[The High School Freshmen by H. Irving Hancock]@TWC D-Link book
The High School Freshmen

CHAPTER XVI
10/11

Let Cobber be rough, if that suited the college men.
Cobber lost the ball on downs.
Then Gridley took the pigskin.
"Play for time," was Badger's signaled order.
Not much in the delay line is possible under a vigilant referee, yet all the time that strategy _could_ gain was taken advantage of.
Thrice the ball was fought over the center of the gridiron.

Then it settled slowly toward the High School goal, making slow, stubbornly fought advances.
Three minutes left to play! Gridley H.S.got the ball once more, under the distance rule.
Now Badger called out the same signal that had been used for that most effective fake kick.
Captain Halsey smiled as he saw the High School fighters spread out swiftly, just as they had done before.
Halsey thought he knew this time! That same old ruse of dashing around the left end; then a fake kick and a dashing race by Stearns.
Halsey's swiftly telegraphed orders disposed his men to meet the former dodge more effectively.
The whistle sounded, and the ball was passed.

But what Halsey didn't know was that, the second time this signal was called it meant the players were to do exactly what they seemed spreading out for.
So the ball actually went around the left end this time, Evans making the best sprint that was left in his stiffening muscles.
He covered twenty-four yards before he was brought to earth.
Here was where delay came in.

While Cobber was fighting stubbornly to regain the pigskin, the whistle sounded the end of the second half.
Gridley had won from the big enemy! Now pandemonium broke loose.

Two thousand people leaped up and down, yelling themselves hoarse.
So many hats went into the air that it was a miracle if every man recovered his own headgear.
The band didn't play; the student body didn't sound a yell.


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