River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-11-14
Wins Championship

with glorious victory over the La
Crosse team on the home field.
This victory gives River Falls the
championship of the Western Wis
consin Normal School Athletic
League.
River Falls Normal has given
local football enthusiasts their
moneys worth and more in good
games this season, and the contest
Friday was the best of the schedule.
1t was either teams game up to the
last minute of play, and the uncer-
tainity of the outcome held the in
terest of the spectators up to the
highest pitch of excitement until
the final whistle.
River Falls scored first, Kay get
ting a touch down in the first quart
er after series of strenuous line
bucking. Keith kicked goal In the
second quarter La Cross. held even
honors with the locals in keeping
the ball, each making good gains at
times, and then a brace in defense
would start the ball in the other
direction. Finally River Falls
secured the ball on downs on her
own thirty yard line, but on the first
play Condit fumbled and a La
Crosse player fell on the ball on
Normals twenty-five yard line
River Falls was unable to hold and
La Crosse made first down twice
and then carried the ball over for q
touchdown, but failed to kick goal,
making the score 7 20 6 at the end
of the first half.
In the third quarter River Falls
rushed the ball straight down the
field to the La Crosse ten yard line.
Here La Crosse held and secured
the ball, but River Falls forced
them to punt, and getting the ball
on La Crosses forty-fv yard line
worked end runs and off-tackles
plays straight through to a touch
down, Condit carrying the ball
over. Keith failed at goal and the
score was Is to 6 in favor of River
Falls.
La Crosse then took turn at
gaining and finally had the ball on
River Fails one yard line, with four
downs to carry it over. River Falls
held for three downs, when the
whistle for the end of the third
quarter changed the scene of action
to River Falls one yard line at the
other end Of the field, with La
Crosse but one down left in which
to cross the goal. Finding that
line bucks were futile they tried
forward pass and Peirce saved the
day by intercepting it behind his
own goal line. He was downed be-
hind the goal and referee Pettijohn
ruled that the play counted two
points for La Crosse as a safety,
making the score Is to 8. That
play of River Falls in defending
her goal from four attacks from the
vineyard line was one of the great
est bits of defensive work ever seen
on a local gridiron.
La Crosse threatened to score in
the last period, when they pulled
off number of forward passes for
big gains from the center of the
field, to River Falls thirty-fve yard
line. But here River Falls began
breaking up those plays and Sec
ured the ball Then River Falls
threatened to score and was carry
ing the ball to the La Crosse goal
in long gains when the whistle end
ed the game
1t was a real championship con-
test and the winners richly deserve
the title. The teams were as even
ly matched as any two teams that
ever played here, and both played
fast, clean football, and played
hard from the start to the finish.
The River Falls lineup: Keith,
PIERCE and Dopkins, right end;
Richards, right tackle; Burgess,
right guard; Cudd, center; Cooke,
left tackle; Dawson, left guard;
Dickey, left end; Bliss and Condit,
right half; Condit and Keith, quart
er; Kay, full back; Nelson and Bliss
left half.
This game closes the season for
the local school. All of the
schools in this section have closed
their schedules and the locals would
have no opportunity to keep in trim
to play the winners. in the other
section of the Normal School Ath-
letic League, which does not close
its season, or determine the cham
pionship, until the last of this
month.