Yard Closes Best Intramural Season In History

Driving cross-winds prevented any scoring Monday afternoon, when the Massachusetts Hall and Stoughton Hall touch football teams played to a scoreless tie in the National League-American League playoff for Yard championship. The two teams thus split first and second place points, each obtaining a 92 1/2 point leg toward the freshman athletic crown. Observers all agreed that the contest marked the end of the most successful intramural season in recent years.

Massachusetts threatened first early in the initial period, when Captain Stan Appel threw a long, high pass into the wind which end Sandy Batchelder snared and carried to the Stoughton ten yard line. The wind proved too much for consistent passing gains, however, and Stoughton held for downs.

Massachusetts never threatened seriously afterwards, lacking a strong running attack (they ran the ball once all afternoon), and hindered in passing. Only the fine kicking of Howie Kastel held Stoughton off from then on.

Stoughton Threatens

In the second period Stoughton began to march, varying short runs with passing, this time to John Chappell, who caught the ball over the goal line, but out of bounds. The play was called back and Massachusetts held, breaking up two more pass plays.

Stoughton also threatened in the final quarter. Bob Walser's passes brought the ball to Massachusetts' ten yard line, where two more aerials again failed to score.

According to Adolph W. Samborski, Director of Intramural Athletics, there has been a constant increase in the success of the Yard touch football series every year, especially since the introduction of an organized two-league schedule in 1948.

Two factors are mainly responsible for this. During the war years, high schools and prep schools emphasized non-varsity sports more than before--so that postwar freshmen entered college "intramurally-minded."

Also, the quality of the team managers, and of the six-man coordinating Executive Council has been steadily improving.

Before the war, there was never any real large-scale interest in a touch football program. Only 83 freshmen participated in a 14-game schedule in 1940, and four of these games never were played due to poor attendance.

The program died out during the war, since the freshmen were living in the Houses and taking part in regular House athletics. Postwar revival was slow. An eight-team league consisting of the Holworthy Vets, the Straus Sad Sacks, the Stoughton Raiders, the Wigglesworth Wonders, the Welders, the Gashousers, and Thayer Hall, all drew less than 100 players during 1946 and 1947.

The American and National Leagues, started in 1948, arbitrarily divided the yard into two groups--of nine large and small units each for major sport competitions. Size or league hasn't seemed to make much difference in the Championship outcomes, though, the American League's large Thayer Middle team winning in 1948 and small Lionel of the National League victorious last fall.

1948 Season Starts New Trend

The 1948 fall season saw almost 200 freshmen on the touch football fields with a new feature added--spectators. Thayer Middle blazed through the season undefeated, winning seven league games and an 18 to 6 playoff against Matthews North.

Thayer was a one-play team that year. Captain Brandy Lovely passed to Gerry Murphy; one of the two ends would cross either shallow or deep as the situation required.

Yale was asked to send up a team to challenge the new Yard champions, but declined. However, both the Matthews North and Thayer Middle intramural touch teams were invited to a victory banquet in the general feeling of good will that followed a clean freshman sweep over Yale in all of the major fall sports.

The following year Lionel took the football crown with an eight-game string of victories in the National League and a one-sided 19 to 0 win over Straus North in the playoff. Almost 300 freshmen took part, a 50 percent increase over 1948.

Lionel Uses Sleepers

Lionel confounded its opponents by frequent use of sleeper plays, Steve Kurzman passing and Ted Berkley on the receiving end. Meanwhile, Bob Campbell sparked the defense with frequent pass interceptions. Opponents scored only one touchdown and three safeties all year.

In the championship game, the spur-of-the-moment razzle-dazzle Straus team of John Dunphy, Ted Sexton, Art French, Rog Martin, and Whitey Black met its match after a six-game league winning streak. "They were very slow and seemed in poor condition", was a Lionel comment afterward, as the winners themselves broke out beer supplied by proctor Robert L. Fischelis '49 on the field.

The new Yard Champions journeyed to Yale and fought a Bulldog pick-up team 0 to 0 tie in the freshman quadrangle. Dissipated condition from the previous evening, the early hour of play, Yale student spectators, and an occasional volley of beer cans, all hindered the Lionel six from scoring that day.

This year, again, it was two undefeated clubs that met in the finals. Stoughton took the American League title on the last day by beating Holworthy 21 to 0, although Lionel made a strong late-season drive, taking two games on the final day Meanwhile, Massachusetts sneaked by colorful Wigglesworth West, reaching the playoffs with five wins and two ties.

Stoughton Well Balanced

Stoughton showed the best balance of either league, its mixed running and passing offense scoring 96 points while a tight three-two-one defense limited opposition to only six.

Gene Booker, Frank Bequaert, and Steve Frautch held down the defensive line while Paul Levine and Daryl Hawkins covered the flats with Chappel in the tailback slot. Walser substituted on offense to pass for six of Stoughton's 14 touchdowns. The basic offensive play involved the two ends crossing at varying depth and the center "buttonhooking" in the middle.

Massachusetts usually employed the straight end cross play. Appel threw for 12 to 16 touchdowns with end John Pereira receiving seven of these. The Massachusetts offense racked up 102 points against 33 for opponents.

Lionel Features Running Pass

American League runner-up Lionel almost took its second consecutive league title, with the running pass as key to its attack. A 15 to 0 opening day loss to Stoughton proved the margin of defeat. Don Solomon provided the all-important blocking for such an offenses while Jeb Bray and Eddie Levine tossed to Neal Bertz.

National runner-up Wigg West was easily the most spectacular outfit in either league. A mixed running and passing offense liberally sprinkled with razzle dazzle racked up 25 touchdowns. Captain Ray Maesaka starred.

Maesaka, who played touch football for a Hawaiian base championship team during the war, ran back four interceptions for scores, as well as accounting for six more. "Flash" Flickinger passed for six and shared the receiving duties with Tim Nichols.

Thayer North managed to take a National League third while scoring only 31 points against opponents 32. Thayer won the close ones with a floating zone defense as Al Geyer passed for all five touchdowns.

Although there was generally fall turnout by most teams, Mower managed to default four of its seven games.

One disgruntled cellar manager commented on the game report "Only had 6 guys. We lost. I doubt if I can get 10 guys. That's harder than winning the games."Stoughton Captain BOB WALSER, who paced his team's passing attack, as the American League winners gained an undefeated season.