To everybody's great delight, at the beginning of this their senior year, Dr.

Thornton had returned to his position fully restored to his former vigor and health.
In "_The High School Pitcher_" Dick & Co., then sophomores, were shown in some fine work with the Gridley High School nine, and Dick had serious, even dangerous, Trouble, with mean, treacherous enemies that he made.
In "_The High School Left End_," Dick & Co., juniors, made their real entrance into High School athletics by securing places in the school football eleven.

It was in this year that there occurred the famous strife between the "soreheads" and their enemies, whom the former termed the "muckers." The "soreheads" were the sons of certain aristocratic families who resolved to secede from football in case any of the members of Dick & Co.

or of other poor Gridley families, were allowed to make places on the team.

As the group of "soreheads" contained a few young men who were really absolutely necessary to the success of the Gridley High School football eleven, the strife threatened to put Gridley in the back row as far as football went.
But Dick, with his characteristic vigor, went after the "soreheads" in the columns of "The Blade." He covered them with ridicule and scorn so that the citizens of the town began to take a hand in the matter as soon as their public pride was aroused.
The "soreheads" were driven, then, to apply for places in the football squad.