It was a good day for the first team this past saturday, when they defeated the second team 12-0 in a short game on Whitnall Field. This was the first time the first team has won in three years. There were ties in the previous two. The starting lineups have not been set in stone however, with the first team being composed of the more veteran players, and the less experienced players on the second team. The first score was by Claire Lyon, on a 1 yard run in the first period. This play was set up by a 40 yard pass from Evans to Anderson. The only other touchdown was at the very end of the game, when Lyon completed a pass to Branigan. Wes Bacon, the fullback for the second team, looked very good as both a runner and a passer. His favorite target was Howie Conroy, who is looking much better than he did last season. He has improved in many ways. Eddie Volkwein, a former halfback now playing end, stood out defensivly for the second team. Rowe, Ask and Lee all sat out with minor injuries.
The starting lineup is not finished yet, but we are beginning to get a clearer picture of what it will look like. Vern Lee was looking like he was going to take the open end position, but he successfully blocked a punt with his face this past week, and is taking some time to recover from the cuts he recieved. Lee will be back very soon, and will be challenged by Ken Nield for the starters spot. Ed Prondecki has won the starting tackle job, but he must hold off a very talented Joe Pasquale, who is recovering from injuries of his own. The center position has been claimed by Glen Peters, and he should hold on to that for the season. Bob Rowe has seemingly won the job at fullback, but a minor injury could keep him from starting against SLU next week. If he is unable to play, the spot will go to Claire Lyon, the sophomore who has been looking good in the preseason. The halfback position is still wide open, and the playing time will be split between a few players. "Rene Antolini, the flying Swiss, will certainly get into the game this weekend, and when he does, this little crowd pleaser may be expected to do some fancy sprinting." Jack Fritts and Steve Kuk have shown flashes of talent, but these two sophomores will need some more consistancy before they earn a spot on the first team. Fritts is kicking much better, but Evans is still the best kicker on the team. "The team has progressed satisfactorily" commented Coach Kerr after the practice game, but certain individuals will still need to develop in order to have a good team.
We do not have a good scouting report on SLU yet, Colgate has won 10 in a row against the Larries, with a series score of 486-6 in favor of the Maroons. Still, we cannot expect a pushover team this year, as they are coached by "Silent" Tom Sullivan, a Colgate grad, who usually turns out a well coached squad. We will have more on SLU in the next report.
There will also be a few changes in the stands this year. Ed Thompson, the head cheerleader, has proposed a new cheering policy. There will be fewer "fight talks" and prep rallies, in favor of more cheering. Thompson believes that by forcing the student body to show spirit every week, it actually decreases the spirit at important games. The cheering meetings during the season, were seen as a joke by many of the upperclassmen, as they were often the same week after week. The opinion is that the students will still show spirit at the games without these meetings. Rallies will still be held before the big games, and there will still be plenty of opportunities to learn and practice new cheers. Speaking of which, this years cheerleader squad has come up with a brand new cheer for the 1932 season. Here are the words so that you may have some extra practice before the first game:
R-r-r-r-r-r-r- ah
rrrr ah rah
rrrrrah rah rah rah
hooooorah, hoooray
Col-gate, fight team, fight
The song leader has also agreed on using a wider variety of songs instead of repeating the same songs several times. This does not mean that songs will only be sung once, for example, "Colgate Day", which was very popular and very well sung last year, will be given even more attention this season. Student's are encouraged to attend the Student Association meetings this week, so that practice can be done.
Some more news and notes... The freshman team is looking pretty good, they are a well rounded bunch. They will be getting some tough workouts in the coming weeks, getting some experience against the varsity. Did anyone else notice how large this group is? There are quite a few big guys in there. The Varsity will have 5 tough games in a row this season, starting with Lafayette. NYU is looking good, but suffered some preseason set backs. Les Hart and John Orsi were seen having a catch before practice this past week. Hart still has the ability to throw hard, and Orsi is still able to get to the ball and has great hands for bringing it down. Les Hart was the captain of the 1930 team, a team that went 9-1, and among other things, beat Bethany College 99-0. There were women in the Colgate pool this past weekend, as far as anyone can remember, this is the first time that this has happened.
A casual question turned into a lecture on the appeal of Colgate football when the team captain, Bob Smith, was asked why he likes football while he was at the training table after a days practice. Smith, who rose from a substitute to the first team, to captain, responded with this:
"First of all, I think the physical development is the most valuble. Of course you can build up your physique in any other sport, but in football, the contact with opposing players, the hard knocks that you get nowhere else except in football, give you the satisfaction of knowing that you're able to stay in and take the punishment, as well as deal it out yourself. I believe the self assurance gained from this knowledge is a great asset to a fellow throughout life.
The fellows you meet and associate with on a football squad are ideal companions, always healthy, happy and congenial. And that goes for the coaches too.
What about Andy? Well, you can tell them this and don't miss it. I consider him the greatest coach in the country. And not only that, he's the best friend any of us had or hope to have. To have been under him these past few seasons, absorbing not only football dope, but all that a man of his caliber can give is absolutly the best thing that ever happened to me!"
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