Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 279, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1920 — LOCALS LOWERED IN 10-0 DEFEAT [ARTICLE]

LOCALS LOWERED IN 10-0 DEFEAT

RENSSELAER BOWS IN INITIAL DEFEAT BEFORE STURDY KENTLAND ELEVEN. “ 'Neath a late November ran that cast its warm rays over the vast assemblage and lent a pretty picture to the setting, the Blue and White of Kentland Was flaunted over the .somber Red and Black Sunday evening after four quarters of thp moat brilliant football ever staged in . this section of Indiana, a game that will be written in red in Rensselaer football lore and a game that will forever remain fresh in the minds of those . who were so fortunate as to witness it. Rensselaer fell in their season’s initial defeat—fell fighting, as Rensselaer teams always do, fell before a foe fell before a team of high priced stars .gathered from all points of the globe, fell before a team that excelled them only in the matter of condition, fell with the enemy supporters cheering them for their game fight. Battered, bruised and bleeding, sweaty, leg-weary, dirty and fast weakening .before the well-timed, perfected attack of the enemy’s crushing blows, the game, homegrown products of Coach Parker dropped from sheer exhaustion, after having swept the enemy off their feet during the first two periods/dropped only after Beam and Babcock had been forced to the sidelines with injuries. The winning marker came in the final quarter when Dame Fortune smiled on 'the Blue and White and turned her back on the Red and Black. During the entire third quarter the enemy had been threatening the Rensselaer goal line, but the sturdy Parkerites fought valiantly with their backs to the wall and staved off defeat temporarily, the linemen playing brilliantly, Rensselaer spoiling a Kentland forward pass over the goal line on the fourth down and taking possession of the ovsl. Rensselaer wu* clearly outplayed- during the final two stanzas, just as much as Kentland was outplayed during the first tVo sessions. The superior condition of'•the foe was the cardinal reason for their victory. Rensselaer electrified the onlookers throughout the first half, during which time the magnificent work of the Rensselaer line prevented the home team from making a single first down. Fickle fandom immediately swung from the Kentland cause and enlisted under the Rensselaer banner. For a time it seemed the best the Newton county aggregation could * hope for was a draw. Time and again during the first two chapters a Rensselaer runner broke through for long gains only to be downed by the fleet safety, Searing. Twice was the Valparaiso flash compelled to {dunk the runner from behind, once when Babcock crashed through the secondary defense and another time when Phegley connected with a long Collins forward pass and eluded him. A Rensselaer touchdown looked certain as Phegley** short legs carried him yard after yard toward the Kentland goal Searing’s *u-

perior speed drove Phegley at an 1 angle across the field, buf'it. seemed as if even the superior speed of the Valparaisoan could not overtake the Rensselaer end. At the Kentland three-yard mark the Valpo .comet collided with Phegley and sent him crashing to earth. It was Rensselaer’s ball and first down, but here the imported defense of Kentland arbse to the occasion and the Red and Black was held for downs. Time and again Rensselaer drove into Kentland territory after this ilay but always were they stopped At the very start of the second half the breaks began to go Kentland’s way and Rensselaer was placed on the defensive where they remained for the remainder of the conflict. Due to a splendid maneuver in infusing fresh blood into his line-up two minutes before the quarter whistle in the third period ’ the coach brought his men through a troublesome point. Five men were injected into the affray at this moment and the strength of the ; reserves beat back the Kentland offense and at the same time gave the men who were taken out of the game a chance to refresh themselves for the final quarter. The quarter ended with the ball in Rensselaer’s possession on their own twenty-yard line after they had passed through a dangerous period in which they stopped the home team on the one-yard mark. The turning point of the game ; came right after the start of the : fourth quarter. Rensselaer was held I for downs and Eigelsbach was called back to punt the ball out of danger. The little halfback slipped as he was about to kick the ball and it drib- ; died off of his foot for a few scant yards where it was taken by Kentland. Two line smashes carried the ball to the Renselaer seven-yard mark. Kentland was held for two downs at this point and it seemed as if they were to again be denied. A consultation was held by the Kentland backfield after which the ball was given to the flashy Searing and he skirted the Rensselaer right* wing for a touchdown ■ on the third down. The Rensselaer spirit was willing but the physical I being was unequal to the occasion ( of stopping the better conditioned collegians. A short time later Rensselaer was again driven back and another puny punt was sent to Palmer, who signalled for a fair catch, and Rensselaer was compelled to stand idly by, due to the ignorance of the officials, while Palmer hoisted the oval unmolested through the Rensselaer uprights for three additional points. The whistle blew a short time later with the ball in Renselaer’s possession. The lack of space prevents the । pointing out of the many features l of play, but it was the Rensselaer linemen who are deserving of the : greater share of the glory. Robin[son, Putts, Thompson, Simons, Beam and Henry withstood the attack j launched against them so well that the highly touted home team was compelled to resort to other measured for their gains. Collins, Phegley, Phillips and Porter worked well at the wing positions and stopped the vaunted speed merchants of yalparaiso on almost every occasion. Babcock was the chief ground gainer -of the day and Eigelsbach also ! added many yards to the Rensselaer toll and was especially clever in running back punts. Collins clearly outclassed the Kentland forward passer and Moore was a tower on I both the offense and defense. Parks, Capt. Nowels and Kirk, inserted in the third period, proved great emergency men and did their bit during the brief time they were in. Rensselaer was defeated but not humiliated and the city is just as proud of them today as they were Sunday morning. To Kentland can go small glory, . But one Kentland player was in the line-up and he was a minus quantity. We are not attempting to detract from Kentland’s glory, they bought their victory, but the better class of Kentland fandom is, not with the collection of stars imported for the occasion. Every player in the Rensselaer line-up was a home boy and local firns derive more satisfaction from their showing than Kentland fans can possibly derive from a victory made possible by importing college stars. Renselaer gained more ground than did the ririton. Rensselaer has.the highest praise for the courteous treatment given them. The sidelines were kept dear of spectators. Michigan City here Thanksgiving Day.