The End Is Now In Sight

THE END IS NOW IN SIGHT

Ann Arbor High School Must Win Two More.

DEFEATED ALMA 36 To 0

Returning Football Heroes Were Tendered Big Reception.

   The end is in sight. The Ann Arbor high school football team must play only two more games, and the championship is won.  On Nov. 15, Benton Harbor, will bite the dust and on the 22nd Ishpeming must fall.  Last Saturday's victory was complete; the Alma team, with the immense advantage of fighting on home grounds, was defeated by the big score of 36 to 0. Her long record of easily-won victories was broken and she was thrown out of the race. Her men played good ball, but they could not stand up against the superior strength and skill of the champions from Ann Arbor.

   Two weeks ago, when the victorious team came home from Charlotte they were given a grand reception.  There were fireworks, and red lights, and yells and songs.  Captain Taft was carried to the high school on the shoulders of two husky enthusiasts, and the team was escorted by nearly a hundred yelling students.

   Great as was this demonstration, it was totally eclipsed Saturday night, when the Ann Arbor boys came in from Alma. Long before the arrival of the train, at 9 o'clock, a large and enthusiastic crowd of students had gathered at the depot, and when the train drew up more than a hundred voices combined to make night hideous. The players, who had humorously covered their faces with plasters, were taken to a bus which had been procured for the occasion and driven through Main street.  The crowd followed, counting the score, giving all the high school yells, and the U. of M. songs with the "Wisconsin" changed to "Old Alma," or "Benton Harbor."  Red lights had been procured, and they were set off to the best advantage all along the line. The procession turned up Huron street and marched to the high school.

   Captain Hickey, who wore a smile which might have been borrowed from Yost, was carried to the high school steps, and while the red lights glared, he gave a speech.  He thanked the students for the reception and then briefly recounted the events of the game.  There was great cheering at times, and especially when he told how Dodds had caught the ball on Alma's fumble, just before the close of the first half and carried it 40 yards for a touchdown.  He said there was but one fault to find with the team-their over-confidence- and he advised his men seriously to guard against it.

  Prof. Springer, who had accompanied the team, was then called to the steps.  In a brief speech he affirmed all that Hickey had said, and added that Ann Arbor's method of making spectacular end runs had been balked by Alma, and that the victory had been won by good, hard line bucking. There were no star players, he said, all had put forth about equal efforts.

  At the former demonstration, two weeks ago, the crowd allowed Dodds, the expert half, to escape without making a speech, and it is not to be supposed that they would let such a thing happen again.  But the wily Dodds is a good sprinter, no matter where he is, and he did the same thing Saturday night, although the students were bent on hearing him make a speech.

   It was now nearly 10 o'clock and the tired players went home, while the excited players went home, while the excited students marched down to Coach Taft's students marched down to Coach Taft's rooms and demanded a speech. He made essentially the same statements that the other speakers had made at the high school, and thanked the crowd for the reception.

   The students, still unsatisfied, next called on Supt. Slauson, but the professor had gone to a political meeting, so the boys went home.

  It was at about midnight when the peaceable inhabitants who live near the high school were roused from their slumbers by the sound of the ancient high school bell.  Some adventurous spirit, who felt that the celebration had not gone far enough, had performed the seemingly impossible feat of getting to the third story of the building, where the bell is located.  He had fastened one end of a 100 foot wire to the tongue and had thrown the other end to the ground, so that it might be rung from beneath.  Four times within a period of an hour, were heard the deep intonations of the old bell.