The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-12-02
NAVY BOYS CONQUER
West Pointers in Game Fight on Phil
adelphia Grldiron.

PHILADELPHIA. Dec. 2.-The ma
| w men wherever the stars and stripes
float are celebrating, for the navy foot
| ball team came up from Annapolis and,
meeting the army eleven, her landlub-
Der twin and dearest foe, on Franklin
| field here fought out a brilliant and
sensational struggle on the chalk mark
| ed gridiron and won n clean cut and
decisive victory. The score was 6 to 0,
| hardly a fair measure of the relative
strength of the two elevens.
| The navy had the better team and
won on the merits of the play, but the
score was small and the play most ex-
citing. as there was always the chance,
| even to the last whistle, that some dar-
| ing play or lucky chance might give
| the army an opportunity to tie the
score and rob the navy of her hard
earned victory.
Captain Douglas of the navy was the
bright particular star of both teams
and by his line plunging, brilliant
dashes around the ends and consistent
puntng did much to carry victory with
his team.
The midshipmen, led by Douglas. one
of the best captains and most brilliant
players in the history of the sport bat
tied their way over the army goal line
for one touchdown. from which goal
resulted In the first half, and on this
their victory rests. They fought the
good fight and well deserved the trl-
| umph which the single score brought,
for during the battle of brains and
Drawn the sturdy sailors of the navy
met force with force. strategy with
strategy, cunning with cunning. and
clearly outplayed the husky army sol
diers in way which left not the faint
est doubt of which was the better
team.
The army appeared TO be fighting al
most from the first under an overpow-
ering sense of impending disaster. The
men were not lacking in courage. there
was no thought of surrender and they
played better football perhaps in the
second half than they did in the first,
but there was lacking the resourceful-
ness the eternal vigilance and the abil-
ity TO take advantage of opportunities
that were such striking features of the
midshipmen's play.
To 60 farther, the navy had a stron-
ger and more concerted attack and the
more effective if not sturdier de-
Tense. West Point could not gain
ground consistently by rushing and fell
back on kicking game, at which
Douglas more than held his own with
Beavers. In fact. the navy gained
many valuable yards on the exchange
of punts, as the navy ends. Dague and
De Mott, were rarely at fault in cover
ing kicks, whereas the army backs
were prone to tumble, fatal weak
ness of which the speedy midshipmen
We're not slow to take full advantage.
A brilliant gathering was OH hand,
and the crowd, which numbered fully
10000 persons, filed every nook and
corner of the huge stands. They saw
a game that was remarkably clean. al
ways interesting anu at lllhtS SFtNNdC-
ular, and went home stimulated and
refreshed. or at least one half Of them,
who wore the blue and the gold of the
navy, and rejoiced in the well earned
victory.
The brigade of midshipmen came to
the game 800 strong, armed with cut
lasses and muskets, but with blue and
gold megaphones and blue and gold
flags. They shouted and yelled and
sang almost without intermission from
the first KICKOFF to the last whistle
and well nigh lost their reason when
Douglas, the idolized captain Of their
team, plunged over the army goal line
for touchdown. The West Point ca
diets came down 500 strong. They, too,
had left their rifles at home, but We're
well supplied with megaphones and
flags in black and gray, through which
they shouted defiance TO the mo-
mentary foe and encouragement to
their team. even when defeat was ac-
cepted as inevitable