Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-07-26
NAVYS STRONG ELEVEN
Nearly All The Last Years
Team To Return
PROSPECTS FOR MIDDlES
Have Splended Material For Backfield
With Richardson The 0nIy One Lost
By Graduation

Have SPLENDID Material For BackfieId
With Richardson The Only One Lost
By Graduation
Particular interest attaches to the
annual football game to be played be-
tween the Naval and Military Acade-
mics at Franklin Field, Philadelphia,
/ on November &c, on account of the
break in the series by the death of
| Cadet Byrne,of the West Point team,
/ from injuries received in the Harvard
I game.
The fact that the Army team lost a
month of its season will bring in the
question of whether the play of the
/ squad has suffered and whether il can
come back to its original standard.
| Starting with large squad of COM
paratively green men last season. and
only a few veterans, the Annapolis
/ coaches developed a team which they
! think was one of the best the Navy
has ever had, and this year nearly
all of these men are again in the
game.
With its unusually strong squad
and the advantage of having finished
the full season last year, the Navy
team will start out with decidedly the
best prospects. To secure strong and
heavy guards and fast ends are the
chief problems that confront the local
coaches. There is splendid material
for the backield, the probabilities
being that it will be both heavy and
fast, but along this line the Army
probably will have the advantage at
the opening of the season so far as
experience and speed are concerned.
The midshipmen lose only one man
from the backfield. This is Richard
son, who for four years was steady
ground-gainer and strong backerup
in the secondary defense. However,
in Caughey, Elmer or Rodes, a man
can be found who will worthily fill his
place. In particular, good work
may be expected from Rodes. Last
season was his first at the Academy,
and he made a fine showing. This
year he weighs at least $50 pounds
and is strong and fast. Halfback is
his regular position, but he would
make an ideal man to fill Richardson's
place. Both McCaughey and Elmer
are more experienced but probably
have not the natural ability of
Rodes.
Captain Clay will of course be at
one of the halfback positions. He is
fast clever dodger with sufficient
weight for the place and is not in the
least inclined to lose his head. Dal-
ton is the first choice for the other
halfback and admittedly has the max
ings of one of the best backs that
ever played for the Academy. Weigh
ing 1876 pounds and able to do 100
yards in ten seconds Dalton adds to
his remarkable ground gaining ability
the power to get off tremendously
long punts. However, he suffers
from occasional lapses when his work
is not. .up to the standard. Sowell and
Austin are two other excellent men,
who will give all the others a hard
fight for positions behind the line.
Erwin, who played quartz rback the
latter part of last season, has another
year in the Academy. His chief COM
petitors are Byrd, Shaw and Regan,
Mason, who was drowned during the
summer, would probably have won
the position as he was recovering
from the old injury to his knee. Ma
son had football ability of high or
der, which, circumstances prevented
from being used as it might have
been. A bad injury prevented him
| playing much last year and the year
before but he was being saved for the
West Point game. He had splendid
head for football and was regarded in
| the light of a coach. Head Coach
Berrien speaks in. the highest terms
of him and says that no player ever
at the Academy had better ideas of
the game than Mason.
An interesting experiment on the
line will be the tryout of Weems at
center. This remarkable athlete
weighs little over 160 pounds, but is
remarkably strong, active and plucky.
He was sub-center last year, and
since hen has had strenuous season
on the wrestling team and pulled in
the crew, both fine preparation for
football. He is likely to make up in
strength, cleverness and gameness
what he lacks in weight. However,
I MS idCh VI pOuuuS uldkSS UedNy RudTU
an essential.
Wrigt is about the best Of the can
didates for guards. Other men who
may be used are Grafton, Anderson,
Zenor, Douglas, Merring and Wake
man. Some of these have done most
ofntheir playing at tackle, but the
fact that King and Loftin, last years
excellent tackles, are again on the
! squad, may cause them to try for the
positions of guard. Two good men
should be selected from the bunch,
but none is as heavy as the fiankers