The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-28
SkirmiSh Marked by Display
of GameneSs and Fight
ing Spirit.
BOTH TEAMS LACK
OFFENSIVE WORK
Business Erratic at Times-Poor
Condition of Players Tells
in PincheS.
By ]. R. HILDEBRAND.


ness and thoroughbred nerve that has
seldom been eQualed in a high school
football game Eastern fought Business
to a scoreless standstiH yesterday at
American League Park.
On Monday many Of the spectators
IN the grandstand at yesterdays game
watched two college teams trained in
football play through a machine-like
contest on Georgetown Field with the
same resUlt-a tie. Both squads had a
fair groundwork Of technical detail,
both did the right thing more often
than not. and both showed that they
were interested in the outcome by con-
tinuOus wrangling. if by nothing else.
Yesterday these same football fans
witnessed two prep school teams, with
limited knowledge of the game and
youthful lack Of judgment at times,
fight a grueling struggle from the first
blast OF the whistle until Referee Glass
called time, battling every inch OF the
way with logged determination which
was great to see. 1t was not always
football, but it was, at every stage,
And OF the two articles the public,
judging from the enthusiasm that ran
riot yesterday. prefers the latter
Teams Evenly Matched.
The teams were evenly matched. What
slight advantage the one had IN point
If weight was onset by a shorter. period
OF training, There was not much at
stake, only the rather doubtful, equivo-
cal, and leftover honor OF pulling up
out Of last place. But every man was
game TO the core. And such an exhfbi-
ton Is not SO common but that Il de-
serves more than passing mention
II was this factor which raised
prep school game, between the tall
endersi played even on q field where the
lines had not been marked ont nor any
provision made for visible side lines
10 The height Of real football skfrrDisb
and which brought the thousand or so
Tooters 20 their feet again and again
as game little Easteru's aJtemDt TO garn
was blocked by the sturdy Stenogra-
piers.
The game was near-victory for the
capitol Hill school. The Fasteners
carried on the honors in every. respect
except hghting spirit and the score.
Eleven Men-and a Coach.
The school showed It's spirit by putting
team IN the field at all. The team
consists OF a coach, and eleven men.
The material is not there. but the
! nerve is ana that is what counts. ont
Of as unpromising a bunch Of PLAYERS
| both In size and point Of experience as.
I
/ structions, Jimmy Kerr has deveIoped
/ a team which has science endurance
and magnificent defense. From the
smallest roster of boys of anv high
school IN the city ne has rounded ont
( a squad which is not only far suDerior
70 anything Eastern has shown in re-
cent years, but may. without causing
anyone an attack of heart trouble turn
! lHe tables on either Central or Western.
Not that the team is without faults.
not much should be expected Of a SQUAD
! OF inexperienced men with but five
weeks Of regular practice IN the way
I or team work But In stirling contra ST
70 some OF the other cOmrIendabIe fea-
Jures Is The glazing deficiency in team
work. II the team hopes to do more
IMAM mold its opponents to an even
I break II had better aband n the role OF
understudy TO the Princeton Tigers, and
: cast about for few preconcerted
ground-gaining plays.
Shows Master Hand.
Business is open to the same critI-
cism with the added objection that its
playing is much more erratic. This is
probably in a measure due to the very
evident poor physical condition of a
number of the players. In this respect
Kerr showed the master hand of a
veteran trainer The Eastern squad.
subs and all. are in superb condition.
The Business squad is not.
The fact that both teams had been
better coached in defensive than often
sive tactics would have made the game
/ slow and featureless had il not been
that each individual played the game
[ of his life.
Frequent fumbiing marred the effec-
UFeHeSS or many plays. These proved
/ most costly in the second half when,
after making big gains, the Fasteners
again and again dropped the ball. Bust
ness suffered heavy penalties for Off
side play and holding
Standing out above the work of his
| team mates was the playing of Stewart,
| the dlminu-ive right end for the Stem
Cgraphers. His speed. Judgment and
ability TO get JIM every play proved a
tower of strength for Business.
| Sprigman's Happy Thought
Coach sprigman, of The Western
team. makes the suggestion and It is
an excellent one, that ropes be stretche2
at the CentraI-TechnicaI game on Fri
day
Yesterdays play was frequently inter
rupted by the surging of the crowd on
the UCid. This crOWdiug on the field
/ is not only a handicap to the players.
( but an injustice 10 those who pay good
E.sEssssszss agsEz ss.ssi-s17