“We’ll kick from the north end,” announced Captain Badger, promptly.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Gridley loped off for its positions.

The band broke loose in a wild hurrah of a tune.  Spectators belonging to both sides took up a wild cheer until the referee raised his right hand for silence.  The opposing teams were lined up.

Darting forward to center field the referee placed the ball, then ran backwards off the gridiron.

His whistle went to his lips.  It was an instant of strained attention.

Trill-ll!  It was not a cheer, but a subdued, breathless gasp that rose from the two camps of fans as the opposing lines rushed at each other.  Dick could not help a slight groan, for Adams, of Cobber, reached the pigskin first.  But Adams kicked it off over the line.  Here was Gridley’s prompt chance.

Evans kicked the ball from the twenty-five-yard line.  It was stopped by Huddleston, who started to run with it.  Luckless plan!  Gridley’s line came thundering down upon him almost ere Huddleston had stepped off!  Bump!  The combatants piled into and over each other.  Huddleston was downed on his fifty-yard line.  At this instant Dick bethought himself.  Placing his mouth to the megaphone, he roared: 

“H.S. cheer!”

It rolled out with full volume while the referee was placing the ball.  By the time it died out Cobber’s captain could be heard calling: 

“Four—–­nine—–­thirty-three—–­eight!”

Trill-ll!

Here, the heavier boys from Cobber began to do their fine work, and Gridley hearts sank.

Cobber made a first down on three plays.  It ended in a bad fumble, however, for steady Thompson went down over the ball on the Gridley forty-five-yard line.

“H.S. cheer once more!” bellowed Dick.

The High School boys and girls answered with a will, drawing it out so long as to cause the referee to frown.  When it ended Badger’s signals ripped out fast and clear.

The ball came back to Quarter-back Winters.  He started Gridley faces to glowing again, for Winters did one of the things that had made the team famous.  This was the Gridley fake kick.  With any lesser team it would have been good for twenty-five yards.  Even against the big, alert fellows from Cobber that fake kick was good for eight yards.  But not yet did the full effect of the move come.  For Cobber was off-side and Trent burst through the line on a spurt that was good for thirty-three yards.

Two snappy line plays followed that made the Cobber boys feel the cold sweat ooze.  It would have been Gridley’s first down, but a little slip penalized the home players for fifteen yards.

Most of the people of Gridley back in the seats wore now standing up in their excitement.  They had dreaded much from the bigger college boys, but now the spectators saw that Gridley could hold its own for strategy, ruse and speed.