefit of much ex-
perience in the game since football
bad almost met its death in their High
school. The team this year was built
up almost wholly of new material,
the nucleus being two backs and one
tackle, whose long football experience
/
ing organized the team has gradually
been growing heavier, the line men
noticeably so.
The record of these lads this year
has been a remarkably clean one; win
ming from Muscatine, from Geneseo,
from Moline twice and tie with Gales
burg's crack team. The game with
with Clinton, though lost to Rock ISL
and, showed the two teams to be evenly
matched, the score-10-0-does not
show what n contest it was. Satur-
days game with Davenport verified
ali the doubts of the coaches that Rock
Island could not withstand fast,
aggressive play. The fact that never
more than - men report for practice
is sufficient to show the weakness of
Rock Islands defense. In carrying
the ball they undou btedly excel any
of their opponents this year, but in
being able to stop their opponents
they are greatly deficient.
A comparison of the weights of the
Rock Island and Davenport teams
shows that the line men are
about equal in ight-eXcept at CEN
ter, where Davenport has the advant-
age of so pounds; but behind the line
Rock Island gets the small end to the
extent of nearly twelve pounds to 4
| man.
Holds Her Own.
The general opinion in this city was
that Rock Island would be a BILE to hold
her own with Davenport, but those
who knew the team felt that for her
to lose by 100 would not be unsatis-
factory. To have scored and to
be the team to spoil Davenport's I'M
furnished record of not having been
scored on in three years is source OF
great satisfaction to many. With the
exception of one or two decisions on
Offside plays, the work of the officials
was good. The services of an active
referee, however, are always preferred
to those of one who conducts the game
from the side lines.
The details of the game: Littig
kicked Off for Davenport at sos 10
Rock Islands 2O-yard line. where,
after tumble, Rock Island man
managed to get on 10 the ball. Line
bucks by Totten and Dack Melted one
yard too few to give Rock Island first
down, and the ball went to Daven-
port, who. by some neatly executed
"ends-back' plays for gain
Of ID yards, and line bucks
by Hayward, Littig and Treddick,
carried the ball to Rock Island 5
2-yard line, when Hayward carried
it over for the first touchdown. Lit
tig failed at goal. Hodgdon kicked
off for Rock Island to Davenport s
15-yard line. Davenport could not
advance the ball the necessary 1--we
yards in three downs and the ball went
to Rock Island. End runs by Totten
and Hodgdon Melted u yards. and q
line buck by the latter for 4! more
placed Davenport on the anxious seat.
4 fake kick enabled Totten to eli role
Davenport's ends for % yards and q
touchdown, but the umpire ruled that
an of side play had been made by
Rock Island, so the ball was brought
back to where it started and given to
the other side. Littig punted. but
the ball was returned by Stafford 10
| yards. resulting in no gain and a loss
| of the ball for Davenport.
Rock Island sent Totten, Hodgdon
and Stafford into the line for
| gains of one, seven and two yards
| espectively, then Barnhart circled
| the left end for Is. The ball was now
on Daveuport's 4-yard line and a
touchdown was in sight for Rock Isl
and. Totten hit the line for another
touchdown, hut the umpire again
ruled offside play by Rock Island and
the ball went to Davenport and was
i'm mediately Punted out of danger
On the touchdown one of Rock ISL
and's backs hit the line, but fun bled,
the ball going into Hayward's hands,
who had a clear field for his second
touchdown. This time goal was kick
ed-score. Ito.
Terrific Line Piunges.
On the next kick off the ball went
IS Yards and was returned by Daven-