The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-09-12
THE FOOTBALL SEASON
IS NEARLY At HAND
The First Game Here VIII be Played
September 81 Between the High
School Team and the HallOwell
Team.

Ieams
The newly organized High School
football team has been out on the
field for practice with % men and will
play their first game here, Saturday,
Sept. 81, with the Hallowell team.
The captain is Robert Emery; man
ger, Donald Philbrick, assistant man
ager, Arthur McQuillan. The coach
es are Sub-master Parker, and Elroy
Lacasee.
The schedule now stands:
Sept. 21-Hallowell at Skowhegan.
Sept. 2S-Oak Grove at Skowhegan.
Oct. Oak Grove at Skowhegan.
Oct 12-Hallowell at Hallowell.
Oct. 19-Abbott at Pennington.
Oct. 26-Farmington at Farming
ton.
Nov Abbott at Skowhegan.
There are numerous important
changes in the football rules for this
season, the first change to he noted
is that shown in the diagram of the
field, and described in the first rule.
Formerly the field was 100 feet in
width by $50 feet in length The field
is now 300 feet from goal line to goal
line, but there is an end zone at which
each end of the field of ten yards, or
80 feet, thus making the entire side
line from one end to the other $50
feet in length, writes Walter Camp.
This furnishes beyond each goal a
zone which is 100 feet in length and
80 feet in width-that is, it extends
across the entire end of the field.
This end zone furnishes a space into
which a forward pass may be thrown
without making it illegal or a touch
back, as formerly, when such a pass
crossed the goal line. In other
words, a man may be inside this end
zone behind the goal line and still be
eligible to receive a forward pass.
The change in length OF the field
stead of the ball being kicked from the
center of the field as has been the Gus
tom in football for generations and
long before the introduction of the
American intercollegiate game, the ball
will now be kicked from point 60
yards away from the goal at which
the kick is directed, or on the 40
yard line of the kicker's side. This is
so that the ball will not be at once
kicked across the goal line, as would
be the case if it were started from the
50-yard line.
Under Rule ii the next change il
the rules is to be noted the fact that
the ball is described within certain
limits-that is, it may not be over
% IL inches in the circumference of
its long axis, nor less than IS inches,
and in it's short axis the eircumfer-
ence may not be over % inches nor
under % IL. The weight may not be
over 10 ounces nor under IA. There
has been some question as to what
happens when the ball gets thoroughly
soaked, as it does in some games.
Under Rule II there is a change to
the effect that a new player coming in
may report to either the referee or
the umpire.
Under Rule " and the length of
the game, the intermissions between
the first and second and third and
fourth periods have been reduced still
further to only one minute, while the
Gaze of delay after the long intermis-
sion between the second and third
periods a side that is not ready to
play within two minutes shall be
penalized % yards. Done other inn
portant change under this rule,-that in
Ire case of fair catch made after
tine has expired the kick is to be al
lowed and time called when the ball
is next declared dead.
There are several changes under
Rule VI, but not of very serious mo-
ment. One Is Tie further description
of what is meant by opportunity to
make a fair catch" This is when
player could catch the ball before it
touches the ground. The difficulty
caused last year by having a bound
ing ball score a goal has been
,remedied, for it is now provided that
a goal may not be scored if a ball al
ter leaving the kickers foot touches
the ground before passing over the
cross bar or uprights, the description
of dead ball" is further amplited and
re-arranged.
Under Rule VII, relating to kick
off, the privileges of the loser of the
toss are more definitely described in
that he has exactly the same priv