Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-11
FOOTBALL SEASON
BECAME PROBLEM
RESULT CAUSES SURPRISES
FOR ENTHUSIASTS
Occidental College Appears to Have
Strongest Claim on Local Grdron
Championship by Reason Of
Record for Games Won
BY Edward L. Moriarty

Popular expectation as regarded the
outcome Of affairs i'm football during
the season which has just come to Il
close received more than one severe
shock. and the unusual up and down
manner i'm which majority of the
clevens passed through their schedules
upset many well planned prediction
of victory or defeat
Harvard after the most mediocre sort
of gridirOn work, surprised the entire
athletic world by the manucT in which
the crimson mon forced the all powerful
Yale team to the most desperate kind
Of a struggle. eventually giving way
before the sons Of Eli and allowing
them Il single touchdown I'm view of
the previously poor showing of the
Cambridge aggregation and the great
scores which Yale had rolled UP against
her strongest rivals. Harvard's defense
came as Al revelation to the majority
who had anticipated something of a
walk over when the two university
elevens should meet
ChicaEo's great victory over Michi-
gan, which marked the first time in
five years that the Wolverines had
tasted the dregs Of defeat. awakened
the middle west to the fact that a new
champion was stalking abroad on the
battlefiCldS of the gridirOn world.
Yost's great machine had been believed
inVincible, but a fatal misplay resultant
from a violation of u simple rule of the
game dealt Michigan the bittcrest blow
that could befall her and at least an
other year must pass before the tri-
umphant yell of the Wolverine may
resound over the western field.
In the far west Stanford was re-
garded as vanquished when the husky
Berkeley men We're carrying everything
before them during the fore part of the
season. There was no possibility of a
cardinal victory, said the form men,
the only question which arose was in
regard to the final score. The day of
the game came and Stanford outplayed
the California eleven and won.
So it has been to a great extent in
the south. Every college team has lost
at least one game and now that the
season is over the problem arises as to
which eleven may claim the laurel or
whether any of the four may justly
do so.
AS the situation now stands Qcci-
dental eleven has won two victories by
defeating st. Nincents and u. S. c.
The Highland Parkers lost to Pomona
by a small margin i'm a struggle when
both teams displayed equal team
power; Pomona winning by "a place kick
that hurtled from the forty-five-yard
line but a moment before the call of
time.
st. Vincents lost to Occidental and
tied both u. S. G. and Pomona, get
ting Il shade the better Of both elevens
u. 5. G. stands in the same position
as Pomona, having won game. lost
one and tied one.
Each of the four college eleVens may
possibly endeavor TO base u claim for
the championship upon the facts that
Improvement was exhibited after a de-
feat or that victory was gained over
an eleven Which had downed their own
conQuerors.
Many things might he considered
without any definite conclusion being
reached were the merits of each team
to be discussed at length for the solu-
ton of what might appear to be
bad mix up.
Taking into consideration that Occi-
dental won two decisive victories and
lost one contest after an equal strug'
gle, in sof ar as team power was con-
cerned. the Highland Parkers appear to
have the best claim that may exist and
in all probability the majority of those
interested will bold Merrilfs aggrega-
ton as entitled to first place.