Football -- Juvenile fiction; Schools -- Juvenile fiction
When the pile disentangled itself Rob rolled over on his back but
didn’t seem interested in getting up. At the end of two minutes he was
being helped to the side-line, looking very white and dizzy, and Hover
was running out to take his place. Hover was fresh and eager and had
weight and fight. On the first play Shaler shot along the side-line for
four yards before he was forced out. Then the ball was carried in and
Hover was given his chance. Straight through center he plowed for eight
yards, fighting and plunging, and it was first down. Back went Hinkley
and, while the onlookers debated whether it was really to be a kick,
the ball went into his hands and, with good interference, he ran the
left end for ten yards. On the side-lines Riverport was cheering madly,
exultantly, Adams madly and imploringly. But it seemed that at last the
Light Blue had found herself, for Hover and Shaler made gain after gain
through the weakening center and Evan tore off a short end run that at
last placed the ball on Adams’ thirty-two yards.
“Kick-formation!” cried Evan hoarsely. “How much time is there, sir?”
“A little over five minutes,” answered the field judge.
“Lots of time, fellows! Kick-formation! Every one into this now!
44――54――69――18――”
“Signal!” cried Hover anxiously.
“44――54――69――18――24! Got it?”
“Yes,” was the answer as Hover dug his toes into the turf.
“9――7――8――”
Forward plunged the backs, Evan shot the ball at Shaler, Jelly and
Devens opened the hole and the play slammed through for three yards.
The same play with Hover carrying the pigskin gave three more. But
Adams was desperate now, almost under the shadow of her goal, and Evan
knew that a line attack would not give him the rest of the distance. He
debated whether to try again for a field-goal. If Hinkley made it it
would probably give them the game, but Hinkley couldn’t be depended on
like Deering. A forward pass the enemy would be looking for, and the
chances of bringing it off successfully were slim. An end run seemed
the only thing unless――!
“I’ll try it!” he told himself.
“Kick-formation!” he called. “24――87――17――41――”
Back came the ball to him and with the two halfs speeding ahead as
interference he shot toward the right end of the line as though for a
quarter-back run. Adams started to head him off. But when he had gone
some five paces Evan slowed down and, swinging around, dropped the ball
from his hands and kicked it obliquely across the field.
“Left!” he cried. “Left!”
There was no one near the ball when it came down save Brimmer, and
Brimmer let it settle into his arms and started on his ten yard journey
to the goal-line. Adams had been caught napping, but her quarter had
not gained his reputation for nothing. He reached Brimmer three yards
from that last fatal white line and bore him backwards.
“First down!” called the referee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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