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

Page 20 text:

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

Page 19 text:

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

Page 21 text:

NHOPELESS HARD Y 19 Crouched on the side lines, jack Hardy watched the Stoneiield fullback gather in the kick, run forward until the crimson pack was on him, then boot a full thirty yards to touch. On the line out a Parker forward hooked the ball and passed back to the half. From back to back sped the ball, and the Parker machine swept down the field until Johnson, the center three-quarters, fumbled and Andrews kicked out of danger. The Stonefield forwards followed rapidly and smothered Parker's attack. Then Carey was declared off-side and the resulting free kick netted the crimson a gain of thirty yards. Once more the Parker forwards secured the ball and passed out to the backs. This time the ball was carried to the Stonefield goal line. Andrews kicked but the ball was blocked and went out of bounds ten yards from the line. The toss in was crooked and immediately the whistle shrilled. Crimson and blue rapidly fell into the formation, which to Hardy was Rugby's most unintelligible feature. Back and' forth strained the pack until the ball bounded out into the waiting hands of Carter, the crimson half. Roar, roar, roar arose from the Parker stands as Carter twisted, dodged and squirmed past the lighting Stoneiield squad and fell across the line. Carter, with a triumphant grin upon his dirt-begrimed features, carried the ball out the required distance and crouched upon the ground. johnson, the crimson center- three, advanced upon the ball, and as it touched the earth booted straight for the white cross bar. The crimson shouts of triumph were drowned out in the roaring of Stonefield's adherents as a sudden gust of wind caught the ball and car- ried it wide of the mark. A moment later the Stonelield team was charging down the field after the drop out. Parker secured the ball and speedily rushed it back into the blue territory. From side to side of the field went the ball, now in Parker territory, but nearly always in the blue. On Stonefield's twenty-five yard line the blue warriors made a determined stand, but the ball was still bounding toward