The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-02
A4RIUMPH FOR THE NAVY
West Point Beaten for the First
Time in Six Years.
Good Luck and Hard Playing Enable
the Middies to Dcfcnt Their Old
Time Rivnis-BrilIinnt Plays Plen-
tiful-LOnE Kicks the Order of
the Dny-The Score II to z.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1.-The nav
triumphed over the army on Franklin Fiel
this afternoon, Annapolis vanquishin
West Point to the tune of II to Z. Thi
score would seem to indicate certai
amount of good and bad luck. as it is
magical combination at times, and 1t ma
be pronounced appropriate because Of tn
ups and downs with which today's gridiro
battle fairly teemed. Two fortunate goal
from the field, one by Clark. of West Point
in the first half. and another by Long, @
Annapolis in the second half, made tn
game tie, with about twenty minutes +
play.
Then one of the navy's punts was jug
gled near the army's goal line, and tina
blunder enabled Annapolis to score
touchdown, which, with a goal, made thu
! figures II to 3. Not long after that tn
| West Pointers made a fierce rally, an,
when they were on the navy's 10-yard lin'
punt by Belknap was blocked. Had
| West Point man fallen on the ball as i
| rolled over the goal line a touchdown
| would have been made. and with sue
even I'M at the end.
But the spryness of Marley Of Annap-
oils, enabled him to grab the ball Just a:
TWO OF his opponents were within a foot
OF 1t. Manley, of course, scored safety
which increased the army's total to Z.
The game was one of the most remark
able ever seen on any field because OF the
many trials for field goals. the large num-
Der OF blocked kicks. and the almost in
cessant punting In the second half. In
no game this year has the ball received
such sound kicking. and because OF this
fact the vast crowd of Is, 900 spectators
was kept in constant state of uproarious
excitement. Fumbles, wild passes, muffs,
and terrific tackling helped matters along
SO th.t for downright pandemonium the
game was among those at the top of the
list in this particular.
AS far as scientific football goes, the
navy excelled in almost every respect. but
much of the fast rushing was Offset by
blunders that were schoolboyish, probably
due to nervousness, for 1t must be re-
membered that the rivalry between the
two branches of Uncle Sans service is at
white heat when it comes to lineup on
the chalk-ribbed battlefield.
West Point was greatly inferior in punt
ing and handling kicks until Nichols sue
ceeded Phillips. The latter was away off
during the early stages of the encounter,
his fumbles and short ineffective drives
proving costly. He was no match for
Belknap. the navy's big fullback whose
long, steady punts, swiftly covered by both
of his ends. did much to win the day.
The teams were about equally matched
in point of attack and defence though the
Annapolis rush line was the weaker when
1t came to affording protection for drop
kicks and punts. The centre men on both
teams were powerful enough to prevent
any material gains through them, though
it is a fact that the touchdown made by
Annapolis was due to a plunge by Land
through big hole cut between Goodspeed
and Bethson.
West Points tackles, Bunker and Farms
worth. did some great work, and the play
inP of W. Smith. the army's captain, was
a magnificent exhibition of end rush tao
tics. But these three stars, together
with one or two others, could not win
the game alone. In fact. that about ex-
plains the downfall of the army, for the
teamwork of the Annapolis eleven. which
had been coached by Trenchard, Poe,
Hillebrand. and Cochran. all former
Princeton men, was of such a high order
of excellence that the faults of West
Point stood out at times in bold relief.
ne navy, 100, appeared 10 nave Detter
lot of men, for only one of
them. C. Smith, had to give way to n
substitute, Manley, whereas on the West
Point team six changes were made. The
longest run of the game was made by
Phillips, of West Point, a former Yale
player, who ran thirty yards, and would
have made a touchdown but for a great
tackle by C. Smith. That clinched the
victory for the navy, and the man who
made the tackle was hero.
Long, of Annapolis, tried FIVE times in
the first half to kick goals from the field.
He failed In each instance, three Of his
kicks being blocked and one OF them in
helping West Point to get within
gunshot of the navy's goal.
In the second half Long made two more
drop kicks. the first being blocked and
the second resulting successfully. Belknap
had three of his punts blocked in the sec
ond half, SO that really West Point must
receive credit for blocking in all seven
kicks. OF the Annapolis team. Land,
Long. Fowler. Read, Williams, Belknap,
and Nichols carried off the honors. When
he battle was over there was a big cele-
Dration by the navy men, who had not de-
'eated their antagonists for half dozen
'ears, when the late Ensign Worth Bagley
helped to do it.
a,,1 line