The Washington times., 1936-09-22
IAVY GRIDDERS POLISH PLAYS FOR SATURDAYS GAME
.dwardS'
Loss Jolt
To Team
BY FRANK BUCK" O'NEILL

Dy thAENh DUN " NGAAA
Navy's football team goes into
the polishing stage tomorrow for
it's battle with william and Mary
College that opens the season on
Saturday afternoon at Annapolis.
Not a little polish was applied
to the Midshipmen yesterday when
Lieut.. Tom Hamilton sent the en-
tire squad through thorough drill
on pass defense, punt coverage,
with down field blocking and
tackling occupying the last hour
Of the practice.
It was hot, heavy work. A sum-
mer sun boiled down on the field.
A lazy breeze flirted with the trees
at the end of the field. Officers in
summer whites drifted down to the
side lines to observe the boys.
The players, heads encased in
helmets that suggested knightly
casques; shoulders protected by
heavy guards that gave grotesque,
misShaped appearance to them,
ran and raced and hit with vindic-
tive power.
Have Work to Perform
The thermometer may boil, but
the players have a serious job to
perform. It's heavy work for them,
with Yale, Notre Dame and Army
ahead. Oh, yes, Princeton and
Penn and Harvard are to be met
along the trail.
If you ask the coaches, little
change has taken place in the
Navy squad in the past ten days.
There are signs of power. There ad-
mittedly is promise, but the power
is not yet coordinated, the promise
has not yet been kept. The sue
ceeding weeks will see both of
these potentialities become facts,
it is hoped.
Navy football received a rude
jolt right at the beginning of the
season when T. E. Edwards, jr.,
went out Of action for the year,
with a football shoulder. Since Ed
wards is a first claSs-man he is
out OF the picture for all time, it
was feared this morning.
Not Found Everywhere
Now it may be contended that
team which has backs like Ned
Thomas, John S. Schmidt, Rel
man, Antrim and others of that
stripe could do very well. Well, as
matter of fact, it probably will
do very well. Nevertheless, backs
OF the Edwards stripe are not to
be picked up on the highways ana
byways. Some of the men at An
napoliS who wear the ivy on the
viSorS Of their uniform caps
thought that Edwards might win
starting rank this year in prefer
ence to most of the others.
Maurice Ferrara, veteran of last
years squad, is showing plenty Of
drive at tackle, and Lynch, a big
boy who stands 6 feet 3 inches in
height, is doing a nice job at the
same station. Plenty of power and
range in the Navy outfit.
Shows Much Promise
Many of the boys are doing
right nicely here and there with
their assignments, which is why
the Navy coaches tell you that the
squad shows more than usual
promise. But the matter of coordi.
mating that power: Of realizing
that promise is something that
now gives the entire Blue and
Gold family food for thought;
serious thought.
We've got a good team, but
we're not ready for Navy" is the
word that comes from Williams
burg, Va, home of William and
Mary College.
Any time a smaller college
states boldly that it has a good
football team, you have food for
thought. Most of the time these
So-called little fellers point for a
game with the big 'uns, and all
the time they're singing the blues,
they hope that something will
happen.
Navy Recalls
Take the case of Virginia last
year. The Cavaliers cut loose a
forward pass that eliminated in
a lateral, and a touchdown re-
suited. The pass was thrown off
punt formation with the kicker be.
hind his own goal line. It ate up
108 yards in actual distance and
Navy is still in a dither over the
incident. Twas a play that
couldn't happen, but it did
happen.
VOTE AMERICAN
TouchdoWns Meet
Touchdown Club members meet
Monday at 6 p. m. at the Lafayette