Army slips past Lightweights

Friday night Penn's ever-improving lightweight football team took another giant step forward. Facing the strongest team in the Eastern Lightweight Football League, the Quakers simply refused to give an inch and came very close to pulling off a huge upset against mighty Army. Although the Quakers lost the game 3-0, they were extremely happy with their performance. Game-time weather conditions for the "Anthracite Bowl" at Blue Mountain High School in Pottsville, Pa., were poor to say the least. Vast puddles blanketed the playing field from start to finish posing problems for both sides. "At certain points in the game our uniforms got so muddy that we couldn't see each other's numbers," running back Rich Miller said. "The playing conditions were atrocious." Army was accustomed to having its way with Penn, having compiled a 37-1 all-time record against the Quakers. But Army's wishbone offense was stopped cold, managing only a single field goal all game. Having faced a wishbone attack against Princeton two weeks ago, the Quakers had some experience with this rarely-used offensive formation. The Quakers had their chances on offense in the first half. On one drive they were able to complete a deep pass inside the Army 10-yard line only to have the play nullified due to an offensive pass interference call. Army finally got on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. For the second time in as many games the Penn defense failed to surrender its end zone. "We played an excellent game," Rich Miller said. "Even though we lost a tough one, it was a positive step for us, because now we realize that we can play with the best."