"Andover was a good team, and we had the typical first-game looseness," Coach Henry Lamar said of the freshman football team's Saturday defeat, 26 to 13.

Andover was ahead from the beginning, scoring first and keeping a firm hand on the game all the way. Halfback Dillingham and fullback Blitz scored the Harvard touchdowns.

Fumbles and "passes completed to Andover," as Lamar put it, stopped several promising drives for the Yardlings, but the team performed up to customary opening game scratch, considering that it had had only nine days of practice, and these spent mainly in scrimmaging the varsity.

"It always takes the first game to blend the team into a unit and see the men in action," said Lamar. "But they were moving," he said, citing the fact that the yearlings had only had to punt twice in the whole contest.

He compared the squad favorably to last year's on the basis of the opening game performances; but rated it well below the strong '51 team which defeated Andover.

Team's Stars

Lamar singled out the efforts of Stan Britton at end, Gill O'Neil at quarterback, John Ederer at halfback, and John Nichols at tackle, for praise, but emphasized that the whole team had performed well.

The freshmen take on the Holy Cross freshmen Friday and Lamar expects them to be a team by then.

The starting lineup: Stan Britton and Hank Toepka, ends; Bob Stargle and John Nichols, tackles; John Weber and John Jennings, guards; Buddy Lemay, center; Gill O'Neil, quarterback; Hardy Cox and John Ederer, halfbacks; and Jerry Blitz, fullback.