St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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HOPELE.S'S HARD Y 17 Maybe the ball wasn't, but I'm not so sure about myself, ruefully asserted the player whom jack had so vigorously put to earth. The new fullback grinned sickly and shook his head as Capt. Davis converted for the varsity. On the kick off the first team secured possession and dribbled down the Held until Jack fell upon the ball. Im- mediately he sprang up and trotted to his position, only to see Corcoran, the varsity five-eighths and fastest man on the team, rush past him with the ball. jack was dumfounded but not a whit dismayed. With a bound he was after the fast flying five. Yard after yard the distance was cut down until' by a mighty spurt, and an amazing Hying tackle, the varsity man was stopped a scant yard from the goal. So fierce was the tackle that Corcoran dropped the ball. Ere Jack could scramble after it, Evans. a varsity forward, scooped it up and planted the ball between the posts. Har- dy's disgust knew no bounds. During the remaining few minutes of play no further opportunity presented itself to the new fullback. As the teams trotted OH the field, Coach Horgan sur- veyed Iack with a broad grin. Fullback had a little to do, chuckled the coach. At that you did well. That tackling was great, he added. Too bad I couldn't grab two at a time, lamented Hardy, but say, coach, wouldn't it be better if the rest of the team followed the ball more closely, he innocently asked, and then wondered why Horgan laughed. They'd have a lot of fun following you, if you ran like you did to-day. Had on that heavy sweater and that other junk, and yet you caught Corcoran. Once more Horgan viewed his new charge in frank amazement. Well, be sure and come out to-morrow, ordered the little coach, and the two parted company. wk bk 14 lk ak 14 ik . Weeks passed and still the Sophomore appeared each day for practice. Other players were dropped from the squad yet Jack clung on. His kicking was faultless, his tackling superb, but his knowledge of the liner points of

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16 IGNATIAN The player at fault with a View of concealing his discom- fiture, booted the ball far beyond the rest of the squad, straight towards the coach and Hardy. Jack, balancing himself upon his toes, awaited the fast dropping leather. Straight into his arms settled the ball, a moment later to be driven back, ten yards beyond the Stone- field squad. A murmur of admiration greeted this feat. And then Patsy Horgan introduced the new arrival. As the squad was divided into two teams, Coach Horgan took Hardy to the side lines and there endeavored to ex- plain some of Rugby's foreign terms to the new player. The scrum, line-outs, kicks to touch, all were thoroughly ex- plained before Coach Horgan was satisfied. That's about all I can teach you to-day, Hardy, he concluded. The rest you must pick up by experience. Glorying in his new found knowledge, the big Sophomore decided to take part in the practice game. If you let me go in at fullback on the scrub I'1l not have much to do, will I? asked Jack innocently enough. For thus far in the game the fullback's sole chance was the return of a long kick. ' No, you'l1 not have a great deal to do, Hardy, espe- cially after the varsity backs get warmed up, answered Horgan, but he looked the other way. A few minutes later Jack was out upon the field hopping about in anxiety, watching the course of the ball. Sud- denly three of the varsity backs broke away from the pack and began a passing rush down the field. The center three- quarters was tackled from the rear and dragged down, but the two fives sped on with naught save Hardy between them and the goal. Jack closed in upon the player with the ball and tackled fiercely, hurling his man to earth, only to see him pass the ball to his team-mate, who went over for the try. Say, what kind of a game is this P roared jack as he scrambled to his feet. That ball was down. I tackled that man fairlyf' Sure, sure, grinned the referee, but the ball wasn't dead. .

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18 IGNATIAN Rugby was woefully lacking. Nevertheless Coach I-Iorgan kept him with the squad. I-Ie's better than the men who were dropped, said Hor- gan when asked. just wait till he learns the finer points of the game. Yet the most sanguine could not but fear that this would never be. Try as he might, jack could not forget the prin- ciples driven into him at Michigan. In the few games in which he took part, Jack would furiously attempt to buck his way through the center of the opposition, expecting his team- mates to follow with the ball. As a forward, Jack was continually off side, and so tan- gled up his teammates' play that Coach I-Iorgan, in despair, was finally forced to relegate him to the side lines. No use, muttered Coach Horgan. I guess it's a hope- less case. And Hopeless Hardy, as his teammates dubbed him, was forced to fill in as understudy to Andrews, the Stonefield fullback. The annual struggle with Parker University was the last game upon Stonef1eld's schedule. Parker was Stonefield's rival in war and peace, but especially in football. In the preliminary games, Parker had run tremendous scores against teams that Stonefield had experienced great difficulty in even defeating. Small wonder that the supporters of the blue viewed the approaching struggle with trepidation. The game was to be played at Stonefield. On the day of the struggle, train after train of crimson beribboned rooters poured into Stonefield. The hour of the contest saw the huge stands filled to overflowing with the rival rooters. Suddenly from an open gate there streamed forth a long line of crimson-stockinged athletes, that swept down the chalk-lined field. There was a tremendous upheaval in the crimson stands as Parker thundered forth a greeting to its team. The roar of the Parker contingent was drowned out in the booming of Stonefield's adherents as Capt. Davis led his team upon the field. Five minutes later the whistle shrilled, the crimson half-back's toe met the leather and the momentous struggle was on. I inf -- 3 I 1 'a iw 'Z l 1 2 1 .35 xl