forkey Championship—Senior Year

In the first place we had always talked of winning the Championship, with bated
breath to be sure, but talked of it, wished for it, dreamed of it, played for it; and like a
tantalizing will-o’-the-wisp it had always just eluded our grasp. Now here was our last
chance. We had either to win this time or give up for good.

Practice had gone fairly well in the fall. We had again with us some of our good
old stand-bys and we felt a little more confidence in the men behind the sticks. But as
teams will do, we fell into a slump and we walked about for days with long, miserable
faces and talked together in whispers of how we knew we really could—but what if we
shouldn’t! Miss Applebee scolded and coached and we tried our best, but even a few
days before the match games we felt like Freshmen once more as we all madly cavorted
over the field, sending our sticks high above our shoulders, shooting the ball straight into
the enemy, and playing anywhere but in our right positions. Then, however, the usual
spirit of 1906 came to the rescue. We began to show signs of improvement and we even
told each other that we might win one game.

At last the fatal time arrived. We drew 1909, and played our first game on Wed-
nesday, November eighth. Both teams were plainly nervous; 1909 with the new feeling
of their first match game and 1906 with fear of the results. It was rather a bad game on
the whole, but we managed to come out ahead with three goals to our credit and one to
1909’s. We had won the first game but we knew we had played badly and could do better.
So with determination on our faces we again met 1909 on the following Friday. This
time we showed we really were made of the right sort if it would only come out. 1909
put up a good stiff fight but we again saved the day with a score of 7-0,

We were not satisfied yet. We felt that we were not doing our best and we were
almost afraid our best had left us forever. So we scolded one another and consulted one
another and resolved anew that this time our playing should be worth while. The next
Monday proved a good cold day and we trotted on the field to meet 1908 in the finals,
feeling distinctly more nervous than on the preceding week, but also more determined.
This time the spirit that is best within us, which we knew was not dead but merely asleep,
woke up, and all our faces gradually brightened as we felt again that confidence in the
neat, quick passes of the forward line and pride at the mighty hit of our fullbacks and goal.
Our game was decidedly on, After numerous exchanges of the ball and some hard fight-
ing on both sides, the game ended 6-2 in our favor,

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