~ athletics ~
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The man who has had charge of the athletics in the schools for the past two years is Coach D. R. Dewey. He is a graduate from the State Normal School of the Class of '17. He has stood for clean sportsmanship and for defeat with honor rather than an unfair victory.
Athletics in Osawatomie High this year have enjoyed mediocre success. Football prospects were fairly promising with several veterans left and a number of "likely" rookies. The finished team was not a stellar aggregation for several reasons. The men were all very light and there was a scarcity of even small men. Nevertheless we broke even and won three and lost two of our games. Near the close of the season circumstances were such that it was decided to cancel the remaining games on the schedule. What made our defeats easier to bear was the realization of the fact that we rubbed Paola's noses in the dirt twice. Bussell, captain of the squad, was a dandy interference runner last year but was not very handy with the ball. This last year though he developed into a hard hitting, line plunging halfback who was always good for a gain. |
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Salisbury, fullback has been a mainstay of the team for several years and this year he proved to be valuable member. This was "Monk's" last year on the team and he acquitted himself creditably. Price, the speedy little quarterback, who formed the nucleus for a speedy backfield, was a terror of all the teams around. Wilkerson, the midget halfback, was also feared by many. the backfield was exceptionally light but Freddy only tipped the beam at about 119 - but he could run. Vohs, was the rangy end with the spring in his foot. Beside pulling down long passes and making gain, Vohs did the kicking for the team - football kicking that is. Day, the other end, was a concentrated whirlwind at tackling and very few passes slipped through his arms. Lanphere, tackle, was baby elephant of the team. His side of the line was an impregnable as a British tank. He was not so slow either at covering the ground, as many opposing players found out. Chambers played quarter in several games which Price was unable to play in. He used his head well which is four-fifths of playing quarter. He also played end in one game. Dwight Gehring, at guard, played well in the games he played. He was another one whom it was hard to dislocate from his fortress beside center. Vest, another tackle, filled well the vacancy caused by his older brother's enlistment and proved to be a thoroughbred scrapper. Barnett, or "Inky Bill", alternated between center and guard and did equality well at both. Upton, fullback and guard, showed his grit in a number of the games and earned his right to be letter. Miller, at center, did much to keep up the spirits of the boys. An eminent psychologist said the war could be won by the morale of the soldiers. Therefore, Doris deserved the credit for all of our victories for he was always there with an encouraging word. Slyter, Swagerty, Pierce and goldsmith were substitutes. The team as a whole was speedy with an unusually speedy backfield but the line was too light to hold and as a result, the backfield's work was useless. The following men were all that received letters. For different reasons, the other members were ineligible. The men were: Bussell, Salisbury, Day, Vest, Barnett, Upton, Slyter, Swagerty and Vohs. BASKETBALL season found us with two veterans to build from and a wealth of green material. Chambers forward and Vermillion center were the last year's men. The new men were: Reed, Swagerty, Pierce and Beck, forwards; Nelson and Reed, centers; King, Slyter, Watson, Bussell, Goldsmith and Upton, guards. As is natural some of these dropped out for various reasons and near the middle of the season this was what constituted the team: Chambers, captain and star forward, was noted for his ability to dodge guards and shoot difficult shots. He was the scorer of the team. reed, Bob, was Chambers running mate. Not so much on goal shooting. Bob played the ball well and was an indispensable factor of the team play. Vermillion, center, was "keen" on long shots and on the ability to cover the floor. "Red" played the ball well and played hard, if not harder than any man on the team. Bussell, the shouting, noisy guard. Bussell while not very small is neither very large but he certainly does the work and that's what counts. Upton, the other guard, and Bussell, worked well together and put up a fine defense against opposing forwards. Goldsmith, also guard, small but mighty, attracted the attention of basketball fans everywhere we played. He has a stick-to-itiveness that worries his opponents. Ab Reed, sub-center, played "spiffingly" in a number of games. His proximity to the ceiling rendered it unnecessary for him to jump very much. Slyter, at guard, played hard and well although h e did not play in many games. Swagerty and Beck played in several of the games. Beck's claim to fame is the dandy scrap he showed in the Paola game. Out team this year did not win very many games but nevertheless one reason for this was that the other teams had exceptionally good teams. Paola, for instance, had practically all their last year's team and the other teams had older men. And even at that we won four (4) and lost six (6). |
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