Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-27
DARK HORSE OF RACE
JACKETS MAY PREVENT ANY
COLLEGE TEAM WINNING CUP
Improvement of Other EIcvcns Appears
To HIVE Stranded Spiders.
Victory Possible.

Affairs in the championship race OF
the Eastern Intercollegiate Association
! are more muddlcd to-day than they
were Il week ago. the scoreless game
/ in which the Hampdcn- Sidney and
! Randolph Macon elcvens participated
/ Saturday havcing tied the Tigers and
the Spiders in Il knot that apparently
/ may not be unlooscncd this season.
| There are possibilities. of course. and
! breaks Of the games this week may
/ permit either of the teams to win, but
| just now il appears that this season.
/ as has been the case several times
before. two agSrcgatiOnS will com
I plctc the schedule with equal ratings
II was apparent Saturday that Hamp-
| dcn-Sidney had an eleven that should
have won. However. they did not and
| that fact reacts upon them. at the same
/ time boosting the defensive prowress
/ Of the Ashland team. Randolph Macon
! played a game of which they may we'll
! be proud. The forwards were able to
care for all OF the opposing offensive
| players with the exception of Captain
! Thurman, and Captain Cogbill took
! care Of him.
Toad Thurman, who should have been
| handicapped considerably because of
/ the injury to his face, did not appear
! TO be at all, and in him rested almost
/ the entire ground-gaining facilities Of
I the team. Coach Riess knew the flu
/ tility Of hoping for Il decisive victory.
I after several of his chief offensive
/ players have been lost. due to injuries.
and very wisely essaycd to keep his
/ team on the defensive the greater part
! of the struggle. In securing the tie
| he virtually won a victory for RAM
! dolph Macon.
! And that tied game is what has mud
| died affairs SO completely Before the
! battle was concluded, Hampton Sidney
/ had an excellent chance to win the
/ cup. Now they have no better hopes
! than have the Richmond College play
I ers. The Tigers meet the rcjuvcnatcd
| William and Mary eleven Thanksgiving
! Day. and must win TO have even Il
/ chance at the cup Richmond College
/ battles Randolph Macon here Saturday.
and they also must win TO have
| chance. If each is victorious they Will
| finish the season with equal records;
/ if either loses or ties it's opponent the
other has the trophy, should it defeat
/ its opponents.
X Randolph Macon the dark horse Of
I The race, and is the Ashland team going
: TO be the one to put the crimDS into
/ the championship aspirations Of two
el.vcns? There are those in Richmond
who think 50. Also there are several
things which makes such an accom-
| plishmcni possible.
EARLY Form Told for Spiders.
Richmond College got the jump on
/ the other elcvens during the early
part Of the season by entering the
first championship game in the best Of
condition. The players were trained
supcrbly and during these initial con-
tests were playing at the best Of their
form Other clevens still were in the
preliminary stages of development.
! The crest OF the Spiders season APP
| pears 10 have passed several weeks
| ago. All of the other teams just now
! arc reaching their best form. Inn
| provcmcnt in the final contests is To
! hc expected of them. If all of their
players are able to participate. Fur
/ thcr improvement in the local team
| is doubtful
II was believed generally. carly in
the fall. that whatever the Spiders ac-
| complishcd would be as Il result OF
| team work; there were no individuals
in the school OF sufficient calibcr to
! wrcst games from opponents. and few
! about whom a powerful offensc could
| he built. DobSon evidently realized
| this fact, and gave all of his attention
| TO the work OF building up an organ
| iZaii"n. with capital % and Us
! In this he was successful, as shown
! in the first contests.
The firmly united eleven swept their
opponents aside and wrestcd victories
with little difficulty. They outc!assed
| the other teams with their organiza-
! ton. because the opponents were not
.
| Eethcr as they should have done. How
| ever. the middle of the season brought
! great Improvement ia the other clcvcnS.
| Their offensive became more powerful
| and their defense stronger. The
| Spiders played along according to their
| carlyscaSon standard, apparently the
| best that was in them. Opposing clcv-
| ems held them and defeated them
These other players have continued
| this Improvement, and in the last game
arc expected to be AT the height of
. their development. They are familiar
now with the Dobson shifts and the
| play of the Richmond team. That COM
! bination appears to he about in the
same class as at the start of the race
and. unless there is n marked improve
| ment in the play of the individuals,
| unless Dobson can give his men n num-
| Der Of new trick plays that will re-
suit in scores or unless the Jackets
suffer an unexpected reverse, Richmond
College will have to base it's greatest
hopes in victory for william and Mary
over Hampde lem Sidney on Thanksgiving
| Day.
The Indians have come to the front
remarkably recently, and now are rec
oEniZed one of the really strong
teams of the organization. Ricss adj
| mitted after his last game in Williams
burg that his regulars probably would
have been unable TO win from the Will
liam and Mary team. He now is ready
to send his team against the Spiders in
| the belief they have certainly an even
chance. Hampton Sidney has improved
| almost as much as have the Indians.
! and that game should be close.