Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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The Unsung Hero By Irving Gordon Illustrated by J. B. Jackson 65 , 1, 3 M WEET-T! was the sound, f,-frdfx YN i -,Tm X which came from the Egg referee's whistle, as he ' ,, ' 0. Ni ' d ' 15 th b f '95 iJ,,,.,,Kl Jumpe in o e mo o ggi: Q f Q players to see if the man i b ,Q with the ball was over for a touchdown. A mighty roar I ' fiilif q . .f . I I 1 -3'-fifwzw 5, W 'ft' xl'W4r'Qf rolled down upon the gridiron from ' T.. V the thousands of fans in the sta- dium as they saw the arms of the referee above his head to signify ,, that the ball was over. The play- Q3 5 A ers of Weeler College were hugging X al and slapping each other on the back. This, however, soon stopped as they saw a player on the turf ,Q X ' fax s holding his knee and writhing in agony. A doctor rushed on the field, ex- amined the player's leg, and motioned for two other players to help him get the man off the field. I Who was this player? As the injured man was helped to his feet, the fans saw that the number on his jersey was 63. A surprised hush came over the people in the stadium as they scanned their programs to see who '63 was. Was it possible that this player was Steve Rogers, who was be- lieved to be the best athlete to attend Weeler College in the last twenty years: the only player of the college to be recognized by most of the sport writers as one of the best prospects to be chosen quarterback on the All- American team? Yes, it was on their program: No. 63-weight 184- Steve Rogers. The remaining minutes of the game were played with Jimmy Wilson as the field general for Weeler College. In the locker-room there were not the back-slapping and congratula- tions which usually follow a football victory. There was only the silence which follows the arrival of bad news because the team had just learned from the coach that Steve might not be able to play against Washington University for the Eastern Conference championship. If Steve Rogers T H E M I S S I L E Page twenty-seven

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. F all A gardener rakes the leaves away To tidy up the lawn, And I must put away the thought Of the summer that has gone. For I am like the leafy tree That revels in the sun, And dreads to see the snowflakes fall When winter has begun. My heart, too, joins in the sunny dance Of green and shining leaves, That sway and murmur with delight In the warm and joyous breeze. It's only in the winter months, When trees are bare and cold, My heart takes note of passing time And shivers, feeling old. Page fwenty-Six T H E M I S S I L E

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was able to play in this game, it would probably cinch his berth on the All- American team. V As the day of the game drew near, the students on the campus be- came more downcast. They seemed to take out their misfortune on Jimmy Wilson, because he was the second-string quarterback and would get the call if Steve couldn't play. Some went so far as to be rude to him, While others avoided him. Jimmy became worried about it and was on the verge of turning in his uniform when one night his room-mate, Ted Wil- liams, closed the books he was studying and started talking. Jimmy, he said, it would be silly for you to quit the team when it needs you as it does now. But, Ted, can't you see how the boys are avoiding me? Even the team is beginning to give me the cold shoulder, and the trouble of it is I haven't done anything. Did I hurt Steve ? No, said Ted. Could I help it if he got injured? No, repeated Ted. Well, what can I do? I've tried to make up to the boys, but they don't seem to want me. U You can't blame them, Jimmy. Steve is the only player in the his- tory of Weeler College ever to be recognized as a possible All-American candidate, and now, if he doesn't play in the game with Washington U., he hasn't a chance to be on the team, which is the ambition of all football players. But, Ted, why do they blame me? I don't know, Jimmy. You know how people are. As long as you are a hero you are the tops with them, but when you are not on the top of the ladder, you are just another ball player with them. You don't expect me to stay on the team while they are treating me as they are now, do you? Well, said Ted, let's turn in now and talk about it tomorrow. O. K., Ted. Good night. Good night, Jimmy, and don't you Worry. Everything will turn out for the best. The next week was uneventful for Jimmy Wilson. He practised with the team but lacked his usual pep and vigor. After practice, on the day before the team was to board a train that Page twenty-eight T H E M I S S I L E