Driving cross-winds prevented any scoring Monday afternoon, when the Massachusetts Hall and Stoughton Hall touch football teams played to a scoreless tie in the National League-American League playoff for Yard championship. The two teams thus split first and second place points, each obtaining a 92 1/2 point leg toward the freshman athletic crown. Observers all agreed that the contest marked the end of the most successful intramural season in recent years.

Massachusetts threatened first early in the initial period, when Captain Stan Appel threw a long, high pass into the wind which end Sandy Batchelder snared and carried to the Stoughton ten yard line. The wind proved too much for consistent passing gains, however, and Stoughton held for downs.

Massachusetts never threatened seriously afterwards, lacking a strong running attack (they ran the ball once all afternoon), and hindered in passing. Only the fine kicking of Howie Kastel held Stoughton off from then on.

Stoughton Threatens

In the second period Stoughton began to march, varying short runs with passing, this time to John Chappell, who caught the ball over the goal line, but out of bounds. The play was called back and Massachusetts held, breaking up two more pass plays.

Stoughton also threatened in the final quarter. Bob Walser's passes brought the ball to Massachusetts' ten yard line, where two more aerials again failed to score.

According to Adolph W. Samborski, Director of Intramural Athletics, there has been a constant increase in the success of the Yard touch football series every year, especially since the introduction of an organized two-league schedule in 1948.

Two factors are mainly responsible for this. During the war years, high schools and prep schools emphasized non-varsity sports more than before--so that postwar freshmen entered college "intramurally-minded."

Also, the quality of the team managers, and of the six-man coordinating Executive Council has been steadily improving.

Before the war, there was never any real large-scale interest in a touch football program. Only 83 freshmen participated in a 14-game schedule in 1940, and four of these games never were played due to poor attendance.

The program died out during the war, since the freshmen were living in the Houses and taking part in regular House athletics. Postwar revival was slow. An eight-team league consisting of the Holworthy Vets, the Straus Sad Sacks, the Stoughton Raiders, the Wigglesworth Wonders, the Welders, the Gashousers, and Thayer Hall, all drew less than 100 players during 1946 and 1947.

The American and National Leagues, started in 1948, arbitrarily divided the yard into two groups--of nine large and small units each for major sport competitions. Size or league hasn't seemed to make much difference in the Championship outcomes, though, the American League's large Thayer Middle team winning in 1948 and small Lionel of the National League victorious last fall.

1948 Season Starts New Trend

The 1948 fall season saw almost 200 freshmen on the touch football fields with a new feature added--spectators. Thayer Middle blazed through the season undefeated, winning seven league games and an 18 to 6 playoff against Matthews North.

Thayer was a one-play team that year. Captain Brandy Lovely passed to Gerry Murphy; one of the two ends would cross either shallow or deep as the situation required.