The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-29
Topeka Team Seemed the Vic
Tins ofOYer-Confldence.
NO ONE TO OFFICIATE.
Local Team Claims Ball Was
Stolen From Them.
Say Official Decisions and All
Against Them.
About SO 900 Of Kansas Money
Left In the West.

Through a combination Of most I'M
fortunate circumstances the Washburn
football team lost it's hardest game of
the season at Denver last Saturday, by
a score of to 0. The five points made
was by field goal from the 10 yard line
after about ten minutes of play. OF
course the game was an unsatisfactory
one from a Washburn standpoint, but
the Topeka team was in the main re-
sponsible for the conditions which
caused defeat.
They had no one to of1iciate for them,
and this fact alone probably cost them
the game. They were compelled to rely
on Denver officials, and the result was
they got the worst OF the decisions
from the beginning to the end. The
Denver Athletic club made its five points
by a Princeton kick on the fourth down,
when the ball rightfully belonged to
Washburn. The Denver men We're Off
side on nearly every play, and the Off
Gals would simply not listen to the con-
tinual complaining of the Washburn
players. True, at the beginning of the
first half the Denver team did go
through Washburn's line repeatedly for
short gains, but when it came to a
showdown and the ball was getting
dangerously near the goal, the boys held
them like a. stone wall.
The Washburn team thought it had
much easier game than it proved to
be, and 1T seemed the boys could not get
wakened up to the fact that they must
play the best ball in them until it was
too late. During the last of the first
half Washburn was tearing D. A. c. all
to pieces. but the time left was too short
for them to score.
The heart-breaker for the boys came
in the second half, when our team
walked down the field for rs yards until
they had carried the ball to within 21s
yards of Denver's goal During this
time after every play the D. A. c. men
would lie down and take the limit for
rest.
With the ball resting on the 215 yard
line, the Denver boys realized that
something desperate must be done to
save them from defeat, and when they
lined up for the next scrimmage the
ball had hardly been passed when two
Of the D. a. c. men, who were prac-
ttcally over in WaShburn'S line, DELHI
erately and successfully stole the ball.
They claimed that our boys fumbled it
and that they fell on 1t, but the Wash
burn team to a man claims the ball
was knocked down by D. A. c. player
while it was being passed, and thereby
robbed WaShburn of a sure touchdown
This would have made the score a tie,
and with the ball practically in front Of
the goal posts would have been an easy
goal to kick, which would have made
the score to in favor of Washburn.
After stealing the ball Denver punted
,
of Washburn the Denver boys got the
ball again Then they punted 40 yards
more and the game was lost for Wash
burn. Time was up with the ball in the
middle of the field in WashbuTn's pos
session. The first half was % minutes
and the last only 20 minutes, and the
short time of the halfs saved d. A. c.
from certain defeat.
To make a long story short, it can be
truthfully said that Washburn never
played in harder luck, and it was hard
luck throughout the entire game, too.
They We're extremely unfortunate in
losing the ball at critical times, and in
Denver's punts seemed utterly unable to
catch the ball, or if they did, to regain
any ground.
In the second half they were desperate
and played rings around d. A. c., but
fate was against them. Had it not been
for the fact that the players and their
followers had considerable money on the
game the boys would not have even
finished the first half under such bad de-
cisions, but, of course, they could not
afford to forfeit the game, and despite