Grantham High School - Olympian Yearbook (St Catharines, Ontario Canada)

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FRONT ROW: Dennis Hoople, Art Griffis, Tom Lockhart, Steve Campbell, Bill Horbaniuk, Ted Cresswell Lome Epp, Rick Kottick, Don Rowdon, Steve Murray, John Painter. Zasey Abrahamse, Doug Clancy, Dave Reynolds, Gray Allen, Stan ilko, Mike Earnshaw, Les Miller, Gil Missana, Mike McNulty, Nestor )ick, Paul Boutin.

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Mike Dwyer, linebacker, 17, 6.0, 165 Mike refused to be fooled by fakes and was continually piling up opposing ball carriers even before they got through the line. Al Larocque, linebacker, 18, 6.5, 185 Al ' s speed gave him wide range and his height (6.5) made him the league ' s best pass defender. Alvin Wieler, centre, 18, 5. 10 ' 2, 210 Alvin was the logical choice for offensive centre on this year ' s squad. Although he played both ways, Alvin was best at bulldozing big holes over opposition middle guards. The tougher the going, the better Alvin seemed to like it. Football in Action The Senior Gator football team showed a lot of promise this year, but lacked the sustained drive and determination needed by a championship team. They opened the season in grand style, trouncing the S.W.C. Bulldogs 17-1. They entered the game against the Collegiate in high spirits but due to a couple of bad breaks, they came out on the short end of an 8-6 score. This defeat broke the Gator ' s spirit and they put up a poor showing against a roused Thorold team, losing 12-0. Merritton posed little trouble, dropping a 13-0 decision to the Gators. A power-packed Niagara District team proved to be too much for the Seniors, drubing them 17-1. Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking games of the year was against the undefeated Denis Morris Redmen. Playing with the same spirit displayed in the Collegiate game, the Gators dropped a 7-6 decision to the habitually lucky Redmen. The same loss of spirit occurred as did after the loss to the Collegiate, and the Gators incurred their worst defeat, a 28-1 disaster, suffered at the hands of the Lakeport Lakers. The team was coached very ably by Mr. Higenell and Mr. Dixon who were very patient and understanding with a team that at times showed little desire to play football and at other times played like champions. The Junior Gators made a good showing this year finishing in fourth place with a five and three win-loss record. Paced by the running, punting and place kicking of Mike Earnshaw and the hard rock defensive work of Stan Dillabough, Gil Missana and Tom Lockhart, the Juniors earned vic- tories against Thorold, Collegiate, Denis Morris, Niagara Falls, and Lake- port while dropping games to the undefeated Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs and the power packed Westlane and Stamford teams. Lacking an experienced line and with a somewhat questionable backfield, the team more than made up for in desire what they lacked in experience. Several juniors show pro- mise for senior play, while a number will be returning next year giving the nucleus of a sound football club. The team was handled strictly by Mr. Irwin and Mr. Hayes and their constant needling may well have been one of the reasons for the team ' s fine showing. The member ' s of both football teams are grateful to the managers and trainers who helped during the season. Such people as Jim Bradley, Brian Stewart, Don Nunnemacker, Lambert Westera and Terry Murray, did their best to make conditions as comfortable as possible for the players.

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The Basketball Teams After a horrible display in exhibition play, the Senior Gat- ors roared back in fine style during the regular season. The only loss was to Merritton on a night when the Golden Lancers seemed to be unable to make a mistake, while the wins came against Sir Winston Churchill, Lakeport, Collegiate, Thorold, and Denis Morris. The Gators were also entered in the Standard Tournament and after a win against the Merritton Seniors in the preliminary round, they bowed to the Collegiate in their second game of the tournament. At the end of the season the Gators were tied with Col- legiate Saints for first place, but after a flip of a coin, were rel- egated to second place and had to play the vastly improved SWC Bulldogs in a two game total points series. They lost the first game by seven points and at the beginning of the second contest ap- peared to be lucky to stay close to the Bulldogs. The Gators came alive later in the game, however, and went on to win by four points, three less than needed to tie the series and force overtime. George Chuchman was the high scorer during the season with 90 points but team leadership and spirit was supplied by such players as co-captains Rich Copeland and Geoff Brown and hardworking John Sciamonte. Al Larocque (6 ' 5 ) supplied valuable height to the team and played well despite his limited experience. Don Pascoe was another big man who played well for the Ga- tors, displaying great agility despite his size. The team was coached very capably by Mr. Smith who kept the team working and alert at all times. Team manager was Lam- bert Westera while Steve and Terry Murray acted as trainers. The Junior League produced a close finish with four teams tied for first place. A flip of the coin decided the order of finish with the Junior Gators paired off with the SWC Juniors. Losing only to Churchill and Denis Morris during the regular season, the Gators scored victories against Collegiate, Lakeport, Merritton and Thorold. Their luck, however, ran out in the play-offs. They played well in the first game against the SWC Bulldogs coming out on top with an eight point victory. This lead slowly vanished in the second game and the teams ended tied in the series. The game went into overtime and the Gators failed to score while Churchill scored one field goal to win the series by two points. Tom Lockhart, who played for the Senior Gators in the Standard Tournament and is a good prospect for senior ball next year, was the team leader along with Don Rowdon. Other players who showed well during the season were Gary Fryatt, Aubrey Hilko, Bob Reilly, Dave Alexander and Stew Farago. Many of these players will help to bolster the senior lineup next year. Mr. Gawley again handled the Junior team this year and did a creditable job. Al Shynal kept busy looking after the player ' s needs and keeping an accurate record of statistics in his capacity as manager. Playing in the shadows of the Junior and Senior teams, the Midget Gators are often overlooked, but this year the Midget team outlasted both the Seniors and the Juniors. Tied for second place after the finish of the regular season, the team played Lakeport in the semi-finals for the city championship. Down 12 points after the first gafce, the Midgets fought back to tie the two game total points series after the end of regulation play, and went on to win the round in overtime. In the finals the Gators faced the first place St. Catharines Collegiate. The team found a real leader in the person of Eric Arsenault. He won the scoring race with a total of 133 points in six games for scoring average of over 33 points a game and clinched the title in the final games of the season when he scored 37 points to lead his team to a 20 point victory over Denis Morris. Gord Sharpe, Bob Nunnemacher and Gord Holmes were other players who hit the scoresheet regularly for the Midget Gators. Two teachers coached basketball this season for the first time and made a very good account of them- selves. Mr. Mor- gan and Mr. Jeffrey were the coaches of the midget team.