Addison High School - Panther Yearbook (Addison, MI)

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-4 -gpg V 'MVB g. ,. J... ,'t'..',-,,,,e,,.'f :Ffa-rw each time lost the ball on downs. Thus it was that, when th-e half ended without further scoring, the ball was in Irontown's possession in Highland territory. The day was hot and, instead of going to their locker rooms, the tired and sweaty Highland players stretched themselves upon the ground in the shade of a tree which stood at the end of the field. As the coach came up with water and sponges, he overheard Jean say, Whew, but it s hot! We're far enough ahead though so we can take it -easy next half. For a moment Locksley stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes blaz- ing. Then, with a quick step forward, he faced Jean andthe team. So you're going to take it easy, are you, he said, repressing his anger with difficulty. f'You're a fine bunc'h, you are. If you think you played such a wonderful game this first half that you can quit now, you're badly mistaken. The score ought to be thirty to nothing. If you d-on't fight this next half you're going to get beat. You deserve to be beaten. Any team that won't fight to the finish, no matter how much better or worse their opponents are, deserve-s to be beaten. What if it is a little hot? If you've got any grit you'll show some pep, some fight this next half. But, even as he finished speaking, Locksley knew that he had failed. Stronger measures than this were necessary to mak-e them fight and, as they took the field for the second half, he knew that they would probably lose the game. From the first kickoff Irontown, fighting hard, had the advantage and, once during the third quarter and again in the first part of the fourth, they put over a touchdown by passes and running plays, thus tieing the score, each 'team having made -good on one try for point. Then with but five minutes left to play, Irontown received an'd slowly forced the ball to H'ighland's twenty!-five yard line. H-ere, how- ever, Highland, seeming to realize that they were about to be beaten, held threm for two downs. On 'th-e third down they kicked. J-ean, rushing in, might have broken it up by taking the ball in the face but instead he ducked- and it went sailing straight above the goal- posts for the winning three points. That night aft-er the game, when Coach Locksley came into the locker room where the Highland players were dressing, they expect- ed a fighting lecture as Jean called it, but instead he said nothing. Realizing that to call the team down would be of no avail, Locksley had decided to surprise them by keeping qui-et while he tried to think of some new plan. During the next week 'he put them through practice with as few words as possible. There were many comments upon his changed attitude but no one guessed the real reason for it. Locksley had formed a plan which he meant to try out on the coming Saturday when they went to Radford and, to make it the more effective, he was letting them think he had' decided they were right, that it was of no use to try to uphold the tradition of Highland. However, though he let them think this, he made them go through as strenuous a practice as ever and, when Saturday came, they were Q1 angry-seven

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by his industry, h-e had worked his way through college and, return- ing to Highland, hoped to coach a championship 'team for the school he loved. But during the two weeks practice before the first game he be- gan to have grave doubts as to the possibility of this. Conflicts were constantly arising between him and the team. When h-e asked them, at the beginning of the second week, to do a mile of track work after each night's practice, murmurs of protfest arose. I thought football was played for recreation, said Hicks Leslie, a husky halfback. Aw Coach, make it a half, pleaded Jean. A mil'e's too much like work. Locksley was not quick-tempened but to hear such words as that form a Highland captain was 'too much. f'Manly recreation demands work, he snapped, his gray eyes fiashing. Either do your mile or turn in your suits. I can't coach a team that refuses to b-e coached. For a moment they hesitated-, glancing at each oth-er, but as he still continued to regard them with that steely glint of his gray eyes, they turned away toward the track and ran their mile. -But, though he made them put themselves in condition, domin- ating by the sheer force of his will, he could not develop that fighting spirit, that willingness to sacrifice one's own individual interests to the interests of the team which are the fundamental requirements of .a winning football team. They wanted to take things too easy, seeming not to care Then too, there to negard the team upon it, not as an of Highland, but .as whether they won or lost. was the attitude of the student body who seem-ed as a thing apart from the school. They looked organization defending the honor and traditions one whose members played merely for the pleas- ure to be derived from it, caring nothing for their school, and, in truth, this was not far from being right. Th-e first contest of the season, a practice game which was to be played on the home field, was with Irontown, a smaller school than Highland. Although the opposing team was lighter, Locksley had but little confidence in his team's ability to win. Still, he knew they wene in condition and perhaps when joined in actual contest there might be a change, an exhibition of a different sort of spirit than that shown in practice. Even while he doubted- this, he hoped for it. During the first half of the game hie be-gtan to think that his hopes were to be fulfilled. Highland was playing a good game and, while they did not quite seem to have acquired that fighting spirit which 'he had tried to instill in them, their teamwork was almost perfect. Twice in the first quarter they scor-ed. Once on a long pass to Jean, playing at left end, who, leaping high in air, caught the- ball and, twisting and dodging, dashed twenty yards through enemy tack- lers to 'th-e-ir goalg once by straight football, Leslie an'd Mason, the huge fullback, hitting the line again and again like battering-rams. After this slecond touch-down, however, they were not able to gain consistently again. Though they came within scoring distanoe of the enemy goal, they seemed to have lost the power to put it across and LQIYCJLZ-PQ om'

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a line team in all respects except one, the most vital of tall, their spirit. That had not changed. The trip to Radford was made by auto. They arrived about noon, had dinner, changed their clothfes, and were ready to leave for the held at one-thirty, the game being scheduled to begin at two o'clock. As they were about to leave the locker room, Locksley stepped quietly to 'the door and turning, stood there barring the way, while he glanced slowly from one to another. At last his eyes came to rest upon Jean and then he spoke slowly, coldly, letting each word sink deep into their minds. I might tell you to go out and play a fighting game and youd win, but I am not going to because i't is useless. You are going to be beaten and the worst part of it is you are going to deserve it. His voice sounded like that of one delivering a judgment. You are yellow and your captain is the yellowest one among you. T-hrey stirred ominously at these words and Jean broke in with Not as bad as 'that, Coach. Don't go too far. But Locksley, unheeding, continued, I mean every word of it. You, Navarne, are yellowest because, as Captain, you should always be encouraging your team, making them tight by setting the example yourself, but instead you tell them tio take it easy and lay down on the job while Highland is beaten. You have the build of a man but you have never proved yourself one. Neither has anyone else on the team. You're yellow, I slay. yellow clear through. If all it took to win a game was a-little grit, you'd lose it. You haven't any more backbone than a jelly fish. Now go out like the yellow dogs you are and take your licking. Then we'll go back home. i As he finished speaking he stepped aside from the door to let them pass but they did not go. All eyes were fixed upon Jean who stood 'with head bowed in thought and in that brief interval, not more than a minute at the most, the-re Hash-ed across his mind a review of the whole course of his life. He had always followed the path of least resistance, giettirg tliose thirgs he wanted with as little effort as possible or, if it took too much work, going along without them. Defeat he had accepted so mary times that he was becoming accustomed to it. But no one had cv-:r called him yellow before. Yellow-he did not like the sound of the word. Was he yell-ow, he asked himself. Did the world alwrays demand the best that was in anyone,,who would be called a man? Deep do-wn in his soul he knew that it did, that he had been a yellow, cowardly dog all 'his life. He compared himself 'to this man who had graduated from Highland years before but was still willing to make ary sacrifice for her and he felt how small, how selfish and lazy he had been. He had never thought of it in that light before and he resolved to change. From now on he would try to be a man. His eyes met those of the Coach squarely and Locksley knfew that here was one whom he would never have to urge to fight again. You're right Coach, Jean said simply. Then he turned to the team. Fellows, wc've been a bunch of lazy cowards not lit to nep- resent a school like Highland. Now, after Mr. Locksley, has risked so much for love 'cf the school to make us se-e it, are we going to gage? QQ-'ny ey!!