Lining Them Up

Next door to the Varsity practice gridiron is a field commonly known as the Blood Pit. No one seems to know who dubbed it so, but football players like the name, for the play on their field is always violent and sometimes gory.

Hard playing and high spirit marked the Jayvees last year and this year looks to be about the same. Chief Boston runs the squad as he did last year and already it seems to have picked up the esprit de corps of past Boston teams. The strictest disciplinary measure they use at the blood pit is to keep offenders out of scrimmage.

"Jayvees don't get much glory," Chief Boston says, "so they must like to play football, and that's mostly what we do. We scrimmage the Freshmen, run enemy plays for the Varsity, and on Saturdays play some games of our own."

To help the Chief this year are three newcomers to the Crimson coaching staff. Cleo O'Donnell, last year's football captain, is the backfield coach while Eddie Davis, the rock of the 1946 line, is helping Boston with the guards, tackles, and centers. Junior Tom Guthrie, a transfer from Notre Dame who is ineligible to play ball this year under Ivy League rules, handles the end squad-but without getting paid.

As coaches go, Boston is not known for pessimism, but he leads off all discussions about this year's team with, "Of course, we can't be as good as last year's team." The record seems to support that view, for in 1946 the Jayvees went through undefeated and possessed a sort of modified Isbell-to-Hudson combination in Dave Farrell-to-Bill Fitz. Farrell and Fitz are no longer with them.

But the skies are not too dark, for Boston has an official squad of 36 players and an unofficial squad of 20 more. Among them are some fast, experienced backs and some big rugged linemen. This Saturday should tell just how fast the backs are and how rugged is the line as the Jayvees open their season against a strong Navy team from the Fargo Building in Boston.

Apparently the line is not the big problem this fall for Boston is not too anxious to talk about it. At the ends he has mostly new men to the Jayvee squad with George Cady, Morrill Cole and Don McCoy being among the best. "I lost one of my starting ends in pre-season practice, Chief says, "when Jerry Bahn broke his leg. But he may be back in a month."

The guards are three or four deep and experienced. Bill Boucher, Frank Powell, Whitey Stensrud, John Walsh, and Henry Noonan all played for Chief last year and are back with him again. Noonan may not stay there all season, however, since he is on the edge between the Jayvee and Varsity squads. Up from the Freshmen are guards Joe Ashman and Jim Vaughn, both of whom Chief expects to use plenty.

The tackle squad is also large and experienced with three holdovers from last fall's team. Big Jim Waterhouse and Ozzlo Kelver were tackles in 1946, but Charlie Loring was converted from center to tackle this season. Wilbur Davis, Ed's little brother, and Howie Reed, both up from the Freshman squad, make up the rest of the top layer in the tackle squad.

At the center position the squad is not definitely set, but at the moment sophomores Mike Peabody, All-America Chub's brother, and Dick King are the most likely starters.

Like the Varsity, the Jayvee backs will run an adapted winged "T" with plays necessarily similiar to the Harlow squad. For the key quarterback position Boston has a couple of old warhorses in Bucky "The Toe" Harrison and Frank Miklos. Miklos was injured early in practice this fall but is now approaching the form which won him a Varsity berth in 1946. Bucky flits bark and forth from the Varsity and Jayvee squads because of his utility as a placekicker, passer and ballhandler.

At left halfback the leading contenders are Bill Brady, Tom Sullivan and Fred Crafts, Brady, of basketball fame, is just recovering from an early season injury while Sullivan was a member of the Jayvees last year. At wingback Chief has no holdovers from last year and is counting on Jim Rossiter, Chuck Kenney, and Herbert Neal.

Fullback seems well padded with experience, Mel Friedman saw considerable action last year while Sam Adams was the starting Tufts fullback. John Harris and Bob Forsyth, a lacrosse player last spring, are also in the thick of the fray.

"We may not win every game," Boston sums up, "but we'll have a fine time trying."