You can't keep the best team down, but for three and a half frosty periods yesterday it looked as if that was just what Winthrop House was doing to a sluggish Eliot eleven in the shadow of the Stadium. Then in the dying minutes the undefeated Mastodons exploded for two quick scores to clinch their first inter-House football championship since before the war.

Dick Meussel, filling in at quarterback for sore-armed Dave McGiffert, sparked the late push, tossing two long passes to Dave Abbot to bring the ball from his own 20 to the puritan 16, and then handing off to George Golphin who swept left end.

Three minutes later, the Mastodons again took the ball on the 15 as desperation passes by Winthrop fell incomplete An inside reveres by halfback Austle Lyne and another sweep by Golphin added the crushing second tally.

The Kirkland Leverett contest, postponed because of wet field, will he layed off Monday.