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THE FIRST GAME
105

Sid slowly arose and planted his foot on the ball until Holly Cross came up.

"Line up!" yelled Phil, stooping down behind the big centre, and then he began calling the signal: "Fourteen—eighty-seven—one hundred and six—forty-two——"

He snapped his hands, and the ball came back to him. Like a flash it was passed to Joe Jackson, who hit the line for all he was worth, and tore through for two yards, the Newkirk players seeming to crumple to pieces under the smashing attack. There were more cheers at this, and when Sid Henderson tore off three yards more around left end, the Randall crowd went wild.

"Walk it up for a touchdown!" yelled Bean Perkins.

It did look as though the ball might be steadily advanced up the field for the coveted point, especially when Pete Backus managed to wiggle through between left guard and tackle for three yards more.

But then Newkirk took a brace, and held against the rushing tactics of her rival, so that, after getting the ball to within ten yards of the goal line, Randall tried for a field goal, and lost because the pigskin struck the post.

Once more Randall, after some scrimmages during one of which Tom got the ball, began the rushing tactics, and this time with such fierceness