Advertisement

ALL-EASTERN ELEVEN

CRIMSON PICKS FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO HAVE SHOWN UP BEST THIS SEASON.

Below is the CRIMSON'S choice for an All-Eastern football team:

Ends--Smith of Harvard, and White of Princeton.

Tackles--Englehorn of Dartmouth, and Hart of Princeton.

Guards--Duff of Princeton, and Fisher of Harvard.

Centre--Bluethenthal of Princeton.

Advertisement

Quarterback--Miller of Pennsylvania State.

Halfbacks--Dalton of Annapolis, and Thorpe of Carlisle.

Fullback--Wendell of Harvard.

In the first division, namely the ends, there seems to be little doubt that Smith of Harvard should fill one wing. He leads all his competitors in sizing up the plays of the opposing backfield, is very fast down the field, a sure tackler, and very clever in handling the forward pass. Altogether he has shown more headwork than any other 1911 end. At the other extremity White of Princeton cannot be disregarded on account of an extraordinary ability in following the ball, a fact which alone makes Princeton the 1911 football champion. White's offensive work is far ahead of his play on the defence, and were it not for his many recoveries of the ball at critical times, he would surely have to give way to Bomeisler of Yale, Felton of Harvard or Daly of Dartmouth.

At tackle Hart of Princeton and Englehorn of Dartmouth are in a class by themselves, as towers of strength in the line. Hart's best games were those against Harvard and Yale, when he repeatedly did titanic work in holding two of the best backfields in the country. Englehorn, both at Princeton and in the Stadium, played All-American football without doubt. Like White, Englehorn follows the ball closely. It was due chiefly to him and his team-mate, Elcock, that the Dartmouth line did so splendidly at Princeton when in at least one department of the game the championship team was outplayed.

At guard Fisher of Harvard and Duff of Princeton appear in advance of any other claimants. Fisher has not fallen off in the least from his All-American form of last year and the gains through his position have been rare. Little can be said of Fisher other than that he played a strong conservative game, very seldom brilliant, but always dependable. Duff showed up best against Harvard and Yale, as did Hart. An aggressive, powerful player, and a fighter from the start, he often got through the opposing line to stop plays just started. He in company with Hart personify the type of football which Princeton played during the past season.

At centre the situation is not altogether clear. Both Ketcham of Yale and Bluethenthal of Princeton have excellent claims. Huntington of Harvard, had he continued at centre, we firmly believe would have given both of these men a hard fight for the final choice. Ketcham is fast down the field but is not up to what we saw of Huntington on the de- fence. Bluethenthal did excellent work against Harvard. In default of Huntington, we pick Bluethenthal for the centre position.

At quarterback Miller of Pennsylvania State seems to be the first choice. Both Howe of Yale and Sprackling of Brown are possible candidates for this position but neither has shown Miller's consistent brilliancy in running back punts and in the clean handling of the ball. That Sprackling failed to come up to his AllAmerican standard of last year, is largely owing to the poor support given him by his team in the big games and to the fact that he was watched especially by all opposing teams on account of his known ability.

Of backs, Dalton of the Navy, Thorpe of Carlisle, and Wendell of Harvard make an ideal backfield. Dalton is famous for his long, dodging runs in a broken field and is a reliable drop-kicker, having won the Army-Navy game for the last two years by this means. For the other halfback, Thorpe of Carlisle is unquestionably the man for the position. His placement kicking this season has been nothing short of phenomenal and makes him an especially valuable man in the present open style of football, as most of the big games this year have been won by goals from the field. In carrying the ball, Thorpe has displayed remarkable speed, and if once started behind good interference, would be a very hard man to stop in any game.

At fullback, Wendell this season sustained his reputation of being the best line-plunger in the game. He carries his charge further and shows a greater ability to keep his feet than anyone else in the game today. Equally as good on the defensive as on the offensive, he can generally be relied upon for a good gain when it is most needed

Advertisement