Commonwealth Parkville School - Comet Yearbook (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

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A x 'F' L -V K Q. rf' On pass defense, they will team up with the center to build a protective cup for their quarterback: they know better than anyone that the passing game is only as good as their pro- tection. When the offense leaves the field, the defense marches ong as they dig in, the stands know that they mean business. Collectively, they think of one thingy GET THAT BALL! ll To the two defensive tackles, that imperative is translated into plugging up the center of the line. They dig in, low, on all fours, re- solving that no ball carrier will pass through the interior of their line. The defensive ends crduch in a semi-upright position. They must stay on their feet so they can see the flow and turn-in any end run. Their biggest responsibility is to con- tain that end-sweep, to force the ball carrier to cut into the interior of the line into the welcoming arms of one of the defensive tackles. Their second responsibility arises on a pass play. Hold up that offensive end at the line of scrimmageg then, RUSH THAT PASSER!!! Keep your hands high. GET THAT QUARTER- BACK! For the linebacker, the key word is HESITATE! They must not commit themselves too quickly. With their eyes on the quarterback, they follow the ball through fakes and handoffs. If the quarterback drops back, they must pick up any half- backs swinging into the secondary for a short pass. On a run, they must assist the less mobile tackles if the play is up the middleg ,on an end-run, they must move later- ally to make the tackle after the defensive end has turned the play in. Above all, they must 'hesitate' and not go with the fake. The defensive deep men, the safeties, are edgyg theirs is a con- spicuous responsibility. With one eye on the offensive ends, the other eye follows the quarterback. Will he drop back to pass? If so, the safety l43

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Qvaflfall It's 7:30 on a cool October night. Over five hundred spectators sit anx- iously in the stands: the lights which illuminate the playing field contri- bute to the excitement. Eighteen young men in red and white wait tensely as their captains walk out on the field for the toss. The' flip and . . . Red receives!! A roar of approval rises from the stands. A last-minute sideline huddle and the receiving team trots on the field. A whistle blows, a soft leather THUMPisheatd. All eyes follow the long kick as it rises and then decends into the open arms of the deep receiver: ascramble of legs, a block, a cut, another block, and a tackle after a thirty-yard return. The game has begun. ' All eyes focus on one man the quarterback. As he begins to call plays, he remembers the coaches' words: Establish your ground game. Go to the inside two or three times and then sweep the end. Keep the defense honest and don't go to the air until they tighten up the defensive line. Above all, THINK! You're in charge out there! And take your time. When in doubt, run the strong- side off tackle play. Remember, . . . THINK! The two running backs remind themselves not to anticipatethe snap, not to telegraph their movements. They must remember their blocking assignments, especially their crucial roles in pass-protection for the quar- terback. When carrying the ball, follow your blocking, head for day- light, keep those legs moving, and for God's sake, HANG ONTO THAT BALL! The ends are on edge: there are many different things they must do well. This play one double-teams on the defensive tackle: the other must quickly release from the scrimmage line in time to assist the ball-car- rier with a good block in the second- ary. The next play is a pass: will they be able to clear the scrimmage- line, run their patterns, get a few 142 steps on their defenders, and ultimate- ly catch the pass from the quarter- back? The center dries his hands in the huddle, hears the play and the snap number, and breaks for the line of scrimmage before his teammates. He's aware of the importance of his position: if the snap is bad the play is broken, or even worse . . . FUMBLE! He checks the football, asks the ref to dry it, and then bends over it like a mother protecting her young. Then comes the familiar DOWN!! READY!! SET!! ONE ... TWO . .. THREE!! He releases the ball and now begins his other duty, line- blocking. The guard and tackle dig in for hard hitting, a head-on-head brand of contact that only the interior linemen know and enjoy. Perhaps they'll team up for a short-yardage blast by the fullback. If it's a weak-side sweep, the guard will pull and lead in- terference around end: that leaves two men for the tackle to contain.

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must either deflect the pass, or better yet, INTERCEPTION! If he fails inhis responsibility, TOUCHDOWN! Ahero or a bum, his fate is inseparably bound to the trajectory of a pigskin. The pressure is equally great on a running play, for if the ball carrier gets into the secondary, the safety may be the one and only man be- tween the runner and the endzone. He must be the surest tackler on the team, and often a diving.--attempt will be the differencebetween suc- cess and failure. Throughout f eseason, these ath- letes remembe! ed their responsibili- ties and exectited them well. More importantly, they never gave up, no matter how overwhelming the odds, no matter how bleak the picture. Why was that October night at Antilles field so memorable? So important? Because, it was the beginning of some- thing new for Comrnonwealthg it was the opening game of Commonwealth's very first football season, the game that had been about six years in the making: the game that the entire stu- dent body, faculty, administration, yes, and even alumni, had been waiting for many long years. It was a night to be remembered by all present, one to be followed by many more such nights, some more suc- cessful than others, some more pain- ful, but all characterized by sweat and determination. In a peculiar way, the season was avictory for Common- wealth even before the first game was completed. Perhaps, this is why that first cool October night at Antilles was so important and so meaningful.