Middletown High School - Optimist Yearbook (Middletown, OH)

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Nliddletown High School 1931 Football Record M. H. S. Opponents Lockland .. . . 58 0 Kiser ,,.,.., ., , ,, . , 18 0 Washington C. H. . . 51 0 Steele ,.,, ., . , 19 7 Hughes 45 7 Springfield , ., . 31 0 Portsmouth . , O 13 Lima Central . . 41 0 Roosevelt .. ., . 38 0 Hamilton .. , 38 6 339 33 Lockland After two weeks of strenuous practice the Middies pried off the lid against a weaker Lockland team. The locals outplayed their lighter opponents in every department of the game. Little was seen of the regulars, for substitutes entered the game at the beginning of the second quarter, and continued the good work. All the local backs came through with much ground gaining. Before t.he game was over almost every man on the bench had seen service. As the final gun sounded the score was fifty-eight to nothing in favor of the Lingrelmen. Kiser The Kiser game was marked by perfect teamwork on the part of the Middies. The first touchdown came in the early part of the second quarter when Wendt smashed through left tackle for the score. Galloping Ghost Romans entered the fray at the beginning of the second half, and proceeded to intercept a Kiser pass which stopped their touchdown threat. Then. on several successive plays, one jaunt carrying him for sixty-five yards, he crossed the last stripe. After Kiser had again failed to gain, Trumon Gray blocked and fell on a punt for the last tally. The line worked like a well-oiled, single unit, and the Middie backfield gained repeatedly behind perfect interference. Washington C. H. The third group of visitors in the Middie camp was the blue and white warriors from Washington C. H. This was the second year that the Lingrehnen have tussled with the Washington C. H. bunch. The game opened with a display of speed on both sides, but our gridders soon gained a distinct advantage. The Hrst team was relieved in the second quarter after putting over several touchdowns. The second team showed much punch, and. except for a short time at the beginning of the second half. played the remainder of the game. Steele After running their win streak up to three, and with their goal-line still uncrossed, the Middies made their Hrst invasion of enemy territory on October 10, when they met Steele of Dayton at Kiser Field. The score, 19 to 7, was a victory for the Purple, but it marred their record of holding opponents scoreless. Harlen Romans' long runs featured the tilt, his best being 65 yards from the second half kickoff. After Steele had scored their lone touchdown, Romans again tucked their kickoff under his arm and jaunted for another 50 yard gain. McMann's forward passes to Wendt, and the old double reverses also were instrumental in the Middie attack. I 118 J T+L ii

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Ca RJ .1 ,A , nf V v -, i , rivmiix , ,Y . Letterm en Left to Right FIRST Row: Seburn Alexander, Millard Bechtel, Harry Burnett, Irwin Butterfield, John Carmody, Dan Corson. SECOND ROW: Alfred Dean, Sam Farnsworth, Richard Fink, Ernest Gehin, Trunion Gray, Dwight Hagedorn. THIRD ROW: Albert Hamm, Gerald Horn, Earl Kinney, Paul Lawson, Walker Lewis. J. B. McMann. Wendt, Richard Woods. BIERIT-th? superior worth of M. H. S. athletes. BIANNERS--3 gentleman in all his actions. MANLY-strong in character and physique. MUSCLES-physical perfection and gracefulness. NIINDS-kQQTl, alert and quick to think. FOURTH ROW: Frank Saylor, Arthur-Strong, Jimmy Watson, Harold VVeikel, Merle NIIDDLETOWN-tl'lG city which holds our loyalty. lUIDDLETOVVN HIGH SCHOOL-the Purple and White for which we battle. L 117 1

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Hughes Two touchdowns in the first eight minutes of play at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati took much of the fight out of Hughes, and the Middies proceeded to run up a 45 to 7 count before the final gun. Soon after the opening kickoff, McMann raced 62 yards to Hughes' eight yard marker, then sent Romans across. A few minutes later McMann ripped off 35 yards more. and two passes, one to Lawson and one to Wendt. added the second score. Wendt and Strong covered most of the ground in the third Middie march, and McMann's passes were the main factors in the fourth tally. Art Strong intercepted a Hughes pass, starting the Middie drive for the first touchdown of the second half, and an 80 yard march down the field culminated in another Purple score. Then with only four minutes to play, a fumble by a Middie back gave Hughes a chance for a score, which they quickly put to their advantage. Springfield Despite the fact. that Springfield had not been consistently in the win column, the Middies went to their stamping grounds with some fear. The Lingrelmen showed a little hesitation in getting started, but they soon began to hit their stride. From then on the game was practically on ice , for the line mowed down all opposition, and with the aerial attack and running plays working smoothly the Purple warriors romped home to a 31 to 0 victory. The Reaper City eleven attempted to stem the tide of defeat with repeated substitutions, but it was of little avail. Portsmouth On a cold October afternoon the Middies pitted themselves against the fast and shifty Trojans of Portsmouth at the Universal Stadium along the Ohio River, and suffered their one defeat of t.he season, 13 to 0. Though the Purple twice forced Portsmouth to their goal, the Trojan quarter both times punted out. of danger, and in the second and third quarters a fast running attack, much the same style as that of the Middies, scored touchdowns for the Trojans. Regardless of their defeat, the Purple put up a good battle and left an impression in that city. Lima Central Following their defeat at the hands of Portsmouth, the Middies returned to home soil to play for charity's sake. For a time it looked bad for the Lingrel machine, but after getting down to business they scored twenty-one points in the first half, and added twenty more to that total in the second half. The defeat the previous week seemed to be good medicine for the Middies, for they ran over, under, and through the Bean City eleven. Lima gained one single first down on a forward pass. Roosevelt A big second quarter, in which the Middies three times crossed the Teddies' goal, was largely responsible for this victory, 38 to O, in the Middies final tilt at Lincoln Field. Merle Wendt garnered honors for the afternoon, marking up three touchdowns, while Lawson, Romans, and Strong each contributed a score. The Middie forward wall maintained their usual standard and allowed the visitors a lone first down, part of which was a five yard penalty. This was the last home game on Lincoln Field for many of Coach Lingrel's warriors, the whole first team with the exception of Merle Wendt, being seniors. Hanlilton The Middies brought a very successful season to a close by taking their old rivals. Hamilton, to town by a 38 to 6 score. The game was played at Oxford on neutral territory, and a large group of friendly rooters turned out for the encounter. Gallop- ing Ghost Romans brought his career to a close by adding three touchdowns to his credit with sweeping end runs. Wendt, Strong, and McMann also turned in good performances in the backfield. Captain Lawson's line work was outstanding. Hamilton scored late in the third quarter after they had completed a number of passes. This game brought to a close the career of another successful grid team. l119j