J.V. Gridders Thrash Princeton, 22-6

The Harvard junior varsity football team, hungry for its first victory after two defeats, unleashed a bruising ground game Saturday against Princeton and thumped the Tigers, 22-6.

With a cold, driving wind hampering both teams' passing attacks, the game turned into a battle of the interior lines. And after some early mistakes, Harvard dominated the Tigers.

Princeton struck first, settling for an 11-yard first quarter goal after the Crimson defense stopped three plays within its own five yard line. The goal line stand proved crucial, since the Tiger offense could muster only one more field goal, a 30-yarder in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, three different Harvard quarterbacks took turns shredding the Princeton defense. The running attack moved almost at will, but two early fumbles stalled Crimson scoring drives.

Harvard finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, capitalizing on a fumble recovery at the Princeton 25 yard line. Sophomore running back John Balko took a handoff from quarterback Mike Lynch and plunged over from the one, giving the Crimson a 7-6 lead at the half.

After the intermission, it was all Harvard. Junior Doug Gordon engineered a relentless 80-yard touchdown march to start the third quarter, sneaking the ball over himself from the one yard line. Gordon then padded the lead by skirting right end for a two-point conversion, after he had fumbled the extra-point snap.

Jim Pressly, the third Harvard quarterback, drove the Crimson to its third touchdown late in the game. Halfback Jay Richter capped the scoring drive with a nifty eight yard run.

Crimson running backs found easy going through most of the contest, due to strong blocking up front. Tackles Dave Burlage and Rich Lowry, guards Phil Dombrowski and Ernie Pisanelli, and center John Foreman consistently opened gaping holes in the Princeton defensive lines.

The Harvard defense was spearheaded by end Pete Mee, who bottled up the Tigers' outside running game, and linebacker Paul Dowling, who effectively filled up the inside lanes.