Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-09
FOOTBALL ROW
ADISGRACE TO
sCHOOLSPORTS
Both Teams to Blame for Sat-
urday'S Exhibition at Alex
ander Field Game

Fists few, feet kicked and elbows
hacked freely on Alexander field Sat
urday afternoon and the two institu-
tons Of learning meeting in combat
on the INSTRUMENTATION Academy
and Mckinley high schooi--emerged
with pugilistic honCrs about even.
Punahcu had the long end Of the II
10 5 football score, but Punahou was
not much ahead, If any, IN the fistic
points 49,. -
Every lover Ct amateur sport, every
friend CT the two schools and-now
that il Is over--the members OF both
teams must regret deeply the unfor-
tunte and needless ending to a cham
pionship game and the almost inces-
SAINT fighting and wrangling that pre-
coded Referee Blossoms action in the
last quarter in putting Clifford of Pun
ahou and Rrssh of the High of the
field: Every friend CT the schools also
must regret that Mckinley refused to
accept the referees ruling and walked
Of the field in q body. If.
High as the pitch was to which par
tisan feeling had been wrought, in
jured as were McKinley's chances OF
success by this ruling, there is no
good excuse for the action of the high
school in declining to play out the
game The explanation is made that
Brash was not the aggressor, that he
had been fouled by Punahou man,
and that Brash should not have been
ordered to the side-lines.
Whether or not Brash was the ag-
gressor will always remain more or
less unsettled. II is said on good
authority that Clifford complained sew
eral times that Brash mad been hit
ting him in the scrimmages. In the
final mixup Clifford caught Brash a
blow on the neck with his open hand,
"stiff-armed'' him, and instantly the
two went at ii, hammer and tongs.
Al least one more Mckinley man ran
up from behind and struck Clifford.
The circumstances OF this particular
set-to matter little. The truth is. that
almost from the first down both teams
were fcnling, and foui:ng openly. In
the line there was, constant illegiti-
mate use Of hands on both sides. In
the backneld runners with the ball
were often thrown harder than there
was any excuse for, anc, on the other
hand. the men with the ball often at
tempted to crawl with 1t after the
whistle had blown. That crawling
business. by the way, is almost GER
tain to lead to trouble. Tor the oppos-
ing side is bound to pile up on rum
ner II he attempts unfairly to advance
the ball
Both teams were strongly to blame
for the constant arougling, hack
ing and unnecessary smashing into
men who did not have the ball and
were not in the interference It should
be said on behalf Of the lads in foot.
ball clothes that they were playing
desperately, in very close game, and
that their respective school equals
openly urged all sorts of foul tactics.
The shouts from the side-lines direct
cd against opposing players and
against the officials showed anything
but a spirit Of decency and sports
manship. Under these conditions the
players naturally felt that they could
.get away with unfair playing tao
tics.
Taking it all il al. the roughness
was not of the particularly nasty kind
that deliberateIy eces after a PLAYER
to disable him. There was consider
able miscellaneous slugging, some
kneeing. ctr. but most Of II was done
so openly that plainly It was the act
OF momentary temper.
For this reason the officials evil
IDENTIFY did not take more drastic meas
ures early in the game. Both sides
were INDUCING in some roughness but
after all no great harm seemed to be
ACCOMPLISHED. so with repeated warn
ings. the officials let the game pro-
coed and the roughness proceeded,
too.
Lieut.. Besson. the referee. is COM
petent man. He has shown 1t in other
games. and he showed 1t Saturday
knowing that the teams we're COM
posed of mere lads, he tried to keep
the not from boiling over by good-na-
tured but firm rulings from the first.
and he took some language from the
PLAYERS that some referees would Drob-
ably have resented to the point of
ordering the men or Once he dove
into 4 mixup. separated two belliger-
eut players, gave each a slap on the
hack and with a broad grin advised
them to ..cut 1t out and get down to
PLAYING.
Umpire Jackson's first two penalties
were directed AGAINST Mckinley and
from that moment the Mckinley crowd
kent after the umpire and reused the
nhyers AGAINST him. This and other
things stimulated the hitter feeling
and instead Of the players working
on their gronches as the game went
along. they seemed to grow worse. As
an independent snectator, the writer
feels that each of the teams played
inexcusably rough football
Two courses were open to the off,
ciaIs The first was to send instantly
To the sidelines any Mayer who
showed even a suspicinn of roughness
Tits course would Drobahlv have cost
each team one ar two of its stars in
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