Evening star., 1944-12-10

Eastern S Champions.
Western Share Six
Select Positions
BY BOB MCLEAN.

school dream team-an eleven any
football coach would be delighted to
find under his Christmas tree.
The line bulks a total of 1855
pounds for an average of 1872 per
player and includes pair of 225-
pound tackles working on either side
of lightning-fast guards that tip the
scale at ITS each-and one of the
guards is the outstanding point
after-touchdown kicker of this area
The backfleld is a once-in-a-life-
time pony combination that has
everything, including brainy little
130-pound halfback with the Sammy
Baugh touch, a fine broken field
artist, a quarterback with a split
second mind and fire horse full
back who can block as well as buck.
On the first team Eastern, the
champion, placed three players, as
did Western, the runnerup. One
place each went to Tech, Central,
Coolidge, Roosevelt and Wilson. On
both teams Eastern landed a total
of six players, Western five, Central
three, Wilson, Anacostia and Tech
two each and Coolidge and Roose-
yelt one each.
Howell Teams Big Star.
Star and outstanding player of the
first team is Dixie Howell, 17-year-
old 175-pound Eastern right guard,
who, despite his comparatively short
5-foot-8 frame, played top-notch
defensive game all season and put
the topper on the record by booting
a total of Is placement conversionsl
Dixie seldom missed.
In that lighthouse backfield Buddy
Hart, who measures feet and
manages to weigh in at 130 with
weights in his pockets, provided
some of the big thrills of the year as
he spanked featherweight Western
team into the championship game.
The diminutive halfback had habit
of popping up from nowhere with
the pigskin, and rifles the neatest
pass seen on the circuit. Buddy set
up most of Westerns touchdowns
with singing combination in
which Don Lichty, the Raiders hot
field general, was on the receiving
end.
The dependable veteran in this
quartet of ball carriers is Gene
Gould, a compact 160-pounder
whose 5-foot-9 frame was in al
most every play. Gould did most
of the Western blocking in the full
back slot and in his spare time
piled up "a points on line-buck
touchdownS. His GOODNESS in ac-
ton and reliability held together an
inexperienced Raider eleven.
Lyles Shrewd Quarterback.
Bobby Lyles, Eastern quarterback
slected as field general, provided the
master -minding that piloted the
Ramblers to the championship and
scored at the rate of a point every
two minutes for a total of 167 in
nine interhigh games. The power
house Eastern running attack need
ed a firm hand at the throttle, and
Lyles rarely lost control.
In the other halfback slot is a
chip off the old block, Dud de Groot,
lr., son of the Redskins coach, who
proved that talent needn't skip a
generation by putting the ginger
in Wilson's attack this year. De
Groot, possibly coached by his dad,
is an artist at reversing field and
is one of the few scholastic backs
who knows how to cut in on an end
sweep.
Ace Of the all-high line is Dick
Layton, the towering Central right
end, a 6-footer who weighs 100
pounds. Layton was ar all-around
performer, excellent on the defense,
an alert ballhawk in the Viking
aerial attack.
Ernie Bertolini, as tall as Layton
but more rangy, with 165 pounds on
his lean frame Bertolini, the main
pass target for the Tech backfeld
this year, is one of the fastest ends
seen this season, and his speciality
OF getting down the field under
punt caused plenty OF grief in the
loop.
Sharing the guard duty with
Howell is another l75-pounder, Glib
son Russell of Eastern, whose line
work was big factor in bringing
the title to the Rambler roost. In
the tackle slots are a pair of hefty
225-pounders, Ray Krouse of West
ern, who stands foot 2, and Ed
Rowzee of Coolidge. another 6-foot-
er. The pair could make any line
stonewall.
At center is a player who received
little attention this year, Lou Linn
Der, the middleman on a Roosevelt
team that was winless in the inter-
high series. In the complicated and
clever offensive designed for the
Rough Riders, the center spot was
pivotal, and Timber handled it with
very few errors, playing steady
brand of football that made the
Riders look colorful even in defeat.