Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-11-26
FIVE WISCONSIN PLAYERS GIVEN
PLACES ON THE
TEAM.
STEFFEN OF CHICAGO LEADER
AND QUARTERBACK OF ALL
STAR AGGREGATION.
All Western Selections.
Second Eleven
First Eleven
Madison, Nov. "a

I z IT
WiIce, Wis.......... Full .Piankers, MINI.
Madison, Nov. "a.
Although the football season of
! 1903 closed Saturday so far as the
games have any bearing on the
championship, it is always customary
to stir up the dead by holding post
mortem' by selection what is known
as an ,"AIl-Western" eleven.
In the following selection, Michigan
will not be considered although
there are possibly two men on the
Michigan team who would strengthen
the team aterially-Allerdice and
Captain Germany" Schultz Allerdice
would prove a tower of strength on
account of his punting ability but the
maize and blue school has been nasty
enough to think herself better than
the big nine" and taken to the east
ern field, with a degree of success
that can only be told by those alumni
who clamored for the untieing of the
athletic relations between their Alma
Mater and Chicago. Wisconsin and
Minnesota.
Western football this season has
been weak in two departments. There
is not a team in the west today that
can point to a real first class kicker
such as Valdez, the Cornell punter, or,
to come closer to home, to men of the
Herschberger, Eckersali or Driver
type. There are no drop kickers,
with the exception Of ''Keckie" Moll,
the Wisconsin quarter, who has been
fairly successful in negotiating goals
from the field. Mol, however, cannot
be compared with Capron. He would
have undoubtedly have done better
had he not been handicapped by his
rheumatism. AS a punter, however,
Moll appears to have shade The best
over the others, his kicking in the
Chicago Wisconsin game being excel
lent
Every season there are a few stars
the other men playing their positions.
This season is no exception. There
are six men in western football cir
cles who will undoubtedly receive the
| honOrs at the hands of football critics.
| They are Steffen, ChicagOs magnific-
! ent little quarterback and captain;
! Van Hook, Illinois great guard Idd-
! ings, the maroon left halfback; Mess
! mer, WiscOnsin's former captain and
! guard; Page, ChicagOs gritty little
end; and Jack Wilce, the big badger
! fullback These six men have been
stars of every game in which they par
! ticipated and their equals can hardly
! be found. The other positions are
! an uncertainty and the selections will
be purely personal.
The men playing the ends this year
were weak in one particular that be
ing their slOWneSs in getting down
the field under punts. A reason that
may be assigned for this is the fact
that there We're no really great kick
ers, men who could boot the ball fifty
yards consistently and place their
kicks high enough for the ends tC
! travel down under them. Page OF
Chicago made an ideal end both of
fensively and defensively. His abil
ity to handle the forward pass and
to get the runners no matter what
the interference was, gives him the
position at right end.
Captain Rogers of the badgers
played a good consistent game anC
although he fell off in his tackling, i
was mainly because the opposing
elevens were directing their mos
powerful interference at him. At that
however, he nearly always managed
to drive in the interference, making
it possible for the defensive halfbacl
to get the man. His basketball ex
perience made him an ideal man a
the forward pass For the secOIC
e,even, Dean of Wisconsin; Petition
of Minnesota Baum of Illinois; ant
Schommer of Chicago have all givel
a good account of themselves.
Wisconsin had two tackles, who
taken together probably outstrippe
any two men on any of the othe
elevens. Osthoff's playing in the ma
| room game made him a favorite owe
T the other tack es for a position on tn
''AlI-Western As a running mat
either Young of Minnesota or Hof
man of Chicago, would make idea
+ players. Osthoff is fast, a good lin
, smasher and a good offensive player
He can handle the forward pass bette
a than any other tackle in the ives
: Young is an experienced payer, heav
I and hard man to gain over. Place
: on the second eleven should go t
. Hoffman and either Railsbach of III
: nois or Boyle of Wisconsin. Rails
+ bach has played a good game this yea
q and has done considerable Of III
: kicking.
: At the guards. Van Hook of Illinoi
; and Messmer of Wisconsin made a
ideal pair. Van Hook is easily tn
best guard in the west. Messmel
while lighter, is fast, getting down tn
field under every punt and worryin
7 the man receiving the ball. He is a 5
. one of the best men in working IN
long forward pass. His speed make
it possible for him to run with tn
bali in case there is no one TO re
e ceive it and he can hurl it forty yard
5 when necessary Ostrand of Mime
: sofa and Dreutcher of Wisconsin ar
given places on the second eleven