No matter how poor a season a Harvard team may have had, if can generally alone for its failures, by winning just one game: the last game of the year.
And it is with a desire for atonement that the freshman football team will face Yale this afternoon at 2 p.m. on Soldiers Field. For a win over the Elis could make this a successful season, even though Henry Lamar's team has won but one other game in five starts.
At the beginning of the year, almost everyone who saw the Yardlings practice immediately classed them as a great team. With few exceptions (notably Lamar himself) everyone went away from those early workouts convinced that he had at last seen a freshman team with all the speed and power necessary for exceptional success.
Now, on the last day of the season, the Yardlings are still looking for their second win. They have been a puzzle over since their first defeat, by a tough Brandeis squad. Individually, the freshman have plenty of talent, but with the exception of the Andover game, and a few spots in the Brown game, they have not been able to show anything as a unit.
Yale's freshmen have been having the same sort of trouble. The Cubs have won twice, losing five times, and tieing the Eli Jayvees. They have shown spurts of individual brilliance, but have mostly been unable to work together.
The Blue has beaten Columbia and Rutgers, while they have succumbed to Andover, Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Brown, and Princeton. The Yardlings have also lost to Holy Cross, Dartmouth, and Brown.
Coach Stu Clancy has built his balanced-T attack around the passing of quarterback Joe Fortunate and the running of Jim Ralston, the fullback. Ralston stands 5 feet, 11 inches, and weighs 195 pounds, not overly heavy for a fullback, but he runs powerfully, and hits with the drive of a much larger man.
Pete Schears, the regular left halfback, has done most of the extra-point kicking for the Elis this year. But he has a turned ankle, and may not be able to play this afternoon. In that case he will be replaced by Vince Banker--a rugged line-backer--or Sherm Magidson. Tom Richey and Doug Treat share the right halfback slot.
The Yale line averages around 185 pounds. Center Bob Lemire is a light man, at 174, but his weight belies his aggressiveness. Captain Dick Polich is a two-way player who handles the running guard assignment on offense.
Lamar will be able to throw up a strong line against the Eli forwards. Ends Ted Kennedy and Harvey Popell are probably better pass catchers than the Yale due of Harry Benninghoff and Frank Smith. Tackles Bill Frate and Pete Simonds are bigger than any combination the Blue could use.
At guard, Yale, with Polich, might have a slim edge, although Dave McDowell and Bob Picard are great defensive players.
Lamar will probably start his regular backfield: Captain Dick Clasby at tailback, Tony Caimi at quarterback, John Tulenko at wingback, and either John Culver or Warren O'Donnell at fullback. Caimi, a converted guard, is probably the most improved player on the squad. He blocks fairly well, is a good enough pass receiver to be a downfield threat, and can run the team well when called upon to do so. If O'Donnell does not start, Caimi will call the freshman signals.
The probably starting lineups:
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