New Britain herald., 1928-11-24
Patriarch Si.hs for = Good Old GridiOrn Fights

The Patriarch came over to the Observers desk to borrow another match. The Patriarch seemed to be lost in a brown study. His mind was not on the present. Why so pen sive?" the Observer inquired. The Patriarch didn't answer at once. As the match burned his fingers he came back to life and remarked: '1 was thinking of the good old days when New Britain and Hartford High schools fought for blood on the gridiron." Tell me about it." said the Observer. Tt will help me fill up my column" Well" began the Patriarch.
 "Something is gone from the Hartford New Britain High school rivalry-air almost indefinable~ ~Solne- thing which has been lost from al most every field of life within the past decade or two. Perhaps it may be best explained by reversing our statement and saying that the enmity has gained something and that something is responsibility.
 This responsibility has come to the rivalry and has removed some of the picturesque color from it. Up to about six or seven years ago every boy and girl at N. B. H. s. was firm ly convinced that the Hartford tea m was composed of eleven muckers while the II. P. H. S. rooters were fully as certain that New Britain field Today only 22 persons are en- gagged in battling for their schools, wheras the number used to run up to some 1900 and included both cheering sections, the alumni of the two schools and the police. You used to sneak in through hole in the fence when the police were careless or good-natured or when you could outrun them, but now you go Sc dately to a store and purchase your tickets a week in advance as if you were going to a performance Of grand opera. No. boys, it's not the same!
 ''The Herald has printed the pre- game statements of both captains. Fifteen years ago it wouldn't have, for they would have been imprint able In those days the New Britain team had ten fighting youths. they hated the boys who used to appear in the Hartford lineup. The players of tf.e two teams meet fire quently at dances in Newington and other nearby places. and no pigskin chaser is going to jump up and down on his opponents Adams apple when there is a chance that he may have chance with that opponents girl at the victory dance of the win ming team.
 But, as said ahove. the struggle score and two youths who wore what were then called molesllins. Every body had a hand. You didn't have to be a student or an alumnos to fight for your team. Many a fellow who had never been inside a High school unless it was to carry in the new piano or to be identified as the man who had been robbing the Wardrobes would shout as vocifer- ously for the team from his city team as would the captains kid brother. Of course, he merely hoped that someone might take exception to his shouts and start fight-and his hopes were usually realized.
 There was many a game when the crowd stormed out onto the field so determinedly that the teams had barely room to do little line buck ing and couldn't have thrown d pass or kirked 2 punt if they had tried to. The quarterback knew that the goal was somewhere beyond the cir cie of players. and he had to carry carry a compass so that he could tell Ill which direction it lay.
 There Was at least one game
 about c5 years ago. when the over
 flow so interrupted play that the
 game had to be called because cl farhness almost as soon as the sec
 ond half started, and there were
 many others in which touchdowns were prevented only when the crowd