Vermont Academy - Wildcat Yearbook (Saxtons River, VT)

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wilhtat of 1927 -I Page ffvfnry-nine' Jfuuthall Captain, ROY E. HARDY Manager, LEE BOWMAN Amt. Jllgr., ALLEN PIERCE Coach, JOHN H. BURKE Coach Burke, in his first year at Vermont Academy, had a very success- ful season. With only five letter men back, prospects forawinning eleven did not look very bright. After a few weeks of practice with careful coach- ing and diligent work on the part of the men, a fairly smooth working ma- chine was soon whipped into shape, but the team was without a leader for a while, as Captain Roy Hardy of Newport, Vt., sustained an injured knee the first night of practice. The first game that Coach Burke's men were scheduled to play was with Norwich University Freshmen. The Cadets arrived in Saxtons River and as the teams lined up it looked as though it might be a disastrous day for the V. A. team. It soon was proved otherwise though, as the smooth working V. A. machine held the Horsemen scoreless and before the last whistle blew the V. A. Wildcats had piled up I9 points on their op- ponents, thus winning their first game. The following Saturday, October 9, the V. A. team packed their mole- skins and traveled to Cushing Academy at Ashburnham, Mass. The strong Cushing team proved to be too much for our men in the first half by scoring IQ points. In the second half the V. A. team made a brilliant attempt at a rally but the Cushing team was too strong for them and the Vermont gridders met their first defeat by the score of 31-7. On October 16, the V. A. team journeyed to Burlington, Vt.,where they met the Vermont University Freshmen. The V. A. team again bowed to defeat, this time the score being 27-O. The Vermont Yearlings were en- tirely out of our class and the fact that Counihan, the guiding hand of the team was taken off the field in the first quarter with a sprained ankle, did not help matters any. The following Tuesday, October 22, the Vermont Wildcats took a trip to Amherst, Mass., and there encountered Mass. Aggie Seconds. In this game the Orange and Black team proved to be in the pink of condition. With Captain Hardy at quarter they defeated the Farmers by a score of I9-o. V. A. journeyed to Hanover, N. H.,to meet the strong Clark School eleven on the thirty-first of October. In the first quarter the big Hano- verians smashed their way through the light V. A. line and after several successive first downs, took the pigskin across the line. In the second and third quarters the Orange and Black held their opponents but did not score. The fourth quarter, both teams started with a rush, both determined to win the game. The V. A. backs broke through the Hanoverian's line several

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'I' E AM FOOTBALL

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Page eighty T Qluimldf of 1927 times, but were soon checked and lost the ball on downs. The Clark School men, with but three minutes to play, carried the ball over for a second touch- down. With but a short time to play, the V. A. team received the ball and on the first play a Hanoverian intercepted a pass and scored again for his team. The last whistle blew and V. A. was again defeated, this time by a score of 21-0. Home-Coming Day at Vermont Academy saw V. A. trim Keene Nor- mal School I4-I3. W'ith a large number of the Alumni and friends of Ver- mont Academy to watch them, the V.A. team made an excellent showing. The close of the first half found the Vermonters leading I4-6, but a fumble in the second half gave the visitors another touchdown. Then came our last and most important game of the year. On No- vember I3 the V. A. team journeyed to Poultney to play Troy Conference Academy. All records and comparisons seemed to point against our team. We had not defeated T. C. A. since 1907. That year we won by the close score of I0-7. This year the T. C. A. record against Clark School was a shade better than ours. Therefore, all other things being equal, it certainly looked like a T. C. A. day. T. C. A. won the toss and elected to receive. They ran the ball back to their own 40-yard line. On five plays they had earned three first downs. From this time on the sturdy little Orange and Black team found themselves. It was now our ball, first down, ten yards to go. Our first two thrusts at the line netted no gain. Then Counihan engineered an end run, carrying the ball behind the perfect interference of three backs and two guards. It seemed as though the entire V. A. team was in front of him. When he finally did stop running, the ball was planted between the goal posts for the first score of the game. The extra point was booted over from a placement. The wearers of the Orange and Black suddenly became touchdown hungry, and they ate. Several minutes later Captain Hardy heaved a 30-yard pass to McNamara, who gathered it in while under full speed and ran the remaining ten yards for ascore, behind determined interferences of our smashing ends. We had dessert with this touchdown as the extra point sailed squarely between the up-rights. Six- teen men played football for V. A. on this Autumn afternoon at one time or another, and, of the sixteen, thirteen were playing theirlast game, as they were seniors. The game went on, and as the game went on the cohorts of V. A. went with it. Everyone was everywhere. Rather than being at the right place every minute, our boys were at the right place every second. By straight football, play finally reached the T. C. A. ten-yard line and V. A. was on the offensive. Our team came out of the huddle. A brief second of silence and then, before a whirling of human bodies, Skinner cross-bucked his way past that last white strip for the third touchdown. The third extra point was kicked. The first half was over. Score, V. A. 21 T. C. A. 0. In the dressing room, no one told of his deeds. Each and every man vowed to do better. Finally Captain Hardy reluctantly complained of an in- jured leg, this same injury preventing him from starting the second half. The second half found V. A. receiving. By real, hard, old fashioned football