12 Sports Aces, January 1943 — page 75: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a but Ceach King comforted them that it meant good ball on the field. It was the only way to needle their flagging spirits. There was not another practice session left. King even had a slap on the back for Randy as he passed him in the tunnel leading to the showers. Randy wondered if King remembered his promise of the past week—that he was going to put him back in there. King had Burton in the quarterback slot, and Burt was a main- stay. In spite of King’s easy confidence when he faced members of the team, Randy saw that his face was tight and drawn and that his eyes were grim. Whispers had ft that King had been given the brush-off by Northern after last Saturday’s 7-6 debacle. Randy knew how much that meant to King, and what his own share of responsibility in his rejec- tion had been. If there were only some way he could pay King back. If he could only make good for him. Randy went home to troubled dreams. He dreamt it was Saturday afternoon and Tyler was taking the field against Mid- west. King came up to Randy, told him that Burton had left for the Army and that he was putting Randy in the quar- terback slot in his stead. The game began. Tyler took the kickoff. On the next play, the ball was passed to Randy. Randy did a quick reverse, and then he became confused. He wasn’t sure in which direction the goal lay. Some- how he straightened that out in his mind before the Midwest tacklers got to him. He broke away, and a clear field stretched ahead of him. Then, suddenly, he realized he was running in the wrong direc- tion, . Randy came out of that troubled dream in a sweat, his bedclothes a tangle about his threshing arms, Eight thousand fans jam-packed the Tyler stadium the next afternoon, eager for a view of the magnificent Midwest team—and All-American Hips Eberle. Even the most sanguinary Tyler rooters did not expect to see a Tyler victory. How could Tyler win with a fellow like Hips in there? | | THE TOUCHDOWN FOOL 3 ANDY trooped out on the field with the scrubs, Cheers rose in a swelling creseendo for Tyler, The band blared forth its mightiest, But Randy was aware - that something was different about this day, and he knew everyone else felt the same. In more ways than one, the war was close to them. They had only to look up at ‘the half-empty: parking lot to see one of its effects. The windows of the college powerhouse at one end of the horseshoe stadium were blacked out. An air-raid Siren was atop the library, For almost ev- eryone it was a last game, They wanted to make it a corkerd Big Stymie Smith won the toss for Tyler and elected to kick. Randy watched tensely from the scrub bench. Biff Rogers booted a good one from the side of his toe. It carried out of bounds almost dead in the coffin corner. It was Midwest's ball on the six-yard stripe! The stands went crazy. Midwest lined up quickly. The ball was snapped back from center. Hips Eberle took it and reversed, He passed the ball to Rabbit Ranowski, and Ranowski hur tled forward. The Tyler line surged to stop him and Rabbit suddenly flat-passed the pigskin backward and to his right. Hips Eberle was there to take it! He took the oval under his wing, run- ning behind the interference of two big Midwest bruisers. Tyler’s wingback sprinted in to cut Hips off. Rabbit, how- ever, was still running after his plunge through the line, He hit the wingback and they piled up together. Hips was still running. A Tyler back dived for him, and Hips did one of his famous “wiggles.” Like a slippery eel, he outstepped the wouldbe tackler’s em- brace, and the Tyler man ate dirt. Hips picked up speed, weaving in and out. He passed the midfield stripe. Only Tiger Colaggi was ahead of him now at safety, but Stymie Smith was coming in fast at Hips from an angle. Colaggi moved in carefully at his prey. He was too smart to try a tackle. He moved in on Hips, just to slow Hips enough so that Stymie could bring him down, But then Hips sensed the strategy! | comichbook Oli