CHAPTER VIII
THE TRY-OUT
Scores of expectant lads sat in the meeting room of the KentfieldAcademy gymnasium. They faced two quiet gentlemen, who, from time totime, whispered to each other. Beside the two gentlemen were TeddyNaylor and Innis Beeby, who also, as the minutes passed, conferred inlow voices.
"Hadn't we better start?" asked Innis, of the football captain.
"No, we'll wait a few minutes longer. Porter and Weston aren't here, andI want them to come."
"Those fellows will never train for the eleven."
"Yes they will. There is good material in both of them. Here they arenow. I guess we've got enough. Will you start her off, or shall I?"
"Oh, you'd better, Teddy. I'll say something later if it's necessary.Better introduce 'em formally first, and let 'em do most of thetalking," and the stout cadet looked at the two coaches.
"Fellows," began Teddy, arising and moving forward a bit nervously, "youall know why we are here--that is I suppose--we are here--we came----"
"Good, Teddy!" called someone encouragingly. "Say it over, we missedpart of it."
"We are here----"
"Because we're here!" interpolated another tormentor.
"Oh, hang it all! We've met to discuss football!" cried the captain indesperation. "The athletic committee feels that something should bedone--you all know how Blue Hill turned us down--we've got to playbetter. We now have two of the best coaches in the country, and they'regoing to have charge. I take pleasure in introducing to you Mr. BurkeMartin of Yale, and Mr. Wilson Spencer of Princeton."
"Three cheers for both of 'em!" cried someone, and the big gymnasiumreverberated with the shouts. Mr. Martin nodded to his colleague tospeak first, and the Princeton coach arose.
"I am glad to see you all so enthusiastic," he began. "You know why theservices of Mr. Martin and myself were secured, and I assure you that wewill do our best to get your team into shape. To do this we may have totell you some unpleasant truths, and some of you who imagine yourselfgood players may find that you cannot make the team--at least not atonce. But I hope there will be no hard feelings. Now to begin with, Iwant to say something about training, as that is my specialty, andafterward Mr. Martin will give you a little talk about playing the gameto win."
Thereupon the Princeton coach touched briefly on the more importantpoints of the training system. It was soon evident to the Kentfield ladsthat they had not done enough of this in times past, and perhaps thiswas the cause of some of their defeats--at least they ascribed it tothat.
"Football men, among other things, need quickness," said Mr. Spencer,"and beyond all else, according to Michael Murphy of Pennsylvania, thanwhom there is no better trainer, the players on the gridiron need tohave plenty of superfluous energy to draw on. That is you need a sort ofreserve stock to use at the time of a big match. Your mental conditionis no less important than your physical. You must _want_ to win, and youmust feel that you are _going_ to win.
"The care a player takes of himself in the summer determines in a greatmeasure how soon he can get into condition in the fall."
"We had pretty good training on Dick's yacht," whispered Innis to Teddy.
"Now, I propose that we start at the beginning," went on the coach."We'll have some setting-up exercises, some track work, and generalgymnastics, and then we'll get in a position to pick the men for theVarsity by a series of try-outs." He made some special references to thedetails of training, and then yielded to Mr. Martin.
The latter went into the fine points of the game, emphasizing the needsof the individual players, laying stress on what the backs, tackles,ends and guards should do, and urging on the lads the necessity forfast, snappy playing.
"Demoralize your opponents by the quickness with which you jump intoformations," said the Yale man. "As soon as one play is finished beready for the next. In defense, never give up, no matter how the gameseems to be going against you. Hold hard, tire out the other side, andthen you may have a chance to get the ball and--win!"
He spoke at some length, and his remarks were eagerly listened to. ThenInnis got up, and, after a trifling show of nervousness, and two orthree false starts, which gave the cadets a chance to "rig" him, hesaid:
"I want to say that I'm sure none of us will feel any resentment if,after a fair trial, it is decided by the two new coaches that he isn'tfit for the team," went on the stout lad. "I know my own failings andI'll be trying to get my weight down----"
"Don't eat so much," urged Jim Watkins, and there was a laugh, whereatInnis blushed.
"And I'm going to train hard," he concluded. "I guess that will be allthis evening."
The meeting broke up, but the boys lingered to talk with each other,many surrounding the coaches, and asking all sorts of questions.
It had been arranged with Colonel Masterly that Mr. Martin and Mr.Spencer could occupy rooms in the Senior dormitory, and Dick, throughthe athletic committee, had provided for paying the bills.
Preliminary work of training started the next day, and though some ofthe boys thought it useless, they went through the exercises. But thetwo coaches were too wise to keep the cadets at mere gymnasium work toolong, and so some field work with the ball, and some running exercises,were arranged.
Several candidates could not stand the pace and the grind and droppedout, but their places were eagerly taken by others. The scrub memberswere enthusiastic, and each one hoped to make the Varsity.
"Now we'll try a little practice game, between the first and secondteams," proposed Mr. Martin, about a week after the arrival of himselfand his colleague. "It will be in the nature of a try-out, for probablythose who do the best work will be put in the first squad, and from thatthe men for the Varsity will be picked. That does not mean, however,that those who fail to make good this time will be barred. We will keepon the lookout for good material all the while."
"And I want you boys to feel that you are always being watched," addedMr. Spencer. "We'll have our eyes on you when you least expect it."
"That's what we want," declared Dick with a laugh. "We want the bestteam possible."
"Yes--Hamilton's team," sneered Porter to Weston.
"He'll be sure to make it, anyhow," added the latter.
"If he does, and I don't, I'll kick up a row," threatened the rich lad.
"So will I. Come on let's go to town and have a pool game. I'm prettydry, too.
"Better not get caught with any of that bottled stuff," cautionedPorter.
"Don't worry. They will have to be pretty foxy to spot me, but I'm notgoing to be a temperance crank just because those coaches say so. Comeahead and we'll have some fun. It will be stiff enough work to-morrow."
The practice game was a hard one. Each player did his best, and onseveral occasions, after a hard scrimmage, time had to be taken outwhile some cadet had the wind pumped back into him, or a twisted anklevigorously rubbed.
Slowly but surely the Varsity pushed back the luckless scrub. Slowly butsurely a touchdown seemed about to be made. Dick gave a signal for afake kick. John Stiver, the left half-back was to take the ball, runwide toward his own right end, pass the pigskin to Teddy Naylor, atfull-back and the latter was to try and advance it for a touchdown.
All went well until Teddy got the ball. Then, as he was charging aroundthe end, with Dick and Stiver forming interference for him, he droppedthe ball. Something like a groan came from the young millionaire, for hesaw their chance to score lost. Tom Coleton, of the scrub, came chargingthrough, but the next instant Dick had made a grab for the pigskin,picked it up, and, dodging Coleton, made a dash toward the goal line.
The day was saved, for our hero, making a splendid run, planted the ballsquarely between the posts, and behind the final chalk mark.
"Touchdown! Touchdown!" came the triumphant cry. "Varsity touchdown!"
"But it wouldn't have been one except for Hamilton," remarked Mr. Martingrimly. "Naylor, how did it happen that you couldn't hold the ball?"
"I don't kno
w," answered the luckless captain.
"We can't have that," remarked Mr. Spencer with a dubious shake of hishead. "Well, try for goal."
It was an easy shot, and Innis made it quickly. Then the game went on,but the Varsity could not score again, and the scrub was equally unableto advance the ball when they had it.
"That will be enough for to-day," announced the coaches. "We are goingto make some changes to-morrow. The list of the first squad will beposted in the gym."
There were anxious looks among the players. Who would be on thepreliminary Varsity team. It was a question every cadet asked himself.
"Well, if I don't make it," reflected Dick, "I will have so much moretime to try and get on the trail of Mr. Duncaster. But--I want to playfootball."