VARSITY FOOTBALL
Starting the season with a larger number of veterans in the lineup than have appeared for the last two years, Dartmouth has an unusually good opportunity for a claim to championship honors, as far as any prophecy can be made prior to the Princeton game and not allowing for any serious handicaps in the shape of injuries and scholarship disqualifications.
Byway of a departure from other seasons, the opening game this year was played with New Hampshire State instead of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, and the contest proved a walkover for the Green. Despite the rain-soaked field and the natural raggedness of opening game play, the Hanover aggregation had no difficulty in scoring five touchdowns and kicking three goals from touchdown, rolling up a total of 33 points and holding their opponents scoreless. The unusually light line that took the field against the Durham eleven was given no real test as to defensive abilities, but gave promise of developing a dangerous speed in offense. The backfield composed of Gerrish, Duhamel and Thielscher worked well as individuals and were responsible for the large score, but a need for teamwork was much in evidence. The quarterback problem showed no signs of immediate solution. R. Holbrook, S. Holbrook and Switzer were used during the game and played in only a mediocre fashion. Of the touchdowns, Gerrish scored two, one on a long run after catching a punt, and Duhamel, McDonough and Shelburne each contributed one.
The varsity's next opponent was Boston College, the Brickley coached team which went down to defeat on a slippery field 32-6. Many of the faults evident in the game with New Hamp-shire State the week before had been eliminated and the team played smoothly, showing greatly increased power and speed on offensive plays and a well developed unity and strength when the Bostonians held the ball. Neely, a one armed sophomore who is playing regularly as guard on the first team, showed an encouraging ability to open up holes when called on, and Gerrish was even more effective in line plunging than the week before. The 70 yard run by McDonough, playing quarter, for a touchdown was easily the most spectacular play of the game. Cannell, star quarter of last year's freshman team who had recently returned to college, was put in during the latter part of the game, and although his forward pass throwing was only fair, his choice of plays, running in an open field and good generalship gave promise of his developing into a dangerous man. S. Holbrook and McDonough played well, throughout, however, showing a decided improvement over the week before, and in all probability the quarterback position will be the hardest contested on the team and will not be decided until late in the season. The single score of the Boston College eleven came in the third period when Cannell's punt was blocked by Fitzpatrick who recovered the oval and raced behind Dartmouth's goal.
Lebanon Valley, appearing for the first time in Hanover, proved the next victim of the Green's attack and returned to Pennsylvania humbled by a 47-0 score. Captain Gerrish was the. individual star of the afternoon, taking the ball through tackle and skirting the ends for long gains time after time, and scoring four of the seven touchdowns. Cannell made his first start with the varsity this year, and ran the team like a veteran, ably supported by the rest of the backfield which showed much greater speed than heretofore, and formed an interference which the opposing eleven could not fathom. Having held the Army to a 3-0 score the week before, the Lebanon Valley team proved somewhat of a disappointment, because aside from occasional flashes of offensive brilliancy, they gave the Hanover men no actual test of strength, and except for the work of Howard the right halfback and Mackert the captain and fullback who was eventually put off the field for roughness, were woefully weak in all departments of the game.
The game with M. A. C. which usually opens the Green's schedule, proved a disappointment to the coaches because of the ease with which Dartmouth rolled up a 62-0 score, playing straight football throughout most of the game. After the first eight minutes of play the outcome was never in question, as the Bay State team although game, was light and fumbled frequently. Captain Gerrish was again the individual star, his line bucks featuring throughout, but spectacular plays were introduced by R. Holbrook who intercepted Whittle's forward pass in the third period and scored, by Ponder who dashed 30 yards for a touchdown in the last period after catching Weeks' short punt, and by Cannell who ran the team smoothly and showed that his open field running of the week before was no flash in the pan. The Dartmouth team worked more like a smoothly running machine than at any previous time, making few fumbles, being penalized very little and showing a marked improvement in offensive play and punting.
As copy for this issue of THE MAGAZINE goes in, the Hanover eleven is preparing for the first hard contest of the year against Georgetown in Haverhill, Mass. A disastrous scrimmage during the middle of the week resulted in the injury of Merrill the veteran guard, and of R. Holbrook and Lehman who had been counted upon to replace Duhamel at fullback, provided he has not recovered sufficiently from the effects of the M. A. C. game to warrant his playing. Cotton is also suffering from last week's game and Trier may not be used on account of a cracked elbow. The Georgetown game has been looked forward to as the only real test which the Green would have before the Princeton game October 28, and the lineup for that crucial contest as well as the probability of a Dartmouth victory will be determined very largely by the showing made against the eleven' from Washington.
